Jonathan Helland (He/Him)

Must Read Short Speculative Fiction: December 2025 - Reactor Ten excellent works of short fiction you may have missed in 2025

Holy Moley, this is awesome! My friend @jonathanhelland.bsky.social is mentioned in this Reactor article! Check him out #WritingCommunity (and, agents... he's looking for representaaaationnnnn 🎶 just sayin')

reactormag.com/must-read-sh...

23.01.2026 21:08 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

A graphic for the short story "Drink Poetry, Devour the Sun," by Jonathan Helland, published in the December 2025 issue of Trollbreath Magazine and now free to read for the public on our website. The graphic depicts the title and author's name over a background of a cloudy sky with a sliver of moon nearly hidden amongst the grayness.

Welcome to another Free Fiction Friday!

The first story to emerge from behind the paywall in 2026 is a haunting tale of the cute things children say, mythology, and the coming of a deep and harsh winter...

@jonathanhelland.bsky.social

magazine.trollbreath.com/drink-poetry...

02.01.2026 11:38 — 👍 23    🔁 6    💬 1    📌 1

Thanks!

19.12.2025 21:07 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

It's out now!

I'm proud of my story "Drink Poetry, Devour the Sun" and grateful to Trollbreath for giving it a home.

01.12.2025 14:26 — 👍 6    🔁 3    💬 1    📌 0

Trollbreath Magazine Issue 6, Winter 2025 Bernie Jean Schiebeling, Jonathan Helland, Gretchen Tessmer, Mir Rainbird Cover of the December 1st Issue: A street corner with a bookshop. A little girl, a shadow, and a dog peek down a hole in the street leading into lights.

Winter Cover Reveal!!!! Issue 6 drops on December 1st, 2025
Subscribe now at magazine.trollbreath.com

11.11.2025 14:32 — 👍 29    🔁 7    💬 5    📌 4

The funniest thing about reading The Exorcist is how credulous everyone in the '70s was about psychic phenomena and how much of an obstacle it is to the plot.

"My daughter's dresser moves on its own."
"Might just be psychokenisis."

"Does she really speak Latin, or is she just reading my mind?"

16.10.2025 12:17 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

🌟UPCOMING AUCTION 🌟
The auction will start tomorrow, May 9.
Stay tuned for the link 📷 and please boost and share.
In the meantime, more teasers of what is being offered:

09.05.2025 03:13 — 👍 10    🔁 9    💬 1    📌 2

This comic is excellent.

This idea that every new technological advance must be embraced--no matter how bad for people, society, and/or the environment--has done as much harm as any other ideology in history.

08.05.2025 11:56 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

It’s called elevated horror, T. It’s when the dracula is actually that your mom died.

23.01.2024 18:04 — 👍 5493    🔁 1485    💬 17    📌 37

1. Scariness is one of the least important qualities by which to measure a horror novel. Reading is almost never scary, but horror has more to offer than that.

2. There are probably more deconstructions of the "Final Girl" trope than there ever were unironic Final Girls. We can relax a bit.

20.03.2025 20:11 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

a cat is laying on the floor next to a sausage and a ball ALT: a cat is laying on the floor next to a sausage and a ball

18.03.2025 13:51 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

four loaves of bread are covered in flour with a green g on the bottom ALT: four loaves of bread are covered in flour with a green g on the bottom

18.03.2025 13:50 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Contemplating including a prologue in my new WIP, proving that I refuse to learning anything from my querying experience.

14.03.2025 14:29 — 👍 5    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Trial Run now available

Today is publication day for Trial Run! I’m so excited to share this book with the world! 🎉

14.03.2025 12:46 — 👍 22    🔁 9    💬 4    📌 12

I'M SO EMOTIONAL 😮‍💨

27.02.2025 14:50 — 👍 150    🔁 46    💬 4    📌 1

"Is this a pigeon?" meme but with the man labeled "me" asking "is this a healthy hobby?" about a label that says "stalking querytracker timelines"

The current mood for real. #amquerying

24.02.2025 19:04 — 👍 8    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

Look in your agency's Second Chance inbox, I have something there you might like!

12.02.2025 18:17 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

I got two requests!

Sent one submission this morning, the other one I decided wasn't a fit.

Overall, I'm pretty thrilled to get any attention at all for a novelette. It's such an awkward length to get published.

03.02.2025 15:35 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

I love The Midnight Society and I know this is satire, but as a folk horror superfan, I have to be that guy:

Harvest Home was published in 1973, Children of the Corn was published in 1977.
If someone was being derivative, it sure wasn't Thomas Tryon.

31.01.2025 17:48 — 👍 6    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

#CritPit What is it? A bsky event to help writers find new alpha readers, beta readers, and/or critique partners! When is it happening? 8 February 2025. No time zone restrictions. As long as it’s Feb 8 somewhere, #CritPit is happening! Who can participate? All writers who have something for which they’d like to find a reader/partner! This includes novels, novellas, short stories, etc.

How to participate 1. Create a short (single post-length) pitch to describe your work. Your pitch doesn’t need to be perfect, but it should tell people what your writing is about! 2. Post up to 3 works, 1 post per work 3. Include the #CritPit hashtag! 4. To help people find you, include an age category tag and at least 1 genre tag (see bit.ly/CritPit for a list of tags) 5. If a pitch interests you, leave a comment to let the writer know!

FAQ Am I allowed to like pitches? Yes! Anyone can like, comment, and/or repost! Go wild! Are agents/editors participating? This is NOT an event for pitching to agents/editors. This is for writers to find other writers. Agents/editors who are also writers may participate, but do so as writers only. Can I include a moodboard/graphic? Do I HAVE to include a moodboard/graphic? Graphics (moodboards, “a guide to,” etc.) are not required but they are allowed. Do include alt text for all images. Do not use AI-generated content.

Finding a match You do not have to work with everyone to comments/volunteers as a reader! Recommended first steps for a potential match: 1. Discuss whether you’ll be swapping (reading for each other) or just 1 person will read for the other. 2. Share a slightly longer blurb + any content/trigger warnings. 3. Share a sample (like first 1-2 chapters) so you can see if you vibe (reader is interested/engaged & writer feels the feedback style of the reader works for them). 4. Always notify someone if you don’t think you’ll be a good fit, can’t make the time commitment, or can’t finish once you start.

All right, let's do this, #WritingCommunity! Next Saturday (Feb 8), I'm hosting #CritPit, an event for #writers to find critique partners and alpha/beta readers. The event is open to all writers! Please share widely!

31.01.2025 05:06 — 👍 90    🔁 60    💬 13    📌 19

I'm not bringing this up for any particular reason, but have you all heard of JURY NULLIFICATION?

Just an interesting thing I think people should be aware exists.

09.12.2024 20:26 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

I'll be keeping this queued up to show people tomorrow

28.11.2024 02:00 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

WHY WE LOVE HORROR: THE PEOPLE WHO WEAR BLACK THEORY Most people avoid feelings of fear, disgust, and unease – horror fans seek them out again and again. We have all experienced the awkwardness of trying to explain why. There is no one answer &…

'Why are you always in Black?!?'
Tired of hearing it? Well, @jonathanhelland.bsky.social has a few (well a good deal of) words in defense of the shade of choice for a lot of us horror-heads, goths, punks, emos, and otherwise for #NightTideMag!
nighttidemag.com/2024/11/27/c...

27.11.2024 16:47 — 👍 12    🔁 2    💬 4    📌 0

Horned Mother Playlist - YouTube

#unhingedpit #ya #horror #Horned_Mother_Hungry_Mother_Bride_of_the_Woods

youtube.com/playlist?lis...

13.11.2024 16:10 — 👍 7    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0