12 Angry Dead is my short story for Tales from the Hanging Tree. Joseph Carrabis asked fellow "hangers," as he calls contributors, about my creative write for his website.
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.
Real or not, there are tales from centuries hence and into the recent
past that illustrate the horrors that humans can inflict on one another.
12 Angry Dead pursues the idea that karma follows us from
lifetime to lifetime. Some karma is about balancing one experience with
another. Not all karma is about revenge, as is espoused by the spiritual
community. Karma ties an individual to energies that also restores them
to their soul’s purpose.
Not all stories have a happy ending... and you can't outrun a past life.
_________
About DL Mullan:
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.
There exists a tree that is timeless, spanning across all dimensions, which absorbs every life as those who are hanged as they die… and it remembers every one. The stories within are a select few of the Tales From the Hanging Tree. Tales from the Hanging Tree is a wonderfully dark, themed anthology which revolves around an ephemeral and timeless hanging tree that absorbs the memories of all hanging victims. This WordCrafter Press anthology was created by invitation only and includes stories from authors Kaye Lynne Booth, Paul Kane, DL Mullan, C.R. Johansson, Joseph Carrabis, Sylva Fae, and Matt Usher.
As soon as Kaye
mentioned that there was a Wordcrafter anthology coming up she was gathering
stories for, called Tales from the Hanging Tree, something clicked. I
remembered an old tale I’d started many years ago, in fact not that long after
I’d begun writing and sending submissions off to small press magazines back in
the 1990s. Back then, I’d also attend events with like-minded people, all
chatting about their influences – such as MR James, Arthur Machen, William Hope
Hodgson, Lovecraft and so on.
I’d read a few of those kinds of tales growing up,
usually in supernatural anthologies, but was really coming to horror/supernatural
writing via ’70s and ’80s fiction by authors like Jim Herbert, Stephen King,
Clive Barker, Anne Rice, Ramsey Campbell, Graham Masterton et al. So I went
away and read some of those recommendations from my fellow writers, and loved
it all – so much so that it influenced tales like ‘Shadow Writer’, ‘St August’s
Flame’ and ‘Star Pool’. I eventually moved more towards the modern kind of
horror writing again, but still liked to keep my hand in with the more
old-fashioned style of tale.
Which is where ‘The Hanging Men’ comes in. I began
writing it in either the late ’90s, or early 2000s, aiming to produce something
that was a mix of ghost story and folk horror; the kind of thing that might
morph into a myth or legend itself. There’s definitely more than a whiff of
James about the whole thing, probably also influenced by those wonderful BBC AGhost Story for Christmas adaptations of the ’60s and ’70s.
Either way, I’m delighted Kaye took the story for Tales
from the Hanging Tree, giving it a new lease of life. A tale that spans 25
years or more, not in the narrative itself, but in the writing of it. I hope
readers enjoy this short shocker when they pick up the book!
Paul Kane is the award-winning
(including the British Fantasy Society’s Legends of FantasyCon Award 2022), bestselling author and editor of over a hundred and fifty books –
such as the Arrowhead trilogy (gathered in the sellout Hooded Man omnibus), Hellbound Hearts,
Wonderland (a Shirley Jackson Award finalist) and Pain Cages (an Amazon #1 bestseller). His non-fiction books
include The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy and Voices in the Dark. He has been a Guest at many
conventions, as well as being a panellist at FantasyCon and the World FantasyConvention, and a fiction
judge at the Sci-Fi London festival. A former British Fantasy Society SpecialPublications Editor,
he has also served as co-chair for the UK chapter of The Horror Writers Association and co-chaired
ChillerCon UK in May 2022. His work has been optioned and adapted for the big and small screen, including
for US network primetime television and as the feature film Sacrifice starring Barbara Crampton
(Re-Animator, You’re Next, Suitable Flesh). His audio work includes the full cast drama adaptation
of The Hellbound Heart for Bafflegab, starring Alice Lowe (Prevenge), and the Robin of Sherwood
adventure The Red Lord for Spiteful Puppet/ITV. He has also contributed to the Warhammer 40k universe for
Games Workshop. Paul’s latest novels are the sequels to RED – Blood RED & Deep RED (aka The
RED Trilogy) – the award-winning hit Sherlock Holmes & the Servants of Hell, Before (an Amazon
Top 5 dark fantasy bestseller), Arcana, The Storm and The Gemini Effect. In addition he writes
thrillers for HQ/HarperCollins as PL Kane: the sellout novels Her Last Secret, Her Husband’s
Grave and The Family Lie. Paul lives in Derbyshire, UK, with his wife Marie O’Regan. Find
out more at his site www.shadow-writer.co.uk
which has featured Guest Writers such as Stephen King, Catriona Ward, Dean Koontz, Olivie Blake and Guillermo del Toro.
Socials:
Facebook, X (@PaulKaneShadow), Instagram
(@paul.kane.376) and Bluesky (@paulkane.bsky.social)
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.
As an homage to the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Jonah Collector is a lyrical prose, seafaring narrative set in the 1700s.
Captain Christopher Houston is a
seafaring man. He lives on the sea. He is the best ship captain in the
world. He is also deceased.
In
this epic tale, we discover that in his youth, Captain Houston
committed a heinous crime. He lied about his age to get onboard a ship
because his father had died. The young man wanted to support his mother by earning a wage. Unfortunately, he was too inexperienced.
He found himself labeled a Jonah, the weakest link, and forced to walk
the plank.
As his ship sailed away,
the ocean took him down to the Locker. In the Depths, a beautiful
mermaid made him a deal. Captain Houston did not understand the contract
that saved his life, and was later able to nullify the mermaid's evil
intent because he was not of age to consent to such an agreement.
Years
had passed since his encounter. Something inside of him stirred. He
knew that his youthful mistake was about to catch up with his present.
Unbeknownst to him, the
mermaid, Aetheshella, devised a scheme to lure Christopher back to her
through fate. She went after his son. Now, Captain Houston has a choice:
save his son or himself.
This short story will be released on June 23, 2023.
_____
A Novelist Idea Newsletter will be having a release party with prizes and trivia, plus Subscribers receive Early Access to purchase the e-Book. Be sure you are a Subscriber, because this is a Member's Only event.
This
year's program is the: Hint of the Divine, in which participants learn
the archetypes found in human culture, and storytelling.
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.
This short story is about the final stages of life. It's not a coming of age story; it's a coming to the end story.
How do you envision your last days? Marianne answers this question by how her mind starts to slip into fantasies. Marianne tries to balance her mental decline, her other medical issues, and her daughter's concerns with an analytical perspective, sarcasm, and defensiveness. All modes to deflect and shield her from others imposing their will upon her as she withers away.
_____
Review
The short story Marianne by Joseph Carrabis addresses the
fears that each human endures as they draw closer to the end of their lives.
The elderly Marianne is confined to a wheelchair, knowing that her prognosis is
grim, yet her mind is sharp. She sharpens her wit by foiling the plans of her
daughter, Rose, and when that is not enough to satiate her suspicions, she
antagonizes the younger woman with airplane tickets to euthanasia-friendly
Oregon... to visit her sister, of course.
What Marianne does not see is the perspective of Rose. Her daughter is
witnessing her mother's mental decline and is helpless to do anything about it.
She is pushed away and treated like a gold digger.
In converse, the daughter is more wrapped up in her stress
of being a caretaker than to enjoy the last days with her mother. Rose’s
relationship is complicated by her mother’s disgruntled attitude, finances,
medical and legal appointments. Rose appears to have little power and is
reminded of her insignificance, to the point where Rose visits her mother only
once per day.
The narrative asks the reader: which view of the situation is correct? Each character
sees the other as a hostile combatant, instead of as family. A true-to-life
situation as the older and the younger women become at odds, both afraid to
address the real issues of their relationship and what Marianne’s death would
mean to them both. As these circumstances often yield two struggling individuals,
who are unable to communicate with each other, because their emotions are
dominated by ego instead of compassion.
The story, Marianne, shows how a situation can lead people
down the path of ungratefulness. Ungrateful to have a caring daughter who takes
care of Marianne. Ungrateful for the time Rose has left with her mother.
The reader is not only taken on a journey of this
complicated relationship, but also navigates its audience through the
collapsing mind of Marianne herself. A good read that asks many hard questions.
In the end, the reader is to decide what it all meant. If being at odds with a
failing loved one has meaning at all.
Five
digital copies will be given away in a random drawing at the end of the
tour. Each stop visited earns an entry. Let me know you were there by
leaving a comment.
Joseph Carrabis told stories to anyone who would listen, starting in childhood, wrote his first stories in grade school and started getting paid for his writing in 1978. He's been everything from a long-haul trucker to a Chief Research Scientist and holds patents covering mathematics, anthropology, neuroscience, and linguistics. After patenting a technology which he created in his basement and creating an international company, he retired from corporate life and now he spends his time writing fiction based on his experiences. His work appears regularly in several anthologies and his own published novels. You can learn more about him at https://josephcarrabis.com and find much of his work at http://nlb.pub/amazon.
_____
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.
Subscribe and receive news from Undawnted on a regular basis. Updates include: book release dates publication updates discounts contests/giveaways
Join Undawnted's Creative Tribe.
.png){kind=avatar}
.jpg)
