Every year, editor extraordinaire, Ellen Datlow, publishes a volume of the year’s best short horror fiction. An expert in the field, she knows what’s what.
It offers 23 stories from some amazing authors in the genre.
Since she spends a gigantic amount of time reading tons and tons of stories published in dozens and dozens of anthologies and websites/magazines, she also includes a longer list of recommendations for the year. You can find that here.
Using The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson as inspiration, the story follows a firecracker of a woman in the 1930s, who may or may not be becoming invisible.
I decided to do an end-of-year list thingy. Here are some my personal reading highlights. I read a lot of great books this year, but these are my top 5 and some runners-up. (No particular order.)
These were originally posted one day at a time on my social media accounts.
The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
Sometimes it’s just fun to roll around in a self-help book for a little while, getting that positive reinforcement stink all over you. This one was great: simple and straight-forward with actionable steps. And I love Mel Robbins’s voice: smart, funny, relatable.
She’s like your cool older cousin who’s not afraid to tell you you’ve been stepping in it, while at the same time, holding your hand to help you avoid the massive pitfalls she’s been through herself.
Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu
Vampire stuff. But *good* vampire stuff. No sparkly teen-angst. No messy, rip-your-neck-out gore. No droning on in letters between two lovers or the diary of some random old dude waxing ecstatic about all the women in the story. (I’m looking at you, Van Helsing.)
Not only was Carmilla written twenty-six years before Dracula, the eponymous character actually graces the pages of this story for longer than forty-two seconds, making for a much more compelling read.
Gimme more of that BA antagonist energy, baby.
If Dracula had had more “screen time,” he might’ve given Carmilla a run for her money. But even then, I’m thinking no.
All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley
My kids got this for me, so that auto-bumped it to the top of the TBR pile. And, man, was it worth it. In ATBITW, Mr. Bringley discusses his time as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, beautifully weaving his experiences there with the grief of losing his brother. He goes into detail about specific pieces of art and piqued my interest enough for me to plot out a route involving those works on my next trip.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Speaking of waxing ecstatic, my daughter read this one and couldn’t stop talking about it. I’d never had the privilege of reading it as a teenager. I probably would’ve thought differently about a lot of things. In school, we were subjected to 1984 and Holden Caufield. I don’t mean to sound bitter; I totally enjoyed both of those reads. The thing is, I would’ve loved a good coming-of-age story with a female protagonist (written by a woman). Back then, though, it was “stick to the classics,” and all that. The classics are great. I just would’ve loved this one in the mix, too.
All Fours by Miranda July
I mean. Oh my god.
This book is 100% about voice. The main character (left intentionally nameless) reminds me of that scene from It’s a Wonderful Life* where George Bailey and Mary Hatch are doing the Charleston at a high school dance in the gym, grooving and shaking, faster and faster, as the floor beneath them—unbeknownst to them—slowly splits apart, revealing the new swimming pool underneath, but they just keep grooving and shaking in their flirty this-is-as-much-sex-as-we’re-willing-to-show-in-a-1940s-film bliss, woefully ignorant of the floor, getting closer and closer to the creeping edge, hearing the screams of friends and mistakenly thinking it’s for their dancing prowess when, in fact, it’s because they’ve almost fallen into the pool beneath them six times until the reality of space takes over and they run out of room and dump into the pool, getting soaked, but never giving up the dance.
The main character in All Fours is crazy and messy and smart and funny and wonderful and unpredictable and she makes so many weird choices and has so many outrageous experiences, and I loved every minute of that weird, outrageous ride.
*It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)—for those who don’t know—is an old black and white movie, typically shown at Christmas time. Starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, it’s a sweet movie about understanding the impact you have on others. And it has an angel named Clarence. Fun fact: my dog is named after one of the daughters, Zuzu.
And the Runners-Up…
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Once again, I have my daughter to thank for this. She loved it and couldn’t stop talking about it. This was a re-read for me. It’s short so I figured, what the hey? I can count on about one finger the number of books I’ve re-read. There are just too many good books in the world I haven’t yet gotten to. I want to read those first. Plus, I’m getting older, so … you know … I’m going to die soon. This held up. In fact, it was better than I remembered. Great prose. Glamorous characters. Fascinating time period.
Night by Elie Wiesel
Because, why not get a little somber? This is another book I read because of my daughter. It was assigned to her for English class, and I thought it would be a good idea to see what she was seeing, in case she had any questions or concerns.
This book was, in a word, breathtaking. In every sense.
If it doesn’t restore your faith in the resiliency of humankind … idk … maybe go hug a puppy or something?
If it was this good in English, I can only imagine how amazing it was in its original Yiddish.
This is a book of speculative poetry. Typically, I feel about poetry the way I feel about jazz: I should like it, but I don’t.
I said what I said.
Both make me feel inferior, as if to say, “Meghan, if you were more cultured and mature and artisanal and liked a curated list of bespoke craft beer, you would join the ranks of the elite and bathe in the musical and lyrical acumen the rest of us has. Instead, you are dumb.”
I always feel like I’m missing something. Maybe it’s patience.
But not for Mexicans on the Moon. Maybe it’s because it’s speculative; maybe it’s because Pedro writes in a musical and lyrical way that’s more accessible to me. idk. It also won the Bram Stoker Award, so I’m not the only one who felt that way. Pedro is also a great guy, so it makes it even better.
Honorable mentions (because, seriously, narrowing this list down was too hard): The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones How to Fake a Haunting by Christa Carmen Both fiction. Both horror. Both amazing.
Edited by Angela Yuriko Smith, this antho contains my story “Leftovers,” a quirky story about a middle school boy and his mom whose refrigerator is on the fritz.
I had the pleasure of reading an advanced reader copy (ARC) of Meg Ripley‘s debut novel, NECROLOGY.
I *loved* this book: a post-Salem witch trial alternate history with vivid imagery and excellent prose. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you love witches and Salem, wonderfully rendered characters and beautiful relationships, make sure you grab a copy (available 9/24/24).
I also have the pleasure of discussing NECROLOGY with Meg at a pre-launch party at Stanza Books, in Beacon, NY.
I hope you can join us for this event. It supports, not only this fantastic up-and-coming author, but an amazing, community-minded (and horror-loving) book store.
Where: Stanza Books, 508 Main St., Beacon, NY When: Saturday, 9/21/24 at 8pm RSVP here.
I do a lot in the horror writing community, including writing fiction and non-fiction, as well as working with the Horror Writers Association as the Vice President.
Sometimes, however, it’s nice to take things in a different direction.
And last week, my first children’s book (non-horror), Milk the Cat, was released!
From the back cover: Milk the Cat and Nellie did everything together. They played. They danced. They cuddled. But one day, Milk the Cat did not make it home with Nellie. Was he lost? Did he run away? Will he ever see Nellie again? Join Milk and Nellie in a story about being lost and found and loved.
Milk is based on a true story told to me by one of my best friends in the world.
The fabulous art is by Ogmios. Og offered so many thoughtful suggestions to make this book the best it could possibly be. And many of the pages he created for certain scenes were exactly how I envisioned them as I was writing the story. Not only is Og a talented artist (you should see what he can do with a dragon…), he is a kind and wonderful person. I am grateful to him for saying yes to this project.
With Og at the Friday night Meet the Authors Party (NECon).
Milk the Cat is published by YAP Jr, and imprint of Haverhill House Publishing — and the first book by this imprint. HHP is headed by the amazing (and hilarious) John McIlveen. I’m so thankful to Mac for giving me this opportunity. He is a true pleasure to work with.
Og, Mac, and I know each other from the horror writing community. We met at NECon, a small but loving convention for horror writers and artists. A place full of some of the most fun and generous people I know. Because of this, we felt it was important to have the book release there this past weekend*. Our friends and the broader community were so supportive, and we are grateful to them.
A prolific blogger I am not. But a lot has happened in the past month or so that’s worth noting.
Number 1: At the end of June, I spent a week at my alma mater, Colgate University, at their annualWriters Conference. It was, in a word (or three), awesome … and enlightening … and rejuvenating. The conference itself offers a wide range of workshops, covering fiction and poetry, as well as memoirs and playwriting. I spent the week with nine brilliant participants in John Gregory Brown‘s Jumpstarter Workshop, “So the Story Begins: Using Prompts to Find Your Way Forward.” We used many types of prompts (verbal, visual, etc), to create a number of different stories.
The Chapel
The Willow Path
I sat through a lot of helpful and informative Craft Talks by JGB and the other instructors. The panel discussions on agents, as well as writing through challenging times, were fascinating and engaging. And the phenomenal instructor readings caused my TBR pile to double! I was impressed with the other participants, as well: the quality of their readings—both the writing and delivery—was outstanding.
At my freshman dorm, East Hall
To be honest, between covid times and personal obligations, I’d been struggling with my writing. So much so, I wasn’t even sure I should go to Colgate. But a half-day in — in the middle of writing to my first prompt — I knew I’d made the right decision to go. Being at Colgate — creating on its beautiful campus, among talented and knowledgeable people — reminded me why I write and why I love it as much as I do. I came home rejuvenated and inspired. Plus, I got to have dinner and catch up with one of my best friends in the world.
Guest Speaker, Peter Balakian, winner of the Pulitzer and my American Poetry prof. way back in the day
Number 2: On July 1, the ghost anthology, Even in the Grave was released into the wild! Edited by James Chambers and Carol Gyzander, EITG contains my short story, “In the Machine,” a humorous tale about a grandmother trapped between worlds.
So happy to share the TOC with Marc Abbott, Oliver Baer, Alp Beck, Allan Burd, John P. Collins, Randee Dawn, Trevor Firetog, Caroline Flarity, Patrick Freivald, Teel James Glenn, Amy Grech, April Grey, Jonathan Lees, Gordon Linzner, Robert Masterson, Robert Ottone, Rick Poldark, Lou Rera, and Steven Van Patten.
If you’ve never heard of Charlotte Riddell, check out this book. She was a past master of the horror genre, who knew how to tell a phenomenal ghost story.
I’m thrilled to be a part of one of Borderlands Press‘s Little Book series. I had an amazing time researching Charlotte Riddell and reading her stories, as well as working with Tom Monteleone. I also had a number of enlightening conversations with Lisa Morton, who helped me figure out the intricacies of some of CR’s stories.
This year’s featured poets are Stephanie M. Wytovich, Geneve Flynn and Naomi Simone Borwein.
The following poets have also been selected to have their work included in this year’s showcase: Mary A. Turzillo, Christina Sng, Alessandro Manzetti, Victoria Nations, K. H. Vaughan, Cassondra Windwalker, Jacqueline West, Carina Bissett, Hillary Dodge, Lucy A. Snyder, Colleen Anderson, E. F. Schraeder, Sara Tantlinger, Ann K. Schwader, Corinne Hughes, Monica S. Kuebler, Janine Cross, Kathryn Ptacek, Holly Lyn Walrath, Gary Robbe, Marge Simon, Stephanie Ellis, R. Leigh Hennig, Austin Gragg, M. Lopes da Silva, Denise Dumars, Gordon Linzner, Saytchyn Maddux-Creech, Ross E. Lockhart, Teel James Glenn, Bruce Boston, John Claude Smith, Roni Stinger, Dan B. Fierce, Madison McSweeney, Steven Clapp, Rook Riley, Timothy P. Flynn, Dianthe West, Lori R. Lopez, Terrie Leigh Relf, Lisa Becker, Donna K. Fitch, Ai Jiang, J.E. Erickson, and Gerri Leen.
My latest story, “In the Machine,” comes out this spring. It will be in Even in the Grave, a ghost-themed anthology, edited by James Chambers & Carol Gyzander and published by eSpec Books.
“In the Machine” is definitely on the lighter side of the horror spectrum. Much lighter. A granddaughter IMs her dead gramma, who’s getting drunker by the minute…
This amazing cover is by Lynne Hansen. I love her work.
I had a fun time doing a 5-minute reading of the opening of the story. Some of the other contributing authors did readings, as well. They can be found here.
From the back cover: “Haunted from the other side, these stories roam from modern cities to the shadowed moors to feudal Japan to the jungles of Central America, each providing a spine-chilling glimpse into the shadows not even death can restrain.
Do you dare open these pages and peer into the darkness they reveal?
Stories by Marc Abbott, Meghan Arcuri, Oliver Baer, Alp Beck, Allan Burd, John P. Collins, Randee Dawn, Trevor Firetog, Caroline Flarity, Patrick Freivald, Teel James Glenn, Amy Grech, April Grey, Jonathan Lees, Gordon Linzner, Robert Masterson, Robert Ottone, Rick Poldark, Lou Rera, and Steven Van Patten.”
This past fall, I had gone to my daughter’s school to do my scary story workshop with her class. You can read more about it here and here. We had a lot of fun, and the kids wrote some amazing stories.
Three years ago, I had done the same thing for my son’s class and decided to put the stories in a book for them.
Before I approached Cynthia about this project, I’d had minimal interaction with her. Just the occasional like or retweet on Twitter. But she seemed great, and Burial Day’s books looked amazing.
I only hoped they’d be willing to take on this tiny project (12 stories, 7500 words).
With one of my new philosophies in mind (If you don’t ask, the answer is always “no”), I sent Cynthia an email.
She got back to me right away with an enthusiastic “yes,” and we got to work.
After typing all the kids’ handwritten stories into Word…
ohmygod that was so much pressure! Any typos/mistakes are all mine.
…I sent the document over to Cynthia.
You never know what’s going to happen when you begin a project with someone new, but working with Cynthia was a dream. She had great ideas, always got back to me in a timely manner, and ultimately produced a beautiful book.
She and Gerardo generously donated their time and energy to this project, as well as the unbelievable cover by Kealan Patrick Burke.
I can’t thank them enough for their kindness, enthusiasm, and generosity.
Last week, I returned to my daughter’s class. They had no idea why I was there. When I gave them the books, they were so excited, and more than one of them said, pride in their voices, “I’m a published author!”
It was exciting to see: the power of writing, of creating. I hope they carry that excitement and pride with them as they continue to learn and grow.
I am grateful to have been a part of that process, and I am grateful to have made some fantastic new connections in the horror community along the way.
I’m excited to announce that my story “Am I Missing the Sunlight?” has made the Final Ballot for the 2020 Bram Stoker Awards®.
It’s an honor and a privilege to be on this list, among these talented writers. “Am I Missing the Sunlight?” appears in Borderlands 7, edited by Olivia Monteleone & Tom Monteleone. Thank you to Olivia and Tom for including my story in their amazing anthology.
Douek, Rich (author) and Cormack, Alex (artist), and Birch, Justin (letterer) – Road of Bones (IDW Publishing)
Holder, Nancy (author), Di Francia, Chiara (artist), and Woo, Amelia (artist), and Foster, Laurie (inker), Molina, Sandra (colorist), and Temofonte, Saida (letterer) – Mary Shelley Presents (Kymera Press)
Manzetti, Alessandro (author) and Cardoselli, Stefano (artist/author), and Stucci, Alessio (letterer) – Her Life Matters: (Or Brooklyn Frankenstein) (Independent Legions Publishing)
Green, Misha – Lovecraft Country, Season 1, Episode 1: “Sundown” (Affeme, Monkeypaw Productions, Bad Robot Productions, Warner Bros. Television Studios)
Green, Misha and Ofordire, Ihuoma – Lovecraft Country, Season 1, Episode 8: “Jig-a-Bobo” (Affeme, Monkeypaw Productions, Bad Robot Productions, Warner Bros. Television Studios)
LaManna, Angela – The Haunting of Bly Manor, Season 1, Episode 5: “The Altar of the Dead” (Intrepid Pictures, Amblin Television, Paramount Television Studios)
Whannell, Leigh – The Invisible Man (Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, Goalpost Pictures, Nervous Tick Productions)
Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection
Manzetti, Alessandro – Whitechapel Rhapsody: Dark Poems (Independent Legions Publishing)
Florence, Kelly and Hafdahl, Meg – The Science of Women in Horror: The Special Effects, Stunts, and True Stories Behind Your Favorite Fright Films (Skyhorse)
Keene, Brian – End of the Road (Cemetery Dance Publications)
Peirse, Alison – Women Make Horror: Filmmaking, Feminism, Genre (Rutgers University Press)
Waggoner, Tim – Writing in the Dark (Guide Dog Books/Raw Dog Screaming Press)
Wetmore, Jr. Kevin J. – The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Adaption (McFarland)
Superior Achievement in Short Non-Fiction
Joseph, Rhonda Jackson – “The Beloved Haunting of Hill House: An Examination of Monstrous Motherhood” (The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Adaption) (McFarland)
Pelayo, Cynthia – “I Need to Believe” (Southwest Review Volume 105.3)
Robinson, Kelly – “Lost, Found, and Finally Unbound: The Strange History of the 1910 Edison Frankenstein” (Rue Morgue Magazine, June 2020)
Sng, Christina – “Final Girl: A Life in Horror” (Interstellar Flight Magazine, October 2020)
meghan arcuri 