A new anthology, Millennium updates, and more
Folk Tales from the Hinterland
A queer anthology of dark tales
~ Features Shimaira's short story "The White Woman"
Come get lost in the Hinterland with these ten dark tales that draw on inspiration from folklore.
Clever mortals fool Death, escape peril and battle curses. Witches seduce with malicious intent and monsters trick across different centuries. A child discovers a hidden secret about themselves while a hell-hound finds their past. Love is found between fearful creatures and a rivalry between cousins comes to a bitter end.
The line between what is good and what is evil blurs, leaving you asking yourself, who is the monster here and would I act any different if placed in their shoes?
Featuring stories by: L. B. Shimaira, Jamie Rose, April-Jane Rowan, A. J. Van Belle, Toni Mobley, Die Booth, Claire Olivia Golden, Dez Schwartz, Antonija Meznaric and Eleonora Prandini.
Beware, because once you enter the Hinterland, you might not be able to find your way home.
Grab a copy here.
Millennium updates
I've gone back to working on Millennium!
You can expect more updates on this in future issues, along with art and/or snippets of lore (I got about 10k worth of lore so why not share some? 💙)
Souls Entwined: A Millennium Story
For now, if you want a taste of the world of Millennium, please check out this stand-alone short story over on Wattpad.
~ It's a sort of Romeo & Juliet but with demons 👀
Some artwork of the characters featured in this short story:
TTS on Wattpad stories
Multiple stories of mine on Wattpad now feature text-to-speach (on both the app and on web).
You can now listen to the sample of "My Lord", the full novel of "They call him Lucius", "In Sickness and in Hell", and my short story collection, plus the longer shorts "Want" and "Psycho".
The Missing Servant
A "My Lord" text game.
I turned this small "choose your own adventure" style story into an actual game. You can play it in any browser here (no downloads or specific apps required).
It also includes quote art and the sample of "My Lord", for anyone interested in checking that out too.
Review:
The Unholy Mother of the Demonic Child by Daniel Aegan
A dark academia book featuring lovely surprises but also heartrending ones.
No character is safe, which makes this a real page-turner!
TL;DR review:
A paranormal mystery set in a post-apocalyptic world with a whole new religion, this novel shows you the good and the bad parts of the surviving society--like how it's very queer accepting (there is one trans character who really made my queer momma instincts happy) to how deep corruption runs (content warning for sexual abuse--but know justice awaits).
The longer, more in-depth review can be read here.
Intrigued and want more info or get a copy yourself? You can find this book here.
Preview: "The White Woman" by L.B. Shimaira
I can't help but find fog both eerie and mystical—you can never be sure of what's hidden behind that vast wall of white. Downtown there'd barely been any, but out here it rolled in steadily from the river on one side to the shallow lake on the other. The road I was cycling on was illuminated by streetlights, but the thickening fog reduced my line of sight significantly. I began to cycle a little slower. I knew the route home well, and that was honestly the only reason why I still dared stay on my bike at all. While the road was mostly straight, there were several bends up ahead with only a few metres of grass and a single row of trees between the asphalt and the river.
Several years back, a car had slipped in one of those bends during a cold winter and had gone straight into the ice-covered water. At the leisurely speed I was moving, I would at most stumble into the ditch if I were to lose sight of the road—not something to worry about.
What I did worry about, though, was the fact that this road was also used by cars. Sure, it was like two at night, but if I was out and about, chances were other people were too. With the fog being as thick as it was, I assumed anyone driving in a car would be driving carefully. The thought put me on edge, however, and I made sure to listen well for any potential approaching vehicles.
Hearing only the wind and the sounds of my bike, I stared out through the white haze. The glow of my headlight combined with that of the streetlights made the dancing wisps of mist seem alive. For a while, my thoughts drifted to horror stories and movies, even horror games, where thick fog played a role. With a huff and a stupid smile on my lips, I raised my gaze to the sky, imaging how it would feel to suddenly see something appear at the edge of what was visible. Perhaps some eldritch tentacle, pitch black and as thick as a tree…
I laughed to myself, internally shaking my head as I focused again on the road—which was a good thing because I had drifted uncomfortably close to the ditch. Something on the other side of the road caught my attention, and I did my best to see, but the haze of fog obscured it. I contemplated if I should stop or pedal faster—especially after where my mind had just wandered.
Feeling bold, I halted. A part of me wanted to see something supernatural, something weird. But this was the Netherlands, and I rather doubted I would ever encounter anything odd—let alone in the quiet, rural place where I lived. Maybe it was a cow or a sheep? There was a pasture around the shallow lake area, and I could make out the vague outline of a fence… But the mist was disorientating. Besides, at this time surely all animals were fast asleep.
A pang of fear shot through my insides. Maybe—
The figure moved, and I could now tell it was in front of the fenced area. Was it a human silhouette? My grip on the bar of my bike intensified and I considered fleeing.
Don't be a wuss, I chided myself. You wanted to encounter something supernatural? Well, here you go. Throwing caution to the wind, I called out. "Hello?"
. . .
Want to read more? Check out "Folk Tales of the Hinterland".
~*~
Well, that was it for the first issue. If you have any feedback (things I can improve, things you like, anything really) please let me know 💜