Undawnted received word that DL Mullan's short story, Kurst,
has been accepted into WordCrafter's Midnight Garden anthology. Due
out this October 2024, this publication will be another installment in the dark fiction trilogy.
Karen Kurst comes into the legal possession of her deceased grandmother's cabin in Salt
Pines, Arizona. As she delves into the secrets of the quaint mountain
village, she discovers that there is more than meets the eye. A
mysterious creature roams the woods, a blended cryptid: Elemental, Sasquatch, and
Skinwalker. The only way to contain this entity is through a magical
spell passed down by her ancestor, Ralph Wallen. Teaming up with the
local indigenous sheriff, Karen is determined to break the family curse.
However, the question remains - will she have to sacrifice her own life
to protect her newfound community?
Join this collection of writers in sharing their nightmares with you...
_____
A
writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began
writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms.
Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several
collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and
creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in
digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies.
As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as
well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital
artist and poet.
Undawnted received word that DL Mullan's short story, 12 Angry Dead, has been accepted into WordCrafter's The Hanging Tree anthology. Due out this September 2024, this publication will be the home to several authors' rendition of the hanging tree motif.
When the souls of the wronged rise to avenge their premature
deaths, is there anyone who can stand against them?
Marilla Gibbs, an
heiress and a director of the historical museum, is a descendant of Aida
Worthington, a victim of one of these unjust homicides. The mid-1800s was a tumultuous time,
especially with figures like Josiah King, who took lives with impunity.
In the afterlife, his victims came together to form a jury. On All
Hallows Eve, when the veil separating the living from the dead is at its
thinnest, Aida and eleven other spirits took control of their
descendants to confront their killer, who is now a seven-year-old boy.
With the aid of her assistant, Shaun, and Justin, the child's father,
Marilla seeks to outmaneuver the twelve angry dead. Yet, will their combined
efforts be sufficient to redirect the course from vengeance to authentic
justice?
The trio soon realizes that no one can escape a past life.
Join this collection of writers in sharing their nightmare scenario with you... not all of them have happy endings.
_____
A
writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began
writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms.
Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several
collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and
creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in
digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies.
As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as
well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital
artist and poet.
MJ's writing credits include YA, paranormal,
best-selling horror, supernatural short stories, flash fiction, poetry,
pandemic inspired poetry and best-selling anthologies.
Poetry/flash
fiction collections include Lockdown Innit, Mr. Sagittarius Poetry
& Prose, The Hedge Witch And The Musical Poet and Do What You Love.
Her eclectic blog shares her love of reading, reviewing, writing, poetry, photography, and travel: https://mjmallon.com.
Interview with Christa Planko about her short story: The Easterville Glass Ghost
What inspired you to write “The Easterville Glass Ghost?”
My inspiration for “The Easterville Glass Ghost” began with a trip to the Estellville Glassworks, a historic site near me. I first visited the site when I moved to the area in 2008. It has haunted me ever since!
Today, the glassworks is more of a graveyard for the 19th -century factory that bustled with activity from 1825 to 1877. Most of its structures have nothing left beyond their foundations. But the most prominent structure, the melting furnace, has three stone walls remaining. The front of the building features four large arches. Beyond these walls lies brick and stone rubble and the deep pits where glassblowers would form molten glass into cylinders.
Imagine how eerie it is to walk through the woods and happen upon Estellville’s imposing arched structure! As many times as I’ve returned to hike in the surrounding woods, I always get chills when the ruins first come into sight. It has prompted many imaginative musings about the people that lived and worked there. What was it like to work among fiery furnaces, handling molten glass? Was it competitive work? Was it dangerous? So dangerous that anyone ever died?
These musings led to the creation of “The Easterville Glass Ghost.” The story came together based on my own research about the factory and 19th -century glassblowing, coupled with imagination and fictional characters.
Have you ever had a ghostly encounter?
I did have an unexplained experience once. It involved the sensation of a hand sliding down my shoulder to my back. And it so happened that it was at the site of the Estellville Glassworks. This experience is what I fictionalized in my story.
While I’m not sure I had an actual “ghostly” encounter, if a spirit was present that day, it was a protective one. Nobody else was around at the time. I was technically trespassing at the site, climbing on top of a brick pile for a better view. The hand I felt on my shoulder coincided with me losing my footing—kind of like a steadying hand, ensuring my safety.
So, do I believe in spirits? I’m not sure about ghosts, but I do believe in spirit. By that, I mean the spirit that comprises character and lives on after a person expires. Elements of the human spirit—such as love, joy, kindness, gentleness—transcend time and space. These are things that we remember about loved ones and others who have passed. They are the traits written about heroes in history books. They imprint on us, encourage us, and inspire us to be the same—to make a difference in others’ lives. This is also a theme I aim to capture in my story.
Thank you for your questions and the opportunity to participate in the blog tour for Midnight Roost!
_____
Christa Planko, MA, is a professional writer with a passion for creative expression. She has had her poetry and short stories featured in several publications, including Tanka and Haiku Journal, Poetry Quarterly, New Jersey Bards, and Every Day Fiction. Her story, “The Olde-Tyme Village,” won the 2021 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest. Christa resides in South Jersey with her feline muses.
Christa graduated from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ) with a BA in English Literature and from Drew University (Madison, NJ) with an MA in English Literature.
Undawnted's
DL Mullan can be booked for your online Blog Tour, Book Event, Book
Review (w/ARC), Interview, Writing Conference, or Genre Convention. Ms.
Mullan has years of experience in public speaking, readings,
presentations, events, and tours.
From the creative mind that gave readers: The Reality Hackers, comes a tale unlike any other written this century...
With that said, the story needed an equally mystifying cover art. It took some time to find that perfect balance, but the universe of possibilities came together. Now, Undawnted is revealing the new book cover for the novelette version of the story, publishing in April of next year.
This creative write infuses the horror and science fiction genres and takes them into a futurist cascade of events that will leave the reader asking themselves what they would do in a similar position.
New technologies like algorithms, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality are only the beginning of the changes to be seen in the world.
But are these changes friend or foe? Mangled contemplates some of the questions surrounding humanity's future.
Mangled follows a military Specialist named, Sarah Mitchell:
The short story publishing in WordCrafter's Midnight Roost horror
anthology, Mangled, on October 17, 2023, will also be published as a
novelette in April 2024 through Sonoran Dawn Studios.
_____
A
writer at heart, Undawnted's own creative spark, DL Mullan, began
writing short stories and poetry before adolescence. Over the years, Ms.
Mullan has showcased her literary talents by self-publishing several
collections of her poetry. She also writes novels, designs apparel, and
creates digital art. Ms. Mullan‘s creative writing is available in
digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies.
As an independent publisher, she produces her own book cover designs as
well as maintains her own websites. She is an award-winning digital
artist and poet.
DL Mullan is sharing her knowledge
via A Novelist Idea Newsletter. If you too want to become a Fearless
Phile, then subscribe to her newsletter on Substack.
Her innovative style teaches writers how to reach their creative potential, and write more effectively.
Today, Kaye Lynne Booth of Writing to be Read revealed the book cover I designed for Midnight Roost horror anthology, which will also have my short story, Mangled in the pages. The anthology will be released in October 2023.
Just in time for your Halloween parties and campfire storytelling adventures!
For those readers new to Undawnted, my name is DL Mullan. I create art, poetry, and prose. All the art, images, and book covers on Undawnted's website, I produce myself.
If you like what I do, then please bookmark, like, subscribe, comment, buy and review. My newsletter, social media, and other links are in the menu (right side of page).
After writing this Rime of the Ancient Mariner/dark mermaid inspired short story for a writing prompt, The Jonah Collector was edited for a future release.
Undawnted was set to publish this lyrical prose piece this summer until a publisher's call for submissions asked for a seafaring narrative. After formatting the document, the story was read through to see if further editing was necessary. Since the creative write received no corrections, it was deemed ready for another life.
Therefore, The Jonah Collector was removed from rotation and submitted to this new anthology. We wanted to update our readership about this change, especially for those readers who were excited about this imaginative piece. In the coming weeks, DL Mullan will be notified if The Jonah Collector was accepted, and Undawnted will let our audience know the future of this tale.
We hope no matter if The Jonah Collector is published by an anthology or by Ms. Mullan that Fearless Philes will share in our excitement.
Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?
In community college, I played the Mirror in the dramatic re-imaging of The Emperor has No Clothes. This anthology of short stories has a kinship with that play, as the image of the mirror takes on an important role straight into our imaginations.
What do you see when you look into the mirror? You? The past? The present? How about a future waiting to unfold? Or, do you see the sinister? Bloody Mary, perhaps? Or, shadows that move when you don't?
Refracted Reflections: Twisted Tales of Duality and Deception delves into those deep dark crevices of our shadow psyche. From inducing possession, committing murder/suicide or as cursed objects, mirrors have a unique hold on our imaginations. The short stories contained within the pages of this anthology will do just the same to its readers.
The Cost of Magic By Keith Hoskins tells the tale of vengeance. In this short story, mirrors are used as magical tools, but there was a penalty for using such a device. Magical mirrors extracted a price to those individuals who are gifted with knowledge through its spell work. Can magic be a means to an end?
The Elevator Ritual By Shelly Jasperson will send tingles down your spine as her character grapples with the suicide of a stranger, and the death of her sister in the haunted images of an elevator's mirrors. Would you survive the spirit in your reflection?
The Tinker’s Gift By Valerie B. Williams has a mirror that eases people beyond the veil by showing them their heart's desire: their beloved. Could a solider's last glimpse end a curse and bring balance back to the world?
Refracted Reflections has a mirror image worth shivering for... Happy Autumn Haunts!
*****
One reveals truths, while the other bends light into varying shapes of deception.
Does a small camp mirror reveal hope… or death?
Is the warrior in the mirror a monster… or a protector?
Does a glimpse in the mirror reveal a young woman’s true self… or what someone else has shaped her into?
Does the mysterious portal to the future reflect what could be… or what must be left behind?
Are the dancers reflected in the water’s depth things of beauty… or evil?
This unique and imaginative collection of nine mind
tantalizing fantasy and science fiction stories will appeal to readers
who enjoy thought provoking tales with hidden meanings resting deep
below the surface. These stories will keep you pondering long into the
night.
If you liked Gilded Glass or Once Upon an Ever After, you’ll love Refracted Reflections.
*****
Digital Giveaway
For a chance to win a free digital copy of Refracted Reflections,
just leave a comment to show you were here. Follow the tour and comment
at each stop for more chances to win. Three copies will be given away
in a random drawing.
_____
About The Book
Each of the stories included in Refracted Reflections
feature a mirror or reflection in some significant way. The reflections
given are sometimes surprising, often fooling those who gaze upon them,
because things aren’t often as they seem.
I have included two of my own stories, “The Devil Made Her Do It”,
which is a reprinted story about a woman blinded by love and deceived by
a man who just might be the devil, which first appeared in Relationship Add Vice, from Zombie Pirates Publishing; and an original fairy tale, The Not So Perfect Prince, about a prince who is so full of himself that he can’t see who he truly is.
But mine are only two among nine outstanding stories by eight
talented authors, and we’ll be introducing five of the contributing
authors on this tour: Valerie B. Williams, Roberta Eaton Cheadle, Ligia
de Wit, Elisabeth Caldwell, and of course me, Kaye Lynne Booth.
Undawnted's
DL Mullan, can be booked for your online Blog Tour, Book Event, Book
Review (w/ARC), Interview, Writing Conference, or Genre Convention. Ms.
Mullan has years of experience in public speaking, readings,
presentations, events, and tours.
Lingering
Spirit Whispers Paranormal Anthology Set, which is released today,
December 1st, 2021 from WordCrafter and is available for purchase.
This
anthology set is a bundle including Whispers of the Past, Spirits of
the West, and Where Spirits Linger. All three anthologies combined into
one convenient paranormal set for lovers of ghost stories.
Author Interview: Roberta "Robbie" Eaton Cheadle A contributor to all three anthologies in the set for a total of five stories. Titles: "The Last of the Lavender", "Missed Signs" (Whispers of the Past); "Ghost in the Mound", "The Thirstyland Journey" (Spirits of the West); "Listen to Instructions" (Where Spirits Linger).
As a poet, writing in the horror genre of the paranormal/supernatural is a different tone then the succinct and lyrical form of creative writing, how do you find writing horror? Is it a challenge?
As far back as I can remember I have always written poetry and played with words, forming them into descriptive paragraphs that, as a young girl, I thought were quite delightful. I have also always enjoyed books about people and their everyday lives and grew up reading L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon series. These were the books I attempted to mimic with my descriptive passages.
At the age of ten I progressed to adult books. I had read everything in the children’s library and wasn’t allowed to borrow adult books. I resorted to reading my mom’s books behind the couch. I am the oldest of four girls and my mom was a very busy mother. She never missed me or noticed me stretched out on the floor behind the couch with one of her books in my hands. My mom was a Stephen King fan. I worked my way through The Shining, Salem’s Lot, The Stand, The Running Man, Cujo, Christine, The Talisman, Firestarter, Carrie, and Pet Sematary. These books scared me to death, but I loved them. When I had exhausted mom’s King collection, I moved on to her collection of Charles Dickens books. These were beautiful leather-bound books with thin, wispy pages.
My reading tastes remained dark, and I favour books about war, paranormal and dystopia. As a result, transitioning from writing poetry and children’s books wasn’t difficult for me. That being said, I might not have thought to attempt writing horror if I hadn’t come across a short story competition on another writer’s blog. An idea for my first horror story, The Willow Tree, came to me and I decided to give writing horror a whirl. Since that first attempt in 2018, I have written two supernatural historical novels and written dark stories for inclusion in nine anthologies, three of which are the WordCrafter anthologies.
Writing children’s books are often more visual creative than writing short stories, how do you use your gift for visualization in your writing craft of long narratives?
The feedback I receive from readers is that my books are very descriptive. The feedback has been positive despite my initial concern that modern readers don’t like a lot of description. Descriptive prose is my writing style, and I wouldn’t want to change it.
I have lived through some difficult experiences including numerous house robberies, thefts of cars, two children with chronic illnesses necessitating numerous operations and hospitalisations, and a home invasion when my mother and I were tied up and I had a gun at my head.
When I write, I insert myself into the circumstances of my story and visualise how I would feel, think, and react. I draw from my own negative experiences and try to capture the essence of them on paper. I always write dark literature for adults and my characters are usual either ghosts who are already dead or people who are destined to die. I have written about death from a gunshot numerous times in my stories.
Why am I drawn to writing dark stories? I do not know as I am naturally an upbeat and positive person.
Out of the five short stories you have written, which one was your favorite? Which one was the most unsettling? And, which one drew from one of your real-life experiences?
My favourite of these five short stories is The Ghost in the Mound from Spirits of the West. This was based on a real event in South African history where a wagon train comprising of nine ox-wagons was attacked and all the families were killed in the ensuing fight. Afrikaans women did use termite mounds as ovens to bake bread and some of these mounds are enormous. I had the idea of a young mother hiding her baby in one of these old ovens to save it from death during an attack and from that idea, this story was born.
The Thirstyland Journey from Spirits of the West is the short story that is the most disturbing to me as it is the one that is most closely based on a true story. The outcome and deaths in that story are all real and it was a most tragic situation as there were several children who died. Life for pioneering families was extremely hard and many of them died of sickness, starvation, or thirst, and during attacks.
Missed Signs from Whispers of the Past is the story that is most closely based on a real-life experience. The reason I say this is because the main character suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and has a horror of germs and illness. The character of Sean is based on someone close to me who suffers from this illness. I like this story very much.
Would you like to visit a real haunted location? Have you already? What would you like to experience at a haunted place that would help you as a horror fiction writer? If you have a past experience, did that help you write your stories?
My husband and I have travelled extensively in the UK and South Africa. We favour visiting sites of historical interest, especially battlefields, forts, castles, and museums. We have visited several sites that are believed to be haunted. Our own house, which is the original farmhouse in our area in Johannesburg, is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of a gang of bandits who hid in the house and were killed in a shoot out with the authorities in 1929.
I am open minded about ghosts and spirits, but sadly, they have never chosen to reveal themselves to me. I would be interested in experiencing a paranormal phenomenon, but I don’t think I have any gifts in that direction. I do experience the dark horror of certain places and I am imaginative so I am able to write my stories without having any real supernatural experiences. I am particularly interested in the psychology of murderers and people who die unnatural deaths as a result of murder or war.
****
Thank
you, Roberta Eaton Cheadle for your understanding of the horror genre and storytelling. If you would like to know more about Ms. Cheadle,
please
see his biography and links below:
Author Bio
Roberta Eaton Cheadle is writer of young adult and adult fiction in the supernatural fantasy, historical horror, and historical supernatural genres.
To date, Roberta has published two novels, Through the Nethergate and A Ghost and His Gold, and several short stories in various anthologies including Whispers of the Past and Spirits of the West, and Where Spirits Linger edited and compiled by Kaye Lynne Booth, and Spellbound, compiled by Dan Alatorre.
Roberta has a historical supernatural novel set during the Second Anglo Boer War in South Africa coming out in early 2021.
When she is not writing, Roberta enjoys working in the garden and creating fondant and cake artworks.
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