Operation Backlog Completion 2026
Oct 012018
 

Welcome to the sixth year of Celebrating All Things Spooky! Last year’s celebration went well, so let’s continue the tradition with more horror game reviews and another video game giveaway.

But first…

If you enjoy horror stories inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, be sure to check out my novella The Book at Dernier, which follows a scholar digging into dark secrets that should have remained hidden, and my novelette It Came Back, which is about a young woman who uncovers a deadly secret in her family’s past.

But if you like your spookiness to be a bit more lighthearted, my novella The Zombie Mishap is a comedy about the misadventures of two scientists after they accidentally create a zombie.

In addition to these, I also have a few short horror stories available as well: “Rokurokubi” in Wicked Words Quarterly, “Sand” (another Lovecraftian one) in The Mad Scientist Journal, and “The Artist” in Final Masquerade.

While I’ve included the Amazon links here, information on all the ways to read my fiction can be found here.

And now let’s move on to the free games.

Another Horror Game Contest

After taking a look at the way things worked out last year, I’ve increased the range of potential prizes:

  • Yomawari: Night Alone
  • Detention
  • Dead Age
  • Lakeview Cabin Collection
  • Five Nights at Freddy’s: Sister Location
  • $15 sent through PayPal
  • You pick a game for me to review!

These copies will all be Steam codes.

If you choose the review option, your chosen game must be something I either own or is easily obtainable, which you can discuss with me beforehand. I will start playing it in November.

Now, as with the previous two contests, your participation in discussions on my blog posts throughout the month of October will determine your score.

Rules

  • No purchase is necessary.
  • Only comments made between October 1, 2018 at 12:00 PM EST and October 31, 2018 at 11:59 PM EST will be counted.
  • 1 non-spam, non-anonymous comment on any blog post here = 1 point.
  • 1 non-spam, non-anonymous comment on a Celebrating All Things Spooky blog post = 2 points.
  • You must use an email address or website URL (or include another way of contacting you) in your comment so I can contact you if you win.
  • You must have at least 10 points at the end of the month to win.
  • The person with the most points will get their first pick of the prizes. The person with the second most points will pick second, and so on, until all prizes have been given out.
  • The winner will be contacted on November 2, 2018.

If you have any questions, please let me know. And now, let the celebration begin!

Sep 212018
 

Our Kickstarter campaign for Destiny Chronicles is still ongoing, and I recently wrote a tie-in story about one of the supporting characters.

Titled “Enchanter: Rhea’s Quest,” it is a short fantasy story.

Rhea, whom we introduced in this campaign, will appear in the game as a side character who can enchant your gear to give it special bonuses.

Before the events of the game, however, Rhea dreamed of becoming a combat mage. This story focuses on her backstory.

It’s just a short glimpse into the world of Destiny Chronicles, but I thought it was a nice touch to give this side character more of an introduction, as well as to show more of the story and world in general.

You can find it here, as a PDF file included in our latest update. I hope you enjoy it!

And if you enjoy “Enchanter: Rhea’s Quest” and also like JRPGs, please consider supporting Destiny Chronicles on Kickstarter and spreading the word.

Feb 262018
 

The cover has been revealed for Darkling’s Beasts & Brews — Poetry With a Drink on the Side, an upcoming poetry anthology I have a poem in.

Me and poetry? Well, last year I saw the call for submissions for this anthology from Lycan Valley Press, the same publisher behind Final Masquerade.

They were looking for poems about monsters, beasts, and creatures for an anthology that would pair each poem with a drink recipe. I turned to my love of yokai once again and wrote a poem based on the legend of the Noppera-bō.

Here is the full contributor list:

DARKLING’S BEASTS AND BREWS — POETRY WITH A DRINK ON THE SIDE

(Cover art by M Wayne Miller, Cover design by Kealan Patrick Burke)

SECTION 1 — COFFEE AND TEA (11 coffee/10 tea – alcohol and non-alcohol)

The Monster Mash by John C. Mannone
The Morning Named Apollo: A Chimeric Blood Song by Stephanie Wytovich
The Lycanthrope by Paula Berman
The Hunter by E.M. Eastick
The Eyes by Mark Mihalko
Fated to Die by Sarah Tantlinger
With Bared Teeth by Javier Gómez
In Our Past Mortality by Jay Rohr
Lust in the Full Moon by Khalil Goddard
Frontier Winter by Catherine Bult
Evolution of a Young Lover by Frank Heather
Nosferatu by Michael Hanson
Redcap by Kurt Newton
The Night Whispers by Sarah Cannavo
A Witch Reflects on Loss by Rie Sheridan Rose
Backwards Footprints by Donald Armfield
Secrets of the Loch by Louise Smith
A Siren’s Pursuer by Donald Armfield
Hunger by Candice Robinson
The Novealla of Vuowro (#) by Ron Riekki
Figment Fantastica by Taye Carrol

SECTION 2 — COCKTAILS AND MIXED DRINKS (alcohol)

The Seafloor God by Ethan Hedman
A Kelpie’s Promise by Trisha Wooldridge
Siren’s Song by L.S. Reinholt
Widow’s Weeds by Linda Lee Ruzicka
Skin Walking by M.F. Senger
Stolen by Jillian Bost
Bedtime by Lynne Sargent
The Witches Give Birth by Joshua Lupardus
The Rattling Tree by Rob E. Boley
The Confession by Timothy Tarkelly
An I’d Swally the Little Bairns by Kimberly Brannon
Plague Ship by Emerian Rich
Death by Breaths by Gerri Leen
Eternal Epitaph by Don Campbell

SECTION 3 – SMOOTHIES (non-alcohol)

And They Ride by S.L. Scott
Noppera-bō by Samantha Lienhard
Black Vampire by Lavel Wideman
The War Witch by S.L. Edwards
The Power of the Moon by Ashley Dioses
Fisherman’s Lure by Ken MacGregor
The Beast I Am by Jyothika Aaryan

SECTION 4 – MILKSHAKES (alcohol and non-alcohol)

The Scab That Oozes by Nick Manzolillo
Nightmare Upon Dissolution by Jason Ellis
Night On The Town by Andrew Dunlop
The Faerie Rules by MJ Mars
A Prank Too Far by Anne E. Johnson
Whitechapel Werewolf by Samantha Potts
An Vorvoren a Senar by Darren Lester
Frankenspider by Minerva Cerridwen
The Vampire Ogrencisi by Shalom Aranas
Moon in Purple by Morphine Epiphany
Antlered Avenger by Kimmy Alan
He, The Forest by Jay Outhier
Feetures by Shawn Chang
We Are Legion by Allison Shepherd

SECTION 5 — HAIKU SHOTS (alcohol)

Haiku by Darkling
Haiku by J.E. Mason
Haiku by Sarah Yasin
Haiku by Diane de Anda
Haiku by Vanessa Noel Graham
Haiku by Marjoleine Holsbeek
Haiku by Darkling

SECTION 6 — PARTY PUNCH (alcohol and non-alcohol)

Torture of a Pirate by Ethan Nahté
Food Shopping by Anne M. Gibson
Smoketown Zombies by James Quinn
Just Put Out Your Hand by Juleigh Howard-Hobson
Hunger for Life by Andrew Hudson
My Parents Don’t Like Kali ‘Cause She Drives A Mustang by Wolf Boy
Dinner with Jerry by Sally Max
Eventide by K.A. Opperman
Sodium-Vapor by Lisa Treece
When Monsters Share by Shawn Chang
Underneath the Red Moon by Linda M Crate
Siren of the Woods by Qurat Dar
Tommy’s Knocking by Patrick Winters
New Fur for Old Skin by Oliver Smith

SECTION 7 — KILLER CLOWN RECIPES (non-alcoholic)

Clown Night by L.S Reinholt
Within the Darkness of the Carnivále by Donald Armfield

I’m looking forward to the release of Darkling’s Beasts and Brews, and I’ll let you know once there is more information to share.