(Special thanks to Jason Sizemore for lending us his e-formatting kung fu skills!)

If you are a book reviewer interested in obtaining a copy for a future review column, please email me or my co-editor Kfir with your request.

At the moment the book is only available in hardcopy. I am investigating a Kindle version, but I can’t say with any assurance if or when it will appear.

Authors — you should have received your story payments by now. If for some reason you didn’t get a notification of payment, please contact me. Now I’m waiting on the shipment of books to arrive before I mail off your complimentary copies; I’m hoping I’ll be able to do that by the end of this week!

Authors, we’ll be sending out payments and your complimentary copy within the next few weeks; be sure you get in touch with Kfir to confirm your PayPal and mailing addresses.

Thanks to everyone for the hard work and great patience you put in through the revision, copyediting, and proofing stages of this project — it’s your careful attention that helps The Harrow Press deliver a high-quality publication.

Memory Drift by Skydancer

The Harrow Press’s new anthology, Mortis Operandi, will be open for submissions on 1.1.11! Please click on Submissions in the top bar to see the call for stories and submission guidelines.

This anthology moves The Harrow Press into a slightly new direction — instead of being pure horror, we’re inviting stories from almost any genre, as long as they (1) deal with the investigation of a crime and (2) include the supernatural in some significant role.

We’re also looking for a cover artist; see the bottom of the Submissions page for more information. Please note that the current placeholder art is just that, and not necessarily an indication of what we’re looking for in a cover.

In other news, we’re finishing up the editing stage of Day Terrors and are still on target to make our February 2011 publication date.

1. Ataraxia — Scott Brendel — They stood until they died, leaving their loved ones to watch their slow but steady deterioration.

2. Sea of Green, Sea of Gold — Aaron Polson — The rocky nature of those hills had protected the Konza from pioneers and farmers, and now the government guaranteed protection by making it a national preserve, a piece of land lost in time.

3. The Wish Man and the Worm — J.M. Heluk — The worm in Georgia’s mouth slipped when he yanked her head back.

4. The Woman in the Ditch — Scott Lininger — At the very bottom of the thirty feet of ditch there was a fancy car, completely upside-down, with its hood smashed through the ice that covered the creek.

5. And the Crowd Goes Wild — John Jasper Owens — “I believe,” I told Bellows, “we are witnessing the end times.” Bellows shrugged. “That’s gonna play hell with residuals.”

6. No Sin Remains A Secret — Jack Bowdren — In the dark coolness of the church hall basement it had appeared quite ordinary, but once I had lugged it up into the light I could see that it wasn’t like any other statue of Christ I’d known.

7. The Heat Has Fangs — Trent Roman — This is one heck of a heat wave, and it doesn’t show sign of breaking anytime soon, either. But not the worse I’ve seen, no sir.

8. In Lieu of Flowers — Chad McKee — The shock of discovering you had missed the last breaths of your wife by a mere handful of days after six years in exile weighed on a man.

9. Down Where the Blue Bonnets Grow — Daniel R. Robichaud — Instinct made me train the rifle on the bare patch. If the earth itself sat up, I could take a head shot.

10. The Infatuate — Adam Walter — Though the two of them knew nothing of each other, they shared the most improbable secret, and no one looking at them — now, in this place — could ever hope to guess it.

11. Fiddleback — Lorna D. Keach — Fever and chills were one thing, but “I think something’s wrong with this bite, Walt,” she’d said.

12. Daddy Long Legs — Harper Hull — “Saw him clear as day, striding across those top branches with those spindly legs like he was on the sidewalk. It was the morning that Ella – that your momma – my Ella, the morning she died.”

13. Miss Riley’s Lot — Gregory Miller — How ’bout when my big brother Chris took me up on Still Creek Hill during hunting season and let me watch while he and his buds shot a woman?

14. Closing the Deal — Lee Clark Zumpe — “We seek a specific class of transgressors and malefactors for a combination of institutional castigation and cultivation.”

15. Customs — Mark Rigney — The wait begins, and this time it is more than a little unnerving because we have been separated from our passports, the little booklets that legitimize us, make us official and human and real.

16. A Day at the Beach — Lawrence Conquest — The motion of her hand disturbed the waters, her view of the creature instantly dissolving into a thousand pieces.

17. Uncle Alec’s Gargoyle — Rebecca Fraser — It winked at me once, Uncle Alec’s gargoyle.

18. Carrington Cove — Davin Ireland — There was little love lost between the professional fossil hunters who scoured Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.

19. Lollipop — Jason Sizemore — The ghost and the man stared at each other. They remained like that for several minutes, water dripping from one, brains from the other.

20. Companion — Rob E. Boley — Every trip I’ve ever taken, I think I’m going to meet someone, find a companion who sees all I have to offer, but it never seems to happen.

21. Sands of Time — E. C. Seaman — The Grey Lady saw it all. Every argument, every drama; from childishly scraped knees to first boyfriends and broken hearts.

Our next step will be copyediting all of the accepted stories and sending them back to authors for approval.

Thank you to everyone who submitted your fiction; I enjoyed reading your work, even if it wasn’t always the right fit for this particular anthology. It was a lot of fun to see all the ways in which you responded to the theme of “horror in broad daylight”!

Remember, we’re looking for well-written, highly original horror stories that describe uncanny events happening in broad daylight. Stories should contain supernatural content and run from 2,500 to 5,000 words.

I look forward to reading your work!

We’re still looking for two or three more thoughtful and gripping tales to round out the anthology — send us your best. Remember, it’s all about the supernatural and uncanny in the bright light of day!

• Rob E. Boley — Companion — Every trip I’ve ever taken, I think I’m going to meet someone, find a companion who sees all I have to offer, but it never seems to happen.
  
• Scott Brendells — Ataraxia — They stood until they died, leaving their loved ones to watch their slow but steady deterioration.
  
• Rebecca Fraser — Uncle Alec’s Gargoyle — It winked at me once, Uncle Alec’s gargoyle.
  
• J.M. Heluk — The Wish Man and the Worm — The worm in Georgia’s mouth slipped when he yanked her head back.
• Harper Hull — Daddy Long Legs — “Saw him clear as day, striding across those top branches with those spindly legs like he was on the sidewalk. It was the morning that Ella – that your momma – my Ella, the morning she died.”
• Davin Ireland — Carrington Cove — There was little love lost between the professional fossil hunters who scoured Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.
• Lorna D. Keach — Fiddleback — Fever and chills were one thing, but “I think something’s wrong with this bite, Walt,” she’d said.
• Scott Lininger — The Woman in the Ditch — At the very bottom of the thirty feet of ditch there was a fancy car, completely upside-down, with its hood smashed through the ice that covered the creek.
• Chad McKee — In Lieu of Flowers — The shock of discovering you had missed the last breaths of your wife by a mere handful of days after six years in exile weighed on a man.
• Gregory Miller — Miss Riley’s Lot — How ’bout when my big brother Chris took me up on Still Creek Hill during hunting season and let me watch while he and his buds shot a woman?
• John Jasper Owens — And the Crowd Goes Wild — “I believe,” I told Bellows, “we are witnessing the end times.”  Bellows shrugged. “That’s gonna play hell with residuals.”
• Aaron Polson — Sea of Green, Sea of Gold — The rocky nature of those  hills had protected the Konza from pioneers and farmers, and now the government guaranteed protection by making it a national preserve, a piece of land lost in time.
• Mark Rigney — Customs — The wait begins, and this time it is more than a little unnerving because we have been separated from our passports, the little booklets that legitimize us, make us official and human and real.
• Daniel R. Robichaud — Down Where the Blue Bonnets Grow — Instinct made me train the rifle on the bare patch.  If the earth itself sat up, I could take a head shot.
• Trent Roman — The Heat Has Fangs — This is one heck of a heat wave, and it doesn’t show sign of breaking anytime soon, either. But not the worse I’ve seen, no sir.
• E. C. Seaman — Sands of Time — The Grey Lady saw it all. Every argument, every drama; from childishly scraped knees to first boyfriends and broken hearts.
• Adam Walter — The Infatuate — Though the two of them knew nothing of each other, they shared the most improbable secret, and no one looking at them — now, in this place — could ever hope to guess it.

The stories we’ve accepted so far vary quite a bit in theme, setting, and style. A few things they all share, however, is a tightly written narrative, a distinctive voice, and an unexpected take on our theme of horror-by-daylight.

The following is a list of the stories we’ve accepted to date, in no particular order.  It’s not a table of contents.

• J.H. Heluk — The Wish Man and the Worm — A child’s fears may assume disturbing face. A bizarre tale of surreal horror.
• John Jasper Owens — And the Crowd Goes Wild — Being successful may be scary. An action-filled story of the future.
• Mark Rigney — Customs — Getting stuck in more than one way. A claustrophobically disturbing tale of travel.
• Trent Roman — The Heat Has Fangs — Your enemy may be closer than you think. A chatty but weird reminiscence of times past.
• Scott Brendells — Ataraxia — Nowhere left to go. A quiet tragedy set in a grim future.
• Davin Ireland — Carrington Cove — Utter, dark, and inescapable despair. A storm-tossed narrative of obsession.
• Aaron Polson — Sea of Green, Sea of Gold — The beautiful and sunny can be deadly. High-noon horror.
• E. C. Seaman — Sands of Time — Scary things may be not bad, after all. An understated and wistful reflection on life.
• Rob E. Boley — Companion — The stories we tell ourselves can be misleading. A horrifying tale of dependence.
• Gregory Miller  — Miss Riley’s Lot — Longevity can be scary. A disturbing urban legend.
• Chad McKee — In Lieu of Flowers — Revenge is a dish best served cold. More so when cold flesh is the instrument.
• Daniel R. Robichaud — Down Where the Blue Bonnets Grow — Where cruelty meets its peer, and horror meets SciFi.
• Lorna D. Keach —  Fiddleback — Never underestimate the little ones. A surrealistic tale of guilt and retribution.

We’re still accepting submissions, so don’t hesitate to send us your most original, standout stories of 2,500-5,000 words. Remember — we’re looking for supernatural/monstrous horror that takes place in the bright light of day!

The stories we’ve accepted so far vary quite a bit in theme, setting, and style. A few things they all share, however, is a tightly written narrative, a distinctive voice, and an unexpected take on our theme of horror-by-daylight.

The following is a list of the stories we’ve accepted to date, in no particular order.  It’s not a table of contents.

• J.H. Heluk — The Wish Man and the Worm — A child’s fears may assume disturbing face. A bizarre tale of surreal horror.
• John Jasper Owens — And the Crowd Goes Wild — Being successful may be scary. An action-filled story of the future.
  
• Mark Rigney — Customs — Getting stuck in more than one way. A claustrophobically disturbing tale of travel.
• Trent Roman — The Heat Has Fangs — Your enemy may be closer than you think. A chatty but weird reminiscence of times past.
  
• Scott Brendells — Ataraxia — Nowhere left to go. A quiet tragedy set in a grim future.
  
• Davin Ireland — Carrington Cove — Utter, dark, and inescapable despair. A storm-tossed narrative of obsession.
  
• Aaron Polson — Sea of Green, Sea of Gold — The beautiful and sunny can be deadly. High-noon horror.
  
• E. C. Hudson — Sands of Time — Scary things may be not bad, after all. An understated and wistful reflection on life.
• Rob E. Boley — Companion — The stories we tell ourselves can be misleading. A horrifying tale of dependence.
• Gregory Miller  — Miss Riley’s Lot — Longevity can be scary. A disturbing urban legend.

We’re still accepting submissions, so don’t hesitate to send us your most original, standout stories of 2,500-5,000 words. Remember — we’re looking for supernatural/monstrous horror that takes place in the bright light of day!