My Top Three Authors of 2018

This was an incredible year for literature, especially indie horror and science fiction. As a member of scifiandscary.com, I got advanced reader copies of several amazing titles, many of which you can read about under my Books You Need to Read page. So for my last blog post of 2018, I wanted to share three amazing authors I discovered this year. I hope you’ll enjoy them as well!

Alan Baxter

Alan is an award winning British-Austrailian author who writes dark fiction, supernatural thrillers, urban horror, crime and noir all mixed into a blender of literary brilliance. He’s written around twenty books so far, including Manifest Recall which was the first book I ever gave a five star review to. There’s tension from start to finish of each of his novels, with high action and twisted characters that will make any eccentric heart beat a little faster. Check him out.

J. Barton Mitchell

I discovered award winning author J. Barton through his book The Razor, an intense science fiction plot with a unique and wild storyworld. He does a bit of everything, from YA to to comic books to selling screenplays to Warner Bros. and 21st Century Fox. I really hope The Razor ends up as a movie because it’s a fierce story. Check him out.

Scott Cole

I mean, who wouldn’t want to read more books by the author of Triple Axe, a story about revenge and porn actresses? Scott manages to depict a rather sensitive subject with a gore, grit and even a bit of humor, making him a wordsmith. I can’t wait to read more of his work! Check him out.

For the love of all the is good, STOP GENETICALLY ENGINEERING DINOSAURS!

Friend: Are you gonna see the new Jurassic Park movie?

Me: How many Jurassic Park movies is too many? At what point do we destroy the park, once and for all, and annihilate all the remaining dino DNA. Or what if we offered an incentive to NOT scrape some old dino cells together, whip them in a centrifuge and spawn a carnivorous prehistoric monster? Like, if you make it to the age of thirty-five without bringing back a t-rex, you get a million dollars? Or maybe just the assurance you won’t become dino breakfast. Surely, you’d think that’d be enough.

But nooooooo.

We have another Jurassic Park movie.

Because no one has learned their lesson.

Look, I loved the original. The sequels…Eh. And I actually really enjoyed the latest Chris Pratt installment, but can’t be leave well enough alone? When can a classic just remain a classic?

Friend: ……

Me: ……

Friend: So…..

Me: Yeah, of course I’m going to see it. Obviously.

Five Incredible Dark Fiction and Horror Magazines

If you like the weird, the horrific, and the dark, these are five magazines you need to be reading:

cover art by Daniele Serra https://www.apex-magazine.com/issue-104-january-2018/

Apex Magazine : This is a monthly publication, available for sale the first Tuesday of every month. It features prose and poetry of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. Get ready for stories about the weird, the twisted, and the beauty within the darkness.

Unnerving Magazine : While they lean toward horror, Unnerving Magazine also accepts works from the genres of dark fantasy, dark science fiction, thriller, crime and dark literature.

Lamplight Magazine : A quarterly magazine for dark fiction reminescent of "The Twilight Zone" or "Black Mirror". You can download a free edition from 2012

Nightmare Magazine : This is a magazine dedicated to horror and dark fiction. If you like zombies, ghosts, and haunted houses, check out this publication.

 Black Static : This used to be called The Third Alternative, a magazine that included some science fiction and fantasy. But they are now exclusive to dark fiction and horror.

Of course, there's plenty more horror and dark fiction magazines out there. Which are your favorites?