28th November 2024
Mystery, Murder, Madness, Mythos
I'm proud to announce that the following stories from mine and Brian's book, Mystery, Murder, Madness, Mythos, received honorable mentions in Ellen Datlow's The Best Horror of the Year Volume Sixteen!
Langan, John “The Nothing That is Not, the Nothing….”
Mamatas, Nick “Like Dogs,”
Meikle, William “The Long March,”
Niveau, Thana “Japanese Whispers,”
Rawlik, Peter and Ciano, Sal “The Death of Truth,”
Snyder, Lucy A. “Death Beneath the Dread Sleeper,”
Conyers, David “The Dreaming Detective,”
This is an amazing honour. Thank you everyone who contributed and helped bring this book to life.
1st November 2024
Now available, and featuring amongst other great weird fiction, a King in Yellow tale by yours truly!
Weird Fiction Quarterly - Fall 2024: Masquerade
Synopsis:
Weird Fiction Quarterly: Masquerade isn’t just any costume party or masked ball. The room is jam-packed with 68 authors with 68 exactly-500 word stories and a smattering of poems!
Come on in and shed your old skin, replace it with a new one. Take off that ol’ familiar face and exchange it for something completely different, even if for just one night. It’s easy, for here at WFQ, nothing is as it seems and everything is possible!
Experience giddy excitement hiding within your masks and feathers! Dance, sing, drink and be merry while you can!
But be aware: soon enough you’ll reel in horror as disguises are stripped off and masks torn away, exposing their wearers...
There’s no telling who or what you are likely to find at this hellish shindig.
You can find a link to your local Amazon store here:
https://weirdfictionquarterly.com/purchase-weird-fiction-quarterly/
or if you're a US customer, you can go to Amazon directly for the print edition. (The electronic versions will be available early next week across the various eBook markets.)
As always, we are looking for reviewers, so if you'd like a review copy, please reach out to inquiries@weirdfictionquarterly.com with your name, who you write for, and whether you've reviewed WFQ before (please include links if you have).
26th October 2024
Yours Truly, Spring-heeled Jack
Now available in eBook and print editions! I am proud to announce the release of my story Yours Truly, Spring-heeled Jack, from The Stygian Lepus at Black Hare Press.
https://books2read.com/b/JACK-BARRASS
When an ambitious chemist ventures into a forbidden dimension, he must confront unimaginable horrors that threaten to unravel his mind and humanity.
In a world where science and the supernatural collide, an aristocratic chemist named Lord Ainsley is drawn into the mysterious Kraken Club. Bored with his life of privilege and status, he seeks thrills in the unexplored realms of the occult.
His initial curiosity leads him to a séance, where he witnesses unsettling phenomena that blur the line between reality and the unknown. When he is invited deeper into the inner circle of the club, Ainsley is exposed to dangerous secrets, including a device that allows access to an alien dimension.
What begins as a thrilling exploration soon turns nightmarish as Ainsley encounters strange entities and unearthly horrors. His desire for discovery entangles him in a terrifying ordeal that blurs his identity and reality, ultimately forcing him to face the true cost of his ambition.
This atmospheric tale combines the eerie elements of Victorian horror with an ever-escalating sense of dread, challenging the boundaries of science, faith, and madness.
22nd October 2024
Walker
Now available in eBook and print editions! I am proud to announce the release of my story Walker, from The Stygian Lepus at Black Hare Press.
https://books2read.com/WALKER-BARRASS
In a chilling investigation of an abandoned farmhouse, two ghost hunters uncover far more than spirits—what they find threatens to unravel the very fabric of reality.
A seasoned investigator of the paranormal, Shannon has always been fascinated by the strange and unexplainable. After sharing childhood experiences with a fellow ghost enthusiast named Rainey, the two form a plan to explore real hauntings, dismissing the usual staged ghost hunts. Their research leads them to an abandoned farmhouse shrouded in mystery, a place littered with eerie remnants of its past and strange occurrences.
What begins as a shared curiosity quickly spirals into something far darker than either of them anticipated. As they delve deeper into the supernatural realm, they confront horrifying entities and unsettling truths about their own existence. Tensions rise when their investigation uncovers more than just hauntings—an encounter with a being from another dimension leads to devastating consequences.
The line between reality and the supernatural blurs as Shannon faces the ultimate test of survival in a haunted world where every decision can cost more than her life.
13thAugust 2024
Lovecraftiana: The Magazine of Eldritch Horror. Volume 8, Issue 4, Candlemas 2024
Okay, this was released back in February, but I've only just discovered I have a story inside. :-)
Lovecraftiana: The Magazine of Eldritch Horror. Volume 8, Issue 4, Candlemas 2024.
Featuring my Cyberpunk Horror story: "Land of the Lost."
Available worldwide from Amazon, it's garnered great reviews!
Candlemas is upon us! But beyond the nimbus of candlelight, in the outer darkness, weird things are afoot.
And the weirdest of all is the latest edition of Lovecraftiana--the Magazine of Eldritch Horror!
Featuring stories, poems and art by:
Toe Keen
Jim Pitts
Bartek Kucharski
Adam Newnham
Don Webb
Vincent Diego Metzo
Mike Scofield
Steve Passey
Glynn Owen Barrass
Ian M Bavian
Joseph Hirsch
Christopher Pate
Carlton Herzog
Will Hemlepp
Lee Clark Zumpe
Robert Pettus
Christopher W McGuinness
Livia E De Souza
Benjamin DeHaan
Tim Mendees
Dean Wirth
Toni Livakovic
8th August 2024
Weird Fiction Quarterly: Road Trip
The latest installment of Weird Fiction Quarterly - Summer 2024: Road Trip - is now available in print to purchase at your local Amazon outlet.
Featuring my story "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," come join us all as we travel to strange and spooky places!
Synopsis:
It’s time to kick your shoes off and put your talons up on the dashboard! This is Weird Fiction Quarterly’s Summer Road Trip!
The old jalopy is gassed up, the tires and oil checked, and the trunk is loaded with an ice chest, plenty of towels, and maybe even a body or two as fifty authors take turns driving to some incredibly out of the way places, the like of which you’ve never seen this side of your nightmares!
We have a massive itinerary including stops on other planes, faraway lands that you didn’t realize existed, haunted graveyards, and even the zoo! You don’t want to miss this massive multifarious trip!
The link here takes you t the list of Amazon stores: https://weirdfictionquarterly.com/purchase-weird-fiction-quarterly/
29th July 2024
Far Futures 3: An Anthology of Deep Space
Coming this October! Far Futures 3: An Anthology of Deep Space, edited by Robert J Mendenhall, from Blue Planet Press. The book will feature my story "Starlight," a tale of mystery and terror where interstellar pirates invade an abandoned space station.
13th June 2024
We are thrilled to announce that our book, Mystery Murder Madness Mythos, has been nominated for a Frank R. Paul award for outstanding work in book and magazine cover art.
Congratulations to the artist Tomislav Tikulin, everyone at PS Publishing, and everyone else who made the book possible.
31st May 2024
Weird Fiction Quarterly: Folk Horror
Weird Fiction Quarterly: Folk Horror features amongst other fine tales, my story "Fire In The Sky."
How awesome is this cover! By Liv Rainey-Smith.
Follow the link for purchase and a full TOC
https://weirdfictionquarterly.com/weird-fiction-quarterly-folk-horror-2024-is-available/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1HUjpULLvKAw6w7s58Nj0nw2vXybD0NzMMWJ_D9RHTCIGjkZQzF7OIYUU_aem_AcQQqYYf17TyaVXXhlmMn11674lI16Q-o_hSvDNsTHd--snSFX8wjJ8CH66kwbwtzy8gpUHv2ojZebQ8GLyYAICe
Weird Fiction Quarterly does Folk Horror!
Once again we bring you the finest in our now-signature 500 word flash fiction and exquisite poetry contributions, featuring over 60 writers from all around the globe and a dubious burlap sackful of color illustrations by our own Sarah Walker!
Visit a strange, quaint village where the yearly festival is Everything.
Call on the cunning woman or the witch doctor for a cure that might cost your very soul.
Go deep into the woods in search of what may be a monster—or some forgotten god that Must be Appeased.
Find a famous cryptid or two in (very) unexpected places!
However you think of Folk Horror, hold onto your garland of flowers, because, as with every issue of Weird Fiction Quarterly, there is no possible way to prepare yourself for what could pop up in these pages. Portals open and close; trees are not what they seem. Tales from different countries and cultures intermingle. From the wilds you hear the reel of bewitching pipes.
Whether or not you follow them, folks, things around these parts are about to get really weird.
31st May 2024
Shadowed Realms: The 2022 Indie Dark Fiction Anthology
I'm proud to announce my appearance in Shadowed Realms, featuring the best Indie Dark Fiction of 2022.
"Skyfall Forest," is about heroic and eldritch adventure in HP Lovecraft's Dreamlands.
Up for pre-order at a special discounted price of $2.99. Paperback to follow.
Step into the eerie embrace of Shadowed Realms, Holley Cornetto and Stuart Conover's curated collection of the most compelling indie horror tales of 2022. This anthology stitches together a tapestry of tales, each shadowed by the dark, each whispering tales of addiction, celestial mysteries, and worlds crumbling into apocalypse.
19th May 2024
The Stygian Lepus Issue 12
Out now and free to read! And featuring the second part of my story, "Yours Truly, Spring-heeled Jack."
This tale, set in the 19th century, details the origins of a nefarious urban myth of the times, one Spring-heeled Jack.
Click on the image to read!
Published By The Stygian Lepus.
Full TOC
A Bloody Price by D.J. Tyrer
A Worthy Recruit by Sebastian Martinez
About the Dark Weather by Max Bindi
Day 22 by Cameron D. Alexander
Death by LaVern Spencer McCarthy
Eating the Elephant: Tools of the Trade by Kimberly Rei & Dean Shawker
Ensnared by Rekha Valliappan
Great Grandpa by LaVern Spencer McCarthy
I Eat Well by Juleigh Howard-Hobson
Lure by Oliver C. Seneca
My Journey Prepared by Nick Romeo
No Huntin’ by E.P. Lande
Pits in The Forest by Juleigh Howard-Hobson
Scoots by J.R. Harlow
Season 26 by Bryce Thayne
Slowly, Slowly by LaVern Spencer McCarthy
The Dead Cries by Prayerlife Nwosu
Tomorrow by D.M. Burdett
Vampire Moments by LaVern Spencer McCarthy
Who’s Next? by LaVern Spencer McCarthy
Yours Truly, Spring-heeled Jack – Part Two of Two by Glynn Owen Barrass
3rd May 2024
Stalker - Stories inspired by Andrej Tarkowskij's movie
Including, amongst other fine tales, my latest fiction appearance, "The Space Between The Atoms."
"Stalker - Stories inspired by Andrej Tarkowskij's movie" is Eighth Tower's tribute to the cinematic masterpiece "Stalker" (1979) by Russian director Andrej Tarkowskij. Tarkowskij 's second science fiction film after Solaris, "Stalker" is based on a novel by the Strugackij brothers, Arkadij and Boris, renowned authors of Soviet science fiction. The novel, titled "Roadside Picnic," was released in 1971. Tarkovskij adapted the basic literary work, written in the form of dispatches and intelligence reports, inspired by the Tunguska event of 1908—a probable impact in a remote Siberian area of a meteorite or possibly a comet.
The Zone is primarily the interior of a rural territory that has been disrupted by an unspecified event, perhaps the fall of a meteorite or the passage of an extraterrestrial spacecraft. Within it, strange and mysterious events occur, and many people have disappeared. Above all, there is a rumor that a "Room" capable of fulfilling any desire is located within the Zone. After attempting to study the Zone, the military evacuated the population and restricted access. Scholars need special permits to enter. Only the Stalkers, guides who, for money, accompany anyone willing to try to reach the Room of Desires, challenging the authorities, venture into that territory. The world of "Stalker," filmed in Estonia, Russia, and Tajikistan, is a science fiction of inner space, reminiscent of Ballard, a dreamlike space. Leaning light poles, debris, abandoned huts. The film's world is heavily degraded and contaminated by trash, debris, and wreckage. A damp world, flooded, with puddles and rain. A disturbed world of a civilization now in a state of post-industrial decay.
In this anthology of unpublished stories, Eighth Tower and the writers involved in the project, pay passionate homage to this masterpiece of science fiction cinema and, more broadly, the history of cinema.
Stories by: B. E. Dantalion, Andrew Coulthard, Chris McAuley, J. Edwin Buja, Glynn Owen Barrass, Michael F. Housel, Nora B. Peevy, Sarah Walker.
Published by Eighth Tower
Curated by Raffaele Pezzella
Illustrated by John D. Chadwick
Introduction by Raffaele Pezzella
Cover layout by Matteo Mariano
Language: English
Paperback: 261 pages
Item Weight: 0.9 pounds (0,4 kg)
Dimensions: 6 x 0.86 x 9 inches (15 x 23 x 2 cm)
Includes unlimited streaming of Stalker - Music inspired by Andrej Tarkowskij's movie via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. less
ships out within 7 days
3rd April 2024
The Stygian Lepus Issue 11
Out now! And featuring the first part of my story, "Yours Truly, Spring-heeled Jack."
This tale, set in the 19th century, details the origins of a nefarious urban myth of the times, one Spring-heeled Jack.
Click on the image to read!
Published By The Stygian Lepus.
Full TOC
Beyond These Walls by Tom Folske
Carnivorous by Julie Allyn Johnson
Death of the Sea by Corinne Pollard
Eating the Elephant: To the Moon, Author! by Kimberly Rei & Dean Shawker
Midnight of the Unnatural by Stephen McQuiggan
The Followers by Jim Mountfield
Thievery by Lee Clark Zumpe
Word-Shopping, Part I by Julie Allyn Johnson
Yours Truly, Spring-heeled Jack – Part One of Two by Glynn Owen Barrass
25th February 2024
Weird Fiction Quarterly
WFQ's "Monsters" Issue Now Available!
Get your copy of the latest installment of "Weird Fiction Quarterly" now. The "Monsters" issue is now available in print from Amazon.
This is a full-color edition.
The theme of this edition is winter and monsters and the WFQ authors delivered forty-two original new stories that range from humorous to horrifying. WFQ creator Russell Smeaton rejoined us as the cover artist for this issue. Sarah Walker and Nora B. Peevy provided a number of wonderful interior illustrations to round out the collection.
If you'd like to publish a review of the issue, please reach out to reviews@weirdfictionquarterly.com for details about obtaining a copy.
Featuring the stories:
Yuki-onna by M Ennenbach
Snowman With A Surprise Inside by Mark McLaughlin
Lunker by J. Edward Zuleger
Winter Red by Erica Ruppert
Secret Santa by Sarah Walker
They Just Appeared by Shayne K. Keen
The Lottery by Glynn Owen Barrass
The Curve by Mark Miller
Tallemaja by Erin Banks
Spy Balloon by Rhys Hughes
Silt by Polly Schattel
Periwinkle—Fiore di Morte by Melanie Crew
The Real Monster by Nora B. Peevy
Monsters by Robert J. Sodaro
Monsters Aren’t Real by Scott J. Couturier
The Monster of Certainty by Maxwell I. Gold
Midnight Snack by Simon Bleaken
Joyous Night by John H. Howard
Frostbite by Jill Hand
Mermaid by Frank Floyd
Familiar Flames by James Bennett
Evergreen by Chelsea Arrington
Čert by Denise Dumars
Brahmarakshas by Jayaprakash Satyamurthy
The Monster’s Ball by Andy Joynes
A Winter Siege by Lamont A. Turner
A Perfect Spot for Eyes Fishing by Robert Jeschonek
Just Desserts by Can Wiggins
Devoured by Chris J. Karr
Projections by John Paul Fitch
Deerheart by Duane Pesice
Dam Bones by Jay Sturner
Love and Fear by Dale W. Glaser
The Thing on the Trolley by David Barker
A Nice Day In The Park by John Linwood Grant
The Winter Winds by Hayley Arrington
The Forgotten by John M. F. Colton
Linda by Roger Keel
Humanity by Glynn Owen Barrass
Endless Winter by Jennifer Caress
Carcass by Sumiko Saulson
A Prayer from a Blacksmith’s Apprentice by Emily Loretta Flummox
30th January 2024
The Dagon Collection
I'm incredibly proud to have contributed to this venerable tome!
An ANTHOLOGY Auction Catalogue of Items Recovered in the 1929 Federal Raid on Innsmouth, Mass.
AN ANTHOLOGY edited by Nate Pedersen
CATEGORY Horror / Dark Fantasy
PUBLICATION DATE January 2024
CATALOGUING by Rebecca Baumann, with assistance from Jonathan Kearns
ILLUSTRATIONS by Liv Rainey-Smith and Eduardo Valdés-Hevia
LAYOUT & DESIGN Andrew Lehamn
PAGES 216
ABOUT THE BOOK
The companion book to "The Starry Wisdom Library," which has been in the works for seven years: "The Dagon Collection." The anthology is once again presented as a fake auction catalogue, however this time it is 1929, shortly after the events in "The Shadow Over Innsmouth." The feds have just raided the Esoteric Order of Dagon Lodge. Now they've contracted with Pent & Serenade, Occult Auctioneers, to sell the items secured in the raid. In addition to books, this auction also features weaponry, art, jewelry, nautical items, textiles, and objects both strange and prosaic once owned by the Dagon cult. The design skills of Andrew Leman of H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society have brought the catalogue to life in all its 1920s period glory. Rebecca Baumann of the University of Indiana provided the cataloging of the objects. Liv Rainey-Smith and Eduardo Valdes-Hevia contributed illustrations. Leading voices in horror and Lovecraftian fiction again contributed stories, including F. Paul Wilson, Jesse Bullington, John Langan, Gemma Files, Livia Llewellyn, Michael Cisco, Nick Mamatas, Ramsey Campbell, Selena Chambers, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and, in a bittersweet note, Joseph S. Pulver, Sr. (to whom the book is dedicated), in what may be his final unpublished story.
13th January 2024
The Stygian Lepus 9 - Print Edition
Out now! And featuring the final installment of my serialized Cosmic Horror/Haunted House tale: "Walker."
Published By The Stygian Lepus.
Full TOC
Call Me Karma by Linda M. Crate
Dora of Boat Landing Road by Ann Wuehler
Eating the Elephant: What You Don’t Know You Know by Kimberly Rei & Dean Shawker
Echoes in the Silence by Avery Hunter
Enter the Apocalypse by Jack D. Harvey
Fine, I am the Monster by Linda M. Crate
Hairy and Scary by Don Money
Holy Mother of the Drowned by Laila Amado
Horned Demon by Janis Butler Holm
Jesus Is My Co-pilot by Delphine Gauthier-Georgakopoulos
Just What I Want by Warren Benedetto
Kings of Winter by Engilbert Egill Stefánsson
Look for the Faces by L. Anne Greenspan
Nothing But A Monster by Linda M. Crate
On an Old Billy Goat by Dennis McFadden
Organ Donor by Trier Ward
Return of the Drummer – Part Four by Jodi Jensen
Rides by Trier Ward
The Gift of Immortality by Lori Green
Vampire Bunny by Janis Butler Holm
Waking by Trier Ward
Walker – Part Four by Glynn Owen Barrass
When Did I Say I was Only Love and Light by Linda M. Crate
Worse Than Death by Rod Raglin
Your Society by Linda M. Crate
9th January 2024
Late last year I wrote about my favourite reads of 2023 for Shepherd.com. Click on the image to read the article.
5th January 2024
Witchcraft and Black Magic in the United States
Now Available!
WITCHCRAFT AND BLACK MAGIC IN THE UNITED STATES
Featuring my story "All of them Witches."
Also featuring stories by these fantastic authors:
Simon Bleaken, Chris McAuley, J. Edwin Buja, Michael F. Housel, Scott J. Couturier, B. Harlan Crawford, Nora B. Peevy, Sarah Walker, John Howard.
DL + CD (limited ed. of 200 copies) + BOOK (paperback)
The 16th and 17th centuries were a time of great turmoil throughout Europe, as a witch hunting craze spread across the continent like wildfire. Thousands of men and women were accused, many of whom were executed in the name of religious zeal. The epic nature of the European witch hunt has been well documented and remains a topic of great discussion, whilst across the Atlantic in the New World, puritans who had travelled from the Old World, particularly Britain, were not averse to similar panics of their own. The most famous example, being the Salem witch trials.
Eighth Tower has brought together a gifted group of musicians and writers whose interests lie in a similar field. They have meticulously crafted their aural creations with the explicit intention of transporting listeners and readers into the captivating realms inspired by the witchcraft and black magic in the United States.
Music by: Mark Hjorthoy, insectarium, Rapoon, Grey Frequency, Michael Grunditz. Monotone Murk, Mario Lino Stancati, Vyormouth, Morgen Wurde & David Strother, The Black Monolith, Mombi Yuleman.
The cd is also available in the Eighth Tower cd collection bundle:
The book is also available in the Eighth Tower books collection:
Hard cover book is available via Amazon worldwide:
1st January 2024
Flashing Swords 8
Now Available!
Edited by Robert M Price and featuring my story "Manticora."
Every volume of Flashing Swords, our anthology series inaugurated years ago by Fantasy Master Lin Carter, is a visit to Valhalla, the ancient Hall of Heroes. One might think of it as a kind of American Legion or VFW lodge where veteran warriors meet to reminisce about glorious battles of the past. What? Fond memories of bloodshed and killing? Isn't that reprehensible? Isn't it like a gang of terrorists or murders getting together to play Can You Top This? No, because battles partake of the nature of games. They are competitions of courage with the highest possible stakes. The causes for which the warriors fight, together with the risks to life and limb, inject a note of nobility into the violence. And this is what our writers and readers enjoy and admire in this great genre of Sword-&-Sorcery fiction, created by Robert E. Howard and given its name by Fritz Leiber.Who will you find gathered round the feasting board this time around? Let's take attendance, shall we? I believe I see none other than Thongor of Valkarth as well as the Samaritan wonder-worker Simon of Gitta! Other familiar battle-scarred faces include Duar the Accursed, Ki-Gor, White Lord of the Jungle, Kothar of the Magic Sword, and King Elak of Atlantis. But the Valhalla that is Flashing Swords is no mere Boys' Club, for we rejoice at the presence among us of warrior women Tara of the Twilight, Ansell of the Dreamlands, Varla of Valkarth, and Tonga of Lost Lemuria! These legended heroes and heroines continue to inspire and entertain us today.You may think you have none but vicarious heroism in you, but that's just what little, fussy Bilbo Baggins thought, too, and look what happened to him! So why not get started on your own hero quest right here in our pages?