Latest Published Short Story

 I've been keeping quiet about this, patiently awaiting all the edits and formatting, knowing its time was going to come. Now that it has, I can announce my short story publication in the latest print copy of the Horror Zine. Gaze upon yon kick-ass cover:

My story is titled, "The Helpful Dead" and it's the only one you should care about!

Kidding. This issue is chockful of talented writers and wonderful short stories.

The print edition is $14.99 and the Kindle edition is $5.99. I don't care which one you get as long as you read mine first.

Order the magazine by clicking this link.

As always, reviews are welcome and encouraged, even negative ones. 

Editorial Praise

 "Well, Christopher, you did it again. Your story is brilliant. I absolutely love it. Your ending took even me by surprise, and that is hard to achieve.

You also write professionally, so the edits are minimal....

Let me know if you approve the edits. Some day I will do another "Best of The Horror Zine" antho and this story will definitely be included.

See attached. Let me know if you approve the edits.

Thanks,

Jeani Rector, Editor"

"Looks great! Thanks so much for the kind words!"

"Wonderful. You know, you really can write. I'll be in touch."

Check out the Horror Zine Magazine Cover!

Horror Zine Publisher and Editor Jeani Rector decided the previous cover she was going to use was "too intense" and went with the one pictured below:

I love it but I can't stop chuckling. Only in the realm of horror fiction would this cover not be considered too intense!


The Spring 2019 issue will feature my new short story, "The Time of Expansion," an odd one even coming from me. It really shows how influential Lovecraft was on the field; no matter how much of  a bastard he was in real life or how purple was his prose, the man's flawed brilliance bleeds over into modern work even when the author isn't consciously channeling him. Maybe I was channeling him, considering how ineffectual and uptight the protagonist is. He's a perfect symbol of Lovecraft's obsession with the English gentleman cliche.

It will be out soon!

CONFIRMATION RECEIVED

My short story, "Time of Expansion" will be appearing in the Horror Zine's physical magazine in the Spring 2019 issue. This marks a return to publisher/editor Jeani Rector's award-winning publication  for me as I have not had a story published there in at least five years.

More on this as it becomes available!

Quick Rumor Mill Update:

A short story I recently had accepted that I assumed was only going to be published online just might be appearing in a physical publication as well! More on this once I've received confirmation.

Meanwhile, here's a free online story of mine for you!
(Feel free to leave a comment)

Raving Review.

I may have posted this before but it was nice to run across this reader review of my short story in the "Shadow Masters" anthology from a few years ago. Scroll down to the bottom for mention of yours truly.

Some Reviews of my stuff with links.

It's been a while since I discussed my own work on this blog. Much has happened to prevent me from doing much writing this year, most notably a wife battling cancer and a pretty demanding yet rewarding work schedule split between two libraries. However, I still occasionally look at my Amazon author page and sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised by a positive mention.

Here are a few:

The Good Fight (Superhero vs. Monster Anthology)- The Hero Disease by Christopher Nadeau – An insightful look at the superhero in all of us when the world’s last superhero, Vanishing Act, must battle an unbeatable foe.

The Best of the Horror Zine: The Early Years- And, finally, Christopher Nadeau gave us "Never Say Treat" about Halloween becoming something much darker and terrifying.
Picking four favorites was a difficult task. I enjoyed the entire book.

Not in the Brochure: Tales of a Disappointing Apocalypse- "On the Eighth Day", by Christopher Nadeau. Something about Nadeau's stories makes me cheer the blood baths and laugh in all the wrong places. I love that.

"The Best of The Horror Zine: The Early Years" Now Available!!!

Collecting all the best work from those of us who appeared in the earlier issues of the highly respected e-zine, this one is chockfull of not-so-yummy badness!

Click here to order.

Always say What?

I don't know why The Horror Zine's Jeani Rector loves my short story "Always Say Treat" so much but with the impending arrival of their latest anthology, she will have published it three times.

"The Horror Zine: The Early Years" collects the "finest selections" from the four anthologies they have published so far and one of those included the short story mentioned above. It's a Halloween-themed, dystopian tale of a time when trick or treating youngsters have become so feared and so unstoppable that everyone spends Halloween locked inside, hoping they haven't been chosen to be this year's trick.

While my personal favorite story of the three I've had published with the Horror Zine is "Flame101" I consider "Always Say Treat" the first time I truly honed my ability to balance creepiness with social commentary. Or maybe it's just a really effective poop-inducing scare-a-thon. Regardless, I am honored to appear in an anthology that includes such luminaries as  Ramsey Campbell (who once compared this particular short story to something Bradbury might have written!) Bentley Little and Joe R. Lansdale.

I'll provide further info as details are provided to me~

Feedback on my short story, "Always Say Treat."

The story mentioned above, which started as a Yahoo assignment and then became a featured story read on Suspense Magazine's Halloween-themed radio broadcast in October 2010, was published by the Horror Zine for its April 2011 issue, in which I was featured writer.

I posted this on the Static Movement Press message boards since they have accepted four of my short stories for their anthologies and received positive feedback from some of the member-writers there:

"Great story, lots of suspense and a surreal mood. I like the original rhyme as well; it's haunting."

"Really good story! Original and fresh. Those children really freaked me out"

I also posted the link to the Pill Hill Press boards since I have a story coming out in one of their anthologies as well and received positive feedback:

"Nice, well done! "

"VERY creepy story -- I love the opening (draws you in and builds suspense right from the beginning)"

Go ahead and click the hyperlink and tell me what YOU thought, too.