Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “In Her Mirrors, Dimly,” an original work of short fiction by Maria Alexander, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology.

A former fundamentalist turned simple fatalist, Maria Alexander currently works at Disney as a Web copywriter. Lest anyone think her head is full of pixie dust, since 2000 a number of her dark fiction stories have been published to some acclaim, as well as a collection of horror poetry. Her credits include stories in Gothic.net, Chiaroscuro and Paradox Magazine, as well as lots of anthologies. Almost all of her works have garnered either Honorable Mentions in the Year's Best Fantasy & Horror, appearances on the Preliminary Ballot for the Bram Stoker Award - or both. She was a Short Fiction Finalist in the 2003 Moondance Short Fiction Competition sponsored by folks such as Oprah, Coppola and Variety magazine. The BBC Radio occasionally invites her to talk about her favorite subjects: blasphemy, pain, and international politics. Although she once lived in France, she currently lives in Los Angeles and carries a purse called Trog. For the full literary rap sheet, visit her author website.

Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “Memory Box,” an original work of short fiction by Reesa Brown, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology. 

Reesa Brown owns a tattoo and piercing shop as her night job, which gives her more time to write stories during the day. She is a member of the Society of Voluptuaries and lives in central Texas with her two partners, extended family for neighbors, and a network of friends and lovers located locally and internationally. While her home might be nicely said to be "filled with laughter, words, and music," more frequently it is found to be "infested with lap vermin, feathery know-it-alls, and a convenient dog or two to blame everything on".

"Memory Box" marks her professional writing debut.

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Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “A Letter from Phoenix,” an original short work of fiction by Kealan Patrick Burke, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology.

Born and raised in Dungarvan, Ireland, Kealan Patrick Burke is an award-winning author described as "a newcomer worth watching" (Publishers Weekly) and "one of the most original authors in contemporary horror" (Booklist).

Some of his works include the novels Currency of Souls and The Hides (Bram Stoker Award Nominee, 2005), the novellas The Turtle Boy (Bram Stoker Award Winner, 2004), Vessels and Midlisters, and the collections Ravenous Ghosts and The Number 121 to Pennsylvania & Others.

Kealan also edited the anthologies: Taverns of the Dead (starred review, Publishers Weekly), Brimstone Turnpike, Quietly Now (International Horror Guild Award Nominee, 2004), the charity anthology Tales from the Gorezone and Night Visions 12 (starred review, Publishers Weekly, British Fantasy Award & International Horror Guild Award nominee).

A movie based on his short story "Peekers", directed by Mark Steensland (DEAD @ 17), and scripted by veteran novelist Rick Hautala (Bedbugs, The Mountain King), is currently scheduled for screening at a variety of international film festivals.

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Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “The Boys of Bald Cave,” an original work of short fiction by C. Michael Cook, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology.

C. Michael Cook hails from Knoxville, Iowa and grew up loving books, television and movies. Especially the scary stuff. In high school, he was a drama nerd, and later attended the University of Iowa, graduating with a B.A. in Broadcasting and Film. After college, he moved to Chicago to work in advertising. In addition to copywriting positions at some of the city's top agencies, he wrote numerous magazine articles, and was the lead content producer at Oprah.com from 1995-2000.

His debut story, "Unto the Sons, the Daughters," was published by The Baybury Review and subsequently nominated for the enduring Pushcart Prize. Following an absence from writing - during which he became a usability professional, bought a house and did other grown-up things - he returned to writing fiction. "The Boys of Bald Cave" marks that return.

He currently live s in Chicago, where he enjoys running along the lakefront, and books, television and movies. Especially the scary stuff.

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_{Photo: Brian Perkinson/2008}

Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “The Bloomsbury Nudes,” an original work of short fiction by Jameson Currier, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology.

Jameson Currier is the author of the novel Where the Rainbow Ends - a 1998 finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards in the Gay Men's Fiction category - and two collections of short fiction, Dancing on the Moon and, most recently, Desire, Lust, Passion, Sex. His short fiction has appeared in many literary magazines and Web sites, including OutsiderInk, Velvet Mafia, Blithe House Quarterly, Absinthe Literary Review, Rainbow Curve, Christopher Street, Harrington Gay Men’s Fiction Quarterly, and the anthologies Men on Men 5, Best American Gay Fiction 3, Certain Voices, Boyfriends from Hell, Men Seeking Men, Mammoth Book of Gay Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best American Erotica, Quickies 3, Circa 2000, Rebel Yell, I Do/I Don't, and Making Literature Matter.

Most recently, twelve of his AIDS-themed short stories have been translated into French by Anne-Laure Hubert and published as Les Fantômes. His reviews, essays, interviews, and articles on AIDS and gay culture have been published in many national and local publications, including The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, The Dallas Morning News, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, Lambda Book Report, The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review, Dallas Voice, The Washington Blade, Southern Voice, Metrosource, Bay Area Reporter, Frontiers, Ten Percent, The New York Native, The New York Blade, Out, and Body Positive.

In 2003, he was a recipient of a writing fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts. He is a member of the board of directors of the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation and currently resides in Manhattan.

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Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “Bluff,” an original work of short fiction by L.A. Fields, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology.

L.A. Fields is currently pursuing a degree in English Literature in her home state of Florida. Afterwards she plans to scout out some cardboard real estate and devote herself to writing.

“Bluff” marks her professional writing debut.

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Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “The Next Big Thing,” an original work of short fiction by Christopher Fox, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology.

Hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada, Christopher Fox professes to be related to President Bush and claims that he was once sexually harassed at an Arby’s. After graduating from high school in 1986, the same year he saw his favorite rock band - the Thompson Twins - live in concert, he studied theatre at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. That was followed by graduate level work at the National Shakespeare Conservatory in New York City. After years as a struggling actor, he got his first big Hollywood break as one of the panicked people running down the street and screaming in Godzilla. He was neither an Academy Award nominee that year, nor did Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker invite him over for lunch. Sick of hearing that no one needed a twenty-something character actor, he relocated to the scenic mountains of Western North Carolina where he is a schoolteacher.

“The Next Big Thing” marks his professional writing debut.

Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “Vourdalak,” an original work of short fiction by Michael Hacker, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology.

Michael Hacker was born in the American Midwest. He has worked in a cheese factory, as an actor, a teacher, a meat cutter, and in a series of dismal office jobs. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1985, which makes him older than he looks. "Vourdalak" marks his professional writing debut.

He currently lives in Seattle where he is delighted to be employed as a writer/editor for a local game company. 

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Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “The Agathas,” an original work of short fiction by Sarah Langan, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology.

Sarah Langan grew up on Long Island and went to college in Waterville, Maine, where she published her first story, "Sick People". She received her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University, where she studied with Michael Cunningham, Nicholas Christopher, Helen Schulman, and Maureen Howard, among others. She is currently a master's candidate in Environmental Health Science/Toxicology at NYU and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Her debut novel – 2006’s The Keeper – was a New York Time's Editor's Choice and Bram Stoker first novel nominee. Her second novel, The Missing, received an American Library Association Award, Dark Scribe Magazine's Black Quill Award for Best Dark Genre Novel, and the prestigious Bram Stoker Award for Outstanding novel of 2007.

She is currently at work on a third novel, Audrey's Door, and a collection of short stories.

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_{Photo: Vince Liaguno/2007}

Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “Emmeline,” an original work of short fiction by C.J. Lines, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology.

Born and raised in Birmingham, England, C.J. Lines began writing horror stories from an early age. At nine years old, his headmaster sent him to a child psychologist, having confiscated and read a notebook of said stories. Unexpected by all, the psychologist assessed the young C.J. as a “bright, normal and funny young lad” and, since no one ever figured out where the bodies were buried, the boy’s writing career was allowed to blossom.

Since then, he has written film reviews for various U.K. magazines and a number of his short stories have appeared in a variety of publications. These include the award-winning “Duplicity” which appeared in Guy N. Smith’s Graveyard Rendezvous magazine and “Lambkin” from the Hadesgate Tiny Terrors anthology.

His first novel, Filth Kiss, was published by Hadesgate Publications in November 2007 and has been described by splatterpunk author Garry Charles as being “horrifically disgusting.” Gorezone magazine had to “step away from the insanity of the written word.” Sadly, C.J.’s old headmaster was unavailable for comment.

He currently lives in rural Hertfordshire where he is working on his second novel, London Crawling.

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Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “The Engine of Desire,” an original work of short fiction by Livia Llewellyn, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology.

Livia Llewellyn is a writer of horror, dark fantasy and erotica. She was born in Anchorage, Alaska, raised in the Pacific Northwest, and currently lives in New Jersey.

Livia is a 2006 graduate of Clarion; and her fiction has appeared in ChiZine, Subterranean Magazine, Sybil's Garage, PseudoPod, and several anthologies, including the recent Jack Haringa Must Die! and the upcoming A Field Guide to Surreal Botany.

Currently she's working on the first novel in a series of what she likes to call "dark Victorian-Lovecraftian clockpunk fantasy".

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Dark Scribe Press is pleased to announce the inclusion of “Prayers of the Living,” an original work of short fiction by Erin MacKay, in the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology.

Erin MacKay was born in Mobile, Alabama and raised all over the Southeastern United States. As a child, Erin was a voracious reader of fantasy and science fiction, much to the detriment of her schoolwork and social life. She began writing her own stories at an early age, most of which have mercifully disappeared.

Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies, including “Letters Home” from Bound for Evil: Curious Tales of Good Books Gone Bad (Dead Letter Press), “Crossing the Distance” from Tangle XY (Blind Eye Books), and “Windows” from Corpse Blossoms (Creeping Hemlock Press).

After many years in Atlanta, Erin recently moved to North Carolina with her husband and two dogs. Her interests include history, travel, football and gourmet beer.

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