"Trust me," the insect repeated. Franz did not. What if Franz Kafka did not succumb to tuberculosis at the age of 40? What if he awoke the day after his supposed death to find himself attended by the giant insect he once imagined in his own story The Metamorphosis? And what if he were recruited by a mysterious agency to investigate a rash of bizarre, mysterious murders plaguing 1924 Vienna? Murders that are possibly connected to an equally mysterious performer who commits suicide every night at the music hall (but cannot be connected to any crimes)? The Hanging Artist leads the newly rehabilitated Franz Kafka on an absurdist round of discoveries, the solution of which is more fantastical than anything he imagined. “Terrific” The Washington Post (‘The best science fiction and fantasy of 2019’).

Death. He plays a cunning role in our lives. Sometimes he uses us to do his bidding; other times, we can elude him, play him for a fool. But in the end, he always wins. In this volume of the Ink Stains anthology, our authors examine both Death and death and the power and pain that can accompany it. Mackenzie Cox, Layla DeGroff, Miranda Forman, S.D. Hintz, Anna Mavromati, Bekki Pate, Holly Saiki, and Jon Steinhagen lead us through a journey of eight tales exploring our connection with death in both the mundane and supernatural realms.

Gestatten: Kafka, Franz Kafka. Was wäre, wenn Franz Kafka nicht mit 40 Jahren an Tuberkulose verstorben wäre? Wenn er stattdessen am Tag nach seinem vermeintlichen Tod die Augen aufgeschlagen und sich an seinem Krankenbett eine ungewöhnlich große, ungewöhnlich eloquente Kakerlake als Pflegekraft befunden hätte? Die ihm noch dazu ungewöhnlich bekannt vorkäme? Schon bald werden Kafka und Gregor Samsa von einer geheimnisvollen Agentur als Privatermittler engagiert, denn im Wien des Jahres 1924 kommt es zu einer ebenso mysteriösen wie bizarren Mordserie – und des Rätsels Lösung ist absurder als alles, was Kafka sich jemals selbst hätte ausdenken können ...

Fiction. "Jon Steinhagen's THE BIG BOOK OF SOUNDS captures the rhythm of everyday life at its most sinister, deftly leading us into a world that is simultaneously familiar and unsettling. In twenty-two flawless tales, most escapades in form as well as substance, Steinhagen creates a haunting world that is vivid and true and categorically unique. Imagine the spare, sharp prose of Sherwood Anderson layered with Shirley Jackson's eerie genius... and you have maybe an inkling of the adventure in store for you. THE BIG BOOK OF SOUNDS is a work of towering imagination, a collection of carefully burnished gems not to be missed." Jacob M. Appel"

What makes your skin tingle? What makes you look over your shoulder sure that something is lurking there? What ratchets your tension level up so high that nothing matters more than what comes next on the page?The answers to those questions are the ones we sought when we put together this collection of nine stories. Inside these pages you'll find fear that engages, fear that provokes, fear that drives you to the brink of... Well, everyone has a different precipice when it comes to fear, but the stories selected for FEAR: Of the Dark certainly held our attention.If you truly enjoy a well written story that engages the senses and prompts anxiety and paranoia, FEAR: Of the Dark may be the perfect collection of short stories for you. And in case you were wondering, it is waiting for you, out there - somewhere; you just don't know it yet.Contributing Authors:Rose Blackthorn, Juan J. Gutiérrez, Jovan Jones, Lars Kramhøft, Lisamarie Lamb, Jon Olson, Zachary O'Shea, Jon Steinhagen, and Alex Woolf