You know about them don't you?
Storytellers Unplugged is a shared blog with 29 participants each taking a day of the month on which to make a post. As I understand it, 11 months out of the year they're pretty free to post whatever they want, usually something revolving around the writing and publishing business, but when October rolls around, they post stories.
As David Niall Wilson observed, when they started the group was primarily horror writers so the stories in October were horror stories. Since then people have come and gone and now there is some mix. That mix is reflected somewhat in the stories they posted last month.
Still they are free stories and a chance to try out authors you may not have heard of. If you find a story you enjoyed, why not visit your public library and read more stories by them? You might just find a new favorite author or two . . .
The Stories:
Miracles in the Night by David Niall Wilson. Philosophical horror with vampires.
Storytellers Unplugged by Mort Castle. This is Mr. Castle's clever holiday offering.
On The Importance of Revising - A Horror Story by Gerard Houarner. The horror writer's version of literary journalism -- Truman Capote beware.
Glimpses of Horror by Elizabeth Massie. Three short-short tales that really creep up on you.
Extract by Brian Hodge. A story with teeth. Also includes a link to a podcast reading.
Swimming with Sharks by Robert Jones. It's more terrifying than Cthulhu and the insanity . . . oh the insanity of it all . . .
The Gonquin Table: October Surprise . . . by Frank T. Wydra. A story about writing stories? Complete with dead people.
Trick or Treat by John B. Rosenman. This is definitely trick or treating after my own undead heart. John's novel (featuring killer angels, no less) Alien Dreams will be out in e-book format next week from Drollerie Press.
Harming Obsession by Bev Vincent. When you obsess over the possibility that you may have just harmed someone, sending you out for candy during trick or treat is exquisite torture. Includes a link to a podcast reading of the story.
That’s Hardly Possible by Justine Musk. A decidedly creepy ghost story.
Six Six Six by Matt Forbeck. Each of the three stories is exactly six words long. And read the comments as some of the other writers join in.
The Ghost Who Loved Books by Brian Knight. Instead of a short story, Mr. Knight "decided to share an original, unpublished young adult fantasy novelette, The Ghost Who Loved Books." But don't let the YA label discourage you from trying it out. It's in a PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format.
Aftermath by Janet Berliner. An excellent vampire tale set in Jerusalem in 1197. Those of you who played the role-playing game Vampire: The Dark Ages will get an extra kick out of this story.
For The Autumn Queen, Where She Rests Among The Fallen by Richard Dansky. I love how Mr. Dansky opens this story: "Because autumn stories don’t necessarily have to be about Halloween."
The Long, The Short, and The Ugly by Wayne Allen Sallee. A triptych of terror with poetry . . . and a clown.
Requiem for Prey by Sarah Monette. Is she a predator with a conscious or something else?
Phase by David Niall Wilson. The final piece is a subtle story of horror, memory and a road trip.
(Originally posted in . . . With Intent to Commit Horror)
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