Stitches and Threads: Supernatural Horror Story Collection
by Mark CassellPublish: Dec 21, 2019Series: CollectionSupernatural Suspense HorrorBook Overview
"A welcome mix of the strange, the unnerving and the outright gory." - Amazon reviewer.23 Horror Stories
A collection of short stories inverting witchcraft and demonology tropes, bringing you the supernatural, the occult, hauntings, and creatures of the night, each with a different slant. The tales within these pages rip the fabric of our reality, where loose stitches and threads allow us to see, not just in the dark, but into the core of fear, of wonder, and beyond . . . into the void.
Here you will discover tales that include a hangover from hell, a bizarre Easter egg and its nest, a clinical trial in the 1980s, a grandfather's secret that carries down through generations, accidental resurrections across the globe, and many other deep-rooted evils humankind should have kept buried.
Stories include:
'Pile of Dirt'
- Recovering from a serious accident, all that's wanted is to relax in the garden. But that isn't going to happen when piles of dirt keep appearing everywhere.
'On the Vine'
- Not everyone must enjoy nature.
'The Rebirth'
- A primary school teacher's lesson doesn't go to plan after a peculiar Easter egg lands in her possession.
'Dust Devils'
- When a driving instructor's pupil fails to turn up for a lesson, he doesn't just drive off. He investigates ... things.
'Welcome Home'
- An overseas holiday goes wrong for a pair of best friends.
'Midnight Clay'
- A pleasant cycle home is cut short by a demon with a particularly grotesque skill.
'Diagonal Dead'
- It's a shame the dead can't stay dead, especially those discovered in a wall cavity.
'A Demon's Thread'
- Flash fiction trilogy through the eyes of a demon.
'The Artist and the Crone'
- Leo wants a peaceful life, but the ressurection of a 17th-century witch paints a different picture.
'Intensive Scare'
- Three teenagers dabble in the occult and learn there's a good reason to be afraid of the dark.
'Ten Minutes Till Deadtime'
- Balancing work and home life is bad enough, but it's something else entirely to wake each morning by an alarm clock that was never set.
'A Story of Amber'
- Two brothers and a grandfather's secret. This is a Halloween story that begins in childhood and ends in adulthood.
'Due South'
- Who would think that a hike through the English countryside would leave scars?
'Meeting Mum'
- Introducing a new girlfriend to your parents can be problematic.
'Dead Lines'
- An artist learns she is not the only one to hold the brush.
'Disturbed'
- A camping trip turns sour when a deep-rooted evil awakens.
'Seeing is Believing'
- Having laser eye surgery is more than life changing.
'Next on the List'
- No one likes changes, least of all an old man with an even older secret.
'The Commission'
- A photographer's commission proves to be a pain in the neck.
'Claimed'
- In Yellowstone Country Park things are a different colour.
'Demon Alcohol'
- Staying at a bed and breakfast in a quaint harbour town, Tammy is not in the mood for uninvited guests. Especially when she's hungover and the guests are not human.
'Red, White and Black'
- When a clinical trial goes horribly wrong, a lone survivor finds herself fleeing from a sentient infection.
'A Sunset Companion'
- The low October sun can cause road accidents by blinding drivers, yet perhaps there are other causes in the surrounding woodland.
All stories have been previously published in the collections, Sinister Stitches and Terror Threads, as well as anthologies and ezines.
Author interview
Which subgenre/s of horror does your work fall into?
MC: "Genre is fluid. I’m not one for a gorefest. My horror leans towards psychological creeps rather than pathological freaks."
What is it about the horror genre that appeals to you as reader and writer?
MC: "The unknown, the unnatural, the supernatural. I’ve often wondered what exists on the Other Side."
