Read Project Threshold

Hi all.
On the Horror Tree side, the new site layout is finally live at HorrorTree.com. It’s not “done” and won’t be for a bit, but it’s up and running. We’ll be updating pages over time to bring everything in line with the new look. You’ll also notice updated open call posts with a cleaner header and a FAQ section at the end. The goal is to make it easier to scan, find what you need, and get back to writing.

We’ve also got a new giveaway running. We’re giving away 10 ebook copies of Thylacines, so if that’s been on your radar, now’s a good time to jump in: https://horrortree.com/thylacines-ebook-giveaway/

On a personal note, I’ve got four stories about to go out the door, and I just signed a contract for five drabbles in an upcoming anthology. I’ll share more once I’m able to, but it’s a nice reminder that sticking with it pays off in ways you don’t always see right away.

Now let’s get back into this week’s newsletter!

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This week, I’m sharing articles from General and Craft. Firstly, Writers in the Storm has guest author Sarah Sally Hamer dive into how to awaken your creativity. This article is a fun read with dragon references, which reflects one of the main tools Hamer advises on, which is the necessity for play as a writer. In craft, Helping Writers Become Authors explores how to write dark stories responsibly and hopeful stories that deserve praise. Readers desire a dark world with hope that is true and even redemptive, but how can writers achieve this? Lastly, Jane Friedman’s blog has guest author and book coach Andromeda Romano-Lax look at genre and how knowing your genres can help you write better. This is a topic I brought up once with my local writing group, and what I think we should really take away from this is ‘what effect do we want on the reader?’ 

General:

Writers in the Storm: “Awaken Your Creativity”

Craft:

Helping Writers Become Authors: “9 Tips for How to Write Dark Stories Responsibly (And Make Hope Feel Earned)”

Jane Friedman: “Genre as Delight, Not Dictator: How Learning About Genres Helps You Write Better”

From Horror Tree:

🎉 Thylacines Ebook Giveaway

📚 New KidLit Imprint - Sarah Barley Books

📚 The Verdant Cage Book Review

📚 Seek the Traitor’s Son Review

🩸 Maria the Wanted Review

This week’s free fiction has been gathered with two stories connected on the theme of fruit and two others on water across the speculative realm. Firstly, “Dead Letters Written in Pomegranate Ink” is a flash story about communicating with the dead. It has beautiful dark imagery with mythological references. Next, “Citrus Cycle” is a fantastical flash story about a couple who raise a lemon baby. It has a soothing tone and gentle atmosphere, even as the story ends in a sad way. Next, “When Things Went Bad” is a sci-fi short story about aliens visiting a farmer called Braden. There’s great structure with a sense of foreboding. We know something will go wrong, we just don’t know when. The ending will punch you in the gut.  Lastly, “The Final Safest Place” is a sci-fi short story about a survivor living at the end of the world, it seems. It is a heavy story about loneliness, isolation, and the consequences of one’s actions. Enjoy reading!

“Dead Letters Written in Pomegranate Ink” by Madalena Daleziou at Inner Worlds.

“Citrus Cycle" by Mae S. Ladle at A Coup of Owls (Issue Spring 2026 pp. 10-11).

“When Things Went Bad” by Stephen Graham Jones at Uncanny Magazine.

“The Final Safest Place” by Wendy N. Wagner at Three-Lobed Burning Eye magazine.

Writing Exercise: History Is Alive

Your protagonist is a brand new tour guide for a monastery that lays mostly in ruins. In order to be an effective guide, your protagonist reads as much history as possible, as well as recites previous notes from past tour guides.

One story catches their interest, and they recite on their tours how the corpse of a monk was seen wandering the grounds late at night. They embellish the story with each telling.

Then one autumn night, after a successful tour, they head back to the main entrance and catch a sniff of incense. 

A bell rings. Across the monastery ruins, through the tall Gothic empty windows, a hooded figure glides by. 

What happens next is up to you…Let your imagination run wild!

If you post any writing content during the week and think it would be a good fit for us to feature, do reach out and let us know at [email protected]

Read Trembling With Fear Volume 7 Today!