Tag: #creativewriting

Guest editor | Halloween Party ’23

by Jeffrey Keeten

Did you know that Jeffrey Keeten is one of the top reviewers on Goodreads? He became interested in DPP books a few years back, and has since partnered with us on many projects, including writing short stories for us, and introducing Halloween Party ’21.

For Halloween Party ’23 Jeffrey is acting as guest editor. He’s reviewing all the entries and picking those that will get published as well as curating the flow of the work within the book.

One thing that’s always captivated me about Jeffrey’s reviews is that they go well-beyond “I like it/I didn’t like it.” He often researches the author, and has read other works by the same writer, and will do a deep dive into the whole canon. Here’s a sample review from Keeten on The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.

Take one look at the in-depth review and you can see why we’re incredibly grateful to have this gifted reviewer and editor and author on the HP team. Thanks Jeffrey! We can’t wait to see what you do with HP ’23.

Get Jeffrey to review your work. Submit to HP ’23 today!

Want to join the Horror Writers Association?

Turns out, if you were accepted into HP2021, you can!

You weren’t? Well, there’s still time to submit to HP ’23!

One of the global changes we made to our company last year was to make a commitment to pay all authors we put on paper. With that check, you qualify for the HWA. A few of our most recently included authors have already been admitted, on the strength of that single payment.

We hope, as our fledgling publishing endeavor grows, we will be able to pay more writers, and pay those writers more. We are committed in using this company to help you achieve your writing goals.

So excited to know some wonderful and life-long horror writers with many many publications are finally being granted membership in a group they so deserve to belong to!

Before She’s Gone Forever

by Phil Giunta

Phil Giunta is one of the best short story writers producing today. This particular story is incredibly moving, and Phil reading it only adds to it. Enjoy this story on a melancholy fall evening with a glass of wine, and someone you love.

~It took the entire morning, but police divers found Eun-ji’s body in the bay—exactly where I said it would be. I wasn’t entirely forthcoming with them, of course. I didn’t tell them about the pictures. I simply informed them that Eun-ji had talked about exploring the peaks of Geoje Island to find a good spot for cliff jumping. Fearless and heavily influenced by western culture, Eun-ji was what the Americans call an “adrenaline junkie.” Hence the reason she had volunteered for civilian military training in the city of Gimpo last month. That’s where we met. 

As a photographer for the Korea Herald, I had been assigned to shoot the weeklong boot camp. My mandatory two years in the Army had just ended six months prior, so I was still able to keep up with the grueling regimen these college students faced. Nothing extraordinary had occurred during the assignment—other than meeting Eun-ji. Day or night, my camera loved her more than any of the others~

Buy the book, why don’tcha?

A game of hopscotch

“She felt something hold her hand, place the daisy firmly inside, and close her fingers around it.”

Author Bernie Brown is the author of two stories in HALLOWEEN PARTY ’21, one of which is “Hopscotch.” As its title implies, this tale focuses around an innocent game of hopscotch, but things aren’t quite what they seem.

If you don’t already own a copy of HP ’21, we strongly recommend purchasing the collection for yourself, which you can find at quality bookstores. Alternatively, and for more immediate gratification, simply click the link below to purchase from Amazon.

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Is she a good daughter?

“Legend says that beneath this mausoleum, deep in the ground, lie the bones of a witch…”

Author Kim DeCicco offers up an eerie tale certain to stay in your head long after you’ve read the last words. We’re thrilled to have this tale in HALLOWEEN PARTY ’21 and we think you’ll find that it’s rather special and particularly unique.

If you don’t already own a copy of HP ’21, we strongly recommend purchasing the collection for yourself, which you can find at quality bookstores. Alternatively, and for more immediate gratification, simply click the link below to purchase from Amazon.

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The camera eye

I’ve never believed in the supernatural, but I couldn’t help worrying that something had happened to Eun-ji and that she was reaching out to me…

Author Phil Guinta‘s “Before She’s Gone Forever” is the kind of supernatural tale that editors simply love. It sticks with you long after you’ve finished the last page and makes you feel like the time you’ve invested in it was time very well spent. We’re fortunate to have this work in Halloween Party ’21. Phil’s is a powerful, imaginative story that is sure to age quite well and is worthy of multiple reads.

If you don’t already own a copy of the paperback, we strongly recommend purchasing the collection for yourself, which you can find at quality bookstores. Alternatively, and for more immediate gratification, simply click the link below to purchase from Amazon.

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The creepy crawlies aren’t what they seem…

Someone, or something, has been spying on Liz.

Nancy North Walker presents “Insecticide,” a short story featured in HALLOWEEN PARTY ’21 that effortlessly combines terror and science fiction.

To experience the full horror, we strongly recommend purchasing a copy of the collection for yourself, which you can find at quality bookstores. Alternatively, and for more immediate gratification, simply click the link below to purchase from Amazon.

BUY NOW