All Posts By

MidnightSocietyMary

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Cast Away Stones – The Genesis of a Folk Horror Tale

Like most of my stories, Cast Away Stones started as a seed about superstition and ancient practices. Originally, when I set out to write a story based in folklore surrounding winter, I remembered some research I’d done on the Cailleach, an ancient winter goddess associated with the grain harvest in Scotland and Ireland. There was much folklore attached to her, with rural agricultural communities relying upon her for their prosperity. Not only did they worship her and try to keep her happy, they also revered her, believing their very livelihoods, and th[...]

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The Midnight Society Presents A Krampus Trio

We are very proud & excited to announce three of our members - Kathleen, Victoria & Mary - have all placed a story in the latest edition of the Gothic Blue Book series from Burial Day Books. GOTHIC BLUE BOOK VI: A KRAMPUS CAROL A collection of short horror stories and poems resurrect the spirit of the Gothic Blue Book. Gothic Blue Books were short Gothic fictions popular in the 18th and 19th century. Burial Day Books presents its sixth Gothic Blue Book, A Krampus Carol. A Krampus Carol is a celebration of folklore and myth around Christmas,[...]

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Happy Birthday Jolene!

In case you didn’t realize, today is a VERY important day for everyone in The Midnight Society - it’s the birthday of our wondrously fearless leader, Jolene Haley! Jolene, you are the sparkling unicorn every dreamer searches for. You are funny, talented, smart, and supportive of everyone around you! Without your spark, The fire at The Midnight Society would have never gone alight, and with you in our lives, it will never go out. So on this day, we celebrate you, and how lucky we are to have you in our lives! Since you are usually the bartender for ou[...]

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Fulfill Your Dark Destiny: Support The Pretty Little Dead Girls Graphic Novel

When I grow up, I want to be like my friend Mercedes M. Yardley. Not only is she amazingly talented and creative, she has cool pets like Thug Bunny (RIP) & Marsh the cat, who will melt you with one death-gaze. But her amazing book, Pretty Little Dead Girls, is being turned into a graphic novel! Pretty Little Dead Girls was published as a novel in 2014. Now, it is coming out as a graphic novel with illustrations by artist Orion Ganzara. I mean, just check out this cover art! If that didn’t entice you enough, the first line of the book is as follows: [...]

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Drink From The Skulls Of Horror Icons

Needing coffee to fuel my day isn’t particularly original. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t get to have a little fun with my morning java fix. When I stumbled upon Turkey Merck, an artisan who handcrafts horror-themed mugs and other merch, I was floored by the craftsmanship. Handcrafted, hand-painted, elaborately designed mugs that look like real skulls? I’m sold! But these designs are not for the faint of heart, or those who don’t possess a quick mouse-finger. These limited edition designs sell out within MINUTES of being released and I can see why.[...]

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It’s A Bleeder Read-Along With Monica Kuebler

Author Monica Kuebler started her Blood Magic series in 2012 with an online serial called Bleeder posted to Wattpad. The book ended up expanding into 4, and now has over 628K Reads on Wattpad. It’s obvious the horror/romance/paranormal/vampire YA series has touched a nerve with readers looking for a modern blood-soaked saga. Haven’t read any of the books in the series? You can start at the beginning by joining Monica as she hosts a read-along of Bleeder over the next few weeks. As Monica reads through the book that started it all, she will be sharing offi[...]

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An Audience with the Queen: Guest Post with Andrew Robertson

Blood and guts aren't the only things that get horror writers excited. Just ask author Andrew Robertson! In today's guest post, Andrew shares details of what it was like to find out one of his stories made the Preliminary Ballot for the Stoker Awards. He also shares the inspiration for his story and how he combined mythology and a classic literary villain in his modern retelling of a character from Lewis Carroll’s universe. An Audience with the Queen On January 20th, 2019 I was contacted by Sephera Giron, Horror Writers Association (HWA) Ontario Chapter Pr[...]

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Tell Me What You See – A Visual Writing Prompt Book

Tell Me What You See: Visual Writing Prompts For The Wandering Writer by Caroline Topperman is an inspiring take on travel writing. I’ve been following Caroline for a while on Instagram and have always loved her posts. They aren’t simply snapshots of her life both here and abroad. She always couples each photo with a tidbit or story that goes beyond the surface. So, it was pretty cool to see Caroline translate that artistry into book form with the release of Tell Me What You See this month.   ABOUT THE BOOK More than just writing prompts, Tell Me What Y[...]

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New to The Midnight Society – Dark Calls For Fiction

Start your 2019 off by submitting something to one of the calls in our Dark Fiction calendar! Are you an author working on a terrifying tome? Are you looking for somewhere to send your skin-crawlingly-frightening fiction? Check out our new Dark Calls for Submission Calendar! We have started compiling the coolest dark fiction markets this side of the casket and you can find them in our Writer Resources section. I don’t know about you guys but I always have so many stories on the go that sometimes, it’s hard to not only keep track of deadlines but to find m[...]

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The Horror Of Being Forgotten

As writers, each of us at The Midnight Society have our own reasons for doing what we do. As an escape, to explore new worlds, to make a statement about things going on in the world. However, I’d venture to say that every one of us writes so we can leave a legacy after we’ve gone. And my discovery of photographer Vivian Maier made me reflect on an artist's legacy. DISCOVERING VIVIAN MAIER I was recently introduced to Vivian Maier, who worked as a nanny for over 40 years in Chicago who, in her spare time, took photographs of people and architecture. The remark[...]