· 2013
Southern Gothic: New Tales of the South is an anthology like no other. Featuring over 15 stories and poems by new and veteran authors, the writing reflects a diverse range of Southern experience. From the post-Katrina New Orleans of Rose Yndigoyen’s “Long Gone Girls” and the deep-rooted family of Hardy Jones’ “Visitin’ Cormierville” to the racial tension of Eryk Pruitt’s “Them Riders” and Shane K. Bernard’s “The Phrenologist,” the anthology represents a new interpretation of the long-established Southern Gothic genre. Each story is paired with original art by Nathan Mark Phillips. Phillips’ images pull at the underside of the stories and bring a thoughtful level of interpretation to each work. Poking at the heart of Southern distinctiveness, these writers and artists make a bold statement about the south in the 21st century. 80# paper, semi-matte finish, 7x7 inches
· 2013
n this collection of 14 speculative short stories, author A.A. Garrison takes us to Ford, North Carolina, a sleepy little mountain town named after a Civil War deserter. Though out of the way, the town seems to attract an immoderate share of the fantastic and the macabre. Amongst Ford's citizens are: -Blake ("The Fifty"), who purchases revenge with a fifty-dollar bill -Candy Patrice ("Cloyed"), a young woman who adopts a most unorthodox diet-plan -Mara Dees ("Additive Free"), star in a grisly scheme to appease visitors from outer space -Johannes Bitter ("Half Dead"), an undertaker with an exceptional case of lady trouble -The Doctor ("See Sick"), a roving voyeur who sees more than he bargains for -Frank Belmont ("Dead End"), who goes hunting for nostalgia and finds trouble -Brian ("Brian, Destroyer of Worlds"), who commits murder by coffee -Zedok Crane ("The Package"), amnesic serial killer extraordinaire -The Narrator ("The Center"), a man who saw the face of God And more ...
· 2013
Author A.A. Garrison continues to showcase his "darkly radiant" brand of horror, by venturing back into the macabre terrain traveled in the original 'Shining Horrific.' Volume II expands upon its predecessor with several stories of a hybrid bent - sci-fi, a dark Western, classic zombie romps, and the bizarre-grotesque - as well as delivering more of the original collection's pure-horror fare.There are nineteen tales in all, comprising a novel-length read. With a careful mix of involving novelettes and just-long-enough shorts, there's something for everybody.Now, once again come explore that twilight country of the shining horrific ...
· 2014
Almost forty years ago, a literary movement forever changed the landscape of the horror industry. Splatterlands: Reawakening the Splatterpunk Revolution is a collection of personal, intelligent and subversive horror with a point. This illustrated volume of dark fiction honors the truly revolutionary efforts of some of the most brilliant writers of all time with an all-new collection of visceral, disturbing and thought-provoking work from a diverse group of modern minds. Exploring concepts that include serial murder, betrayal, religious fanaticism, physical abuse, societal corruption, greed, mental instability, sexual assault and more, Splatterlands delivers on the promise of the original Splatterpunk movement with this collection of honest, intelligent, ground-breaking and hyper-intensive horror. FEATURING: "Heirloom" by Michael Laimo A daughter finds herself in competition with an antique rifle for her father's affection as her admiration for the weapon becomes unimaginable. "Violence for Fun and Profit" by Gregory L. Norris Following economic collapse, a man finds himself homeless and develops a new talent that open doors to vicious opportunities. "Empty" by A.A. Garrison Navigating the streets of a future city, a devoted wife stops at nothing to help her husband regain his religion as questionable gods require a dire payment. "Amputations in the Key of D" by Jack Maddox After a routine surgery changes his life, a washed-up rock star finds far more painful methods to discover one's true talent. "Housesitting" by Ray Garton While housesitting for her neighbors, a routine visit to feed the pets change a suburbanites world forever. "Dis" by Michele Garber Dr. Tony Weiss can't deal with his patients or his quadriplegic wife until a demon escapes from his nightmares and enters his waking world. "Dwellers" by Paul M. Collrin On a trip into the desert to evangelize to a drug-addicted cult, a would-be prophet opens the schism between Heaven and Hell and becomes a participant in battle over the nature of religion. "Party Guests" by Chad Stroup To most, Geoffrey seems like a normal young men, the life of the party. But on the inside, his mental condition takes a unforgettable horrifying turn. "The Viscera of Worship" by Allen Griffin Searching for his place in the world, one man takes steps down a path into true darkness to find his ultimate purpose. "The Defiled" by Christine Morgan On the run, a group of vicious thieves and rapists seek refuge within a community of swamp dwellers only to realize their safety is anything but certain. "The Artist" by James S. Dorr Vince is an artist drawn to the unusual: creating masterpieces from slabs of meat. And, after all, isn't art intended to be shared? "A Letter to My Ex" by J. Michael Major While on a trip to Paris, a divorced man finds himself penning a horrifying letter to his ex-wife that no parent wants to receive. "Devil Rides Shotgun" by Eric Del Carlo Joaquim Abito is desperate to solve the difficult case of grisly murders and he enlists help that comes with a huge price Proudly presented by Grey Matter Press, the multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated publisher. Grey Matter Press: Where Dark Thoughts Thrive
· 2013
The journey into darkness continues in this, the second in the Dark Visions Modern Horror series and follow-up to the Bram Stoker Award® Nominated Dark Visions: A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume One. Dark Visions: A Collection of Modern Horror - Volume Two. takes you far deeper into the twisted psyche of man with 14 psychological tales of creeping dread that explore the evil the lives inside all of mankind. The stories in DARK VISIONS TWO offer an even darker, more insidious look into the concepts of life, death and how choices we make affect our eternal souls. FEATURING: - Mister White by John C. Foster - Dreaming in and Out by Carol Holland March - Moonlighting by Chad McKee - Wormhole by J. Daniel Stone - Remember Me by David Blixt - The First Years by David Siddall - The Elemenatals and I by C.M. Saunders - Release by Jane Brooks & Peter Whitley - Water, Some of it Deep by David Murphy - Acceptance by Kenneth Whitfield - Variations of Soullessness by A.A. Garrison - Chapelston by Rhesa Sealy - Last Call by JC Hemphill - City Song by Edward Morris & Trent Zelazny Proudly presented by Grey Matter Press, the multiple Bram Stoker Award-nominated independent publisher. Grey Matter Press: Where Dark Thoughts Thrive
· 2013
Pemberton? Yeah, I been there. Take a right at the light, and you'll see the sign. There's not much to it, I'm afraid. Still, they got a right nice hospital, darned if I know why. It rains there, I hear.Me? I don't go down there, if I can help it.You hear things about Pemberton, if you reckon. My cousin, Annie, she popped a flat coming down that valley last year, and, well ... I shouldn't say no more about that, with her still in the psych ward.You know they never did find that mayor that went missing? And he ain't the only one - are all kinds of people who've got gone around Pemberton, if you can believe what you hear.But, it don't prove nothing, I suppose. You hear these things; but you hear lots of things. And as for Annie, she's had her one right hard time, with the doctors talking about 'post-trauma' stress and delusions. And, well ... you hear lots of things.I'll say this, mister. If you're heading through them parts, keep your windows up and your doors locked. And take a spare tire.
· 2014
Sometimes the best fiction defies all labels. That's why these stories are called, simply, "tales of the imagination."In this collection of 15 diverse selections from author A.A. Garrison, the reader is introduced to a broad expanse of literary territory, ranging from sci-fi to crime to post-apocalyptic ruminations, including some outright weirdness and a no-apologies zombie romp.Comprising a full, novel-length read, this collection is guaranteed to satisfy most literary appetites. After all, isn't all fiction about imagining what is and what could be?
· 2015
Weird is a sad clown in church. Weirder, that the congregation is all clowns. Weird: you're a sad clown, too, and you think you like it.That says it all. In 'Weird, Weirder & WEIRD,' descend into the depths of A.A. Garrison's particular brand of strange. Begin with the traditional, sci-fi weird ("Suffer," "RIP, Krokinski"), progress to the hauntingly peculiar ("Faith," "Chesterfield Drive"), and then end with some full-throttle, no-apologies bizarro ("The Enema Flower: A Love Story," "GG Allin Must Die"). Altogether, these twenty stories deliver a full spectrum of weirdness-and then some.Come on, don't be shy. Everyone likes a little weird. Or are you afraid you'll like life as a sad, church-going clown?
· 2012
Fiction. The movies never prepared him for this, even the ones that ended badly. Jack "Colonel" Jones is suddenly alone in the world. After surviving a plague that decimates the U.S., and perhaps the entire human population, he is left in a junky's nightmare where hard drugs are the only remedy for an ongoing virus and dead bodies are his only companions. Sick and desperate, he meets a savior who goes by the name Jack Cruz. Jack Cruz is a hulking behemoth with a giant pistol and stockpile of post- apocalyptic supplies, but he also has a mysterious past and an increasingly disconcerting obsession with the death and decay that surrounds them. As Colonel's suspicions rise, and he begins to feel complicit in the wrongdoings of his post-apocalyptic roommate, Colonel must grapple new the questions: Can you be moral when there are only two people left on earth? Can there be sanity? And who decides? Is Colonel just paranoid, or are his fears justified? As the stakes heat up and the intensity flares, Colonel must find out the truth and decide—when your only companion in the world might be a murderer, and there is no one left to kill, is surviving worth it? THE END OF JACK CRUZ grabs readers as a plague memoir by a Renfield-like character, Jack "Colonel" Jones, who becomes the unwitting companion to a man on a mission from God to 'save' humanity's final moments. Through tormenting impotence, grinding doubt, and the weakest constitution, Colonel attempts to understand the sole survivor to whom he's become enslaved. An existential drama, much like Waiting for Godot, THE END OF JACK CRUZ is much more than just a story about two people locked into a battle of survival; it's the story about a man's final chance to awaken from life lived in the shadows.
· 2014
"Novella - [noh-vel-uh] - a fictional prose narrative that is longer and more complex than a short story"Some folks like short stories, others enjoy the deeper waters of a novel. But what about those times when a short story is too short and a proper novel too long?Enter the novella, that literary stopgap.Collected here are five such long-shorts, of a speculative bent:*"Deadheading with Max," a quietly fantastic travel story*"Everything's Connected," an outrageous sci-fi slapstick romp*"Intangible," a paranormal drama depicting the strangest of theft*"The Birth of Edenborough," a post-apocalyptic romance*"The Dead Man's Phone," a lighthearted horror thriller'The Long Short Story' - guaranteed to occupy that lengthy commute or trip to the park, when other fiction just wouldn't sit right.