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Nico Bell 1/31/24 Nico Bell 1/31/24

Interview with Sci-Fi Author Lyle Stiles

Welcome Lyle! For readers just discovering your work, could you please give a little introduction of yourself?

Hi, I'm Lyle Stiles, a Brooklyn-born science communicator and author. My writing journey started around 2018 when I wrote a poem ( titled "Tourists") which was published a year later. Since then, I've moved to sci-fi short stories, of which I am currently the author of three.

Generally, the focus of my pieces is on larger societal or cultural issues, with a pinch of science thrown in for flavor.

I'm also an exercise- and board game-enthusiast who resides in Maryland.

Your website (https://lylestiles.com/) mentions you are a “recovering neuroscience researcher.” Could you tell readers a bit about your science background and how that influences your writing?

I got my neuroscience Ph.D. studying the brains of mice and the memory-boosting effects of aerobic exercise. The overall goal was to better understand how this memory enhancement works in people.

Because it's such a relatable topic that could be useful to many others, I spoke about my work in plain language during several science communication events with the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. To reach an even wider audience, I participated in and won a NASA- and National Geographic-led science communication competition (FameLab) where researchers have 3 minutes to talk about their work to panel of judges and the public (like American Idol but for scientists). These experiences made me want to discuss other research topics in ways that would help remove the jargon-filled veil of science so more people could see it as I do–a beautiful way to understand the world.

As a result, I usually try to drop an interesting research fact or scientific development into my stories. For example, my first published story was based on recent work where scientists created xenobots–tiny programmable "lifeforms" created from frog stem cells. Although they are made up of living things (stem cells) and can walk, heal, and work together in groups, are they themselves alive? It's still a matter of debate, so I wrote a time travel story (The Xenobot Paradox) to highlight this advancement and explore philosophical quandries about "life" and agency if this technology became more advanced.

(Note: If you're interested in seeing the xenobots in action, you can find a video of them at my website)

When did you first develop a love for the sci-fi genre?

To be honest, I was always kind of sci-fi adjacent. As a child, I gravitated to books, movies, and franchises like Star Wars.

However, as a teen growing up in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn in the 00's many of the deeper human issues felt absent or seemed like they lacked depth.

When chapters of history books are filled with people like you being disenfranchised, when alll your immediate family members have personal anecdotes in dealing with prejudice, and when you start experiencing your own similar issues, some sci-fi narratives (like those about people treating aliens differently or vice versa) feel like they barely scratch the surface.

I didn't end up loving sci-fi until later, close to the end of my Ph.D. training, when I discovered N.K. Jemisin and Octavia Butler. Their works showed me the great depths of the human condition that you could infuse into original sci-fi concepts. Their works provided a lot of inspiration for my eearliest attempts at writing sci-fi stories (many of which I hope will never see the light of day).

Congrats on the publication of your short story “The Pox Party” featured in Black Sci-Fi Short Stories (Gothic Fantasy) published by Flame Tree Press! Can you tell us the premise of “The Pox Party” and what inspired it?

In a dystopian future where certain neighborhoods experience climate-related apocalypses (or "pox"es), a teenage girl from one of these low-income areas steals an expensive holo-watch from a rich poverty-vouyèr searching for a theme for their upcoming party. As the teen journeys to a prosperous, pox-free neighborhood to return the watch, she struggles with thoughts of keeping it knowing the item probably means more to her–now that it holds precious recordings of her recently deceased mother.

"The Pox Party" was inspired by the growing disparities in not only housing and income, but also access to technologies that make life easier. I wanted to explore how morality (or at least acceptable behavior) might change or shift in hyper-disparate conditions.

Your dark sci-fi short story “Mephisto and Me” was published in Assemble Artifacts (Summer 2022 Issue no. 2) and they purchased the tv/film rights. Could you please tell readers about this story? Who would you like to play the characters if this gets picked up for tv/film?

After a police officer murders his father, Jerod, a high school junior deals with trauma, resentment, and the sudden appearance of Mephisto--a demon-possesed robot who promises "justice". But what Jerod decides to do (or not do) about the bot could either end his life or everyone else's, as Mephisto's ultimate goal is Armageddon.

If "Mephisto and Me" gets made into a movie, I'd like John Boyega (Finn from Star Wars) or Shameik Moore (voice of Miles Morales in Into the Spiderverse) to play Jerod. For Mephisto, I think Adam Driver (Kylo Ren from Star Wars) would serve as a great voice acting talent for the maniacal bot.

Let’s say you can pick any author, alive or dead, to team up with and co-write a novel. Who are you picking and why?

Hands down, Octavia Butler.

I would've loved to have co-written (or even just assist in the process of creating) a novel with her before she passed away.

She had this impressive skill of "doing more with less" when it came to using words to paint a vibrant picture of futuristic sci-fi or dystopian settings.

More importantly, she managed to instill depth into her works by accessibly reflecting the trying situations and impossible choices her characters have to make being at the intersection of multiple identities (e.g., Dana in "Kindred" being black, modern, and a woman during the era of slavery and Anyanwu in "Wild Seed" being black, immortal, and a powerful woman –throughout time–in a never ending coercive/abusive relationship).

Working with her would've greatly improved my ability to vividly showcase the joys and struggles of my own characters through concise storytelling.

What are you currently working on?

My work in progress (WIP) is a departure from my usual sci-fi short stories (which generally focus on cultural and societal issues). The WIP is a middle grade fantasy novel (called "Terraseeker Academy") that is a project of pure escapism. It features a diverse group of kids who go to a specialized school to learn how to become explorers within the very strange world they live in.

I decided to write it because I felt like I could use a break from the world's heavier heavier issues. Sometimes it's just as rewarding to read a light-hearted book and have a laugh. I hope this fun adventure novel will one day make its way to store shelves where it can engage children and others in the same ways I used to get excited about Animorphs or Goosebumps (neither of which are light-hearted, but both series brought me tons of joy).

Where do you hope to be in ten years, in terms of your writing career?

At that point, I hope to be a published author with several more short stories and at least one series under my belt. I'd love it if at least one of those pieces had a sizeable fan base, but if not, I would still be happy with the act of making publishable quality work.

In addition, a personal goal of mine is to publish in different genres. Currently, I have my eyes on romance and horror, so in ten years it would be nice to have some written pieces within those categories.

Where can readers learn more about you? (social media, website, ect)

Readers can learn more about me at my website Lylestiles.com or follow me on X (formerly twitter) @thewritestiles.

As I am currently recovering from a fairly severe bout of long covid that affected me for much of last year, some info may be outdated. Luckily, I've been regaining much of my health in the last few weeks, so expect to see more activity in the coming months.

Thanks for the great interview, Nico!

Nico Bell 12/11/23 Nico Bell 12/11/23

Need a Last Min. Gift? Try These Books!

Last Minute Books to Buy for The Book Lover in Your Life!

It’s almost time for the holidays, and if you haven’t had a chance to pick up a book for the book lover in your life, here are some incredible selections that you can still get in time for gift giving!

Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic Anthology

Description:

Are you sure something’s wrong? Or are you just hysterical?

Aseptic and Faintly Sadistic is rage-made-art, an unsettling meditation that also serves as a charitable platform to support abortion rights in the United States. Inside are twenty-six haunting speculative tales that explore the social, political, and personal dimensions of hysteria.

Women who are convicted of sexual transgressions are forced to become living seed mounds.

A lonely young man makes his perfect girl out of caulk and endeavors to teach her about the wonders of the world.

The poor barter for health insurance by serving as living batteries for the elite.

In this anthology of feminist dark fiction, presented by CHM, author and editor Jolie Toomajan has curated a collection of nightmares from both award-winning and emerging writers, including Hailey Piper, Christi Nogle, Joe Koch, Kelsea Yu, Laura Cranehill, and more.

Proceeds will benefit the Chicago Abortion Fund

Pre-Approved for Hauntings: And Other Stories by Patrick Barb

Description:

In this new collection, Patrick Barb explores themes of family found and lost, media consumption and the dangers of runaway nostalgia, the supernatural in our lives, and the impact of violence in both the long- and short-term.

A young couple is reunited with their lost son whose favorite fuzzy bear suit connects him to the ghost of a vengeful mama bear while he's alone in the forest.

A jaded screenwriter can’t escape the haunted screenplay that’s ruined his career.
A man returns to his small hometown, where the people are gone and the trees have taken over.
A Slasher and Final Girl brother-sister duo match wits and blades against a sentient, dimension-hopping apocalypse at a never-ending summer camp.

From rural backwoods to Park Slope brownstones, Barb's characters face impossible, awful situations, testing their inner strength and understanding of reality. Covering quiet horror, weird fiction, supernatural horror, slasher horror, topical dark fiction, and more, these stories spotlight supposedly familiar terrors and fears in new and unexpected ways.

Open House by Nico Bell

Realtor Caleb Birch is on the precipice of earning everything he’s ever dreamed: a partner position at his prestigious realty firm, financial stability that would make his mother proud, and a respectable professional reputation amongst Los Angeles’s wealthy and elite. All he has to do is nail his open house and secure a contract.

Enter a mysterious woman with an air of familiarity claiming to be the perfect buyer. Her ruse dissolves revealing nefarious intentions and a twisted game that Caleb must win to survive the night. But she isn’t the only threat lurking behind closed doors. There are skeletons in the closet, and they’re coming out to play.

College Macabre: An Exhibition of Art Horror

Description:

Your work will betray your secrets. Obsessions, hidden desires, and desperate wishes all woven into the fabric of what we make. A sculpture crafted with longing, a painting of a dream just barely articulated, the craving that cannot speak its name buried in a short film’s score. Old want only spoken aloud through someone else’s voice. Need etched on someone else’s lips for all the world to see. A false self created for the audience to claim as its own, still hiding what it knows.

Through these eighteen stories, dread is the medium of choice, winding its way through each unsettling and terrifying tale about human creation, the artistic follies and triumphs we imbue with so much meaning. You will find artists and audiences alike grappling with confrontations beyond their comprehension, works that require more than careful consideration—sometimes a little bit of blood is necessary. Art is alive if you are. Inside these pages you will be asked to open yourself up like a wound and expose your mind to the darker side of our oeuvre.

Confirmed Sightings: A Triple Cryptid Creature Feature

Horror fans and cryptid lovers unite! Grab your popcorn and candy, settle into your seat, and make sure to silence your phone for this triple creature feature!

A Piasa for Christmas by Bridget D. Brave | Kaycee has returned to her hometown and finally found her soulmate in the most unexpected package: a transdimensional, all-powerful creature once trapped in a temporal prison. Can true love prevail between this headstrong aspiring influencer and an ancient immortal god?

eyeofmoth.exe by P.L. McMillan | When the crew of the CRS Piasa encounter a space station drowning in madness caused by a creature from Pre-Calamity Earth, they become desperate to get back to their ship and warn the Company in a race against the clock.

Once Upon a Time in Turu by Ryan Marie Ketterer | When a jackalope from the good part of town ends up dead, Policefoot Orli is tasked with solving the bizarre murder before the already tense town of Turu erupts in cryptid fury. But it won't be as easy as it looks when all the usual suspects are very unusual themselves.

In Memory of Exoskeletons by Rebecca Cuthbert

“Cuthbert's chapbook celebrates the domestic, seemingly delicate spheres of women's lives. From house witches to cryptids to body horror, this collection probes the edges of the speculative poetry genre. Supple and lyrical, these poems are cunning, intelligent, and tender.”
-Holly Lyn Walrath, author, The Smallest of Bones

Epiphany by JV Gaghs

When pregnant Estela learns that her wife Eva has hanged herself from an oak tree, she can't believe she would have done so voluntarily.

Eva, a journalist obsessed with the crimes of the so-called Garden of Horrors, was about to release a podcast about the convicted killer, Coral, who always maintained it wasn't her who slaughtered her family and her missing new born, but an evil forest spirit.

As Estela dives deep into the recordings, emails, and letters from Eva's investigation, in Coral's retelling of the murders, she will be forced to face a simple question that could cost her life as well as her unborn baby's:

"Do you believe in magic?"

Dust and Deliverance by Benjamin DeHaan

Description:

Paulo, a father, high school counselor and recent widower, searches for his lost daughter Adriana who has become bound to the cocaine drug cartel. Adriana, daughter of Paulo, runs away from higher education and seeks fortunes and a life of paradise. Sam, gaming addict and divorced Denver Police officer, blames his failed marriage on his wife’s misunderstanding. Harold, protector of Adriana and ex-opera singer of Mexico City, yearns for nothing more than to get his singing voice back.

San Isabel National Park, Colorado, a place where four broken people collide and are set free.

This is a story of the heart’s deliverance.

Hunger and Other Dark Tales by Benjamin DeHaan

Collected together in one volume for the first time, five chilling horror stories by Benjamin DeHaan

Cats of the Pacific Northwest by J. W. Donley

Description:

David, an unsure young man, is trying to figure out how to be a "man" in the modern age. Well, at least what his girlfriend, Emma, expects of him.

When she suggests a backpacking trip out on the Olympic Penninsula, he jumps at the opportunity to demonstrate his worth. But, once they get out into the wilderness, they are quickly lost. Now they are out of food and beginning to starve, when a strange couple of cats cross their path.

The Darkness Beyond the Stars: An Anthology of Space Horror edited by P.L. McMillan

Description:

Beyond this rock we call home, horror awaits. Meteors slash through the sky, illuminating terrors beyond our wildest imagination. In the furthest reaches of the coldest cosmic expanse, there are things waiting, whose very existence our minds are not equipped to comprehend.

Can you survive the final frontier?

Featuring 14 stories from some of the best up-and-coming talents in the genre, The Darkness Beyond The Stars is an anthology of space-themed horror that seeks to twist humanity’s greatest aspirations into our greatest fears
Dead Letters: Episodes of Epistolary edited by Jacob Steven Mohr

Evil lurks within the pages of Dead Letters: Episodes of Epistolary Horror...

A video game walkthrough harbors sinister secrets. A grieving sister’s letters blur the line between alive and dead (and alive again). A chain of frightening emails is the only evidence that a young woman ever walked the earth. And a series of journals pursue a dwindling wagon train marching into Hell—or someplace worse.

Haunting podcast transcripts. Blood-soaked police reports. Bewildering court findings. Brace yourself for an anthology that resurrects the chilling power of epistolary fiction—where ordinary documents transform into vessels of absolute terror.

Spanning 21 original tales blending the classic gothic horror of Stoker’s Dracula with the contemporary dread of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca, Dead Letters contains both short sharp shocks and prolonged sojourns into the macabre—and promises to haunt your sleepless nights.

Featuring thrilling contributions from Gemma Files, Ai Jiang, Gordon B. White, J.A.W. McCarthy, and Red Lagoe, and curated with precision by Jacob Steven Mohr (The Unwelcome and Nightfall and Other Dangers) Dead Letters: Episodes of Epistolary Horror solidifies its place among the pantheon of must-read horror anthologies.

The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future by Christi Nogle

The Best of Our Past, the Worst of Our Future collects Christi Nogle’s finest psychological and supernatural horror stories. Their rural and small-town characters confront difficult pasts and look toward promising but often terrifying futures. The pieces range in genre from psychological horror through science fiction and ghost stories, but they all share fundamental qualities: feminist themes, an emphasis on voice, a focus on characters’ psychologies and a sense of the gothic in contemporary life. Stories here may recall Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Shirley Jackson’s “The Renegade,” or Kelly Link’s “Stone Animals.”

Wilted Pages: An Anthology of Dark Academia edited by Ai Jiang and Christi Nogle

Wilted Pages is a new Dark Academia anthology filled with gloomy buildings, hidden histories, secret societies, lurking shadows, futuristic boarding schools, corrupt systems, gothic aesthetics, occult learning and forbidden texts… And that's only your first semester.

Merciless Waters by Rae Knowles

Aboard the ship Scylla, there is no future or past. Jaq, her fickle lover Lily, and their all-female crew exist in an endless present. It's better this way. At least it keeps Lily by Jaq's side, where she belongs. But the meddling gods care little for Jaq's longing, and despite her protective rituals, their punishment arrives all the same: A man, adrift on the open ocean. Delivered to snatch Lily from Jaq's arms forever. Jaq knows what to do. She's lost Lily before. Her lover will return-when this interloper, this distraction, is snuffed out. But Jaq's murderous schemes may not be enough. The intruder's presence infects her crew with a plague her spells cannot cure: memory. And as the women recall how they came to Scylla, their minds bend one by one towards revenge.

The Disappearance of Tom Nero by TJ Price

The Disappearance of Tom Nero concerns a young man's investigation into the impossible disappearance of a friend. As he learns more about the circumstances and searches for answers, the re-emergence of a metatextual horror from legend puts not only him, but his new lover, in jeopardy.

The story explores themes of contagious and invasive thoughts, disappearances, as well as the relationship between reality and the written word. It is uniquely structured, with a variety of clues hidden in the text for the savvy reader—but beware, for the horror might not only affect the characters in the story...it may also affect the reader themselves.

Ahh! That’s What I Call Horror: An Anthology of 90’s Horror edited by Chelsea Pumpkins

With fourteen horror stories set during the decade of flannel shirts and neon dolphin Trapper Keepers, Ahh! That's What I Call Horror features a PHAT (pretty horrific and terrifying) collection of totally rad horror and weird fiction authors exploring the darker side of what many consider a time of relative peace and prosperity. With Communism falling and Clear Channel rising, the horror of the 1990s requires peeling back layers of safe, sanitized media to reveal the nightmares waiting beneath. When it comes to '90s horror, this is one anthology guaranteed to be all that and a bag of haunted chips.

You won't need a dial-up connection to reach the beyond in this time-warp to the '90s. With undead grunge rock icons, menacing action figures, family sitcoms gone very wrong, and more: these terror tales will return you to the end of the old millennium.

How will you get back?

Like, who says you will?

Howls from the Wreckage: An Anthology of Disaster Horror edited by Christopher O’Halloran

Description:

The settlement of Grey's Bluffs is a prosperous town. An independent community dwelling in the shadows of the mountains known only as The Hungers.

Esther Foxman and Siobhan O'Clery have grown up in Grey's Bluffs, thriving out on the western territories in the aftermath of the Civil War. Devoted to one another and their home, the two set out to complete a regular pact at the Hungers to ensure that Grey's Bluffs continues to prosper.

Cyril Redstone is a man who knows death well. Becoming a mercenary after the Civil War, Cyril leads the marauding Blackhawks from one slaughter to the next. Hired to destroy Grey's Bluffs, Cyril cares little for morality, nor that he owes its founder his life.

Esther and Siobhan are left to defend the only home they have ever known from the Blackhawks, their confrontation driving them deep into the mountains.

Where the darkest secrets of the Hungers await them.

The Long Shalom by Zachary Rosenberg

Alan Aldenberg is a down-on-his-luck detective. With dwindling fortunes and the worry his old friends in the Jewish mob will pay him a visit, the last thing he expects is a visit from his old flame.

But when the wrong Shalom brings Erika Nakamura back to his door, Alan learns that innocent people are missing all through New York. Agreeing to the job for the cash, Alan soon discovers a conspiracy reaching through the city's halls of power and not all of them are human. Joining forces with old friends, Alan faces a dark alliance of politicians, the mob, and abominable beings that transcend space and time.

With the fate of New York in the balance, Alan must be prepared for nightmares beyond human comprehension.

That may even make him face the long Shalom

Feeders by Caleb Stephens

Description:

It’s just an average night at the Ink Tank, the tattoo shop in Austin, Texas, where Brynn works as a tattoo artist. After a long shift, all she wants to do is head home, pop a few pills from the fresh bottle of Roxicodone in her jacket pocket, and slip into a nice buzz. Her plans crumble when she’s abducted by her convict father, Alan, and forced into the road trip from hell: a cross-country trek to the Rocky Mountains and the shelter he built years ago to protect his family from the monsters living in his head, the monsters he says will erupt from the earth at any minute—the feeders. With each mile he unravels further, thrusting Brynn back into the childhood nightmare she thought she’d escaped forever. Alan is paranoid, and he’s definitely dangerous—but is he crazy? In this novel, we find that truth is not always what it seems, and that some secrets are better left buried.

The Girls in the Cabin by Caleb Stephens

Description:

This camping trip is Chris’s last chance to repair his relationship with his daughters, Kayla and Emma. Nothing’s been the same since they lost their mom. But things go wrong as soon as they get to the mountains.

When they make camp, nine-year-old Emma runs off into the woods. By the time they find her, there’s a snowstorm rolling in. And Emma’s leg is badly broken. They need to find shelter, fast.

They think they’re safe when they come across an old farmstead. The woman inside welcomes them in from the howling blizzard and straps up Emma’s leg.

They settle down for the night, but when Chris wakes at dawn and looks over . . . Emma is gone.

And this family’s nightmare is only just beginning.

Frost Bite by Angela Sylvaine

Remember the '90s? Well...the town of Demise, North Dakota doesn't, and they're living in the year 1997. That's because an alien worm hitched a ride on a comet, crash-landed in the town's trailer park, and is now infecting animals with a memory-loss-inducing bite-and right before Christmas! Now it's up to nineteen-year-old Realene and her best friend Nate to stop the spread and defeat the worms before the entire town loses its mind. The only things standing in the way are their troubled pasts, a doomsday cult, and an army of infected prairie dogs.

Tales of Sley House Anthology

Our annual anthology, where the best genre fiction is brought together under one roof. Welcome to Sley House

Happy Reading!

Nico Bell 12/4/23 Nico Bell 12/4/23

Best of Horror 2023: Books and Movies

This year celebrated so many incredible moments in horror! I read tons of thrilling books and watched plenty of spooky movies. Here are some of my favorites from 2023 (Please note this list is by no means complete. This is simply a list of some of my favorites, but there are TONS of incredible books published this past year!):

BOOKS:

HOW LOVELY TO BE A WOMAN by TIFFANY MICHELLE BROWN

Description:

A woman desperate to achieve the life she’s always dreamed of orders an AI baby online. Mounting workplace misogyny helps an introvert unlock her innate power. A woman obsessed with skincare goes to great lengths to rid her face of imperfections. A frat boy looking to score gets much more than he bargained for when a sexy coed turns the tables on him. Seeking relief from the pressures of everyday life, a woman checks into a hotel that caters to her dark predilections.

Equal parts heartbreaking and grotesque, How Lovely To Be a Woman: Stories and Poems explores the everyday horrors of womanhood and delights in the monstrous ways women adapt, evolve, fight back, and survive.

WHAT I LOVED:

This book is a powerful and intense look at womanhood that soaks into your pores from the first page. Tiffany tackles a variety of beautifully haunting ideas that will resonate with a large audience. Fans of feminist horror and daring short story collections will enjoy this read! Buy it here!

MAEVE FLY by CJ LEEDE

Description:

By day, Maeve Fly works at the happiest place in the world as every child’s favorite ice princess.

By the neon night glow of the Sunset Strip, Maeve haunts the dive bars with a drink in one hand and a book in the other, imitating her misanthropic literary heroes.

But when Gideon Green - her best friend’s brother - moves to town, he awakens something dangerous within her, and the world she knows suddenly shifts beneath her feet.

Untethered, Maeve ditches her discontented act and tries on a new persona. A bolder, bloodier one, inspired by the page

At this point, only a lobotomy will be able to remove the grotesque images invoked by this book from my brain. This is a BRUTAL read, but extremely compelling! A dark and twisted tale that dives not only into the monstrosity of a killer, but a universal desire to find companionship and acceptance. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you made it through KIN by Kealan Patrick Burke, you’ll be able to handle MAEVE FLY! Buy it here!

I WANT CANDY by AZZURRA NOX

Description:

A family of witches. A girl in love.

Hidden away in an old, dilapidated Victorian home, the Dresden witches have been making their prized candies for years. Their secret ingredient would make most people squeamish, but for Lollipop it's just another typical day at home. Lolli spends her days making candies and longing for her classmate Stella. As her infatuation for Stella deepens, Lollipop begins to question her loyalty to her family. Will she choose love or will she do anything it takes to preserve the Dresden legacy at any costs? Does she have what it takes to be the next head witch or will her powers never be strong enough?

Stella Morris has recently moved to Arcana, California after a tragic incident involving her mother. Stella is both beautiful and popular, but she harbors a darkness in her that threatens to make her whole world come undone.

This coming of age queer romance is drenched in blood and sugar.

Why I loved it:

This was a super fast read that pushed the horror boundaries! I kept thinking, there’s no way Azzurra is going to go there, and then, BAM! It’s a lot of story packed into a tiny word count complete with a gripping coming-of-age tale that fans of queer romance and witchcraft will enjoy! BUY IT HERE!

OUT THERE SCREAMING Edited by JORDAN PEELE

Description:

A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele’s anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and—like his spine-chilling films—its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world . . . and redefine what it means to be afraid.

Featuring stories by: Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L. D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull.

Why I Loved It:

Each story carves a place in your mind and takes up residency. It’s packed with unsettling moments, memorable characters, and powerful themes that hit hard. Everyone should check it out! But it here!

MOVIES

SLOTHERHOUSE

Description:

Senior Emily Young wants to be elected sorority president. She adopts a cute sloth, thinking it will help her win, but a string of fatalities implicates the sloth.

Why I Loved It:

Look, it’s a movie about a pissed off sloth hunting down sorority sisters. It knows what it is and everyone is in on the joke, which makes it SO much fun! Fans of VelociPastor will certainly get a kick out of this comedy horror!

ATTACHMENT

Description:

Maja, a Danish has-been actress, falls in love with Leah, a Jewish academic from London. Leah suffers a mysterious seizure, and Maja returns with her to London. There, she meets Leah's mother, Chana, a woman who could hold dark secrets.

When I looked this up, it said it came out in 2022, but maybe it got its US release in 2023? I don’t know for sure, but I watched it this year, and I loved it! It’s dark and harrowing but lovely in a haunting manner that will stick with you long after the credits roll. Fans of character driven horror that is more emotional in its approach to storytelling will enjoy this movie!

UNWELCOME

Description:

Married couple Maya and Jamie escape their urban nightmare to the tranquility of rural Ireland only to discover malevolent and murderous goblins lurking in the gnarled, ancient wood at the foot of their new garden.

This is another that said it was released in 2022, but I saw it this year. Maybe, again, it was released in the US in 2023? Either way, it’s 100% worth a watch! I certainly didn’t see where it was going until the thrilling climax and even then…wow!

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITES FROM 2023?

Nico Bell 11/23/23 Nico Bell 11/23/23

BLACK FRIDAY SALE!

SALE SALE SALE!

I’m slashing prices on two of my books!

FOR A LIMITED TIME:

Shiver will be $2.99 on Kindle and $8.99 for paperback!

Open House is FREE on Kindle Direct and will be $3.99 for paperback!

Open House:

SHIVER:

Grab a cozy blanket, pour some bourbon in your hot chocolate, and gather around the fireplace. It’s about to get chilly! This un-brrr-lievable anthology presents 30 spooky stories exploring the depths of madness and terror unique to the cold. Whether it’s a chilling twist on the final girl trope, a mysterious Japanese spirit knocking on a cabin door, or something sinister born out of urine soaked snow, this frigid collection is packed with tales that will send a shiver down your spine. Get ready. A blizzard is coming.

Nico Bell 10/31/23 Nico Bell 10/31/23

Pre-Sale Begins! Static Screams by Nico Bell

It’s Time for E-BOOK Pre-Orders!

Static Scream is now available for pre-sale in most locations where you buy books! Here is a list of the places currently running the pre-order:

Barnes & Noble

Rakuten Kobo

Apple Books

Scribd

Tolino

Overdrive

Baker & Taylor

Odilo

Vivlio

Borrow Box

Smashwords

Gardners

Amazon won’t be able to sell pre-orders until closer to publication date, which is MARCH 6, 2024!

I’m also working on getting it available on Godless.

Happy Reading!

Nico Bell 10/10/23 Nico Bell 10/10/23

COVER ART REVEAL: Static Screams by Nico Bell

Cover Art: Static Screams by Nico Bell

Publication Date: March 6, 2024

I’m thrilled to share the cover art to my new sci-fi horror novella scheduled for release March 6, 2024! Thank you to the talented A.A. Medina at Fabled Beast Design for making this image!

Carmen is on the brink of insanity. Her untethered mind twists reality into a nightmare filled with relentless hallucinations. Despite countless doctors, she can’t escape her delusions brought forth by her tragic past.
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Enter Dr. Barbara MacDonald, a brilliant psychologist proposing an innovative and experimental treatment program. Dr. Barbara ignites the last flicker of hope within Carmen, but hope is a double edged sword as the doctor has her own sinister motives.
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Darkness and deception converge, forcing Carmen to choose: surrender to the weight of her trauma or unravel Dr. Barbara’s menacing intentions before it’s too late.

Publication Date: March 6, 2024

Nico Bell 9/28/23 Nico Bell 9/28/23

My Mental Illness, My Broken Brain, and My New Etsy Shop!

How it all connects:

I have no idea what’s wrong with me. In 2008, I was formally diagnosed with anxiety and depression, put on medication, and started therapy. Later, I battled my eating disorder through two weeks of outpatient treatment and two years of private therapy. Then, my brain broke. Well, I think it was always broken, but due to years of therapy, I now had the agency and vocabulary to express that what I was going through wasn’t “normal.” It was simply my normal.

My mind is a hamster running on her wheel. It’s a million ants crawling under my skin. It’s a never ending nightmare factory that keeps me from sleeping. It also fuels obsessive hobbies. I have no idea what the official diagnosis would be for my brain. One therapist said with great certainty that I have ADHD. A week later, another therapist said with complete resolve that I don’t have ADHD. Autism? I wouldn’t be surprised. Bipolar? I don’t know. I’ve lived with this my whole life, and, honestly, I’m at the point where I think it might just be for the best if I accept it and embrace the positive side of things.

Enter my obsessive hobby of embroidery. I’ve been doing it for years and it’s taken over my house. I have finished hoop art hanging on the walls, propped up on my writing desk, and even displayed in the bathroom. They’re literally outnumbering creatures in the house five to one.

So, I’ve started an Etsy shop! It’s called Bury Your Thread and it has a variety of spooky, sci-fi-, abstract, pop culture, and holiday work. I’m going to be adding more and more as time goes on, but the initial inventory is up! It’s all newly created as my anxiety has been on high alert lately and my hands need to do something, so these designs are all freshly conjured from my brain!

I’m still working out how Etsy works, so there may be a few hiccups at first. Thank you for your patience!

If you want to see what mental illness looks like for me, check out my Etsy shop!

https://buryyourthread.etsy.com

Nico Bell 7/24/23 Nico Bell 7/24/23

Stoker Eligible Works by Nico Bell

Stoker Eligible Stories

It’s that time of year! Writers nervously get their eligible stories organized and ready to release into the world in hopes someone will like them enough to nominate them for an award.

Like many authors, it’s my dream to win a Bram Stoker Award, which is arguably the most coveted in the horror writing industry. I’ve never been nominated. I’ve never had a book on the recommended reading list, but I’ll never stop hoping!

With that said, here are my eligible stories. Note that my scifi horror novella Static will also be eligible, but it doesn’t come out until October.

If anything looks interesting and you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, email me (nicobellfiction@gmail.com) and I’ll send you a free copy! Also, I will be reading each of the short fiction pieces and excerpts from Open House on my Substack podcast in the coming weeks, so make sure you head over there and sign up for updates!

Realtor Caleb Birch is on the precipice of earning everything he’s ever dreamed: a partner position at his prestigious realty firm, financial stability that would make his mother proud, and a respectable professional reputation amongst Los Angeles’s wealthy and elite. All he has to do is nail his open house and secure a contract. Enter a mysterious woman with an air of familiarity claiming to be the perfect buyer. Her ruse dissolves revealing nefarious intentions and a twisted game that Caleb must win to survive the night. But she isn’t the only threat lurking behind closed doors. There are skeletons in the closet, and they’re coming out to play.

Open House is eligible for the LONG FICTION category.

Originally featured in Ooze: Little Bursts of Body Horror

Body horror is best when it comes in little bursts. In this novella-length collection full of gross, grimy, creepy, crawly, bubbling, bursting fun, what you'll be surprised by is how much heart and story can be packed into such small packages. With twenty up-and-coming authors putting forth their best short works of body horror, be prepared to be smacked in the face with a combination of the classic and the new. There's plenty that you hope for when you pick up a book of body horror---transformation, dissolution, decay---but there are also a delightful number of heartfelt and surprising twists on the idea. Every story is under 2,500 words and many are shorter.

Chrysalis is a seeping menopause story about the power of joyful transformation and eligible for the SHORT FICTION category.

Originally published in HorrorScope: A Zodiac Anthology

Aries. Taurus. Gemini. Cancer. Leo. Virgo. Libra. Scorpio. Sagittarius. Capricorn. Aquarius. Pisces.

It is said that destiny is determined by the stars. The signs of the Zodiac can predict who you’ll love, who you’ll hate, and who you’ll become. But the fates written in the stars are not always kind. Sometimes, they’re terrifying.

In Horrorscopes, you will find 36 dark fantasy poems and short stories all inspired by the Zodiac Signs. Within these pages, you’ll face killer goats, twisted twins and deadly fishies. So, open this book, if you dare, and pray that you weren’t born under a bad sign.