Hunter Shea

"I don't know how Hunter Shea keeps churning out terrifying stories that feel original, but I want more." – Cedar Hollow Reviews During the height of the 90s grunge era, five high school friends living on the fringe are driven to the breaking point. When one of their friends is brutally raped by a drunk townie, they decide to take matters into their own hands. Deep in the woods of Milbury, Connecticut, there lives the legend of the Melon Heads, a race of creatures that shun human interaction and prey on those who dare to wander down Dracula Drive. Maybe this night, one band of misfits can help the other. Or maybe some legends are meant to be feared for a reason. FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Misfits

The monsters live inside of Kate Woodson. Chronic pain and a host of autoimmune diseases have robbed her of a normal, happy life. Her husband Andrew's surprise of their dream Maine lake cottage for the summer is the gift of a lifetime. It's beautiful, remote, idyllic, a place to heal. But they are not alone. Something is in the woods, screeching in the darkness, banging on the house, leaving animals for dead. Just like her body, Kate's cottage becomes her prison. She and Andrew must fight to survive the creature that lurks in the dead of night. The FLAME TREE PRESS fiction imprint from Flame Tree Publishing brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Creature

"We Are Always Watching had me conjuring the spirit of McDowell's classic, The Elementals... until it curved and curved again. I liked everything about this novel from cover to close. With climbing suspense, gut-wrenching twists, and a high-octane finish, We Are Always Watching is horror at its finest. With much of the year still to go, Shea's novel will nevertheless place him among the best of 2017." -Jason Parent, author of Seeing Evil and People of the Sun "Hunter Shea has his own style. It's simple, yet well-written, stories that flow with ease. Mr. Shea graciously walks you through the adventure and mystery, all the while, tickling the hairs on the nape of your neck and filling the pit of your guts with lead." -Glenn Rolfe, Author of Chasing Ghosts and The Haunted Halls They've watched over the house for generations... The move from New York to the decrepit Pennsylvania farmhouse is as bad as West Ridley thought it would be. His father's crippling vertigo only seems to get worse, and even with his mother working herself to the bone, they're out of money and options. Grandpa Abraham is a drunk bastard and the living embodiment of the long neglected farmhouse. He claims the place is haunted. Ghosts roam the hall at night and their muffled cries fill the silence of warm, summer nights. On the ceiling above West's bed are the words WE SEE YOU. In a house plagued by death and mysterious visitations, West realizes something beyond the fiction of his favorite horror books has to be faced. Dark secrets are buried deep, and there are Guardians who want to keep it that way. No matter where they go or what they do, West and his family know one thing... they are always watching.

We Are Always Watching

"I don't know how Hunter Shea keeps churning out terrifying stories that feel original, but I want more." – Cedar Hollow Reviews How do you survive hearing your family being brutally murdered over the phone? For Father Raul Figeuroa, all faith and hope are lost. Turning away from the priesthood, he retreats to his aunt's empty farmhouse in upstate New York, hoping to drink himself to oblivion. But he's not alone in the house. Something is trying to reach out to him. Or is he losing his grip on reality? When his childhood friend Felix comes to visit, things take a darker turn. The deeper they dig into the mystery, the closer they get to hell literally breaking loose. FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress.

Faithless

"Watch out, world, the Wraith is coming for you. As always, Shea brings the thrills with this urban exploration mystery chiller!" Megan Hart, New York Times bestseller author Five years after Ashley King survived the infamous Resort Massacre, she's found hanging in her basement by her fiancé, Todd Matthews. She left behind clues as to what really happened that night, clues that may reveal the identity of the killer the press has called The Wraith. With the help of his friends, Todd goes back to the crumbling Hayden Resort, a death-tinged ruin in the Catskills Mountains. What they find is a haunted history that's been lying in wait for a fresh set of victims. The Wraith is back, and he's nothing what they expected. FLAME TREE PRESSis the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Slash

The Jersey Devil

Down in Texas, even the legends are bigger. Some say the Goat Man is just an old folk tale, meant to scare people from wandering too far into the woods. For a group of Satanists, crossing the infamous Goat Man's Bridge is the first step to appeasing their Dark Lord. When their sacrifice goes wrong, hell is birthed on Earth. What rises from the ashes under a lightning-slashed sky will crave only two things: to bring about chaos, and bathe in the blood of the dead. An ex-con, pastry chef, paranormal podcaster and terrified teen fight to stay one step ahead of their destruction as the town around them is crushed under the horns of the horrifying cryptid now possessed by demons from hell. The Goat Man has arrived, and it won't leave until there is nothing left alive. "Hunter Shea is to monsters what George Romero was to zombies. You'll never have more fun being frightened." -- Brian Keene "If you're looking for a fun creature feature, Shea is the leader of the pack." - Kendall Reviews "Shea fans, and fans of cryptid creatures are likely to revel in this love letter to a legendary menace." Publishers Weekly

To The Devil, A Cryptid

"Jessica Backman has been called to help a strange family living on a haunted island in Charleston Harbor. Ormsby Island was the site of a brutal massacre two decades ago, and now the mysterious Harper family needs someone to exorcise the ghosts that still call it home. The phantoms of over one hundred children cannot rest. But something far more insidious is living on the island. When the living and the dead guard their true intentions, how can Jessica discover just what sort of evil lurks on Ormsby Island? And why is Jessica the only one who can plumb its dark depths?"--Back cover.

Island of the Forbidden

How can you escape the ghost of yourself? The Leigh family is terrified. They’ve been haunted by the ghostly image of their young daughter, Selena. But how can that be, when Selena is alive and well, and as frightened as her parents? With no where else to turn, the Leighs place their hopes in Jessica Backman, who has dedicated her life to investigating paranormal activity. Accompanied by a new partner who claims to able to speak to the dead, Jessica will soon encounter an entity that scares even her. And a terror far worse than she imagined.

Sinister Entity

“Old school horror.” —Jonathan Maberry THE LEGEND LIVES Everyone knows the legend of the Jersey Devil. Some believe it is an abomination of nature, a hybrid winged beast from hell that stalks the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey searching for prey. Others believe it is a hoax, a campfire story designed to scare children. But one man knows the truth... THE DEVIL AWAKES Sixty years ago, Boompa Willet came face to face with the Devil—and lived to tell the tale. Now, the creature’s stomping grounds are alive once again with strange sightings, disappearances, and worse. After all these years, Boompa must return to the Barrens, not to prove the legend is real but to wipe it off the face of the earth... THE BEAST MUST DIE It’ll take more than just courage to defeat the Devil. It will take four generations of the Willet clan, a lifetime of survivalist training, and all the firepower they can carry. But timing is critical. A summer music festival has attracted crowds of teenagers. The woods are filled with tender young prey. But this time, the Devil is not alone. The evil has grown into an unholy horde of mutant monstrosities. And hell has come home to New Jersey... “Shea delivers a tense and intriguing work of escalating tension splattered with a clever, extensive cast of bystanders turned victims...An otherwise excellent, tightly delivered plot...Fans of cryptid creatures are likely to revel in this love letter to a legendary menace.”– Publishers Weekly Raves for The Montauk Monster “A lot of splattery fun.”—Publishers Weekly “Frightening, gripping.”—Night Owl Reviews

Weirdsmith Magazine 

FLORIDA. IT’S WHERE YOU GO TO DIE. Welcome to Polo Springs, a sleepy little town on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It’s a great place to live—if you don’t mind the hurricanes. Or the flooding. Or the unusual wildlife . . . IGUANAS. THEY’RE EVERYWHERE. Maybe it’s the weather. But the whole town is overrun with the little green bastards this year. They’re causing a lot of damage. They’re eating everything in sight. And they’re just the babies . . . HUMANS. THEY’RE WHAT’S FOR DINNER. The mayor wants to address the iguana problem. But when Hurricane Ramona slams the coast, the town has a bigger problem on their hands. Bigger iguanas. Bigger than a double-wide. Unleashed by the storm, this razor-toothed horde of prehistoric predators rises up from the depths—and descends on the town like retirees at an early bird special. Except humans are on the menu. And it’s all you can eat . . . Raves for The Montauk Monster “Old school horror.” —Jonathan Maberry “A lot of splattery fun.”—Publishers Weekly “Frightening, gripping.”—Night Owl Reviews

Jurassic Florida

They call them the wolves of the sea. From marine parks to the deepest oceans, the world's killer whale population has turned against man and beast alike. Orca show trainers are ripped to pieces before stunned audiences. Ships are capsized. Oil rigs are bashed without mercy. What has driven the apex predators stark raving mad? Chet Clarke has dedicated his life to preserving the health and dignity of orcas in captivity. Along with orca trainer Rosario Benitez, he embarks on a whirlwind journey across the globe to witness unconscionable carnage and uncover the mystery for the sudden outbreak of mania. Is this the start of a catastrophic pandemic? Or do the clues lead to an enigmatic experiment in the wilds of Alaska and shadow operations in a Russian ghost town? Time is running out faster than the lives of those in the path of the orcas.

Fury of the Orcas

Deep in the murky waters of Loch Ness, the creature known as Nessie has returned. Twins Natalie and Austin McQueen watched in horror as their parents were devoured by the world's most infamous lake monster. Two decades later, it's their turn to hunt the legend. But what lurks in the Loch is not what they expected. Nessie is devouring everything in and around the Loch, and it's not alone. Hell has come to the Scottish Highlands. In a fierce battle between man and monster, the world may never be the same. Praise for THEY RISE: "Outrageous, balls to the wall...made me yearn for 3D glasses and a tub of popcorn, extra butter!" - The Eyes of Madness "A fast-paced, gore-heavy splatter fest of sharksploitation." The Werd "A rocket paced horror story. I enjoyed the hell out of this book." Shotgun Logic Reviews

Loch Ness Revenge

Terry West

"You're not about to step on a rollercoaster. You are about to plummet into the mind and nightmares of a master storyteller." -Hunter Shea (from his introduction) You never know what to expect from Terry M. West. A horror author who has delivered the scares for three decades, West chases his dark muse in any direction it goes. Old school creature feature, psychological horror, suspense, B-Movie cheese, humor, dystopia, and extreme horror so dark that it will leave a mark inside-- West refuses categorization. But the one constant to his work: it is always one Hell of a ride. GRUESOME: A Gathering of Nightmares collects some of his best fiction. Included in this 150,000 word collection: Don't the Monsters All Get Scarier at Closing Time, Honger, Morsel, Turning Face, Picaro, It Makes You Sad, The Rose Man, Southern-Fried Hex (featuring the brand new tale, Cecil & Bubba meet a Drunk Gypsy), Hair and Blood Machine, Honger 2, All of the Flesh Served. Includes an introduction by the one and only Hunter Shea. The older tales presented in Gruesome have been re-edited, polished, and in some cases expanded with all new material.

A Gathering of Nightmares

Gruesome

The swamp belongs to them. Humans are only prey. Deep in the overgrown swamps of Florida, where humans rarely dare to enter, lives a race of creatures long thought to be only the stuff of legend. They walk upright but are stronger, taller and more brutal than any man. And when a small boat of tourists, held captive by a fleeing criminal, accidentally kills one of the swamp dwellers' young, the creatures are filled with a terrifyingly human emotion-a merciless lust for vengeance that will paint the trees red with blood.

Swamp Monster Massacre

"Shea layers on the ever mounting sense of dread with a master craftsman's skill, with some excellent tension building scenes..." - Ginger Nuts of Horror 1st time with full trade distribution in all formats. Previously titled Hell Hole. Deep in a Wyoming mine, hell awaits. Nat Blackburn is given an offer he can't refuse by President Teddy Roosevelt. Tales of gold in the abandoned mining town of Hecla abound. The only problem - those who go seeking their fortune never return. Along with his constant companion, Teta, a hired gun with a thirst for adventure, Nat travels to a barren land where even animals dare not tread. Black-eyed children, strange lights and ferocious wild men venture from the deep, dark ghost mine...as well as a sinister force hungry for fresh souls. FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Ghost Mine

Some call them ghost sharks, the oldest and strangest looking creatures in the sea. Marine biologist Brad Whitley has studied chimaera fish all his life. He thought he knew everything about them. He was wrong. Warming ocean temperatures free legions of prehistoric chimaera fish from their methane ice suspended animation. Now, in a corner of the Bermuda Triangle, the ocean waters run red. The 400 million year old massive killing machines know no mercy, destroying everything in their path. It will take Whitley, his climatologist ex-wife and the entire US Navy to stop them in the bloodiest battle ever seen on the high seas.

Hunter Shea

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