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Shock Totem #6
January 2013Shock Totem Radio
Announcing Shock Totem #7…
Ready for more? We are proud to announce our seventh issue, to be released this coming July.
Once again the cover art was created by the brilliant Mikio Murakami, who has done all our magazine artwork since issue #3.
Check out the official Table of Contents:
* TBD (Editorial)
* Consumption, by Victoria Jakes
* Among the Elephants, by Amberle L. Husbands
* The Four Horsemen of the Parking Lot, by Kurt Newton (Narrative Nonfiction)
* Untitled: A Conversation with Adam Cesare, by K. Allen Wood
* The Gates of Emile Plimpkin: The Gravedigger’s Legacy, by S. Clayton Rhodes (Novelette)
* Smoking, The Old Sergeant, by Dominik Parisien (Poetry)
* Strange Goods and Other Oddities (Reviews)
*The Horror That Et My Pap—And Other Swamp Stuff, by William F. Nolan
* Shall I Whisper to You of Moonlight, of Sorrow, of Pieces of Us? by Damien Walters Grintalis
* Bloodstains & Blue Suede Shoes, Part 5, by John Boden and Simon Marshall-Jones (Article)
* The Long Road, by Kristi DeMeester
* Thing in a Bag, M. Bennardo
* Howling Through the Keyhole (Author Notes)
Packed with veteran authors and up-and-comers, we feel this is another strong issue, one which sits well with our past issues but also uniquely stands out as its own. No other issue can boast such long titles, that’s for sure!
Look for it soon in print and digital formats. You can pre-order the print edition here.
As always, thank you for your continued support!
Posted in New Releases, Shock Totem Digital, Shock Totem News
Tagged Adam Cesare, Amberle L. Husbands, Damien Walters Grintalis, Dominik Parisien, John Boden, K. Allen Wood, Kristi DeMeester, Kurt Newton, M. Bennard, Mikio Murakami, New Release, S. Clayton Rhodes, Shock Totem #7, Shock Totem Magazine, Simon Marshall-Jones, Victoria Jakes, William F. Nolan
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May 2013 Flash Fiction Contest
Every other month we host a flash fiction contest on our forum. The next contest begins on Friday, March 1, 2013.
Participants have one week to write a story based on a prompt that we provide. The prompt must be integral to the story. This requirement, we hope, forces writers to pen a brand-new tale rather than submit some previously written or reworked story.
When the week is up, the stories are anonymously posted in the hidden contest forum. The entrants then have three weeks to read each story and vote on their top three. Additionally, most give feedback on each story, thus ensuring everyone gets something out of the contest.
The final contest of the year is in September. Once that winner is announced, all five individual winners throughout the year will be given to a neutral judge, who will then pick his or her favorite. That story will be published in the next issue of Shock Totem!
If interested, sign up here. It’s a good time.
Posted in Contests, Shock Totem News
Tagged Contests, Flash Fiction, Flash Fiction Contest
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Fangoria Reviews Shock Totem #6
John Skipp has reviewed Shock Totem #6 on Fangoria’s website.
Shhh…listen!
“[Jack] Ketchum and I are in firm agreement that Shock Totem is living proof that we’re in a golden age when it comes to the short horror story. Some of the best stories ever written are being written right now.”
To read the full review, click here. Have you picked up your copy yet?
Posted in Alumni News, Magazine Reviews, Reviews, Shock Totem News
Tagged Addison Clift, Bloodstains & Blue Suede Shoes, Fangoria, Gary McMahon, Hubert Dade, Jack Ketchum, John Boden, John Guzman, John Skipp, K. Allen Wood, Lee Thompson, Lucia Starkey, Magazine Reviews, Michael Wehunt, Mikio Murakami, New Release, P.K. Gardner, Reviews, Ryan Bridger, Shock Totem, Shock Totem #6, Shock Totem Magazine, Simon Marshall-Jones
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The Wicked—99 Cents!
Attention Kindle owners: Through Sunday, the Kindle edition of The Wicked, by James Newman, is on sale for 99 cents!
It’s currently enjoying a spell in the #1 slot under Horror/Occult on Amazon. It’s #2 under Horror, in the shadow of World War Z. Think we can oust it from the #1 slot? You can help!
Newman is considered by many to be one of the unsung greats of the horror genre. We agree, and the reviews for The Wicked, his ode to 1980s small-town horror novels, reflect this as well.
And now you can see what all the hype is about for next to nothing!
[ click for full image ]
To download, click here.
(Amazon has given the print version a slight discount as well, at $13.49.)
As previously noted, The Wicked has been revised by the author, expanded with a new foreword by Mark Allan Gunnells, a new afterword by the author, and brilliant new artwork and illustrations by Jesse David Young (with additional cover layout by Yannick Bouchard). Also included is a brand new, exclusive tie-in short story written specifically for this release.
So what are you waiting for? Please download this great novel and help us spread the word by sharing the link!
Posted in Recommended Reading, Sales, Shock Totem Digital, Shock Totem News
Tagged 1980s, 1980s Horror, Free Fiction, James Newman, Jesse David Young, Kindle, Small Press, The Wicked, Yannick Bouchard
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Goodreads Giveaway—Issue #6
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Posted in Contests, Shock Totem News
Tagged Addison Clift, Bloodstains & Blue Suede Shoes, Gary McMahon, Hubert Dade, Jack Ketchum, John Boden, John Guzman, K. Allen Wood, Lee Thompson, Lucia Starkey, Michael Wehunt, Mikio Murakami, New Release, P.K. Gardner, Ryan Bridger, Shock Totem, Shock Totem #6, Shock Totem Magazine, Simon Marshall-Jones
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Kindle Users: Free Shock Totem
This week only we’re running promos on the first five issues of Shock Totem (not including the special holiday issue). Starting today, Kindle users will be able to download issue #1 for free. Tomorrow, issue #2 will be free, Wednesday, issue #3, and so on.
Click the links below to download!
Monday/Tuesday: Shock Totem 1: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted
Tuesday/Wednesday: Shock Totem 2: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted
Wednesday/Thursday: Shock Totem 3: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted
Thursday/Friday: Shock Totem 4: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted
Friday/Saturday: Shock Totem 5: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted
We ran a similar promo a little over a year ago, and it generated 10,000 downloads. We hope to once again reach thousands of new readers. If you haven’t read all—or any—of our issues, now is the perfect time. If you have, please encourage others to give us a shot.
Thanks!
Posted in Shock Totem Digital, Shock Totem News
Tagged Amazon, E-books, Free E-books, KDP Select, Kindle, Kindle Owners' Lending Library, Shock Totem, Shock Totem #1, Shock Totem #2, Shock Totem #3, Shock Totem #4, Shock Totem #4.5, Shock Totem #5, Shock Totem Digital, Shock Totem Publications
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And the March Flash Fiction Contest Winner is…
Michael Wehunt
Michael Wehunt won with his story “Everything That Can’t Heal Itself.” This is his second First Place finish and fifth time in the top three—in six contests! Impressive.
About this month’s prompt: I often look through our site stats to see how people are finding our website. One recent visitor arrived hear after searching for this…
I thought it very curious, so I scribbled it down. When it came time for this month’s contest prompt, those three words seemed like a good idea. And so that’s what this month’s contest was based upon, though I requested that participants write a tale without referencing plague suits or plague doctors of the past.
Michael Wehunt stepped up and dominated. “Everything That Can’t Heal Itself” received nearly double the Second Place votes.
In Second Place was “A Plague of the Most Beautiful Finery, by Kurt Fawver. And Third Place was taken by L. Pittenger, with his tale “Birdman.”
So a big congratulations to all!
Posted in Contests, Shock Totem News
Tagged Contests, Flash Fiction Contest, Hobo Plague Suit, Kurt Fawver, L. Pittenger, Michael Wehunt, Plague Suit
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The One-Hour Flash Fiction Challenge
This Saturday, March 30, at 8 PM EST, we will once again be hosting our bi-weekly flash fiction challenge. The challenge: You have just one hour to write, edit, and post your story.
This is a “prompted” challenge, meaning your story must be based on the prompt, which will be revealed just before 8 PM. The challenge takes place here on our forum, so you’ll need an account if you want to participate.
The purpose of the challenge is to force you, the writer, to clear your mind of all distractions and write a complete 1,000-word-or-less story within the allotted time. You’ll have to not only write the story, but also edit it, and then post it by 9 PM EST.
For those interested, here are the rules:
Unlike our bi-monthly flash fiction contest, the bi-weekly one-hour flash challenge is just for fun. The challenge will be held every other Saturday, officially beginning at exactly 8 PM EST. There are no prizes! And the rules are simple.
1. All stories should be complete, written and posted within one hour, and can be anywhere from one sentence to 1,000 words in length.
2. You may choose to write your story in any genre.
3. Your story must be built around the restrictions—words, themes, photo prompts, word limits, etc.—provided by the Flashmaster at the beginning of the challenge.
4. Once the participants’ work is posted, the voting and comment session begins and continues until all votes are in. Time limit for voting will be determined on the spot, depending on how many people finish the challenge.
5. The winner becomes Flashmaster and hosts the next contest.
And that’s it. Simple and fun.
Think you can do it? Join the forum and be present this coming Saturday at 8 PM EST. More information can be found on the forum.
Posted in Shock Totem News, Writing Challenges
Tagged Flash Fiction, Flash Fiction Challenge, Forum Events, Shock Totem, The Forum, Writing Challenges
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Shock Totem #6—Now Available!
Shock Totem Publications is very happy to announce that our sixth issue is available for purchase!
Don’t listen to this guy. Tell everyone!
Shock Totem returns with its sixth issue, featuring stories that range from troubling tales of loss to chilling examinations of mankind’s dark side. In “Lighten Up,” four-time Stoker Award™-winner and Grandmaster of Horror Jack Ketchum gives us a dose of dark humor that still manages to be righteously menacing. “The River,” by rising star Lee Thompson, is a brutal tale of purgatory, wasted life, and regrets.
Soulmates connect through murder, love and revenge in P.K. Gardner’s “For Jack.” In “Orion,” a young girl who has only known darkness makes the ultimate sacrifice—in blood. “No One But Us Monsters,” by Hubert Dade, follows a man who is haunted and tormented by his own crippling fears. Mail hoarding, sin eaters, political horror, Shock Totem #6 runs the gamut.
Also included: Conversations with Lee Thompson and seven-time British Fantasy Award nominee Gary McMahon, as well as narrative nonfiction—a tale of true horror—by Ryan Bridger. An editorial about inspiration; the latest installment of “Bloodstains & Blue Suede Shoes,” which examines the connections between music and horror; plus reviews and much more…
Come see why Shock Totem is billed as “…one of the strongest horror fiction magazines on the market today” (Hellnotes).
Currently the print issue can be purchased via our webstore or Amazon. More online retailers will follow in the coming days and weeks. Kindle owners can order the digital copy here.
Interested in our back catalog? All past issues are still available digitally and in print and can be ordered directly from us or through Amazon and other online retailers
As always, thank you for the support!
Posted in New Releases, Shock Totem Digital, Shock Totem News
Tagged Addison Clift, Bloodstains & Blue Suede Shoes, Gary McMahon, Hubert Dade, Jack Ketchum, John Boden, John Guzman, K. Allen Wood, Lee Thompson, Lucia Starkey, Michael Wehunt, Mikio Murakami, New Release, P.K. Gardner, Ryan Bridger, Shock Totem, Shock Totem #6, Shock Totem Magazine, Simon Marshall-Jones
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Shock Totem Welcomes…
Tom Bordonaro!
“Sweet Baby Jesus. Is that the slush pile?”
If you don’t recognize the face, you may recognize the name from our fourth issue and the full-on funny-bone assault that is “Full Dental.” We’ve become good friends with Tom since we accepted that tale, and we’d been discussing bringing him on in some capacity for a while now. When recently we lost a longtime staff member, inviting Tom in was a no-brainer.
Tom’s intelligence, enthusiasm, and propensity for hilarity (a Shock Totem requirement) means there are great things to come. And he has a top-secret security clearance. He knows about the UFOs!
So if you see Tom aimlessly wandering the halls of the ST Manor, please welcome him aboard.
Posted in Shock Totem News, Staff News
Tagged Full Dental, New Blood, New Staff Member, Shock Totem #4, Tom Bordonaro
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