My short horror story Leftovers has been published in the Murder On Her Mind anthology by Wicked Shadow Press. It’s about an elderly woman living in a rapidly-declining urban neighborhood who subsists on an unconventional recipe from the old world.
Two of my horror stories have been accepted by Chilling Tales For Dark Nights, for their Horror Hill podcast. This will be the first audio production of these stories, so I’m excited to hear how they turn out.
My short non-horror story Firefly has been accepted by Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine for their March 2023 issue. It’s a simple story about a young girl who captures a firefly in the back yard to help cheer up her ailing sister.
Missy caught the firefly in mid-air, cupping her hands around it to form a tiny, dark cave. She could feel the insect’s delicate footsteps tickling her skin as it wandered across her palm, searching for a way out.
“Got you!” she whispered, victorious.
The audio production of my cyberpunk story Set For Life is now available for free from the Dark Matter Magazine Audiolab. As with everything Dark Matter Magazine does, the quality of the production is exceptional.
The story is about a man’s first day on the job picking up bodies for Syntech and the disturbing secret about where they come from. It’s also the prequel to my novella Override (which appeared in Dark Matter Magazine Issues 007/008/009).
My story Silly Jilly has been published in Apex Magazine’s Strange Libations: An Anthology of Dark Cocktails, featuring a collection of stories told via drink recipes. Silly Jilly is a bitter cocktail with a sweet finish, made in memory of a little girl lost.
The anthology was created as a reward for Kickstarter backers, so it’s not available for purchase directly. However, you can purchase a copy as an add-on to the Robotic Ambitions Kickstarter, which I highly recommend backing.
My historical horror story Breathtaking has been published in the Monstorm anthology by Madness Heart Press. Proceeds from sales of the book will go to people affected by Hurricane Ian.
Set in 1930s Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, Breathtaking tells the story of a young girl and her brother who see a mysterious woman in white screaming outside their house during a dust storm.
“Banshee,” I whispered, mouthing the words as I read. “A spirit in the form of a wailing woman who appears to members of a family as a sign that …” I trailed off. I felt my stomach tighten. Icicles formed down the center of my spine. “That one of them is about to die.”
My dark urban fantasy story Dragonsbreath has been published in From the Ashes: An Anthology of Elemental Urban Fantasy. It’s the story of a teen forced to wear a fireproof mask to protect himself and others from a power he can’t control. This story is an odd one for me: a little bit fantasy, a little bit horror, and a little bit (gasp!) romance. A portion of sales of the anthology will be donated to the Marco Hope Burn Foundation.
Content warning: gore“Ma’am? Are you the mother?”
She nodded, never taking her eyes off her daughter’s lifeless body.
“Do you recognize this?”
The hand held a large plastic evidence bag in front of her face. Inside was a black fabric mask. It resembled a ski mask made from a thick fireproof material with ovals of dark tempered glass protecting each eye.
My sci-fi horror story The Door Is Open has been accepted by Dark Matter Magazine to appear in Issue 017. It’s hard to describe the story without spoiling it, so let’s just say: never open a door that can’t be closed. You never know who—or what—might slip through.
Three of my horror drabbles have been accepted into the Shacklebound Book of Drabbles by Shacklebound Books.
My short horror story Leftovers has been accepted into the Murder On Her Mind anthology by Wicked Shadow Press. It’s about an elderly woman living in a rapidly-declining urban neighborhood who subsists on an unconventional recipe from the old world.
Warren Benedetto 