Bit of a late update, but my fantasy story Not Recommended for Guests of a Philosophically Uncertain Disposition was podcast by the wonderful folks at Drabblecast. Inspiration for this story came from the finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when the town of Sunnydale gets [!Spoiler Alert!] destroyed and turned into a giant crater. I often wondered what happened to it afterwards, and came to the conclusion that some enterprising soul would undoubtedly have turned it into a tourist attraction.
Take a listen to the story here.
Not Recommended for Guests of a Philosophically Uncertain Disposition - Contemporary Fantasy - 2,600 words - originally published at Interzone, March 2016
Damita managed The Fracture’s visitor centre and gift shop, while Jem took the guided tours. There was also a cafe, which always had fresh coffee and an inventive selection of hot sandwiches, although Damita had never met anyone who worked in the kitchens.
‘They’re all very industrious, just highly introverted,’ Jem said. ‘You should go and get one of today’s specials — Cajun pheasant and fried pickles on a toasted sesame seed bagel. Marvellous.’
‘Sounds a little rich for breakfast,’ Damita said. ‘Maybe later.’
A stock delivery had arrived in the night, and she was working her way through the boxes. They contained fridge magnets, earplugs, bandages with pictures of cacti on them, and snowglobes. Damita picked one up and shook it. Black glitter fell on a scale model of the visitor centre, and lightning flashed.
‘Food is important,’ Jem said. ‘Blood sugar should be kept within optimum parameters to ensure emotional stability. It says so in the Employee Handbook.’
Listen to the full story at Drabblecast
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Reprint - Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings in The Macabre Museum
Out now: Vol 1, Issue 1 of The Macabre Museum - The debut issue of indie horror lit's newest journal! From the genre's freshest (and most disturbed) minds come 10 dark tales, 12 twisted poems, and 3 pieces of demented art... including my paranormal crime story Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings.
I always think there’s great fun to be had with characters who think they’re the Big Bad, only to run into someone worse. This story is a kind of horror take on Groundhog Day, without the possibility of the escape-through-self-improvement ending. It’s no wonder she’s gone homicidally insane, but at least she kept her sense of humour. I think you have to admire that.
Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings - 3,775 words
Dom doesn’t lose his temper as easily as his brother, so normally he’s the one who deals with it when shit goes pear-shaped. But shit has been going pear-shaped a lot lately, and by the time Dom gets to the warehouse Marc is already in full swing. Literally—he’s gone after poor Jimmy with a nine iron.
Dom picks his way across the warehouse floor, cursing under his breath. His shoes are new, and it’s a fuck of a thing to get blood out of tan leather. He puts both hands up, palms out. ‘Marc. Take it easy.’
On the floor, Jimmy groans. He’s pulled into a foetal position so Dom can’t tell the full extent of the damage, but his clothes are soaked in just about every bodily fluid there is. At first guess, Dom would say the kid’s lost his teeth, his fingernails, his bollocks and at least a couple of internal organs.
Read the full story in Issue 1 of The Macabre Museum !
I always think there’s great fun to be had with characters who think they’re the Big Bad, only to run into someone worse. This story is a kind of horror take on Groundhog Day, without the possibility of the escape-through-self-improvement ending. It’s no wonder she’s gone homicidally insane, but at least she kept her sense of humour. I think you have to admire that.
Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings - 3,775 words
Dom doesn’t lose his temper as easily as his brother, so normally he’s the one who deals with it when shit goes pear-shaped. But shit has been going pear-shaped a lot lately, and by the time Dom gets to the warehouse Marc is already in full swing. Literally—he’s gone after poor Jimmy with a nine iron.
Dom picks his way across the warehouse floor, cursing under his breath. His shoes are new, and it’s a fuck of a thing to get blood out of tan leather. He puts both hands up, palms out. ‘Marc. Take it easy.’
On the floor, Jimmy groans. He’s pulled into a foetal position so Dom can’t tell the full extent of the damage, but his clothes are soaked in just about every bodily fluid there is. At first guess, Dom would say the kid’s lost his teeth, his fingernails, his bollocks and at least a couple of internal organs.
Read the full story in Issue 1 of The Macabre Museum !
Monday, September 16, 2019
Latest Story News!
OUT NOW:
Garden of Fog and Monsters (SF, 2,089 words) was reprinted in First Contact from Indie Authors Press, Apr 19
Sometimes You’re the Windscreen, Sometimes You’re the Fly (Fantasy, 877 words) was published in audio at Toasted Cake, May 2019
For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times (Fantasy, 3,210 words) was published in audio at The Overcast, Aug 19
FORTHCOMING:
Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings (Horror/Crime, 3,775 words) will be reprinted in issue 1 of The Macabre Museum, 2019
Let the Buyer Beware (Fantasy, 4,700 words) will be published at Kaleidotrope, 2021
Possibly Nefarious Purposes will be reprinted at Strange Constellations, 2019/2020
Garden of Fog and Monsters (SF, 2,089 words) was reprinted in First Contact from Indie Authors Press, Apr 19
Sometimes You’re the Windscreen, Sometimes You’re the Fly (Fantasy, 877 words) was published in audio at Toasted Cake, May 2019
For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times (Fantasy, 3,210 words) was published in audio at The Overcast, Aug 19
FORTHCOMING:
Getting Shot in the Face Still Stings (Horror/Crime, 3,775 words) will be reprinted in issue 1 of The Macabre Museum, 2019
Let the Buyer Beware (Fantasy, 4,700 words) will be published at Kaleidotrope, 2021
Possibly Nefarious Purposes will be reprinted at Strange Constellations, 2019/2020
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
New podcast - 'For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times' at The Overcast
The podcast of my fantasy story 'For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times' is now live at The Overcast!
One of my favourite stories, and definitely one of my favourite titles, this was written for Penumbra Magazine’s ‘Utopia’ issue, and reflects my belief that you don’t have to scratch a utopia very deeply to find a dystopia underneath.
For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times - Fantasy - 3,210 words
Lia waved a hand. ‘Hon, I’m sorry, but you’ve just got to hear this.’ She grinned and leaned back in her seat. ‘I found God.’
Katie stared at her. ‘I’m sorry, you did what?’
‘I found God. And I don’t mean I became a born-again Christian or anything, I mean I literally discovered the omnipotent creator of the universe. While I was doing that house clearance in Balham.’
Listen to the story at The Overcast now!
One of my favourite stories, and definitely one of my favourite titles, this was written for Penumbra Magazine’s ‘Utopia’ issue, and reflects my belief that you don’t have to scratch a utopia very deeply to find a dystopia underneath.
For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times - Fantasy - 3,210 words
Lia waved a hand. ‘Hon, I’m sorry, but you’ve just got to hear this.’ She grinned and leaned back in her seat. ‘I found God.’
Katie stared at her. ‘I’m sorry, you did what?’
‘I found God. And I don’t mean I became a born-again Christian or anything, I mean I literally discovered the omnipotent creator of the universe. While I was doing that house clearance in Balham.’
Listen to the story at The Overcast now!
Sunday, June 9, 2019
New Reprint: Garden of Fog and Monsters in First Contact
I have a reprint in First Contact: A Science Fiction Anthology from Indie Authors Press, out now in ebook and paperback.
Garden of Fog and Monsters: They pitch it to the volunteers as a contest that can be won, but there’s no such thing as a free paradise.
They created a whole new branch of physics to make sense of it, but everybody was way more interested in the practical applications than the theorems. Rolling green hills and crystal blue lakes? You got it. A skyscraper fifteen miles high? You got it. Furry purple dinosaurs? You got it. In this garden, everybody’s God.
Read the rest of the story in First Contact
Garden of Fog and Monsters: They pitch it to the volunteers as a contest that can be won, but there’s no such thing as a free paradise.
They created a whole new branch of physics to make sense of it, but everybody was way more interested in the practical applications than the theorems. Rolling green hills and crystal blue lakes? You got it. A skyscraper fifteen miles high? You got it. Furry purple dinosaurs? You got it. In this garden, everybody’s God.
Read the rest of the story in First Contact
Saturday, June 1, 2019
New Podcast! Sometimes You’re the Windscreen, Sometimes You’re the Fly at Toasted Cake
Sometimes You’re the Windscreen, Sometimes You’re the Fly (Fantasy, 877 words) has been published in audio at the marvellous Toasted Cake.
Life -- especially a very long one -- is nothing but a game...
Listen to the story here.
Life -- especially a very long one -- is nothing but a game...
Monday, April 15, 2019
Latest Story News!
OUT NOW:
Wolf, or Faith in the Future (SF, 621 words) was podcasted at Manawaker Studio
In the Fog, There's Nothing but Grey (Horror, 1,437 words) was published in Black Static Issue 67
God State (SF, 1,299 words) was reprinted in Sins and Other Worlds edited by Eric S Fomley
FORTHCOMING:
Not Recommended for Guests of a Philosophically Uncertain Disposition (Fantasy, 2,600 words) will be podcasted at Drabblecast, 2019
Wolf, or Faith in the Future (SF, 621 words) was podcasted at Manawaker Studio
In the Fog, There's Nothing but Grey (Horror, 1,437 words) was published in Black Static Issue 67
God State (SF, 1,299 words) was reprinted in Sins and Other Worlds edited by Eric S Fomley
FORTHCOMING:
Not Recommended for Guests of a Philosophically Uncertain Disposition (Fantasy, 2,600 words) will be podcasted at Drabblecast, 2019
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Reprint - God State in Sins and Other Worlds
Sins and Other Worlds is a dark Science Fiction short story anthology comprised of reprint stories from 30 talented authors. The stories range from deep space, alien planets, alternate realities and beyond. Most stories within are flash fiction interspersed with several longer works from both emerging authors and titans in the field. The anthology collects some of the best dark sci-fi in recent memory.
Includes my story God State (1,299 words) Originally published in Daily Science Fiction.
When you get to a certain age, conversations with your mates often turn into a nostalgia-fest about The Good Old Days. Is the past better than the present? Maybe. Maybe not.
On the way out of the gig, I stop at the merchandise stall to get a t-shirt. I find one in my size and pull out my wallet, then hesitate. It looks good quality, but the colour — almost exactly the same blue as a scanner booth — puts me off. I read somewhere they call that shade ‘Spectral Indigo,’ and ever since then it’s given me a slight case of the creeps. On the way out of the gig, I stop at the merchandise stall to get a t-shirt. I find one in my size and pull out my wallet, then hesitate. It looks good quality, but the colour — almost exactly the same blue as a scanner booth — puts me off. I read somewhere they call that shade ‘Spectral Indigo,’ and ever since then it’s given me a slight case of the creeps.
Read the rest in Sins and Other Worlds, available in ebook now.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
New story in Black Static -- In the Fog, There's Nothing but Grey
I have a new story in Issue 67 of the always-marvellous Black Static!
In the Fog, There's Nothing but Grey is a pending-apocalypse story taking place during an epidemic of amnesia, and is about finding out who you are by watching what you do...
In the Fog, There's Nothing but Grey - 1,437 words
Nobody’s gone in or out of the pub for a long time, so it makes us all jump when the door opens. I hadn’t even realised it was unlocked.
‘Here comes trouble,’ Gil says. He says that about everything, from Chrissie coming back from the Ladies to pigeons landing on the roof, but this time I think he could be right — there’s something about this newcomer that sets my spidey-sense humming. I can’t put my finger on what, but sometimes that’s how it is: the eyes send a message straight to the hairs on the back of the neck, bypassing the brain completely. Which maybe isn’t such a bad thing, considering the brain’s not the be-all and end-all it used to be.
Read the rest of the story in Black Static 67, available now from TTA Press.
In the Fog, There's Nothing but Grey is a pending-apocalypse story taking place during an epidemic of amnesia, and is about finding out who you are by watching what you do...
In the Fog, There's Nothing but Grey - 1,437 words
Nobody’s gone in or out of the pub for a long time, so it makes us all jump when the door opens. I hadn’t even realised it was unlocked.
‘Here comes trouble,’ Gil says. He says that about everything, from Chrissie coming back from the Ladies to pigeons landing on the roof, but this time I think he could be right — there’s something about this newcomer that sets my spidey-sense humming. I can’t put my finger on what, but sometimes that’s how it is: the eyes send a message straight to the hairs on the back of the neck, bypassing the brain completely. Which maybe isn’t such a bad thing, considering the brain’s not the be-all and end-all it used to be.
Read the rest of the story in Black Static 67, available now from TTA Press.
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Latest Story News!
Out Now:
For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times (Fantasy, 3,210 words) was reprinted in Issue 3 of The Weird Reader.
The Visiphorical Art (Supernatural, 917 words) was podcasted at Manawaker studio.
One Free Go (Horror, 2221 words) was reprinted in Issue 41 of The Sirens Call, October 2018
And in the End, They All Lived Happily Ever After (Fantasy, 500 words) was reprinted in Issue 24 of Three Drops from a Cauldron, Nov 2018
Dead Bodies Don't Scream (Horror, 4,033 words) was published in Tales from the Lake Volume 5, from Crystal Lake Publishing, Nov 2018
Forthcoming:
Sometimes You’re the Windscreen, Sometimes You’re the Fly (Fantasy, 877 words) will be podcasted at Toasted Cake, May 2019.
In the Fog, There's Nothing but Grey (Horror, 1,437 words) will be published in Black Static
For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times (Fantasy, 3,210 words) was reprinted in Issue 3 of The Weird Reader.
The Visiphorical Art (Supernatural, 917 words) was podcasted at Manawaker studio.
One Free Go (Horror, 2221 words) was reprinted in Issue 41 of The Sirens Call, October 2018
And in the End, They All Lived Happily Ever After (Fantasy, 500 words) was reprinted in Issue 24 of Three Drops from a Cauldron, Nov 2018
Dead Bodies Don't Scream (Horror, 4,033 words) was published in Tales from the Lake Volume 5, from Crystal Lake Publishing, Nov 2018
Forthcoming:
Sometimes You’re the Windscreen, Sometimes You’re the Fly (Fantasy, 877 words) will be podcasted at Toasted Cake, May 2019.
In the Fog, There's Nothing but Grey (Horror, 1,437 words) will be published in Black Static
Friday, December 14, 2018
Reprint: And in the End, They All Lived Happily Ever After at Three Drops from a Cauldron
My fairy-tale flash 'And in the End, They All Lived Happily Ever After', a different view of the Cinderella story, is available to read in the latest issue of the marvellous Three Drops from a Cauldron, full of weird and wonderful, magical and mystical prose, poetry, and art.
And in the End, They All Lived Happily Ever After - Fantasy - 500 words
The coachman knows his place, so he stays outside, even though the music swirls in his head and tries to draw him into the ballroom, with all its vibrant colours and beautiful dancers — glamorous, graceful people whirling around the floor in complicated patterns, not needing to look where they’re going because they fit so perfectly into the shape of this grand, wonderful design; people who belong, who follow their steps and play their roles and smile so gloriously because they know, they all know, that they are precisely where they are meant to be.
Read the rest in Issue 24 of Three Drops from a Cauldron
And in the End, They All Lived Happily Ever After - Fantasy - 500 words
The coachman knows his place, so he stays outside, even though the music swirls in his head and tries to draw him into the ballroom, with all its vibrant colours and beautiful dancers — glamorous, graceful people whirling around the floor in complicated patterns, not needing to look where they’re going because they fit so perfectly into the shape of this grand, wonderful design; people who belong, who follow their steps and play their roles and smile so gloriously because they know, they all know, that they are precisely where they are meant to be.
Read the rest in Issue 24 of Three Drops from a Cauldron
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
New story: Dead Bodies Don't Scream in Tales of the Lake Volume 5
Tales of the Lake is a marvellous horror anthology series from Crystal Lake Publishing, and the latest volume is out now -- including my story 'Dead Bodies Don't Scream,' which is a variation on one of my favourite themes: Be careful what you wish for...
Dead Bodies Don't Scream by Michelle Ann King (Horror, 4,033 words)
Allie wipes her eyes, then stands up and kisses Rae’s hair. ‘I’ll be back soon,’ she says.
Because the universe doesn’t care about right and wrong; she’s always known that. It doesn’t care about fairness or justice or providing miracles.
If you need any of those things, you have to go and get them for yourself.
Read the full story in Tales of the Lake Volume 5:
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2q8Edtz
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2O01VBx
Universal Link: http://getbook.at/Lake5
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/
Dead Bodies Don't Scream by Michelle Ann King (Horror, 4,033 words)
Allie wipes her eyes, then stands up and kisses Rae’s hair. ‘I’ll be back soon,’ she says.
Because the universe doesn’t care about right and wrong; she’s always known that. It doesn’t care about fairness or justice or providing miracles.
If you need any of those things, you have to go and get them for yourself.
Read the full story in Tales of the Lake Volume 5:
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2q8Edtz
Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2O01VBx
Universal Link: http://getbook.at/Lake5
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
New reprint: One Free Go in The Sirens Call
My Halloween story 'One Free Go,' along with a ton of other dark and creepy stories, his available to read for free now, in Issue 41 of The Sirens Calls 👻 🕷️💀
One Free Go (Horror, 2,221 words)
When I was a kid, a Halloween party meant a couple of ghost stories, some bat-shaped gingerbread, and a bag of fun-sized Mars bars. That was it, job done. These days you have to decorate the whole house, get everyone fancy dress costumes, lay on enough chocolate to sink a battleship and buy boxes of specially-made black cupcakes topped with fondant-icing eyeballs.
Read the story for free in Issue 41 of The Sirens Call now!
When I was a kid, a Halloween party meant a couple of ghost stories, some bat-shaped gingerbread, and a bag of fun-sized Mars bars. That was it, job done. These days you have to decorate the whole house, get everyone fancy dress costumes, lay on enough chocolate to sink a battleship and buy boxes of specially-made black cupcakes topped with fondant-icing eyeballs.
Read the story for free in Issue 41 of The Sirens Call now!
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Kickstarter for The Weird Reader
Kickstarter for volume three of The Weird Reader, which includes my story 'For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times' -- this is the cheapest option for print copies, so if you fancy one, get in now!
Monday, October 22, 2018
New podcast! The Visiphorical Art at Manawaker Studio
My domestic ghost story The Visiphorical Art has been podcasted by the fine folks at Manawaker Studio. To listen to the story (9 minutes) click here.
The Visiphorical Art (917 words)
There are remnants of lives all over the house, drying out and growing mould like abandoned plates of half-consumed meals. They lie in wait under the surface of reality like landmines, like unexploded bombs. Waiting for the unwary, the ones who don’t watch their step, to explode them back into the world...
The Visiphorical Art (917 words)
There are remnants of lives all over the house, drying out and growing mould like abandoned plates of half-consumed meals. They lie in wait under the surface of reality like landmines, like unexploded bombs. Waiting for the unwary, the ones who don’t watch their step, to explode them back into the world...
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
New story at The Weird Reader
One of my favourite stories (definitely one of my favourite titles), 'For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times' has been reprinted in Issue 3 of The Weird Reader a literary magazine of the strange, disturbing, fantastic, and otherworldly.
This is a fabulous publication with lots of stories and poems, and some marvellous art, too (I particularly like the illustration for Horseface by Justin Tolman). It's free to read, so check it out here!
For Your Safety and Comfort, Please Keep Arms, Legs and Tentacles Inside the Car At All Times (Fantasy, 3,210 words)
Lia waved a hand. ‘Hon, I’m sorry, but you’ve just got to hear this.’ She grinned and leaned back in her seat. ‘I found God.’
Katie stared at her. ‘I’m sorry, you did what?’
‘I found God. And I don’t mean I became a born-again Christian or anything, I mean I literally discovered the omnipotent creator of the universe. While I was doing that house clearance in Balham.’
Read the full story at The Weird Reader!
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Tales from the Lake Vol 5
Very nice early review of the upcoming anthology Tales from the Lake Vol 5, including my story 'Dead Bodies Don't Scream':
https://scifiandfantasyreviewer.wordpress.com/2018/09/28/tales-from-the-lake-volume-5-kenneth-w-cain-ed-review/
https://scifiandfantasyreviewer.wordpress.com/2018/09/28/tales-from-the-lake-volume-5-kenneth-w-cain-ed-review/
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Latest Story News!
OUT NOW:
1. Gifted (Horror/SF, 3744 words) was reprinted by Dark Fire Fiction, Jun 2018
2. My second collection, Possibly Nefarious Purposes and Other Stories, came out in paperback, Jul 2018
3. Precious Things (Horror, 100 words) was reprinted in the anthology Drabbledark, Jul 2018
FORTHCOMING:
1. God State (SF, 1,299 words) will be reprinted in Sins and Other Worlds from Shacklebound Books
2. The Visiphorical Art (Fantasy, 917 words) will be podcasted at Manawaker Studio
3. Wolf, or Faith in the Future (SF, 621 words) will be podcasted at Manawaker Studio
1. Gifted (Horror/SF, 3744 words) was reprinted by Dark Fire Fiction, Jun 2018
2. My second collection, Possibly Nefarious Purposes and Other Stories, came out in paperback, Jul 2018
3. Precious Things (Horror, 100 words) was reprinted in the anthology Drabbledark, Jul 2018
FORTHCOMING:
1. God State (SF, 1,299 words) will be reprinted in Sins and Other Worlds from Shacklebound Books
2. The Visiphorical Art (Fantasy, 917 words) will be podcasted at Manawaker Studio
3. Wolf, or Faith in the Future (SF, 621 words) will be podcasted at Manawaker Studio
Friday, July 20, 2018
New anthology -- Sins and Other Worlds
Forthcoming from Shacklebound Books:
'Sins and Other Worlds is a dark Science Fiction short story anthology comprised of reprint stories from 28 talented authors. The stories range from deep space, alien planets, alternate realities and beyond. Most stories within are flash fiction interspersed with several longer works from both emerging authors and titans in the field. The anthology collects some of the best dark sci-fi in recent memory.'
Including mine! My story 'God State,' about a rather dystopian utopia, is being reprinted in this marvellous collection.
Check out the kickstarter page here!
'Sins and Other Worlds is a dark Science Fiction short story anthology comprised of reprint stories from 28 talented authors. The stories range from deep space, alien planets, alternate realities and beyond. Most stories within are flash fiction interspersed with several longer works from both emerging authors and titans in the field. The anthology collects some of the best dark sci-fi in recent memory.'
Including mine! My story 'God State,' about a rather dystopian utopia, is being reprinted in this marvellous collection.
Check out the kickstarter page here!
Thursday, July 5, 2018
Paperbacks!
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