The Hollow Dispatch
Stories Unburied
Welcome back to your favorite horror corner of the Substack universe. Today we have some incredible stories featured. If you’re new here, welcome. Macabre Monday is a place to discover writers, find readers, share stories, and discover community events and contests.
Post your work here or in the chat! We host a new thread every week.
New Voices
New to the Macabre Monday community?
Post a link to your Substack in the comments! We’ll feature your work in an upcoming issue!
Featured Stories
Standout posts from last week
Skyla of Slasher shared some dinosaur horror in The Extinction Files. If you have never taken a tour of through Skyla’s work, do yourself a favor and check it out. She explores horror as a genre through a series of archive entries, exposing the evils of the systems we accept and promote. Horror is the mirror. A strange combination of found footage and conspiracy dossier, this is a Substack you won't want to look away from.
They said the dinosaurs died 66 million years ago. They were wrong. From the corporate hubris of InGen's island paradise to clandestine government labs experimenting in the shadows, humanity has been quietly pulling things back from extinction. But curiosity has a price. The Archive has been watching. The files are open. And somewhere outside a window in Chicago, something ancient is staring back.
Kate M. Sine posted a piece from her The Word Not World Series (WNW), an interactive anthology, Black Rabbit
When the hunting party came for the coven, they thought they had won. But Silas did not burn with her sisters, and now she’s ready for vengeance. A gorgeous and disturbing witch tale that left us wanting more.
Travis Blake gave us a preview of his revised version of Dracula’s Ghost, a serialized novel (series of novels actually) that he has been posting on Substack since 2023, and let me tell you, the writing is stellar. It picks up with Arthur Holmwood, the fiancé of Lucy, one of Dracula’s victims in Bram Stoker’s classic.
Four years after the nightmare ended, Arthur Holmwood has rebuilt his life. A new love, a coming marriage, and the mercy of fading dreams. The darkness of 1893 is long past. But when a sleepless night draws him back to Carfax Abbey, he discovers that time can not heal all wounds.
Community Recommendations
Have a story you think deserves more readers?
Reply to this post or respond in the chat we’re always looking for pieces the community loves.
Recent Publications
David B. Corder published a book, Roses and Blood, Shadows and Magic: A Collection of Dark Stories and Poems. Get it on Amazon.
Dark are the woods. Evil are the shadows behind every tree. Magic spells are chanted and woven. Creatures of nightmare reach out to take you. Blood drips onto the soft petals of a black rose. Be aware and be afraid.
Have something published recently?
Post a link in the comments, and we’ll include it in an upcoming issue.
Announcements
Today is the final day for horror submissions to Round 2 of the Lunar Awards. I (Shaina) am the horror ambassador, and Garen Marie is the guest judge. The winner and runner up will receive a publication contract to be featured in the Lunar Awards anthology,
Our very own Brian Martinez announced an upcoming book, the finale in a trilogy, Bleeders: All Hell. Available now for preorder!
Bleeders: All Hell is the explosive finale to the action-packed, darkly comedic Bleeders trilogy.
Brody Tate, professional zombie apocalypse survivor and lifetime contender for World's Biggest Smartass, has a lot on his plate. After barely escaping a trap set by his archnemesis Silas, he and his ragtag group have holed up in a rainy church to figure out their next move.
The mission? Rescue Alison, the very woman who betrayed them the last time they tried to escape New York City. Before she'd vanished, reasons unknown, she'd left Brody with more than a fire in his loins. He holds a mysterious USB stick, contents also unknown. But Brody intends to learn the answers to both questions she left him with, face-to-face. If that means going through Silas—and anyone standing with him—so be it.
And that's if the chaos-loving Smiley cult doesn't get in the way.
Can Brody save the girl, smite his enemies, and escape the bloodied grips of a city that wants to eat him alive? Or will his plans all go to hell?
Have an announcement to share (releases, calls for submissions, or milestones)?
Let us know in the comments or the chat, and we’ll help spread the word.
The chat is open. Bring your stories, your poems, your freshly published pieces and your works-in-progress. Bring the thing you wrote that you’re not sure anyone will understand. Someone here will. Come say hello.
Thank you for including The Archive in this week’s MM!
I write short fiction on mine if it is okay to share.
https://authoremmalouise.substack.com/p/flash-fiction-friday?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=24tmzy