S.J.Budd

Attention everyone there's a brand new magazine for those who love strange and scary stories, it's called Shotgun Strange Stories edited by David Wilson. It's available in print for only $4 and good news for those across the atlantic, I purchased the digital bundle which includes a pdf, epub and mobi copy for only $2 which as around £1.50 in sterling. Absolute bargain! I'm reviewing the kindle version. There's so much more included in the paper version with really cool features such as word searches and illustrations. You'll be able to see this in the pdf copy if you go for the digital bundle. Road Trip by Matthew Standiford Greg is learning to live again after a brutal loss in his life. He's gone through a really bad patch but has come out broken but in one piece. As long as he has his dear wife, Kirstin beside him to guide him out of the darkness. This was a great tale to start off the first issue. I found this really moving and the ending te

A lot of this tale is very shocking, some of it made for some very uncomfortable reading and I wasn't sure if I liked any of the characters, but I loved the book! Toroa kicks off at Rochester Castle at the Medieval Merriment festival when Mahi, a young woman meets an enigmatic fire breathing stranger, Aryan, a young man completely free in life. Mahi, stuck in life and tethered to a cycle of shocking abuse can't resist his appeal. Like a bird, the very creatures Mahi has a life long obsession with, he takes himself where he pleases, lives life with only one aim of being happy which reignites old questions inside Mahi. Who is her father and what is her Maori ancestry? This is a tale about transformation, shocking and brutal. A very macabre coming of age story. I ended up hating Mahi but also at the same time I really pitied her. In the end she becomes a figure, sort of a dark god who comes to represent female suffering. For me this was a very emotional tale as I ended

Hey Guys just wanted to share with you the latest review for Tales From the Realm by Aphotic Realm . For those who don't know this is a collection of the finest 20 tales to be published on their website. (There's so many more great stories on there so do check it out!) This collection features a tale by yours truly, The Forgotten House. You can read the review in full here If strange and sinister fiction is your thing then do check out Aphotic Realm's amazing magazines; so far there has been Apparitions , Banished , Classified and the latest, Dystopia . They are available in paperback to purchase now.

I was really blown away by this collection from Apex Publishing. It's not often that I come across a collection like this where each story is superb. This is horror fiction at its finest, which isn't surprising as his work has appeared in Cemetery Dance, Black Static, The Dark, Shadows and Tall Trees, Nightscript, Shock Totem and Gamut (plus many more.) He also received a Shirley Jackson nomination for his debut collection; Greener Pastures. I was a couple of paragraphs into the first story, Beside Me Singing In The Wilderness, when I realised this was a really special book. "I've come home to this nameless mountain pouring blood from it's bowel." It actually took me a really long time to read this as I almost didn't want it to end. This collection is one of those books that you will want to read over and over. Firstly for the enjoyment of outstanding horror and secondly to try and find out how Michael Wehunt spell binds his readers to the page

I was lucky enough to have one of my short stories, The Forgotten House, included in Aphotic Realm's Best of Anthology. There's a great line up in here and its a truly great anthology. Featuring 20 tales of dark and sinister fiction. So far the reviews for Tales From the Realm have been fantastic, and there's a new one from Maura Yzmore, you can read it here from her blog. Tales from the Realm out now Amazon UK Amazon US

I first came across Christa Carmen is issue 5 of Unnerving magazine with her short tale, The Red Room. It really stood out to me amongst the others and I thought here's a new voice in horror. So obviously I jumped at the chance to get a sneak peak at her upcoming debut collection Something Borrowed, Something Blood-soaked. With this collection of tales she does not disappoint. I had a lot of fun reading through this.There are thirteen tales inside and not one of them was a dud. Stand out tales for me include; Lady of the Flies, The Girl Who Loved Bruce Campbell, This Our Angry Train and Souls Dark and Deep. Although they are all very good! There's a lot to like about this collection, not only can Christa Carmen entertain you for a few hours with dark tales they are also really thought provoking and stay with you long afterwards. Her stories delve deep into all forms of darkness, the grit of human depravities and the things which no mortal can explain. You get the sense

The Shadow Booth edited by Dan Coxon, is a new journal of weird and eerie fiction and after reading the excellent Fortune Box by Madeleine Swann I have gotten a taste for weird fiction that is hard to classify. This is the second volume from ShadowBooth. I haven't read the first yet, but after I finished this I immediately downloaded the first instalment. Volume 2 features 12 short stories by many authors you will recognise if you' re  a fan of creepy horror fiction. I have to say the range of styles and subjects in this volume is huge. All tastes are catered for. This is a really impressive collection. My ultimate favourites included; We Are the Disease, Monkeys on the Beach and Cave Venus et Stella. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the others,  it's just that this anthology has a very strong line up. Buddy by Mark Morris This was delightfully creepy creepy, particularly the descriptions of  Buddy. For me this is a slow burner but the wait is worth it

I was sold on this book by the title alone, long have I been utterly fascinated by witches and powerful women. I thought it would be a tale about kick ass witches but was surprised to find it something else entirely. This is a family saga, told in five stories about the descendants of  powerful Romani witches descended from, Ursule Ochiere. a powerful sorceress. A Secret History of Witches is told in five book; Nanette, Ursule, Irene, Morwen and Veronica. It starts in 1821 and leads right up to the modern age with the outbreak of World War 2. This type of story reminds me of Winston Graham's Poldark saga series and if you liked those you will definitely like this book. I would say this book leans more to historical fiction that fantasy that shows five girls coming of age when they find themselves approaching adulthood and having to make big decisions about their fates, choosing what it they want and just how far they are willing to go to get it. The tale starts off in B