S.J.Budd

To celebrate the release of Aphotic Realm's first anthology featuring twenty dark twisted tales of strange and sinister fiction, I'm chatting with S.E.Casey, author of, Black Lung Hay Fever. Amazon US Amazon UK Hi S.E.Casey, tell us a bit about yourself. I started writing four years ago based on a random conversation I had with a co-worker about e-books and indie publishing. One day I wasn't writing or thinking about writing, and the next day I was. What started as an absurd game to get something published on Amazon morphed into other games of writing a better story, being published in an online magazine, being included in a print anthology and getting paid for it… I try to make everything into manageable games, otherwise I drift and wallow in an illogical resentment that life doesn't just give me everything I want without having to ask. Who are your biggest influences when it comes to writing? Growing up, the two biggest authors of horror were Ste

I've been familiar with Calvin Demmer's work for a while now, after we were both published in Sanitarium Magazine way back in 2015. Since then I've been really enjoying his stories which have been regularly appearing on my favourite sites such as, Deadman's Tome, Siren's Call, Dark Gothic Resurrected and most recently the Hardened Hearts Anthology by Unnerving Magazine. The Sea Was a Fair Master is Calvin Demmer's first collection of short stories, available from Unnerving and I was delighted to have a sneak preview before it comes out on 5th June 2018. It features 23 horror tales which encompass an extraordinary range of sub genres, ranging from crime, zombies, gore, fantasy, science fiction and just weird! This is his first collection, a truly remarkable debut. I really enjoyed reading this and it took no time at all to finish as you will want to binge on this when it's out in June. The stories in here are short, what you would call flash f

To celebrate the release of Aphotic Realm's first anthology featuring twenty dark twisted tales of strange and sinister fiction, I'm chatting with Micah Castle, author of, A Mother's Love. Hi Micah, tell us a bit about yourself When I'm not reading or writing, I love to be outside and hiking. I could spend hours aimlessly walking through the woods, if given the opportunity. Besides that, I enjoy spending time with my wife and my animals. Who are your biggest influences when it comes to writing? Although there are dozens, the primary ones are; HP Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, Jack London, Philip K.Dick and A.A.Merritt. Name a great horror book, short story or magazine you've read recently There's two, sorry! 14 by Peter Clines and Fevre Dream by G.R.R.Martin  How long have you been writing for? I started taking my writing seriously about five years ago, before that I was writing on and off for about a year or two. What's typical

To celebrate the release of Aphotic Realm's first anthology featuring twenty dark twisted tales of strange and sinister fiction, I'm chatting with Morgan K.Tanner, one of the featured authors. Hi Morgan, tell us a bit about yourself I live in the Black Country in the West Midlands with my missus and little lad who's nearly 8. I love horror in all forms and my metaaaaal: the more extreme the better! I'm a drummer and play in a two piece band, we don't gig all that much anymore but still write and record. Check us out - A Grave Digger Named Pete, or my previous sludge/grime band Black Soul Cancer. I used to teach drums too, but now its all about the writing baby! Who are your biggest influences when it comes to writing? I suppose anyone who writes horror, I would have to mention Stephen King, especially for the way his characters are so, well, real. I'm a big fan of Clive Barker for the fantastical worlds he creates, and the gore-soaked extreme h

Launched just over a year ago, Aphotic Realm, the home of strange and sinister fiction, has been going from strength to strength and have now celebrated their first year by releasing, Tales From the Realm: Volume One. Available now in paperback and kindle it features twenty of the best tales to have featured on their site. Silencing the Bell by Gary Buller In this haunting tale, Harry Stubaker is a desperate man chained to his wicked past. to make things right trying trying to hide his dark deed hoping it will be forgotten but sometimes the past won't die. Other Mother by Skye Makaris For those who love fairy-tales you'll love this brilliant blend of your favourite tales, a very strange and beautiful story on what it means to be a woman. Imagination by A.K.Summers Emma just wants someone to her listen to her and the problems she's going through, but there's no one but her strange friends who want to know and soon she finds herself isolated. Ever get

To celebrate the release of Aphotic Realm's first anthology, Tales From the Realm , featuring 20 tales of strange and sinister fiction, I'm chatting with Tevis Shkodra. So Tevis, tell us a bit about yourself Hi I'm Tevis, I'm 23 and working in the tech sector and living in Toronto, Canada. I write short stories of all genres, the occasional novel, and sometimes even poetry. Who are your biggest influences when it comes to writing? George RR.Martin - he writes fantasy like no other. I also enjoy Herman Hesse (my fave author). I've read all his work. I love how the action and dialogue and character's journeys are linked with the broader themes of life and travel and adventure in Hesse novels. Name a great horror book, story or magazine you've read recently. I'm not a big horror reader, but Aphotic Realm has some great stuff. And of course, Stephen King. I've read The Shining recently for the first time ever. How long have you been wr

To celebrate the release of Aphotic Realm's first anthology featuring twenty tales of strange and sinister fiction I 'm chatting with Gary Buller. If you're already acquainted with Aphotic Realm you would have read his story, The Other Man which featured in their Banished Issue. Now you can read one of his other creepy tales, Silencing the Bell, in Tales From the Realm  out now on kindle and paperback. So, tell us a bit about yourself Gary My name is Gary Anthony Buller. I'm an author who lives in Manchester, England. I started writing back in 2016 after twenty something years of not committing a single paragraph of fiction to paper. To be published was a tick on my bucket list, but then I got hooked and have been writing horror ever since. Who are your biggest influences when it comes to writing? My kids, to be honest. I could mention Joe Hill, Adam Nevill, Roahl Dahl and Edgar Allan Poe, but my daughters inspire me to be creative and show them