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Shock Totem
Series · 6 books · 2011-2016

Books in series

Shock Totem 3 book cover
#3

Shock Totem 3

Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted

2011

Shock Totem presents issue #3, their biggest yet, nearly 50% bigger than the first two! It features previously unpublished stories from the likes of John Skipp, Tim Leider, S. Clayton Rhodes, Steven Pirie, and eight others, plus one poem. Also conversations with D. Harlan Wilson and Count Lyle of the band Ghoultown, nonfiction from Mercedes M. Yardley, and much more.
Shock Totem 7 book cover
#7

Shock Totem 7

Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted

2013

Shock Totem steamrolls ahead with its seventh issue, featuring tales of classic horror, creature features, heartbreak and loss! The legendary William F. Nolan offers up “The Horror That Et My Pap—and Other Swamp Stuff,” a tale the likes of which you have never read before. S. Clayton Rhodes delivers “The Gates of Emile Plimpkin: The Gravedigger’s Legacy,” a novelette that veritably oozes horror borne of the 1800s. Damien Angelica Walters (formerly Damien Walters Grintalis) gives us the heartbreaking “Shall I Whisper to You of Moonlight, of Sorrow, of Pieces of Us?” And M. Bennardo supplies this issue’s creature-feature with “Thing In a Bag.” Newcomers are front and center, beginning with the one-two punch of “Consumption” and “Among the Elephants,” by Victoria Jakes and Amberle L. Husbands, respectively. In “The Long Road,” Kristi DeMeester leads us to the water’s dark edge and tempts us to drink deep, drink long, because we are so very thirsty. Rounding things out is Dominik Parisien’s excellent poem, “Smoking, The Old Sergeant Remembers 30 Mins Past Ceasefire.” In addition to all the great fiction, you will find conversations with literary stalwart Laird Barron and Violet LeVoit. The early 70s are explored in the fifth installment of the horror-in-music serial, “Bloodstains & Blue Suede Shoes.” Narrative nonfiction is handled by Kurt Newton, and with “The Hook, the Hole, and the Garden,” John Boden delivers possibly the most heart-wrenching piece of nonfiction ever published in Shock Totem. Come see why Shock Totem is billed as “...one of the strongest horror fiction magazines on the market today” (Hellnotes).
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#8

Shock Totem 8

Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted

2014

Shock Totem returns with its eighth issue, featuring classic tales of hauntings, monsters, and clowns! Cody Goodfellow and John Skipp, who as collaborators have penned numerous short stories as well as the modern-horror classics Jake’s Wake and Spore, provide “The Barham Offramp Playhouse” and “Depresso the Clown,” respectively. Carlie St. George’s “We Share the Dark” follows a woman struggling to leave her ghosts behind. “Death and the Maiden,” by David Barber, revisits a classic time and a classic character in horror fiction. D.A. D’Amico’s “Watchtower” and John C. Foster’s “Highballing Through Gehenna” both traverse surreal landscapes full of monsters and madness. WC Roberts, last seen in our third issue, returns with another mindbending slice of poetry, while newcomer Harry Baker’s “Fat Betty” is a stark reminder that sometimes it’s better to give than to take. “Stabat Mater,” by Michael Wehunt, our flash fiction contest winner for 2013, takes parental sacrifice to a whole new level. You will also find conversations with Cody Goodfellow and rising star Adam Cesare, narrative nonfiction by Catherine Grant, an article by Joe Modzelewski, reviews, and more... Come see why Shock Totem is billed as “...one of the strongest horror fiction magazines on the market today” (Hellnotes).
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#8.5

Shock Totem 8.5

Holiday Tales of the Macabre and Twisted - Valentine's Day 2014

2014

Love is in the air. Can you feel it? The most wonderful and diabolical emotion of them all, and we're going to celebrate it. Ostensibly as a Valentine's Day issue, but really...it's all about love. And horror, of course. In this special edition of Shock Totem you will find "Clocks," a beautifully tragic tale told by master storyteller Darrell Schweitzer. "Silence," by Robert J. Duperre, is a gut-wrenching tale of love, war, and death. You won't soon forget this one. In "Broken Beneath the Paperweight of Your Ghosts," Damien Walters Grintalis tells of a man and his tattered heart. Catherine Grant's "Sauce" teaches us that sometimes things left behind are best left alone. Tim Waggoner examines the perfect lover in "The Man of Her Dreams." "Hearts of Women, Hearts of Men," by Zachary C. Parker, follows a battered woman struggling to free herself from an abusive relationship while a serial killer is on the loose. In total, nine tales await you... Like our previous holiday issue (Christmas 2011), the fiction is paired with nonfiction, this time by Violet LeVoit, Jassen Bailey, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, C.W. LaSart, Bracken MacLeod, John Dixon, Brian Hodge, and more. True tales of first loves, failed relationships, misfortune, death, sex, and...meatloaf. Love has its dark side, folks, and fittingly this issue has very sharp teeth. Come see why Shock Totem is billed as "...one of the strongest horror fiction magazines on the market today" (Hellnotes).
Shock Totem 9 book cover
#9

Shock Totem 9

Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted

2014

Shock Totem celebrates its ninth issue, featuring fantastic tales of nightmares, monsters, ghosts, and severed digits! Stephen Graham Jones, anyone? Come on! Not only does this issue feature a brand new, previously unpublished tale by this modern master of words, you’ll also find an interview with him, and a review of his latest collection, After the People Lights Have Gone Off. Kicking things off, however, is Kathryn Ohnaka’s “Buddy,” a twisting, slithering serpent of a tale. The words are pure poetry, with fangs. “Saturday,” by Evan Dicken, follows, creeping and crawling and filled with Things that whisper of doom. Similar whisperings can be heard in Bracken MacLeod’s “Thirteen Views of the Suicide Woods” and most of you will know the voices. Tim Lieder’s darkly rhythmic “Hey Man” will get you toe-tapping and “in the mood.” With a touch of SF, Emma Osborne’s “The Box Wife” is sure to leave you uncomfortable. The box wife is one and many, but you’ll recognize all. Stephen King once called Jack Ketchum “the scariest guy in America.” What scares the scariest guy in America? Karen Runge. And you’ll know why after reading “Good Help.” Peter Gutiérrez provides the poetry with his outstanding “Anteroom.” Closing out the fiction in this issue is S.R. Mastrantone’s “Alan Roscoe’s Change of Heart,” a tale that chips away at a well-mined vein—the near-death experience—but manages to produce an untouched gem. In addition to the previously-mentioned conversation with Stephen Graham Jones, F. Paul Wilson is interviewed. The seventh installment of our music-meets-horror serial, “Bloodstains & Blue Suede Shoes,” tackles the 80sm and Catherine Grant provides the editorial, a scary piece that hits close to home for creators and readers of horror. Come see why Shock Totem is billed as “...one of the strongest horror fiction magazines on the market today” (Hellnotes).
Shock Totem 10 book cover
#10

Shock Totem 10

Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted

2016

In this tenth issue of "Shock Totem," you will find fiction from Trace Conger, David G. Blake, Thana Niveau, Margaret Killjoy, and eight other fantastic authors. T.E.D. Klein breaks his long silence in an exclusive interview with Barry Lee Dejasu. Paul Tremblay is also interviewed. Plus reviews, nonfiction, and more... Come see why "Shock Totem" is billed as ..".one of the strongest horror fiction magazines on the market today" (Hellnotes).

Authors

Mercedes Yardley
Mercedes Yardley
Author · 18 books
Mercedes M. Yardley is a whimsical dark fantasist who wears poisonous flowers in her hair. She is the author of Beautiful Sorrows, the Stabby Award-winning Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love, Pretty Little Dead Girls, and Nameless. She won the prestigious Bram Stoker Award for her story Little Dead Red and was a Bram Stoker Award nominee for her short story “Loving You Darkly.” Mercedes is editor of the dark fiction anthology Arterial Bloom. You can find her at mercedesmyardley.com.
K. Allen Wood
K. Allen Wood
Author · 2 books

K. Allen Wood’s fiction has appeared in 52 Stitches, Vol. 2, The Zombie Feed, Vol. 1, Epitaphs: The Journal of New England Horror Writers, The Gate 2: 13 Tales of Isolation and Despair, Anthology: Year One and Year Two, as well as Appalachian Undead and its companion chapbook, Mountain Dead. He is also the editor/publisher of Shock Totem, a bi-annual horror fiction magazine. He lives and plots in Massachusetts. For more info, visit his website at www.kallenwood.com.

Mekenzie Larsen
Mekenzie Larsen
Author · 1 book
Mekenzie Larsen lives in a hole that she dug herself in the northern Mississippi backwoods. She has the dirt under her nails to prove it. Her free time is spent concocting potions, detangling her hair, and teaching feral cats to walk a tight rope.
John Skipp
John Skipp
Author · 24 books
John Skipp is a splatterpunk horror and fantasy author and anthology editor, as well as a songwriter, screenwriter, film director, and film producer. He collaborated with Craig Spector on multiple novels, and has also collaborated with Marc Levinthal and Cody Goodfellow.
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