Todd Keisling

Surviving the collapse of the death cult that bore them was only the beginning for the Stauford Six. The real nightmare begins more than thirty years later with the death of their final protector and the awakening of the monster that fathered them.

Devil's Creek

In 1987, Congressman Benjamin Hardy III died by suicide on live television amidst accusations of political corruption. Years later, rumors of a recording surfaced among VHS trading groups and urban legend chat rooms. Dubbed the "Duncan Tape," after the deceased cameraman who attempted to sell the video, the rumors allege that anyone who watches the tape is driven to suicide. Or so the story goes. In truth, no one has ever seen the supposed Duncan Tape, presumably because it doesn't exist. It's a ghost story perpetuated on the forums and chat rooms of the internet, another handful of bytes scattered across the Information Superhighway at blistering 56K modem speeds. For Robby and his friends, an urban legend is the last thing on their minds when a boring Friday night presents a chance to download porn. But the short clip they watch turns out to be something far more graphic and disturbing, and in the coming days, they'll learn even the most outlandish urban legends possess a shred of truth...

Scanlines

WHO IS DONOVAN CANDLE? In A Life Transparent, first published in 2007, Todd Keisling welcomed readers to the Monochrome-a nightmarish parallel reality-and introduced Donovan Candle: a modern everyman experiencing an early mid-life crisis. Now, Bloodshot Books is proud to present a revised and expanded edition, featuring Keisling's all-new afterword series, "Who is Donovan Candle?" Donovan Candle is boring.Consummate husband, supportive brother, hard-working employee-a paragon of the diminishing Middle Class. Like so many others, he has fallen into routine and compromised his dreams for the sake of a paycheck. After a bad day at the office leaves him low, all Donovan wants is to sleep off the disappointment and start over. Donovan Candle is terrified. His body is fading out of existence. He's seeing strange visions of the world in monochrome and horrific creatures lurking in his periphery. No one else seems to notice, and as the odd afflictions intensify, Donovan fears he is losing his grip on reality. Donovan Candle is disappearing. Someone breaks into his home and abducts his wife. Before he can contact the authorities, a stranger's ominous phone call urges him on a path to her rescue, but only if he follows the rules. The clock is ticking, and with every step Donovan slips further into a state of transparency. Will he be in time to save his wife-and himself-from the dangers of A Life Transparent?

Book One of the Monochrome Trilogy

A Life Transparent

"Todd Keisling is already a mainstay of modern horror, and this book proves why. A wildly original and unsettling tale, The Sundowner's Dance is an unforgettable journey of grief, cosmic horror, and making the most of the time we've got left. Pick up a copy of this book immediately." -Gwendolyn Kiste, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Reluctant Immortals and The Haunting of Velkwood

Jerry Campbell just wants to be left alone. Grief-stricken over the death of his wife Abigail, the elderly widower and recent retiree is desperate for a change of scenery. When his realtor suggests a new home in Fairview Acres, a retirement community in the Poconos, Jerry figures it will be a nice place to spend the rest of his days in solitude.

Until he moves in.

Weird neighbors. Nightly block parties. Strange noises across his rooftop at all hours. Worst of all is Arthur Peterson, chairman of the Fairview Acres Community Association, who seems obsessed with coaxing Jerry into participating in these neighborhood activities.

At first, Jerry shrugs off the incidents and eccentricities, telling himself he doesn't want to be the guy who complains about everything-but that all changes one evening when Katherine Dunnally appears on his doorstep with an ominous warning: "You need to leave. The worms...they dance at nightfall..."

His neighbors all say Katherine suffers from a form of dementia called Sundowner's Syndrome, but as the weeks progress and the strangeness mounts, Jerry begins to suspect there is something else going on in his neighborhood. Something that has to do with the huge stone in the community park...

Heartfelt and unsettling, Todd Keisling's latest novel, The Sundowner's Dance, propels readers through a terrifying exploration of grief, dementia, and perhaps the greatest horror of all: growing old.

"Todd Keisling's The Sundowner's Dance is a harrowing work of cosmic horror that masterfully inhabits a dark territory somewhere between John Langan and Bentley Little. Highly recommended." -Brian Keene

"Reading The Sundowner's Dance is a bit like casting a spell to ward off existential dread despite the greatest terrors of the novel evoking this very thing; the beauty and hopefulness at the core of the story refuse to be stamped out by either the wrath of an alien invader or the ravages of age. It's Todd Keisling at his absolute finest: dark, unflinching, visceral, and innovative. His pitch-perfect prose and masterful storytelling will leave you, quite literally, breathless." -Christa Carmen, Bram Stoker Award-winning and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of The Daughters of Block Island

The Sundowner’s Dance 

About fifteen miles west of Stauford, Kentucky lies Devil's Creek. According to local legend, there used to be a church out there, home to the Lord's Church of Holy Voices-a death cult where Jacob Masters preached the gospel of a nameless god. And like most legends, there's truth buried among the roots and bones. In 1983, the church burned to the ground following a mass suicide. Among the survivors were Jacob's six children and their grandparents, who banded together to defy their former minister. Dubbed the "Stauford Six," these children grew up amid scrutiny and ridicule, but their infamy has faded over the last thirty years. Now their ordeal is all but forgotten, and Jacob Masters is nothing more than a scary story told around campfires. For Jack Tremly, one of the Six, memories of that fateful night have fueled a successful art career-and a lifetime of nightmares. When his grandmother Imogene dies, Jack returns to Stauford to settle her estate. What he finds waiting for him are secrets Imogene kept in his youth, secrets about his father and the church. Secrets that can no longer stay buried. The roots of Jacob's buried god run deep, and within the heart of Devil's Creek, something is beginning to stir... Blurbs: "Todd Keisling's DEVILS CREEK is the kind of book you have to read with your lights on. Hell, make sure your neighbors have their lights on too!" - S.A. Cosby, New York Times best-selling author of Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland "Devil's Creek is an epic novel about small town evil that will touch your heart as it seizes it with fear. Once again, Todd Keisling has proven himself a master storyteller." - Brian Kirk, Brian Kirk, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of We Are Monsters and Will Haunt You

Terry M. West

P. D. Cacek

Glenn Rolfe

D. S. Ullery

From Wikipedia.org: Found footage is a genre of film making, especially horror, in which all or a substantial part of a film is presented as discovered film or video recordings, often left behind by missing or dead protagonists. Terry M. West and Pleasant Storm Entertainment, Inc. present a revolutionary approach to the horror fiction anthology. JOURNALS OF HORROR: Found Fiction is a collection of terror inspired by the mechanics of the found footage horror film. In JOURNALS OF HORROR, the stories presented are horrific encounters committed to paper, item or device and discovered later. Each tale is a case file that has been transcribed from some type of unearthed diary. These tales can be discovered anywhere. This anthology is filled with some of the hottest talent in the horror fiction genre: P.D. Cacek, Todd Keisling, Glenn Rolfe, Robin Dover, DS Ullery, Essel Pratt, Michael Thomas-Knight, John Ledger, Paul D. Marks, Sonja Thomas, Paula Cappa, Stuart Keane, Darryl Dawson, Crystal Leflar, Lori R. Lopez, Michael Seese, Jeff O'Brien, Matt Hayward, Joseph Ramshaw, Michael McGlade, DJ Tyrer, Wesley Thomas, Regina West, Evan Purcell, Robert McGough, Erik Gustafson, Christopher Alan Broadstone and Robert Holt.

Found Fiction

Journals of Horror

TAKE OFF YOUR MASK!Thirty years ago, a progressive rock band called The Yellow Kings began recording what would become their first and final album. Titled “The Final Reconciliation,” the album was expected to usher in a new renaissance of heavy metal, but it was shelved following a tragic concert that left all but one dead.The sole survivor of that horrific incident was the band’s lead guitarist, Aidan Cross, who’s kept silent about the circumstances leading up to that ill-fated performance—until now.For the first time since the tragedy, Aidan has granted an exclusive interview to finally put rumors to rest and address a question that has haunted the music industry for decades: What happened to The Yellow Kings?The answer will terrify you.Inspired by The King in Yellow mythos first established by Robert W. Chambers, and reminiscent of cosmic horror by H. P. Lovecraft, Laird Barron, and John Langan, comes The Final Reconciliation—a chilling tale of regret, the occult, and heavy metal by Todd Keisling.Proudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing - Tales from the Darkest Depths Interview with the author:What makes this music-themed horror novella so special?Todd Keisling: The story offers a different take on The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers. Tales of the “Yellow Mythos” usually involve the fictitious play in written form, but this novella approaches the concept from a musical angle instead. The imagery and mystery of Carcosa’s masquerade seemed like perfect fodder for a progressive metal album, and I sought to combine the two as best I could. The result is a cosmic horror story driven by the crunching riffs and machine gun beat of a progressive metal song.Tell us more about your main character?Todd Keisling: Aidan Cross is a scarred, broken man who is haunted by memories of a horrible tragedy that took the lives of his friends thirty years ago. Once the lead guitarist for The Yellow Kings, Aidan has spent the last decades of his life in relative obscurity, hiding from the public and rumors of what happened the night of the band’s final performance. He and his bandmates grew up together in a small Kentucky town. They were like brothers to him, and he blames himself for their deaths.Why should readers give this cosmic horror book a try?Todd Keisling: It’s a dark story with a lot of heart, dealing with themes of friendship, loss, and regret, set against the backdrop of an impossible place called Carcosa. I think the book offers a unique approach to the genre, associating the mythology of The King in Yellow with music rather than the written word. It’s also the darkest thing I’ve ever written. So far, anyway.The Final Reconciliation eBook categories:Horror novellaDisturbing Suspense thrillers Occult HorrorEmotional thrillerUS Horror FictionDark Fantasy HorrorMysteryOccult Spiritualism unexplained Lovecraftian Gods and monsters

The Final Reconciliation

"From the author of The Final Reconciliation and Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors comes a new tale of corporate horror... WE WANT YOUR MISERY Do you feel as though you've lost your place in the world? Are you teetering on the brink of abject insanity? Want to synergize our realities following the Acquisition? Why languish in the chaotic madness beneath the unblinking gaze of our Benefactors when you can put that agony to work within our facility and help mankind? Here at [REDACTED], we believe that your misery can make a difference. We have numerous opportunities in our corporate and manufacturing facilities. Our employees enjoy a comprehensive assortment of benefits as varied and satisfying as our means of corporate torture! Join us at the Smile Factory. Be a part of something greater. Suffer for your fellow man. Apply today!"--Back cover.

The Smile Factory

Thirty years ago, a progressive rock band called The Yellow Kings began recording what would become their first and final album. Titled "The Final Reconciliation," the album was expected to usher in a new renaissance of heavy metal, but it was shelved following a tragic concert that left all but one dead.

John Boden

Crystal Lake Publishing proudly presents Arterial Bloom, an artful juxtaposition of the magnificence and macabre that exist within mankind. Each tale in this collection is resplendent with beauty, teeth, and heart.

Arterial Bloom

Terry Miller

Andrew Robertson

Neil Davies

Kurt Newton

Dan Foley

Debra Robinson

David Bernard

D. J. Tyrer

Patrick Winters

Christopher Stanley

S. E. Casey

R. A. Goli

B. L. Daniels

Mark L. Eshbaugh

Wiebo Grobler

Vicky MacDonald Harris

Evan Baughfman

Stephen Van Patten

Karen Thrower

Alan Derosby

Lee Glenwright

Said the little child to his mother dear, do you hear what I hear Shrieking through the night, father dear, And do you see what I see A cry, a scream, blood coloring the snow And a laugh as evil as sin And a laugh as evil as sin Well, folks, looks like we're back in Deathlehem, where... ...Santa's gift turns a mindless horde of bargain-hungry shoppersinto...well... a horde of hungry shoppers... ...defective toys aren't just dangerous; they're deadly... ...holiday ornaments prove to be absolutely captivating-permanently... ...those ugly Christmas sweaters are to die for... Twenty-five more tales of holiday horror to benefit The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

Todd Keisling

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