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headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4670: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4671: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4672: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) Horror World • View topic - Campfire Tales, Issue 1, December 2006
Joined: Fri Dec 15, 2006 3:31 am Posts: 8 Location: Corinth,MS
Campfire Tales
Issue 1/ December 2006
Brought to you courtesy of Keith Latch author of A Ghost Story
Now available for purchase from Shocklines (with the New Voices Guarantee), Booklocker.com, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Borders, Powell’s Books, and www.keithlatch.com is A Ghost Story; the debut novel of dark suspense by author Keith Latch.
A Ghost Story is the saga of the dark fantastic, small town evil, and the courage of a child.
Winchester County was once a great place to live, with its picturesque Willow Lake and the charming town of Ivy Springs, a true Norman Rockwell paradise if there ever was one. But now, the mayor of Ivy Springs, the corrupt and powerful Dexter Scruggs, rules with an iron fist. Mayor Scruggs has become obsessed with gaining custody of his granddaughter, Delaney, no matter what. And if he can’t have her—no one can.
Can a ragtag crew of adults and one supernatural being save young Delaney from the wrath of her crazed grandfather?
Go to to enjoy a free excerpt…if you dare.
A Ghost Story is guaranteed to not be
just another campfire tale.
Welcome to the Campfire Tales Newsletter. Included you will find news on the best new horror fiction releases from both the small press and mass-market publishers. Also, expect music and movie info, as well as a ranking of Campfire Tale’s favorite websites. So, buckle your seatbelt and scroll on down for the best of the best of the genre.
First, in this issue, I’d like to tell everyone about the Pod of Horror podcast available from Horror World. It’s a great podcast chocked full of interviews and reviews, and the greatest news on horror available. POH is hosted by two of the best podcasters I’ve ever heard, Mark Justice and David T. Wilbanks, and, of course, the advice demon Grim Rictus. If you’ve missed Pod of Horror, you have really missed some good stuff. Plus, it’s free. Great entertainment, for free? What’s to lose?
Also, on the Horror World POH page you can download all of the POH episodes from the very beginning to the current episode. Besides the POH, you’ll also find links to the now defunct Voices of Horror. A similar podcast, but the VOH, hosted by Jonathon Williams, is an extensive interview podcast with in-depth discussions with the likes of Douglass Clegg, Jack Ketchum, and Matt Schwartz.
This seems like a great time of year for fiction in general, and horror, dark fantasy and suspense in particular. Here’s just a sampling of the latest releases from
Necessary Evil
THE WICKED
by James Newman
A fire consumes the Heller Home For Children in Morganville, North Carolina. Amidst rumors of devil worship, authorities remand the teenage arsonist to a sanitarium.
Unaware of the turmoil in their new hometown, the Littles - David, Kate, and seven year-old Becca - are moving from New York City to Morganville in hopes of repairing their own lives, which were recently shattered by an act of sexual violence.
Before long, David Little realizes that his family's troubles are worse than he could have ever imagined: An ancient demon lives in Morganville, an unholy creature conjured into existence by the Heller Home tragedy.
Black Death Books
Vampire Apocalypse: A World Torn Asunder by Derek Gunn
The war is over and the Vampires have won. The drying up of the world's oil resources leads to the fabled End of Days. Technology stagnates and communities grow ever more insular. With communication between cities lost and attention turned inward, the vampires rise from the shadows where they have survived for centuries and sweep across the globe. By the time word spreads it is far too late and Vampires enslave humanity and keep them in walled cities to breed. More...
Hellbound
Damned Nation edited by Robert N. Lee &
David T. Wilbanks (Available NOW!)
Hell on earth. Dangerous visions of incarnate damnation visited upon our delicate world by some of today's most imaginative authors, including William F. Nolan, Poppy Z. Brite, Tom Piccirilli, Randy Chandler, Weston Ochse, and more. All new, never before published stories.
DeathGrip: Exit Laughing (Available NOW!)
Headlined by William F. Nolan, these tales of black humor are by some of today's most twisted authors ...
Nocturne Press
Winds of Change by Jason Brannon
A group of complete strangers are trapped inside a hardware store while the winds of change turn anyone who ventures outside into a pillar of salt. Is it the result of biological warfare gone awry or a simple terrorist’s plot? Is it a Biblical curse, hearkening back to the plagues of Egypt? Or is it something much more sinister?
A string quartet is held captive inside a seaside conservatory by a group of ocean-dwelling creatures whose only mission is to make the music stop. The quartet’s only defense lies in their ability to create music. Thus, they must either play indefinitely or die.
A homeless man befriends a young boy who can summon voodoo gods through the graffiti that he paints on the walls of the city. Yet it will take more than friendship to help the boy when one of the gods escapes.
“Biblical prophecies come to life at your local hardware store? What's not to like? WINDS OF CHANGE is a wild ride and then some -- Jason Brannon's characters live and breathe in every story, and his horrors crawl up your spine like an icy finger in the dead of night. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!” --James Newman, author of Midnight Rain, Holy Rollers
“In the Winds of Change, Jason Brannon explores the involvement of the supernatural in the cycle of good and evil -- terror and relief. Blending the ancient with the modern, he shows us that we have plenty to fear.” Angeline Hawkes-Craig, author of The Swan Road and Momento Mori
“I enjoyed these three stories immensely. Jason Brannon is a writer I look for when I want to bury myself in a story, and he more than lived up to that here. Fast paced and original, Jason always impresses me.” --John Little, author of Miranda (forthcoming)
Leisure
The Beloved by J.F. Gonzalez
Ronnie Baker thought his new girlfriend was perfect. But he couldn’t see what his family did—that Diana and her children weren’t quite normal, that somehow she was slowly sucking away his time, his money…his life.
Don Grant has been tracking the creature ever since it turned his wife into something barely more than a living zombie. He’s traced its mayhem back for centuries. Feeding off lust and violence, it grows stronger and more seductive with each life it drains. Now he’s finally caught up with it. But unless he can find a way to stop it—fast—the nightmare will be unleashed on a whole new family.
Signet
Death Instinct by Bentley Little writing as Phillip Emmons
The house was dark as she pulled into the driveway. She got out of the car and looked across the street at the Lauter place. The removal van had gone, and sheets had been put over the inside of the windows. From behind the sheets came a soft glow. The idea of someone actually living in the Lauter house made her shiver. It seemed strange for people to be there, wrong almost. She had only been six when Keith Lauter had killed both himself and his wife....Many years later that same quiet street in Phoenix, Arizona is blighted once more by the smell of death. For Cathy Riley, now living alone with her bitter, disabled father, is like an old nightmare reborn. What kind of devil could devise a new and intricate method of killing each time - turning each horrifying death into an act of creative genius....Caught in a closing web of terror, Cathy is thrown together with Detective Allan Grant, who has so far been chasing one false scent after another. But unless they uncover a secret no rational mind could suspect, the grisly slayings will move ever closer. (Source: Richard Laymon Kills - Same Vein)
Bantam
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
The eagerly-awaited new hardcover hits the shelves November 28, 2006. You won't want to miss the third installment of the series as Odd Thomas leaves Pico Mundo to embrace the solitude and peace of an isolated monastery high in the western mountains. But Odd has a knack for finding himself in the way of trouble. For a killer is stalking the ancient, holy halls and Odd is about to confront an enemy who eclipses any he has yet encountered.
Through two New York Times bestselling novels Odd Thomas has established himself as one of the most beloved and unique fictional heroes of our time. Now, wielding all the power and magic of a master storyteller at the pinnacle of his craft, Dean Koontz follows Odd into a singular new world where he hopes to make a fresh beginning-but where he will meet an adversary as old and inexorable as time itself.
I’d also like to take a moment to sing a few more praises. First, to Nanci Kalanta and everyone involved with the best site in cyberspace for all things dark and fantastic, the home of not only the Pod of Horror, but countless links, contacts, message boards, and other incredible goodies. Have you guessed it? If you said Horror World, toot your horn, because you got it. Stop by sometime soon; I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Horror World also boasts some of the best exclusive fiction on the Net and has excellent book reviews. Check out their Live Journal for up to date announcements on breaking news.
And I can’t forget Matt Schwartz at Shocklines, your one-stop shop for horror, an amazing online bookstore. I’ve heard time and time again that Matt is the best friend horror ever had. Well, I must say that I’ve finally had the chance to find out. And it’s true. The man has been amazingly supportive of my work since day one (After all he did purchase the first copies of my book). Also, you can’t beat Shocklines for the best finds from both the mass-market and the small presses. The store stocks virtually everything you can think of. From out of print chapbooks, magazines, comic books, CDs, DVDs, to signed hardcovers by your favorite authors. If you consider yourself a true horror fan and haven’t patronized this bookseller, I gotta ask: What the hell’s holding you up?
Treasures
(The Campfire Tales Treasures section is devoted to exceptional items I’ve come across between issues. Sometimes new, sometimes not, the items listed here are highly recommended.)
1. A View from the Lake by Greg F. Gifune (Novel-Blindside Publishing)
If you’ve needed something to read that will not only entertain you but also haunt you long after you’ve finished it…this is it. Though I was already a fan of Gifune’s work, I am now doubly so. A View from the Lake is a tender approach to a terrible scare. You can’t go wrong with Gifune and this is one of his best efforts.
2. Transylvania 90210 by Wednesday 13 (Music CD)
Rarely can music match the ominous tone of either a slasher movie or horror novel, but Wednesday 13 has done it. My only regret is that I haven’t come across this disc sooner. Listening to this album is like watching the goriest of the B horror flicks or making your way through the pages of a splatterpunk book of the 80’s. Standout tracks include: “I Walked With A Zombie,” “The Ghost of Vincent Price,” and “House by the Cemetery.”
This month’s Campfire Tales reading list is:
1. The Farm by Scott Nicholson (Pinnacle Horror)
2. The Conqueror Worms by Brian Keene (Leisure)
3. Death Instinct by Bentley Little writing as Phillip Emmons (Signet)
4. The Beloved by J.F. Gonzalez (Leisure)
5. Damned Nation an anthology edited by Robert N. Lee & David T. Wilbanks (Hellbound)
On the Campfire Tales iPod this month:
1.Ten Thousand Fists by Disturbed
2. Transylvania 90210 by Wednesday 13
3. Here and Now by Darryl Worley
4. Exiled by Grigori 3
5. Extreme Behavior by Hinder
Top Websites for This Month:
1. Horror World
2. Pod of Horror
3. Hauntedcomputer.com (The Official Scott Nicholson website)
4. Shocklines
5. Insidious Reflections
Free Fiction
Chapter 1
of
A Ghost Story
Excerpt 1 of 2
Chapter 1
Night is his cloak, darkness his flesh.
The sun had set only an hour ago. Already the night had come to life. Night birds sang their uniquely terrible songs. Crickets chirped and frogs croaked. It was this time that sixteen-year-old Billy Whomper felt most alive, most powerful. In another life, perhaps he could have been a vampire, if such things existed, but he didn’t believe that they did. Still, in fantasies and dreams, he was one of the undead, walking the earth for eternity, able to delve into his darkest desires and most hidden yearnings.
The denim of Billy’s jeans rubbed at the thighs as he walked, chaffing his skin. He was what nice people would call healthy and what less nice people called fat. It did not matter what people said, or…maybe it did.
Maybe that’s why he had such a dour outlook on life. Maybe that was why his parents no longer understood him and the teachers ignored him. Maybe that’s why the other kids called him Fat-ass, Lard Butt, Twinkie Boy, and so on and so forth.
Maybe that’s why he wore the inverted pentagram around his neck.
He fingered the small silver symbol now. It seemed to give him strength. He was glad to have it.
The woods were relatively well lit. Moonlight penetrated through the leafy canopy above, silvering the landscape. That was good. Billy thought his night vision was quite acute and so far, he’d no reason to doubt it. There was just enough light for him to see his way, but not enough for anyone to see him. Billy knew these woods well. Within them, Billy felt all-powerful and, because these very woods also surrounded almost every house surrounding Willow Lake, no place was unreachable, especially at night. It was almost as if he were a vampire, stealing through the night unnoticed, but noticing everything.
And he was getting close. It wouldn’t be long now, not long at all.
His mind, which even at his young age could be considered sinister, was running excitedly about tonight’s endeavor. He was filled with a limitless reservoir of pure energy. His mouth was watering with anticipation. No sir’ee, it wouldn’t be long now.
* * *
He could see light in the windows. Golden, warm, and welcoming light. A great oak stood close to the house. The tree was old and hadn’t been trimmed properly. Limbs, big and thick, larger than Billy’s legs, started just about Billy’s waist.
With well-practiced moves, he was up the tree in less than a minute, not even breathing heavy—yet. From a sturdy branch, Billy peered into a bathroom.
Billy checked his Casio. It was about nine-thirty. Good. Very good. He had made good time through the woods. Anytime now, the woman would enter the bathroom and prepare to bathe. Elsewhere in the house, the little girl would be watching either cartoons or coloring while her mother partook of her nightly ritual. Which in all actuality had become Billy’s as well.
As if on cue, she entered. She wore a sleeveless tee shirt and short cotton shorts. Her shiny, black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. From the distance of a little over six feet, Billy took in all of this. He thought she was more than pretty; he thought she was beautiful.
She walked to the tub, turned on the water. Almost immediately, there was steam. Just as if he’d not seen her do it a dozen times, he was relieved when she opened the window halfway for the steam to escape. He silently thanked her for this courtesy. He hadn’t come all this way through dark woods to stare at a window covered by a film of steam. No. He had come for what came next.
The woman pulled her shirt off. Out flung her breasts. They were as nice as Billy could ever remember seeing in a Playboy or Penthouse and much better than the hard-core magazines. They weren’t big and they weren’t small. He thought them perfect-sized. Wasn’t anything larger than a mouthful a waste, anyway?
Her belly was flat and her skin tanned. It was then that he became aware of the tree branch between his legs. He had straddled the branch in order to keep his hands free and the pressure of the wood on his crotch was not completely unpleasant.
Then came her shorts. Revealed was a scanty pair of pink panties. Probably Victoria’s Secret or some other exotic brand. They were frilly at the edges, not a g-string, though. Billy thought she’d look good in a pair of g-string panties. Maybe he’d send her a pair. Anonymously, of course. Would she wear them? Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, these were nice too. He’d seen her in several different ones, and he was always pleased. His favorite pair had been black and silky. Simple, but seductive. That had been the first night. Almost two weeks ago, now. He’d been too nervous, and perhaps a little too ashamed, to stay very long then. Now, he’d built up his nerve.
Billy tried to imagine what Mr. Filkes, his Sunday school teacher, would think of these nocturnal visits. Probably give the old fuck a heart attack, Billy thought. It’d serve his hypocritical ass right.
The woman slid the pink panties off. She did so slowly, as if the act was meant exclusively for Billy. He looked at the legs first, not wanting to look to her private parts too fast; that would ruin it. Her legs were slightly tanned, as her belly had been—the color of fresh honey. Long and slender with the muscles taut. He tried to imagine his tongue moving over the surface of them. It didn’t take too much trying, at that.
Then his eyes moved to the cleft between her thighs. Beautiful and secret, exclusive and summoning; like the fabled forbidden fruit. The mountain of flesh between her legs was barely large enough to be cupped in a hand, but Billy thought that within it a dark paradise could be found. Covering the mound was soft looking, curly hair, darker than the hair of her head, but only just. He longed to touch its silken promise, to caress its delicate mysteries.
His cock had risen to the occasion, stiffening against the rough branch.
She freed her hair from its binding as it cascaded down like a waterfall. It reached her shoulders and down her back. It was full and lustrous and dark like silken coal, it framed her lovely face perfectly. It would feel good in his hands and he wanted to hold it, to use it as a reign, to control her with it.
Billy’s cock was so hard now it felt like a flesh-covered stone—and it was throbbing. The branch met with the tree in such a fashion that Billy could easily recline and keep his balance. He did so. Pulling the zipper of his jeans down, he freed his throbbing member. He grabbed hold of it. It felt good and hot in his hands. One day soon, he would place it in the woman, enter into her secret place, and revel in the kingdom that was her body. For now, however, he was only a spectator, but soon, that would change.
Very soon.
Part 2 coming next issue
Being that Christmas is my favorite time of the year as well as this being the Campfire Tales inaugural issue, four winners have been selected.
This issue’s winners of the Campfire Tales giveaway ($25.00 Shocklines gift certificate!) are
Congratulations!!! Your prizes are on the way. Merry Christmas to Everyone!
Remember, everyone, all you have to do to be eligible for next month’s giveaway is to be a Campfire Tales subscriber. That’s it. Easy ain’t it.
Thanks for taking the time to read Campfire Tales. Hopefully, it will be delivered to your inbox on a monthly basis. However, newsflashes too hot to wait that long will be delivered as soon as possible.
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