S.J.Budd

"Inside each grief is a lonely ghost of silence, and inside each silence are the words we didn't say." Damien Angelica Walters can often be found gracing the pages of every fiction magazine other writers dream of appearing in; Black Static, Apex, Interzone, Shimmer, Nightmare Magazine, Lightspeed Magazine, Strange Horizons, Daily Science Fiction and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Sing Me Your Scars is Damien Angelica Walter's debut short story collection. Composed of three parts it contains 20 stories of suffering and sorrow, of misfits and damaged people. These are the stories of a dark underworld that we have all glimpsed upon for a few brief moments but for some unlucky souls it is their home. I loved the range of stories here, there are no two alike and whilst reading this starling collection I read slowly to enjoy every line. These are dark magnificent tales that you will want to read again and again. What's really magical about these tales is with h...

These days I barely have enough time to write let alone pester people to publish my stories in their magazines. I've got some longer manuscripts but these are even harder to pester people with as most publishing companies only accept submissions through well connected literary agents. (Psst there are a few that still accept direct subs, click here to see who they are.) But there is a way in which you can get the agents to come and pester you. In many a conversation I've with other writers significantly higher up the ladder, ones lucky enough to have novels and story collections published with very respectable publishers, I've noticed something strange. The agents and publishers pestered them! I didn't realise this happened I thought it was us writers that did all the hard work. So I'll let you in one a secret that I've learned. Now, gather round we don't want everyone to know. Most publishing companies seek out new talent by buying all the lat...

Nightmare Magazine has been up and running since 2012 providing us with the best horror and dark fiction stories. It is edited by multiple  Hugo award winning author and editor John Joseph Adams. For all the aspiring authors of horror and dark fantasy getting your story accepted here is a really big deal and once you start reading the work published by Nightmare you will understand. In May's issue there are four stories of horror and dark fiction. I have to say I really enjoyed them all, they all had a uniqueness quality to them. I will definitely buy this magazine again I bought it for just £2.34 on kindle. Kiss of the Mouthless Girl by Giovanni De Feo A man sits alone in the bar brought there by loneliness, there he meets a strange character who does not belong. On his face he wears an eye patch and half his frozen as if by fear. Taking his next to our protagonist he begins to tell the tale of the Diamanti Sisters with their diamond eyes and white canes.Though ...

Prom Screams is the latest tale in Calvin Demmer's extraordinary Dark Celebrations series;  She Will Rise,  Hungry Ghosts,  Labor Day Hunt,   Thanks Sinning,   Trick or Death,   Three Dead Men    Happy Dark Year   and  Spring Outbreak . They are all available on Amazon for less than a pound or dollar! In Prom Screams we follow the tale of William Carson who has recently been dumped and heartbroken by his girlfriend just days before the biggest night of his life - Prom Night. He wants to prove to his ex love and all his best friends that he's not the loser they all think him to be and what better way than to hire a beautiful girl to hang on his arms and he waves good-bye to adolescence and hello to the rest of his life. Except that the beautiful girl he's hired isn't available, he starts to panic he's paid a lot of money and has so much to prove not just to his peers but to himself. Instead he is given Fay a girl so unimaginabl...

May 2017 heralds an exciting debut collection by Emily Cataneo released by Journalstone Publishing. It features twelve short stories with intriguing and other-worldly titles such as The Emerald Coat and Other Wishes, The City Dreams of Bird-Men, The Rondelium Girl of Rue Marseilles and of course, Speaking to Skull Kings. Emily Cataneo has been making waves as an up and coming writer through having her stories feature in many prestigious publications such as Nightmare, Interzone,The Dark, Black Static and Lackington's Magazine. I really enjoyed reading this, a really original and thought provoking body of work. Throughout these twelve tales is a really strong female element which I loved. The writing is very beautiful but the subject matter and themes are very dark at times representing the worst of humanity. There are many themes such as abandonment, guilt, revenge, retribution, salvation, and a burning curiosity with what lies on the other side beyond our borders. It...

Hi Folks, So far 2017 has been a promising year, I've had four short stories accepted into magazines and my latest, The Forgotten House , has recently been published at Aphotic Realm  - the home of strange and sinister fiction. This is an exciting brand new magazine which I'm very pleased to be a part of.  There was one house that always caught Kirsten’s imagination. It stood out against its handsome neighbours, which had all been modified and improved with extensions and conservatories. It seemed forgotten and abandoned by everyone else, and because of that Kirsten felt a strange affinity to it. For she too had been forgotten. If you enjoyed this tale then you might be interested in Spells and Persuasions: 9 short stories of dark fantasy. This is my debut collection of short and terrifying short stories available for just  99p on Amazon!

There are well-lit doors we pass through every day, ordinary entrances and exits leading to and from the mundane. So too are there hidden, secret doors leading to odd places not on any map. Some lead to chaotic, slippery halls, others to rigid and cruel alcoves. These stygian doorways, much like the namesake river of the dead, are only entrances. Once they are passed there is no going back, the consequences permanent and merciless. These are the stories of five such doors. Wow, these stories are really dark, seriously there's no light at the end of the tunnel in these tales! This impressive collection features five epic and macabre tales, Swine City, The Century Coven, Devil Music, Her Spiral City and Cinema Delicti. A really impressive collection of short stories, my two favourites were The Century Coven and Devil Music.  The Century Coven The  mortal inhabitants of the small town of Berkshire forge a pact with a coven of witches to avoid relentless persecution. H...

I've long been an admirer of Gwendolyn Kiste ever since I discovered one of her stories, Audrey at Night, in Sanitarium Magazine. She's had her work published in all the top magazines such as Nightmare, Shimmer, Lamplight, and Interzone and has such a unique gift for story telling. So I was very excited to hear that she's  about to release her debut collection with Journal Stone in April 2017. I would describe the 14 tales in this collection as beautiful horror, enchanting like a fairy tale, spell binding, ethereal, but underneath the surface lies something very dark and unsettling This is horror but with a strong feminine touch which is a much needed thing in the horror genre today which is heavily dominated with men. It's like a quiet horror that builds with every page. Tales that you will want to read again and again. These are the stories of the forgotten and the rejected who refuse to fall asunder to change what makes them special to fit in. Powerful ...

She Will Rise is the latest tale to be released by Calvin Demmer in the Dark Celebrations series. In this tale we are introduced to Luna Mendes who has returned home for Easter to care for her sick mother. Luna is tortured with loneliness, death has not been a stranger to her but she is determined to make the best of things by living her life by Isabella's five tips for a kick-ass life. She soon diverts attention form her own suffering to that of her mother, Selma whilst trying to avoid her alcoholic step-father who is beyond useless. She soon suspects that he is keeping secrets and as she follows Isabella's five tips she gets to the truth with horrifying consequences. Can Luna save not just her mother, but herself? Will she ever find out the fifth and final tip for everlasting happiness? A surprisingly touching tale not often found in horror, I really like I had gone on a emotional journey with Luna and I really felt myself rooting for her.  She Will Rise is the l...

In the latest instalment of Calvin Demmer's epic Dark Celebration series we are introduced to Gwen who's struggling to deal with her past. Gwen has her whole life ahead of her, she's done brilliantly in her first year at college yet all she can think about is her most recent heartbreak. Her friend Haley suggests getting away for Spring Break and takes her off on an extraordinary adventure to Mexico. Even her parents reluctantly agree it is a good idea. Yet Gwen is still finding it hard to forget and move on and look forwards to the next chapter in her life. Haley drags her to the beach for a sun-blessed day but that's when her problems really start. After a nap she wakes up only to find her friend disappeared. I really enjoyed this tale. I really felt I was inside Gwen's head and the characterisation was really good. There was a lot of depth despite it being a short story. There was a lot of twists and turns which really keep hold of you throughout. Sp...

Welcome to the first collection of short stories by S.J.Budd. A compilation of nine dark tales of darkness, revenge, terror, ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Come and be entertained for an hour of two.  Hear the depraved tales of a desperate junkie with a terrible secret who will do anything to escape her past. A young woman consorts with the occult full of desire for someone to notice her and experience the maddening passions of true love. Charlotte is buckling under the perfection of her dead best friend and seeks to punish her. Greenheart a powerful witch is desperate to save a young girl from being sacrificed to the old ones. Edward is hiding a terrible secret from his wife and the Knocker is coming to pay him a special visit. Out now on Amazon 

Horror writer, Calvin Demmer returns with another triumph Dying Valentine , his latest installment for his dark celebrations series. It's Valentine's Night and this is a n extra special one for Daniel, he's meeting Julia's parents for the first time tonight and he's anxious for it to go well. He's been seeing his girlfriend for six months but he really loves her and wants to be accepted into the family fold. However he forgets the roses and chocolates in his haste to get there on time and decides he must return to his house for them. He can not arrive empty handed even if he arrives late. But then in his panic he revs up his speed and knocks over a mysterious young woman with long black hair in a deathly pale dress. She puts him in an impossible situation in which he has no choice but to help her, even at his own cost as he's a nice guy. Long live the nice guys! All Daniel wants to do is to get round to his girlfriend's house and enjoy this spec...

It seems like Spring really is finally here after a very long and cold winter winter. I've just had my first story of 2017 published. It's called Office Mouse and goes out to all the lovely people out there who've ever had an office job they've hated! You can read it here for free at www.FreedomFiction.com 

Cody Wheeler has had one stressful year and wants nothing more than to relax, forget about his problems, meet up with his buddies  for a beer or two. He can't wait to wave out  the old year and welcome in the new. However all his problems seem to be following him, such as his long term girlfriend Kendall Simpson, things haven't been right lately, he just can't put his finger on where it's all going wrong. He tries his best to be the perfect boyfriend but everything he does winds her up. He's beginning to question whether she's worth all the effort and against his better judgement after one argument too many he decides to leave her at the roadside and go to the party alone... This tale by Calvin Demmer is a great dark story guaranteed to counter-act the sweetness of the festive season for all you horror fans out there. In this, Calvin Demmer takes something very old and makes it new for the 21st century. If you love this tale and eager for more, this i...

In this short tale Jared Rogers is already in trouble and has no idea of the downward spiral he's about to get himself into when he accepts the offer of two hundred dollars for just two hours work. That's a lot of money to anyone but to him it's a lifeline. Orphaned when he was just twelve after his parents died in a car crash Jared was raised by his doting and loyal aunt and uncle, helping run their electrical hardware shop which is dying a slow death. After the tragic passing of his uncle he realises his aunt is on the verge of bankruptcy and answers the ad as a way of providing her with some means for survival. And he too has dreams of his own, despite graduating from university he has never made it out of the small dead end town he grew up in and the chance to earn a bit of money to help him escape is too tempting... In search of cash plucky Jared arranges to meet the mysterious Tim Lewis who put out the ad in an abandoned warehouse where he is doomed to find...

I stumbled across this awesome magazine whilst looking for places to submit my short stories to and instantly fell in love with it. The Wild Hunt magazine is an exclusively online magazine which publishes the very best fiction that celebrates the weird and the surreal and I was incredibly fortunate enough to be published by them. So if you grew up devouring fairy tales, old legends, old myths of magic beasts and adventures, ghost stories that leave you tingling then look no further than the Wild Hunt Magazine. The great news is that all their content is free and they have a great selection of stories to read at your pleasure so go on, enjoy. In here you'll find tales of dandy popinjays, super cute bunnies, strange plants, lost love, ancient magic heroic quests, intoxicating music and ethereal hippies. The Mound by S.J.Budd Overnight the garden had perceptibly shifted, even Marilyn with her city eyes could see that. Betwixt the falling of twilight and the lifting of...

Today is a special day for me as I've reached the milestone of having 13 short stories published in the two years I've been writing. When I first started out my tales were truly terrible but I feel that from an awful lot of rejection I've learnt a lot about the craft of writing and now I feel I'm starting to have something to show for it. I feel very honoured to have had just one story accepted and getting my work published is absolutely the best motivator to keep me tapping away at the keyboard. My latest tale, The Mound, is now proudly featured in the epic Wild Hunt Magazine. This is a great site and has some great fiction already published. They are a selection of beautiful haunting stories, best described as ethereal. Having read all the stories already published on their site I'm really chuffed to be included amongst them. The Wild Hunt is an online literary magazine that celebrates the weird, surreal,the other, and imaginary worlds. Its aim is to fea...

As some of you may know, at the beginning of this year I stumbled across this quote from Ray Bradbury and set myself the challenge of writing 52 short stories during 2016. Ray Bradbury argued that; "When you start writing short stories, the quality doesn’t really matter; you’re practicing your craft. At the end of the year, you’ll have 52 short stories. It’s almost impossible not to have at least one good story among those 52. Writing short stories will teach you to be constantly looking for ideas. In addition, every week you’ll be happy, because by the end of each week you’ll have something to show for your efforts." And now suddenly it's August and over halfway through the year, and my challenge. So far at week 31 I've written 20 short stories. I don't think that's too bad and despite being a bit behind with the numbers I've felt that I've learnt a lot. It's not just honing the skills of my craft that I've experienced but also the ...