Thank you to Tanya Van of @DollyMomma_Design for #ChildrenOfAbel’s amazing cover. I’m absolutely estatic to have worked with her! You can check out more of her work here! dollymommadesign.com Amazon.com: bit.ly/3IkyAnU Smashwords: bit.ly/42LVw6j Kobo: bit.ly/3W74eZ0 Barnes & Noble: bit.ly/46FgANa

Children of Abel pre-sales begin today! Amazon.com: bit.ly/3IkyAnU Smashwords: bit.ly/42LVw6j Kobo: bit.ly/3W74eZ0 Barnes & Noble: bit.ly/46FgANa

@everyone It’s finally here! The #ChildrenOfAbel #coverreveal! Designed by Tanya Van of @dollymomma_design! #ChildrenOfAbel pre-sales begin tomorrow!

Today is the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. I acknowledge I live and write on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish, Semiahmoo, sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsawwassen), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Á,LEṈENEȻ ȽTE (W̱SÁNEĆ), and Kwantlen nations.

I’ve been so focused on #ChildrenOfAbel that I haven’t mentioned #BuyMeACoffee in awhile! Saturdays are my writing days, and I could use some help in buying my mochas! By buying me a coffee through the app, you get to read some of my flash fiction! Buy Me A Coffee? coff.ee/thebrettoreilly

A big thank you to Tanya Van of DollyMomma Design for her amazing cover design, soon to be revealed! The #ChildrenOfAbel cover reveal is happening on September 30th, just twelve days away! Keep an eye out for it, and in the meantime, check out Tanya’s other work at www.dollymommadesign.com!

On a snowy December night during the COVID pandemic, Callie Smithers raced across an icy lot to a steel door to escape a werewolf. (“One Hundred Yards”, Aftertaste and Other Stories) She survived, believing it to be the worst night of her life. She was dead wrong. #ChildrenOfAbel. Coming soon.

A quick reminder that my recent short story, “Ironic” is out on the #ChillingTalesforDarkNights podcast! youtu.be/IDMMsaJPUhY Give it a listen and let me know what you think!

Summer Quinn wants to live her best life. Aware that sometimes involves hard choices, she makes one; only to learn not just the hard way, but the horrible way that not everyone agrees with her decision. And they intend to make her pay. #ChildrenOfAbel. Coming soon.

Want to listen to my latest story? Check it out on the #ChillingTalesForDarkNights podcast here! Warning: it does contain some offensive language. youtu.be/IDMMsaJPUhY It’s the 2nd story, but do listen to “Unaired Pilot” by Chris West”! A frightening cryptid tale well worth the listen!

My annual bike ride around the Stanley Park Seawall.

I launched “Buy Me a Coffee”; a month ago; heartfelt thanks to everyone who has done so! It being a month, I’ve added a new story (and fixed the previous ones) in #BuyMeaCoffee; this one a horror-tinged fantasy tale titled “Heartless”! Available for the price of a cup of coffee! Thank you!

I know I’ve been quiet of late, but I’ve had a lot going on behind the old cemetery gates. I’ve submitted a screenplay based on one of my short stories to #VancouverHorrorShow’s #Screenwriting Contest! The #Festival is October 15-19th; fingers crossed I’ll be there! More news soon! Lots going on!

On this Canada Day, 2025, I respectfully acknowledge I live and write on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish, Semiahmoo, sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsawwassen), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), Á,LEṈENEȻ ȽTE (W̱SÁNEĆ), and Kwantlen nations.

Ethereal Nightmares: The Final Awakening is now released, with my story, Orpheus Screamed! 👉 Amazon: a.co/d/iOVR6vw 👉 Dark Holme: www.darkholmepublishing.uk/category/eth... To celebrate, I’m following in the footsteps of others by posting my first thirst trap! Enjoy! (The book. Enjoy the book.)

My favourite time of year- when Coke starts selling bottled souls! Caleb’s was bold, hearty, and refreshing, whereas Christian’s was bitter, with notes of toxic patriarchy and self-loathing. Hopefully Max is all he claims to be.

Taking a stand against creative/intellectual property theft. Please sign. chng.it/hQxqwQHsys

When I think of women who have inspired me, I think of Mrs. Margaret Kreter, English 9 & 10, H.D. Stafford Jr. Secondary (now Middle School). First person to ever tell me I could be a writer. She will always have my gratitude for believing in me when no one else would.

Good news, everyone! Dark Holme Publishing (@kerry767.bsky.social) is launching Ethereal Nightmares: The Final Awakening on May 12, 2025! Be sure to check out my new story, “Orpheus Screamed”! Pre-order your copy now! goto.now/IOtHZ

Excited! Darkholme Publishing is including my story, “Orpheus Screamed” in #TheFinalAwakening, the last of the #EtherealNightmares anthology trilogy! Don’t know when the release date is yet, but in the meantime, check out the first, with my story “Brett Always Dies”! www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0CZ...

And…it’s done. My entry for the 1st round of the @nycmidnight.bsky.social #ShortStoryChallenge2025 is submitted; a sci-fi tale about a book club, featuring an animal lover. To my fellow competitors: #breakapencil! For now, we wait.

Xīnnián kuàilè! Gung hay fat choy!

Got my prompts for the @nycmidnight.bsky.social #ShortStoryChallenge2025! Genre: Sci-fi; Subject: book club; Character: animal lover. This is going to be a challenge. I must sleep on this.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, I wish you a good one. A Taoist myself, I do like the guy in the red suit. From Honeymoon Suite: I wish you a hopeful Christmas I wish you a brave new year All anguish, pain and sadness Leave your heart and let your road be clear Merry Christmas, everyone.

YES. Horror has always been political. From The Modern Prometheus to the Grand Guignol Theatre to movies like Them! And Invasion of the Body Snatchers, to later works by @StephenKing, horror has often reflected and challenged political climates. It belongs.

#RobertBloch, actually. #Lovecraft protege, #StarTrek writer and author of #Psycho, I find we have a similar approach to short stories and love a good twist to our endings. #writingcommunity #horrorcommunity #horrorauthorschat

Mrs. Margaret Kreter, my English 9 & 10 English teacher at H.D. Stafford Jr. Secondary. She was the first person to tell me I could be a writer, and I am forever in her debt. Merry Christmas, Mrs. Kreter. Wherever you are. Thank you. #writingcommunity #horrorcommunity #horrorauthorschat

Every Saturday morning, I drop my youngest off at theatre and head to the nearby #Starbucks. Lots of seating at this location, so I sit with my #ventimocha and write. I love being surrounded by people, but not having to interact with them. #WritingCommunity #horrorcommunity #horrorauthorschat

Oddly(?), I don’t listen to music when I write; I find it to be distracting. Same with television. Yet I don’t mind the background chatter of people- as long as that’s all it is, background chatter. #writingcommunity #horrorcommunity #horrorauthorschat

We interrupt our regularly scheduled #horrorauthorschat post to bring you this important message:

Sarah from “Orpheus Wept” (Aftertaste and Other Stories). I wrote her as a villain, only to realise she was also a victim, which I did not expect. She still haunts me. Sorry, Sarah. #horrorcommunity #writingcommunity #horrorauthorschat

My favourite character: Callie Smithers from my short story “One Hundred Yards” (in Aftertaste and Other Stories). She’s also one the protagonists in my (unpublished) debut novel, Children of Abel. Callie rocks. #horrorcommunity #writingcommunity #horrorauthorschat

My short story “Sanctuary” (in Aftertaste and Other Stories), takes place at the Othello Tunnels, just outside Hope, BC, Canada. I actually took photos throughout to ensure my descriptions were accurate! #writingcommunity #horrorcommunity #horrorauthorschat

I am Brett O’Reilly and I mostly write speculative #horror. Haven’t done much writing lately; I do have 2 short stories in varying stages, and am plotting my second novel in my head. (Debut novel, #ChildrenOfAbel, awaiting an agent.) #horrorcommunity #writingcommunity #horrorwriterschat

Day 6 of summoning an agent for my debut horror novel #ChildrenOfAbel. Ended up summoning Bogart, my muse, who had a lot to say about me spending more time writing and less time being silly on social media. So I guess that’s it. Still hearing giggling and little footsteps at night…

Day 5 of summoning an agent for my debut horror novel #ChildrenOfAbel. Heard a crash in the middle of the night. SHE’S GONE. Have not slept well since. I may need to summon a professional, seeing as The Vatican isn’t returning my calls.

Day 4 of summoning an agent for my debut horror novel #ChildrenOfAbel. I DON’T KNOW where she came from. I DIDN’T mean to conjure her. I CAN’T SEEM TO SEND HER BACK. HELP.

Day 3 of summoning an agent for my debut horror novel #ChildrenOfAbel. Note to self: Never summon on an empty stomach. Addendum: I may have found a way around “For a Limited Time Only”…

Day 2 of summoning an agent for my debut horror novel #ChildrenOfAbel. Don’t know about this guy. Sure, he’s handy with the Force, but he’s got no pull with the Senate. And as I’m a #horrorwriter, I’m not sure how down he’d be with my #DarkSide…

Day 1 of summoning an agent for my debut horror novel #ChildrenOfAbel. When I said “query letter”, letters to Santa wasn’t what I was thinking. Unless…do you think he’d bring me an agent for Christmas? Maybe have to go through HIS agent- in which case I may have got this summoning right after all.

So, I’ve been querying agents for my debut horror novel, #ChildrenOfAbel, but with the holidays close, it’s been pretty quiet. So, I’m going to try to summon up some representation this week Not Ozymandias though; all it took was to lay down the circle to summon him. 🙄

Just for fun on a bitterly cold Tuesday. 10 shows to get to know me: Carnivale Midnight Mass Futurama M.A.S.H. Doctor Who The Muppet Show (and iterations) Scooby Doo, Where Are You? Andor Firefly Twin Peaks

And, the querying continues for my debut horror novel, Children of Abel! In the immortal words of Swedish supergroup ABBA… “Take a chance on me?” (Side note: things to NEVER put in a query letter.) #writingcommunity #horrorcommunity #amquerying

Got my first rejection today for Children of Abel! Which I’m fine with; right now I’m just happy my query letter garnered a response! (I hate not knowing.) If anyone does know of any horror agents accepting queries, please do give me a holler! Thank you!

Working on my novel’s final draft, when the regional atmospheric river took out the the power. Thankfully, my laptop still has half a charge.

It’s over. I am no longer in the running to be the #FaceofHorror2024. Thank you Rue Morgue Magazine for the opportunity- it was a lot of fun. Thank you. A huge thank you to all who voted for me. I have no words for how much I appreciate your support. ❤️ Again, everyone- thank you. ☺️

Final day of Rue Morgue’s #FaceofHorror2024 Possession round; top 5 advance. I’m #6. Long shot, but with enough votes, I still can. If I don’t- it’s been fun! And I am SO grateful to everyone who voted for me. Thank you. faceofhorror.org/2024/brett-o.... Thank you. #morethanjustaprettyface