Who is this Mark McLaughlin person, and why should you read him? Mark—whom I’ve had the pleasure of publishing for nearly 20 years now—is one of those unique voices in the horror field. He doesn’t tread the safe (or even sane!) path, but goes off in quirky directions, and he’s happy to have company along the way. And while he’s poking around the oddest places, he finds humor in the outrageous and the unsettling. Vampires? Of course. Zombies? Definitely. But these are never quite the monsters you’re expecting. Don’t take my word for it. Here are some other opinions: “In the most devious manner, McLaughlin’s stories achieve a high degree of demonism by perpetuating a sinister ‘humor’ at the gallows of the human comedy.” (Thomas Ligotti) “Listen up. Noel Coward is back. Salvador Dali is back. Dylan Thomas is back. And they’re all rolled into one in the shape of Mark McLaughlin who writes stories that are wonderfully witty, surrealistic and ineffably strange. Absolutely fabulous.... If your palette is jaded, come to the feast that is Mark McLaughlin.” (Simon Clark) “McLaughlin’s tales are laugh-out-loud assaults on consensus reality.” (Paul Di Filippo, ASIMOV’S) “Reading Mark McLaughlin is a little like stepping out of the door of an airplane in mid flight. The view is pretty amazing, but the shock of impact may do you in...gruesome, funny and touching. Top that: anybody....” (TANGENT) So, dig in and enjoy these 28 tales by one of the modern masters of the macabre! Part 1: Cosmic Horrors The House of the Ocelot Queen of the Vultures The Foul One Lives to Destroy Der Fleischbrunnen A Beauty Treatment for Mrs. Hamogeorgakis Toadface Shoggoth Cacciatore Mrs. Dakhamunzu Used Viol, One Previous Owner The Resurrection of Nephren-Ka PART 2: Magic, Monsters, Zombies, And Demons Adroitly Wrapped Why Cosmo Used to Wear a Lab Smock Every Halloween Largesse ZOM BEE MOO VEE Empress of the Living Dead ascloseasthis Scenes from a Foreign Horror Video, with Zombies and Tasteful Nudity Aunt Paloma Diabolical Entities and How to Deal with Them The Disciples of Monidroth PART 3: Tales of the Surreal and the Bizarre The Vainglorious Simulacrum of Mungha Sorcyllamia The Astonishing Secret of the King of the Cats Deck the Halls with Guacamole The Revelations of McDeth The Agony of Claude Bawls Don’t Look in the Little Storage Room Behind the Furnace The Tale of the Cat-Headed Man, the Man-Headed Dog, and the Lady with Rats for Hands Dr. Belmont’s Hiking Buddy If you enjoy this ebook, check out the 400+ other volumes in the MEGAPACK® series, covering not just horror, but science fiction, fantasy, westerns, romance, and many other genres (even nurse novels!). Search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press MEGAPACK" to see the complete list of available titles.

From the early 1900s through the 1950s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history. This fascinating new history of Ocean City, New Jersey, showcases more than two hundred of the best vintage postcards available. Images in this collection date between 1879 and 1950.

Organized ski racing in America started near Lake Tahoe in the 1860s when gold miners rode 15-foot boards that reached speeds near 100 miles per hour. By 1895, residents of Truckee had started the nations first winter carnival west of the Rocky Mountains and soon built the largest ski jump in California. Todays Lake Tahoe, with significant annual snowfall, has become home to the largest concentration of ski resorts on the continent. Places like Mount Rose, Squaw Valley (home of the 1960 Winter Olympics), Sugar Bowl, Heavenly Valley, Homewood, Sierra-at-Tahoe, Alpine Meadows, Kirkwood, Diamond Peak, Donner Ski Ranch, Granlibakken, and Northstar-at-Tahoe have seen skiing styles, sports, and fashions churn through the decades, while now gone resorts, such as Edelweiss and White Hills Ski Resort, echo the memories of yesterdays skiers through the pines.

Divided by state lines and the Mississippi River, the Quad Cities share a common haunted heritage. If anything, the seam that runs through the region is especially rife with spirits, from the Black Angel of Moline's Riverside Cemetery to the spectral Confederate POWs of Arsenal Island. Of course, the city centers have their own illustrious supernatural residents - the Hanging Ghost occupies Davenport's City Hall, while the Phantom Washwoman wanders Bettendorf's Central Avenue. At Igor's Bistro in Rock Island, every day is Halloween. Michael McCarty and Mark McLaughlin hunt down the haunted lore of this vibrant midwestern community.

In Personal Demons, Jake Helman, an elite member of the New York Special Homicide Task Force, faces what every cop dreads—an elusive serial killer. While investigating a series of bloodletting sacrifice rituals executed by an ominous perpetrator known as the Cipher, Jake refuses to submit to a drug test and resigns from the police department. While battling a cocaine addiction, Jake starts a high-pressure position as the director of security at Tower International, a controversial genetic-engineering company. Beneath the polished exterior of the corporate identity and the CEO—who has a reputation as the frontiersman on the cutting edge of science—is a deranged mind. As Jake delves deeper into this frightening laboratory, he discovers much more than unethical practices performed in the name of human progress. Sequestered in rooms veiled in secrecy is the worst crime the world will ever see—the theft of the human soul. Horrifying and gruesome, this is a gripping, suspense-filled novel that offers intense arguments about science, ethics, and human life. In Monster Behind the Wheel, As a child, Jeremy Carmichael fell from a Ferris wheel at a carnival. When he landed on a beautiful young woman, his fall was broken. Unfortunately, so was the woman’s spine. Years later, while delivering pizzas, Jeremy is injured in a car accident . . . that opens the gates between the worlds of the living and the dead, awakening the spirit of cruel Frank Edmondson. Frank, the policeman who arrived at the scene of that carnival accident long ago, was that woman’s lover. Now, ready for revenge, Frank devises a cunning plan. Soon Jeremy finds himself visiting the realm of the dead in dreams and visions. Is this Frank’s doing, or is there another explanation? Using a sleek muscle car called Monster, Frank gains control over Jeremy’s life. But what Frank doesn't know is that he’s tampering with the fate of the entire universe . . . because Jeremy isn't your average pizza delivery boy, and all hell is about to break loose—literally. In Floating Staircase, Following the success of his latest novel, Travis Glasgow and his wife Jodie buy their first house in the seemingly idyllic western Maryland town of Westlake. At first, everything is picture perfect—from the beautiful lake behind the house to the rebirth of the friendship between Travis and his brother, Adam, who lives nearby. Travis also begins to overcome the darkness of his childhood and the guilt he’s harbored since his younger brother’s death—a tragic drowning veiled in mystery that has plagued Travis since he was 13. Soon, though, the new house begins to lose its allure. Strange noises wake Travis at night, and his dreams are plagued by ghosts. Barely glimpsed shapes flit through the darkened hallways, but strangest of all is the bizarre set of wooden stairs that rises cryptically out of the lake behind the house. Travis becomes drawn to the structure, but the more he investigates, the more he uncovers the house’s violent and tragic past, and the more he learns that some secrets cannot be buried forever.

Weather or Not, God is in Control, is a book like no other that you have ever read. Weather or Not, draws you in to the weather and natural phenomenon with scientific descriptions of what causes natural disasters and then uses various biblical stories of how Jesus, His disciples and followers, even the apostle Paul and Old Testament prophets like Elijah and Elisha were affected by weather. Weather or Not, shows us how even though we see or endure chaos of events, God is still in control. Grab some coffee or tea, sit back and enjoy reading. Pray to see how God will work and show you His sovereignty, His love and protection.

Welcome to the Best Little Witch-House in Arkham! In this midnight den of dread and desire, you will find twenty-five rooms, each with a story of its own to tell. Here you will enjoy a delectable variety of otherworldly horrors and delights...enough to satisfy even your most eldritch desires. You will find evil pop-stars longing to devour their fans. You will find a sophisticated secret agent in search of supernatural super-villains. You will find a futuristic restaurant for alien connoisseurs, where you’ll savor the monstrous specialty of the house...and much, much more!

Throughout history, people have been fascinated by the seductive allure of vampires. We read about them in books, watch stories about them on television and in movies -- but do we know all there is to know about them? Of course not. These creatures of the shadows have kept their most shocking secrets hidden . . . until now. "Dracula Transformed & Other Bloodthirsty Tales" features eleven vampire stories by Bram Stoker Award-winning author Mark McLaughlin and Bram Stoker Award finalist Michael McCarty. In these stories, they have unearthed many of the secrets of the bloodthirsty dead. In the novella "Dracula Transformed," Dracula is brought back from beyond the grave in a manner that gives him startling new powers. Using these powers, he begins a bloody campaign of vengeance. In "Lucy Transformed," you will learn of the relationship between Dracula and his daughter Zaleska, as well as his growing fondness for Lucy Westenra -- a fondness that will seal Lucy's doom. Even more vampiric horror awaits you in the remaining nine tales. McLaughlin and McCarty are the co-authors of the horror novel, "Monster Behind The Wheel," along with other novels, story collections, and poetry collections. Both authors also have successful solo writing careers. Wildside Press books by Mark McLaughlin include: "Beach Blanket Zombie," "Best Little Witch-House in Arkham," and "Hideous Faces, Beautiful Skulls." Wildside Press books by Michael McCarty include: "A Little Help from My Fiends" and "Dark Duets: Musical Mayhem."

The darkness holds many surprises. In this collection of thirty stories of horror and the bizarre, we shall explore some of those surprises. Even though I’ve been extolling the virtues of darkness, I do encourage you to read this book with the lights on. Light does have its practical applications, you know. You have to see the words.

As a child, Jeremy Carmichael fell from a Ferris wheel at a carnival. When he landed on a beautiful young woman, his fall was broken. Unfortunately, so was the woman’s spine. Years later, while delivering pizzas, Jeremy is injured in a car accident . . . that opens the gates between the worlds of the living and the dead, awakening the spirit of cruel Frank Edmondson. Frank, the policeman who arrived at the scene of that carnival accident long ago, was that woman’s lover. Now, ready for revenge, Frank devises a cunning plan. Soon Jeremy finds himself visiting the realm of the dead in dreams and visions. Is this Frank’s doing, or is there another explanation? Using a sleek muscle car called Monster, Frank gains control over Jeremy’s life. But what Frank doesn't know is that he’s tampering with the fate of the entire universe . . . because Jeremy isn't your average pizza delivery boy, and all hell is about to break loose—literally.