Having other writers in your life is so important. Far beyond the critique you can share and above the ways you can help each other's skills grow, you've got people who understand you in a very unique and personal way.

You’ll find so many great writers on this long list. Start your new year with some great fiction!

My short story, "Always A Smiling Face," has been narrated on YouTube by Sinister Showcase. Have a listen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxnh...

A YouTube narrator read one of my horror stories today. Here's "Always A Smiling Face" read by Sinister Showcase:

I've started working by candlelight some nights. Most of the time, it's cozy. When the research topic is exorcism, it's far less cozy.

"...people growing nationally prized ruby red grapefruits and sweet onions are more often than not living in a food desert."

We just need a few more subscribers and we'll be able to raise our fiction payment rates in the new year. Help us out. We're so close!

New anthology call: Screams and Wails 🎶🩸 Seeking original horror short stories with music at their still-beating heart. Think cursed instruments, haunted studios, or songs that drive listeners mad. 💰 1p/word (max £50) 🕛 Jan 1–Feb 28, 2026 📖 horrortree.com/taking-submi... #HorrorCommunity #OpenCall

SUBS OPEN FOR 2 MORE DAYS! Send us a story that details life at the bottom or at the margins of human society. Make it sad. Make it dark. Make it the tiniest bit hopeful. More info here: bit.ly/4onmEBw

I have a scattershot of stories on submission right now, and I hope to have fresh publications to hype in the new year. But if we're talking about men and masculinity, I'll share my serial, "Don't Look At Me," on @horrortree.com horrortree.com/serial-satur... #HorrorWritersChat

Sometimes, it's the fear of losing the mask itself, not being who they aspire to be. Insecurity is a powerful thing for a psychological horror villain to exploit. #HorrorWritersChat

It all varies. In one story, I have counterparts: an older detective and a rookie cop, a young man and his teenage friend. The expectations they have for each other are all defined by hierarchy and what it means to be tough. #HorrorWritersChat

The "might makes right" tough guy is fun to work with. They're usually not the main character, but their attitude gives themselves and everyone around plenty to struggle with. #HorrorWritersChat

Tom here! I write horror with a little dabbling in noir. I don't think I assign a single consistent quality to all my male characters, but often, towing the line or trying to play up super-masculine traits doesn't do them much good. #HorrorWritersChat

“I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time.” aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...

The Apex Book Company submission window is now open! 📚✍️ We're looking for surreal stories with unknowable horror, lush prose, and unique POVs. Please email your cover letter and manuscript to [email protected]. Full submission details: www.apexbookcompany.com/pages/submis...

SUBS OPEN NOW! For December, the office holiday party is the setting for stories we're seeking. What happens when you’re forced into a social setting with a bunch of people you would never willingly socialize with except for a paycheck? Subs open from Nov 1-4: bit.ly/4fQLeGx

For the San Antonio Current, I recruited 13 local & local-ish writers to come up with 100-word flash fiction pieces. Enjoy! www.sacurrent.com/arts/literat...

I'm Tom, and my horror usually has a supernatural element, but not always. As much as I'd love a cozy study with natural light and a crackling fireplace, I'd probably still get out and go to a coffee shop. #HorrorWritersChat

Ghost turnip, Fintown, County Donegal, Ireland, c. 1900 (replica), National Museum of Ireland

I prefer the spirits of the folkloric variety because you can learn so much history from them. Fun fact: a ghost in Iceland is typically a draugr or afturganga, meaning walking again. They're more of the zombie variety but still have their minds intact and often seek revenge. #HorrorWritersChat

If you're in the #BHM — that's Birmingham, Ala-damn-bama — area on October 19, I'll be reading some of my short fiction and talking about what inspires me in this city. Come see me at the Hoover Public Library! Event is free and open to the public. :-)

Are you a believer? This month we are having a special submission window for DAYDREAM BELIEVER: Crime Stories Inspired by the Music of The Monkees edited by @writelarrywrite.lawrenceallanwrites.com and @michellekubitz.bsky.social. shotgunhoney.com/submissions/...

a must-read essay on publishing. I'll add: after my book sold, my editor left, and the new editor was out on leave in the months around publication, so it just got lost in the shuffle, despite being longlisted for The Story Prize. I often wonder what might have been had circumstances been different

WAR IS HELL. For November, give us noir directly from the war zone, however you define that. War is inherently bleak, but we want character-driven turmoil. Remind us why war is hell. Subs open from Oct 1-4: bit.ly/4fQLeGx

Legendary writer Robert B. Parker wrote an episode of a TV series for Burt Reynolds starring Ricardo Montalban as a James Bond-style villain? It's true. I wrote about it and other TV works by Parker and Elmore Leonard for @crimereads.bsky.social crimereads.com/elmore-leona...

It’s #FridayReads time and Hispanic/Latine Heritage month! Let’s boost all signals. This month is great, but I write with an accent every month. Here’s a (45% off!) novel full of sazón and magic, waves and monsters, storms and revenge, crime and friendship. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316...

It's F. Scott Fitzgerald's birthday. Reading Gatsby in high school was a serious "fall in love with literature" moment for me, and I've gotten something fresh out of it any time I go back to it. Earlier, I visited the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, which inspired bits of the book.

NEW ANTHOLOGY CALL! After our upcoming Terry Allen incited anthology we were gonna cool it for a bit on our music-incited anthologies because we have a lot on our publishing plate here. But eff it. Right now the world needs all the inspiration from Woody Guthrie it can get.

Hey writers! Here's a #submissionopportunity! Daydream Believer: Crime stories inspired by the music of The Monkees. Submissions open Oct 1st go to shotgunhoney.com/submissions/... for more information! @michellekubitz.bsky.social and I are editing! #writing #crimewriters #mysterytwriters

Recently enjoyed "Black Gold" by @emkerkman.bsky.social in @apexmag.bsky.social: www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...

I learned of the frontman's divorce before hearing a note of the new album, but understanding the heartache really shows you the palette he was painting with. Here I preview Goon's gig in AL, but if they're coming to your city, don't miss them:

Mourning in Latin American Literature. www.latinobookreview.com/mourning-in-... #Literature #LatinAmericanLit #mourning

Hagerty's reviews are collected in a very charming book, "Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 128 Reviews." A bit bittersweet to see all the notes saying which restaurants have since closed.

a canceled streaming subscription is easily converted to several spec fic magazine subs on patreon and similar services, some are as low as 1-2 bucks. the more you know.

Bookshop is offering 20 percent off select titles to celebrate Latin American Heritage Month, including THE BEWITCHING and other books (The Great Divide, Pink Slime, etc). Use code LHM25 at checkout to receive 20% off. bookshop.org/lists/adult-...

"He dies in a hiss of air and a trickle of oil drips from his severed esophagus to the ground. I see some of the other men eye it like they’d lick it out of the sand. I would, too." 🤖🏜️ New fiction today by @emkerkman.bsky.social: "Black Gold" Read it here: www.apexbookcompany.com/a/blog/apex-...

A narrator has adapted one of my horror stories into Spanish! The streetlights are changing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8mh...

Latinx Heritage month is coming up and this is a reminder that I've put together a very robust Latinx Spec Fic Author starter pack! Go follow and support these authors! go.bsky.app/6BAmgpi

The cuts claimed half of the documentary production team responsible for projects like Shuttlesworth and arts series Monograph, which spotlight the strength, talent and impact of Alabamians.

So excited for the new series of Horror Moments — Edward Gorey edition!! There will be child sacrifices, pet demons, invasive houseguests, sinister sofas and doleful tarot decks and more in my latest set of articles on horror in unexpected places. open.substack.com/pub/rebekahk...

My next novel will be a horror time-travel story, actually! There are so many reasons/ways! A questor for eternal youth Groundhog Day's themself. A slasher travels back to kill the Final Girl *before* their own spree. Slayer only gets freed from cryosleep whenever Dracula rises. #HorrorWritersChat

It was a good #horrorwriterschat this week. This has been out a while now, but I'm always pleased to share my series, "Don't Look At Me."

Thanks Eryn! #HorrorWritersChat, in the mood for some Victorian horror this spooky season? Then you'll love "The Pure World Comes," about a maid who goes to work for a mad scientist. Available in paperback, ebook and audio book. www.amazon.com/Pure-World-C... #HorrorSky #BookSky

#HorrorWritersChat My story THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR appears in THE LIZZIE BORDEN HOUSE ANTHOLOGY. Coming 09/30. My story FOG OVER MONS appears in DEAD MAN'S LAND: TRENCH ROT, tales of war. Mine is based on the Angels of Mons legend from WWI. Paperback: shorturl.at/zfrfJ ePub: shorturl.at/wZpWr

Thanks #HorrorWritersChat for another amazing week. And thank you, Eryn, for continuing to be a killer host! As per usual, I've got books, some of them free: synthandsyntax.itch.io And don't forget to hop on the hype train for November's paperback campaign: tinyurl.com/5bcyfb5k Almost at 50! ✌🏽

Oh, we'd have fun with a gothic horror story like his own "The Picture of Dorian Gray." #HorrorWritersChat

Being cursed to go back and relive a haunting moment again and again would be genuinely horrifying. #HorrorWritersChat

I'd live to set a story in pre-colonial Mexico soon! #HorrorWritersChat