Fools for Love, available April 2022

 

I am thrilled to announce my story "The Reaper's Jest" is featured in Paramour Ink's Fools for Love anthology, set in the fictional paranormal town of "Bones Hollow". This is a shared world and I feel honoured to be able to cooperate with other authors to contribute.

https://www.amazon.com/Fools-Love-Paranormal-Romance-Anthology-ebook/dp/B09PKRRD3G/

While reading I was thoroughly enchanted by Fools for Love (edited by S.O. Green). The Paramour Ink Press promotes diversity and inclusivity in the most charming fashion, and I found myself loving the characters no matter what their paranormal species, gender identity, or relationship style. 

The stories are longer than drabbles, offering 10-15 minutes of reading time each (with one incredibly poetic exception). The tales are also beautifully written and expertly edited, so even when the surprise of what is happening is over, the style and humor make the narratives worth a second reading. 

“To Fool a Demon” by Charlotte Langtree features an adorable and unusual pet, a demon trying to find her role, and a Gargoyle who is looking for a chance to pop the question.

“A New Start” by Dorian J. Sinnott is a prank that backfires, moving a relationship to the next level.

“Baby Trickster” by Betsy Raye Allen features an infant flexing its fledgling powers.

"OM(Demi)G" by Shelly Jarvis mixes pizza with a most amusing polyamorous love story.

“Heart of the Oak” by Charlotte Langtree is a bittersweet and poetic short love story.

“The Perfect Prank” by Kim Plasket describes a young couple embarking on a second chance at life.

“The Reaper’s Jest” by Cecelia Hopkins-Drewer combines humour and morality tale with a contemporary twist.

“Look in the Mirror” by S.O. Green features a magical friend who lives in the mirror. 

Australian Fairy Tale Society "Writers" page

 

As a member of the Australian Fairy Tale Society, I was invited to have my works featured on the Australian Fairy Tale Society "Writers" page. 

In terms of fairy tale writing, I highlighted "The Princess of the Trees" in an anthology by Black Hare Press. This story features a faerie princess of the "trooping fairy" variety and utilises traditional Shakespearean/Spenserian & Celtic elements. 

"The Land of Meow" is a children's story I've just released. It is set in a dream-world and has those anthropological and shapeshifting elements common to children's stories and fairy tales.

Mystic Evermore is also a Young Adult fantasy, which might also qualify. As a paranormal dark romance, with Byronic-style damaged heroes and vampire characters, it represents another incarnation of the fairy story.

https://australianfairytalesociety.org/afts-writers/

Black Ink Fiction "Women in Horror Month" Listing.

The lovely ladies at Black Ink Fiction have put together a feature on emerging women in horror.

All the female authors: https://womenofhorror.square.site/women-in-horror

I found filling out the questionnaire was a revealing process. The first question challenged me to name a woman horror writer who had influenced me. To be honest, I COULDN'T! All the horror writers that had influenced me big time were male. Stephen King, Bram Stoker, James Herbert, Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft.

The other writers that came to mind were Ira Levin (who wrote Rosemarie's Baby) and when I looked him up, he was also a man, and if I  had reached back into the past of the Gothic tradition, Ann Radcliffe who wrote The Mysteries of Udolpho.  Female fantasy writers who include a good balance of darker elements did come to mind, and if you check my interview, you will read about them. 

Upon reading interviews by fellow women writers I notice some identified Agatha Christy as an influence (I was a huge fan, but classed her as a murder mystery writer), and Shirley Jackson, author of The Haunting of Hill House. A couple of authors referred to Mary Shelley, but she is usually classed as the "mother of science-fiction" and it is often necessary to point out that Dr. Frankenstien is the inventor NOT the monster! The movies have had such a contrary influence on the plot. 

I was surprised that nobody else traced their love of horror back to fairy-stories. The modern Disney stories have been sanitised and filmed with cheery music, bright costumes & falsely happy endings. I would encourage the younger reader to seek out original Hans Andersen, Brother's Grimm and Arabian Nights volumes. There will be some surprises.

Of course, it is quite okay to class writers in multiple genres and garner influences where one wants. The first lesson I learned filling out the questionnaire is that men have perhaps dominated the horror scene during certain eras. The second lesson I learned reading other interviews is how diverse women writers really were. Two excellent lessons!

My interview: https://womenofhorror.square.site/cecilia-hopkins-drewer

New Year Release of Illustrated Children's Fantasy

 THE LAND OF MEOW 

I have celebrated New Year 2020 by releasing an illustrated children's book.

The human/animal urban fantasy is suited to emergent and independent readers 8-10 years of age (if I have judged correctly) with the inclusion of a few more challenging words that expand the vocabulary.

Knowing that children's literature requires illustration to succeed has held me back for many years, but I finally created cartoon-like illustrations to make it appeal to the age group. I was emboldened by the fact that illustrations in primary readers are often line drawings, watercolors, cartoons & other rough images which I felt I might just manage to match with the aid of computer drawing packages.

I meant to make it free on Amazon, but have discovered that is not possible. (I'm still investigating other options, including putting a PDF on Academia.com because the story was born out of a pitch I had to develop as part of a university subject ENCO310: Children’s Literature: Picture Books and Fantasy completed at the University of New England in 2009).

The lecturer suggested our assignment book proposals could be developed into full-length books, but I was never inspired to fill out the whole 20,000 words I proposed. Instead, around 2009 I released five mini-adventures as serials on Watt Pad. Although that site is primarily designed for Young Adult readers, the tale reached number 23 in #Primary and attracted a few comments.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PJ8R5J7

The ebook is ideal for loading into children's electronic devices as a reader. However, there will be a paperback version released for parents who prefer to give their children reading matter in print. The other book in the series will follow, as soon as my hand has recovered from the cramp of illustrating this one and is able to illustrate the next. This story has been replaced by a placeholder message on Watt Pad. However, the sequels are still available to read online until each is illustrated, given a final edit, and released officially.

2021 News: Festival of Fear

https://www.blackinkfiction.com/festival-of-fear

FESTIVAL OF FEAR: Under the Big Top: Drabbles 1, (Edited by Brandi Hicks and Shelly Jarvis) features an amazing one hundred and seventy-nine tiny stories by a talented group of writers. The “Foreword” by Jim Nemeth sets the scene, alerting the reader to the darker elements underlying the hilarity of the carnival spirit.

I like to think that my drabbles “The Balloon Seller”, “Spectator”, and “Carnival Alley” deliver sufficient surprise! “Petty Crime” and “No Fakes Allowed” were also carefully constructed. Although these tales are only one hundred words long, they take up to a day to write.  Each story uses a unique plot, requires a beginning, development and conclusion or denouement. On top of that, I try to incorporate some settings, making them extremely tightly packed.

Among the other writer’s offerings, I believe “Funnel Cake” by Rachel C. Pendragon, “Carousel” by Laura Shenton, and “Wheel of Delight” by Andy Clark capture the showground spirit particularly well. “Mirror Image” by Gary McDonough and “Rip” by Ingrid Thornquest are cleverly plotted. “Serpent's Maw” by Nyki Blatchley and “Circle Game” by Beth W. Patterson are both very evocative. “Wrong Festival” by Radar DeBoard, “The Spaceship” by Destiny Eve Pifer and “A Fool’s Fortune” by J.S. Nel are particularly well crafted.

“Fun in a Funfair” by Christopher T. Dabrowski (Tr. Julia Mraczny),  “Surrounded By Freaks” by Andrew Kurtz, and “The Festival” by Kim Plasket deliver satisfying turns. Beware the secret ingredient in “Spun Horror” by Jim Nemeth, and chuckle at the subterfuge in “Dark Fortune” by Maggie D Brace. “Dodgem” by G.J. Dunn and “Everyone’s a Winner” by Michelle Brett incorporate a touch of fantasy.

Scary Snippets: Campfire Edition

 Scary Snippets: Campfire Edition
Edited by N.M. Brown

What do you call an urban legend when it is not set in the city, but out in a remote forest or on an island? The Scary Snippets: Campfire Edition of course. I was truly impressed by the creativity and variety of effective ghost stories, interspersed with a few good old slasher tales, plus monsters, werewolves and vampires. The tales that employed dark humour were an especially good surprise – they truly put the “camp” in these campfire tales. 

• In Loop by David Green, two boys wake up with headaches and no memory of how they got to the place. Turns out they are suffering from much more than a hangover. Very Clever!
• Merit Badge by Lamont Turner is a ghost story with a deadly difference.
• In Jesses’ Girl by Stephanie Scissom a mystery is solved.
• Welcome to Cottonwood Creek by Thomas Baker presents a camping disaster with a twist.
• Camp Cooking by J.A. Askew is a clever piece of science fiction involving subversive social commentary.
•  Her Mother’s Eyes by Micha Castle is seriously intriguing and genuinely speculative.
• Lady of the Lake by Jaqueline Moran Meyer is an interesting take on an old myth legend that creates a not-so-urban legend.
• Dying Campfire Light by Radar Deboard is evocative and poetic. The fire is keeping the darkness away – but for how long?
• In the Light of the Moon by Alannah Roberston-Webb neatly presents a fatal moment of discovery.
• Where is the Were-Bear by Andrew Kurtz weaves a clever narrative that keeps the reader guessing until the end.
• One more Murder by C. Marry Hultman is an entertaining dark read that holds the reader’s attention.
•  Hantoop Island by N.M. Brown reveals horror during a psychology session.
• When the Sun Comes Up by C. Marry Hultman is a thorough slasher, once again, with a really bizarre twist.
• The Trapper by Christo Healy is an original take on the tall tale coming true format.
• Deception by Christo Healy makes the most of love and revenge in a horrific little scenario.
• The Woods by Christo Healy develops a classic horror tale with atmosphere.
• Second Date by David Green gives the impression the author may have a dark sense of humour. Make or break – the second date is often a killer!
• Smile by David Green is a sort of misfit’s revenge, with a difference. Yeah – this writer definitely employs some dark humour.
• Sisters by Gabi Kenny involves hallucinations and creepy effects.
• Camp New Hope by Nicole Henning delivers something more than a nerd’s revenge.
• A Campfire Pact by Nicole Henning adopts a LBQ+ perspective as it mocks college snobbery.
• Dimples by Julia Skeen requires punctuation but is otherwise a powerfully told tale of psychological manifestation.
• Chocolate Covered Cicadas by Kyle Harrison creates a horror from nature, down to its cyclic rhythm.
• A Fool’s Moon by Marcus Cook shines as the animals treat a hunter as he deserves.
• Dancing Shadows by Micah Castle brings a transformation and an epiphany of horror.
• What We’re Meant to Be by Michah Castle is a scientifically created horror.
• Full Moon Camping Trip by R. C. Mulhare is a great were-wolf romp told with black humour.
• The Price of Success by Joshua E. Borgmann is well written and provides a paranormal metaphor for the rat-race of life.
• Gone Glamping by R.C. Mulhare combines a vampire story with a great closing pun.
• The Noise Among the Trees by Radar DeBoard is consuming horror in which the leaves are hungry.
• Couples Retreat by Scott McGregor: these couples really need to retreat, because the stranger has the best horror story of them all.
•  The Third Night by Shannon Grant tells the twisted tale of some noisy campers.
• How it Burns by Stephanie Kubin develops a study in morbid curiosity.
• Be Careful What I Wish For by Tony Logan is an original grungy horror tale.
• Inside the Tent by Radar Deboard is a short tale you have to read until the final line to discover how truly clever it is.
• Homecoming by Joe Powers delivers a genuine creep as a ghost story.
• Nature Calls by Joe Powers cunningly revives the simple horror of going to an outdoor toilet in the night.
• The Bad Season by Eric Nirschel personifies nature as it implies there is something weirder than the wind in the coming storm.
• Devil’s Grove by Amber Keener starts as an urban legend and finishes with a serve of gross-out.
• Just Old Wives’ Tales by Thomas K.S. Wake delivers a shock while bringing an old superstition to life.
• The Sweetest Meat by Wayne Lee has two parts: at first, a monster speaks and then there is a news report. The clever reader makes a horrifying connection.
• What I Did on My Summer Vacation by Raz T. Slasher ingeniously recounts a close encounter of the hungry kind.  
• The Tubal Cain Trail by Nicholas Rud skillfully generates an alien seeming landscape that attacks.
•  Video Witch by J.M. Staley is one of the stand-out inclusions. Presented as a dramatic script, it ends with a cliffhanger. I could guess for ages!
• Rebeccas’s Fire by Jennifer Hatfield is another spooky story that conjures real ghosts.
• Better Safe Than Sorry by Nicola Kapron documents a grueling vigil against something just outside the light of the fire.
• Digital Detox by Charlotte O’Farrell makes you wonder what you might miss if you turned your mobile phone off. This is another great example of black humour.
• The Thinner You by Danny Nicholas tells one of the most bizarre weightless stories around.
• The Dinner Guest by Marcus Cook inevitably explores that forbidden subject – cannibalism.
• The Eyes Have It by Maggie D. Brace paints a compelling picture of eight-legged horror.
• Extreme Survival by Wendy Roberts is a journal-style narrative with a twist, and then another couple of twists.
• Look What the Cat Dragged In by Tamara Wenteen takes a child’s sweet longing for a pet to horrific extremes.
• Revenge of the Candalorian Coves by Sophie Wagner takes a local legend and turns it into a cycle of never-ending tragedy.
•  Winter of the Wolf by Cecelia Hopkins-Drewer is my mythic contribution. Can a natural-born werewolf survive a human relationship?

• New Beginnings by Gary McDonough had a few exciting plot turns I really did not expect.
• Camp Go Green by Lisa Flanyack serves out the horror and ends on a safe note. It’s nice to find a little optimism, even in a horror volume!
• A Killer Camp Experience by Nerisha Kemraj presents a solid slasher tale that suits the genre.
• Sweet Real Estate by Marcus Cook modernizes the witch living in the woods motif.
• The Perfect Spot by Galina Trefil adopts an unusual point of view and packs a massive social message.

 Link to Amazon

Scary Snippets: Sibling Edition

Scary Snippets: Sibling Edition

Edited by N.M. Brown

 

Families can be messy and annoying. Family members can inspire the greatest love and the bitterest hate. These authors take a walk on the dark side, telling tales of grief and loss, abuse and revenge, all in the context of the extended family. Some tales are thought provoking, while others are full on gross-out horror. Warning: FULL ON HORROR!

 

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner by N.M. Brown reveals a chilling truth.

The Choice by Dan Allen is truly shocking… surely no parent could…

Little Monsters by Amber M. Simpson will put you off foster care forever.

Where Home Is by Chanelle Loftness mixes botanical myth with an abusive mother.

Family Bonfire by Nicole Henning a surprise mating releases a bullied sibling.

The Hole by Chisto Healy features a cat killing brother.

Blood Bond by Trisha McKee makes one aware what it might be like to be alone with an abusive parent.

Certain Responsibilities by Eric Nirschel – I’m not sure how this father got injured, but I shudder to think.

The Beauty of a Stitch by Nicholas Rud takes doll making to a dark place.

A Brother's Outrage by Galina Trefil asks whether there is any hope an abductee can be discovered.

Reverend Brown is to Blame by Robert Halstead is a dark and clever tale that teaches no act of kindness will go unpunished.

No More by Wendy Roberts explores what it would be like to grow up with a sadistic sibling.

The Brother’s Bedroom by Thomas Sturgeon reveals a secret at daddy’s house. 

It's Going to be a Good Day by Nicola Kapron celebrates freedom from abuse.

It's a Cousin Emergency by Alanna Webb is a thought provoking tale that borders on science fiction, involving population control.

Uncle Macauley by Cecelia Hopkins- Drewer is a classic tale of mutation and degeneration.

Not Quite Bled Away by Juleigh Howard-Hobson is told from an unusual point of view.

Only Child by Nerisha Kemraj is a chilling tale of fatal rivalry.

It's Just my Imagination by Lynne Conrad is clever, well written & contemporary.

Games Day by Elias A. G is particularly sadistic.

Full Moon Burger Run by R.C. Mulhare humanizes the shapeshifter and explores difference.

I Know Who I Want to Take me Home by Chisto Healy delivers a shock following several twists.

Dollhouse by Shannon Grant presents a snapshot of a roken family and a child’s forlorn longing.

Family Ties by Brianna Witte involves ancestral possession.

Grocery Shopping for Grandma by Nicole Henning involves a surprise reversal. Who will be the victim?

Berdale the Stepmother from Hell by Aurora Lewis is fairy-tale like as the children have a protector.

Karma Has Teeth, The Vigil, and The Thing in The Shed by Tim Mendees form an interconnected trilogy, written from various perspectives.

The Family Farm by Alanna Webb is really, really, not what you would expect outside of a horror volume.

Teenage Lament by Cecelia Hopkins- Drewer is an angsty poem.

And so Cursed Shall You be by Lamont Turner is a strange tale revolving around fratricide.

Shadow Lane by Neen Cohen involves severe revenge for petty torment.

The Game by Destiny Eve Pifer is a dark and occult tale.

The Liberation of Aunt Theda by Aurora Lewis portrays the victim of domestic abuse.

Cousin Luke's Toad by Joshua E. Borgmann involves a dare and bizarre outcome.

The Devil Under the Stairs by Judith Pancoast is a dark tale of sibling conflict.

A Heartwarming Thing by Galina Trefil is a dark fantasy about Egyptian brothers.

It Sounded Like Angels by Chris Bannor plays with perception versus horrific actuality.

Family Feast by Robert Halstead may have some dark humour involving a group of funeral crashers.

Family Silence by Trisha McKee allows a kidnap victim to finally escape.

Playing Games by Chisto Healy involves a scenario that would be any parent’s worst nightmare!

Twins by Alanna Webb is a cleverly written tale of a fatal moment. 

Amazon Link