Kieren Alderling

That happened to me for the first time recently, and even for someone with chronic migraines, it felt bizarre.

That IS a real word; autocorrect just hates onomatopoeias.

Someday, I will watch this show.

I love that delineation, though. The surfacing dream, carrying the pieces that you need to continue on (with those jagged edges of truth you've hidden from yourself), versus the lure of the fantasy.

I have absoluuuutley been there. Start with what's shiny and convince yourself that you'll have enough free time to get through the whole pile?

Bodies really are a scam. They're ridiculous. I hope you manage to get an earlier time slot for the MRI though, seriously.

Petitions sometimes have done a bit of the groundwork and note taking for me, although it's hit or miss obviously.

You bet. I'm mulling over the wording for a Conservative MP.

All good!

Sign the Petition Stop Bill S-209’s De-Anonymization of Every Canadian Adult

Thank you! I really appreciate the thorough breakdown. There's a related petition here as well: www.change.org/p/stop-bill-...

Do you have anything on the current fight in Canada? I'm having a hard time keeping track of what's going on; I'm more read up on the UK Online Safety Act.

There are two ways I look at "grounding" horror in reality:

- The best description is written with the vivid imagining (especially based on memory) of being grounded in a particular moment
- The audience needs the illusion of familiarity to be carried away in the world

I think this is one of the things that bugs me about the conclusion that a horror novel being described as "atmospheric" should be taken to mean that it is inherently "tame".

"I've been Alberta bound for all my life" but make it cosmic horror. 🤔

I got caught up in things and forgot about Horror Writers Chat! Oh well, next week.

Look, vet visits are very stressful for humans! It's important to be compassionate. :D

Oh, I forgot Joey Batey had a book out this year!

OK, yes, I understand entirely.

let's tackle something truly terrifying this October... pieces that sit in the range of 6,000-10,000 words. $50 flat rate, all projects started in October. full round of developmental, line, and copy editing. plus, a raffle entry for one free short fiction editing round with every like and repost.

Got a story at an awkward length creeping you out?

For October I'll be focusing on tackling tales that sit between 6k and 10k for a flat rate of $50USD. Editor with a short fiction portfolio, contract protected.

www.hmarinliterary.com

*To be entered into the raffle, please like AND repost. 👻

a sign that says no entry after nightfall is stuck to a tree Alt: a group of three is hiking in a dark forest, they come across a sign that says no entry after nightfall, stuck to a tree & half overgrown

The Wilderness Horror issue of FFO @flashfictiononline.bsky.social is LIVE, my dears!

May I coax you into the deep, dark woods with me??

www.flashfictiononline.com/product/flas...

Thank you very much!

Sorry for the silly question, but does "sub cap 800" for October mean that you're looking for 500-800 words only, during this submission period?

It's compelling! ❤️

I'm especially fond of "You can only keep moving / become more of what you are" because that particular strain of grimhope has been something I've grappled with in my own work over the last six months to a year, too.

Rakesfall book cover, by Vajra Chandrasekera, with a pink cover and an animal skull, and the tagline: "Will you follow me to the end?"

On possession: "I understand now. The devil taught me; I am the devil, so I was my own teacher. I accept the consequences."

I woke up in the middle of the night and tried to read a new book to get back to sleep. I have now read half of Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera in one sitting.

I really do love this

Maybe in another life—

The photo of the limestone cliffs in the background image is my own.

Omi O L'ota by Ibrahim Abu Read Omi O L'ota by Ibrahim Abu from Augur Magazine Web Exclusive edition

This piece couldn't exist without the work of Nigerian poet Abu Ibrahim (IB), whose 2024 winning piece "Omi O L'ota" had me thinking about power that lies with the tide. augursociety.org/omi-o-lota/

The microfiction piece "Reprise" appears against a background of a photo looking up a limestone cliff at the trees above. The piece reads: "*Not enough*, we hold, the round hulls of our wings casting oars into the dark, the splash echoing to spill into distant coves. The land will not sustain us; its rocky shores cast a soaring cry over the waves, defiant and daring, but rocks repelling teeth bear little fruit. Our voices swell, songs replete with the ken that magnates always outpace kings: weighing anchor, trading empire, casting out the net. Industry and worship. Reassurance and rapine. One calamitous scramble after another and then: devoured. Reprising, splashing, throats forming the chorus behind bloody teeth. Not enough. Never enough." by Kieren Alderling

For the #AugurMicros2025 contest, some thoughts about the net. @augursociety.bsky.social

I humbly offer the #AugurMicros2025 contest forbidden foraging and blissful reawakening. @augursociety.bsky.social

Return of the Horror Honker: How Long Horror Books Made a Comeback See some of the key novels of the 21st Century that broke the page limit trend, and steadily pushed the Epic Horror Honker back into the mainstream conversation.

8 massive horror books to feast on into the late hours. 🩸 📚