What are those dark shadows in the trees? You may never camp again…PLUS - Building a career with short stories.This episode features a short horror story by Mark Leslie called The Shadow Men, read by himself.

Would you love a print version of this tale and other creepy offerings? Mark Leslie is in the last days of a Kickstarter for his updated and illustrated anniversary collection ONE HAND SCREAMING.

Don’t miss out! KICKSTARTER

Mark Leslie has published more than 25 books. He has a comedy horror series featuring a Canadian Werewolf, several standalone thrillers and horror novels, a set of paranormal non-fiction books, and guides that help authors navigate publishing. You can find him at markleslie.ca After the reading, Mark Leslie and I chat about the author life and how to make money with short stories. We Mention:

Mark's Books

Mark's PodcastThe Canadian Mounted

Cursed & Creepy Audiobook

The Horror Lite Anthologies

Frightmares in The Falls

Grab your sleeping bag, a flashlight, and let's go camping.

Episode 44 - Treats and an Interview with Robert Stahl

Sticky Pumpkin Guts and Unlikely Ghouls…

Read Me a Nightmare presents “Treats”, written and read by Robert Stahl. Stay tuned after this short horror romp for an interview with the author where we talk about the writing process, life as a horror writer, rescue dogs, and the pros and cons of writing long.

Treats was first published in Oct 2019 in Rigor Morbid: Lest Ye Become, and reprinted in Cursed & Creepy in Nov 2023.

Learn more about Robert at www.robertestahl.com.

Grab some stale Halloween candy, lock your doors, and enjoy this taste of Halloween in August.

Even Scarecrows love a carnival…

Our episode today features Christopher Henckel and his short story "Remember the Gallscream."

I bought this tale for Book #1 of the HorrorLite Anthologies

CURSED AND CREEPY.

Born in the backwoods of West Virginia, Christopher Henckel is a country boy down to his molecular structure. He now lives in New Zealand with his lovely partner, Annaliese, and two equally lovely daughters, Avery and Coco. His stories can be found in Galaxy’s Edge magazines and various anthologies. When he’s not writing, Henckel works as a Senior Procurement Specialist for the NZ Government.

The Gallscream is a hero or a devil. It all depends what car of the Ferris wheel you’re swinging from…

Jingle, Jingle. Any time of year is a good time for Christmas Horror.

R.J.K. Lee not only reads his own story, "Memo From the Jolly Overlords", but also sticks around for a candid interview. Are you addicted to short stories? Desperately trying to figure out how to make money writing? Yup. Hang out for the chat afterwards.

Memo From the Jolly Overlords was first broadcast on the Weird Christmas Podcast in December of 2020 and then published in Book #1 of the HorrorLite Anthologies
CURSED AND CREEPY.

R.J.K. Lee immigrated to Japan in 2005 from Oregon. He's puttered along train tracks to meet quotas for the overlords ever since, currently as a teacher, proof reader, and voice narrator, while churning out fiction.

Ryland and I have shared a few Table of Contents, including DreamForge, Parsec's Triangulation anthology, The Seven Day Weekend, and Space & Time Magazine.

Grab a bag of sugar plums. Oh. And make sure to meet your quota...

You never know what you might find-- or lose-- in an antique shop.

Our episode today features Shannon Fox and her short story "The Garden Party."
I bought this tale for Book #1 of the HorrorLite Anthologies
CURSED AND CREEPY.
"The Garden Party" was originally published in September 2019 in the anthology Cursed Collectibles.

If you are interested in learning about a great writing conference and the pros and cons of indie versus trad publishing, you will enjoy the interview after the story.

Shannon writes as both Shannon Lynn Fox and S.L. Fox. Her short stories have appeared in DreamForge Anvil, Air & Nothingness Press, and Third Flatiron among others. She also has a short story in the Monsters, Movies, & Mayhem Anthology, alongside Johnathan Maberry, Rick Wilber, and Hailey Piper. Edited by Kevin J. Anderson, it won the 2021 Colorado Book Award for Best Anthology.

Shannon is the owner of Minute Marketing, a marketing company based in San Diego, CA, that helps Realtors and other housing industry professionals save time with their marketing. You can check out more about her company here.

Karen Shute is our voice actor for this episode. Learn more about her here.

Grab your significant other's hand, double-check your life insurance, and let's go shopping...

This tomato is spicy!

"Minny and the Mutant Tomato" is an original story written by Angelique Fawns for the anthology Cursed and Creepy.

Minny Brown wants to win the local fair and she’ll do anything to make sure her tomatoes are the biggest on Pelee Island. Including stealing her dad’s ultra-secret growth serum.

The new formula works too well. A mutant tomato pops up and he's not about to fill a bottle of ketchup.

Can Minny stop the tomatopocalypse?

Bill Wiesner is our reader for this episode. Bill Wiesner is a Toronto-based technical and creative professional. He is a promotions and commercial producer/director/writer, post-production editor, and voice actor.

Grab your trowel, put on some gardening gloves, and prepare to meet the next generation of killer tomatoes.

Not all snakes are reptiles.

"A Cold Slither Killing" first appeared in Heavy Metal Nightmares anthology by Phobica Books March, 2023.

This story is voiced by Kristi Stewart. She is a regular performer for Read Me A Nightmare.

Her career has taken her from the newsroom, as an associate producer, a promotions director in country radio as well as a public relations manager for a not for profit, and, sponsorship manager for Rogers TV Toronto… all the while keeping her fingers in the entertainment field. She found a second love, as a voice actor.

Learn more about the Horror Lite Anthologies here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMM44YPZ

Put on your best concert gear, hide your beer in a paper bag, and let’s listen to some heavy metal.

If you go into the woods today...
Beware the Zaggamung.

James Hancock is a writer/screenwriter of comedy, thriller, horror, sci-fi and twisted fairy tales. A few of his short screenplays have been made into films, and he has been published in print magazines, online, and in anthology books. He lives in England, with his wife and two daughters. And a bunch of pets he insisted his girls could NOT have.

Zaggamung is a short atmospheric horror story written byJames Hancock and performed by Karen Shute.

In our interview, James Hancock talks about the differences between screen writing and the short story world. We also hit on the importance of writing groups.

Here are some links if you want to learn more:

https://twitter.com/JimHank13
Bring Out the Wicked
Dark Day Collection of Drabbles