Introduction

It’s the spookiest week of spooky season and that means it’s time to talk about spooky stories! For this article, I thought we’d do something fun.

I don’t talk about my own published works very much (oops) so what if we take a tour through my catalogue, joining each of them with another work you can read as a kind of wine and cheese pairing?

They’re all horror or dark fantasy, so prepare your nerves!

A goth-y list

Kings in Yellow

The Yellow Chalice by C.J. Subko

Short story / A man finds a yellow chalice among his dead mother’s things and becomes drawn to drink from it, although he fears what might happen if he does.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gillman

Short story / A woman locked in her bedroom becomes enraptured in the wallpaper and other signs of her imprisonment in this masterful tale of Gothic horror.

Depression as horror

The Creeping by C.J. Subko

Short story / A depressed woman alone in bed encounters a creeping paranormal phenomenon in her room. But as the horrors increase, can she overcome her own inner demons to escape its thrall?

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Novel / A beautiful, successful young woman cracks under the pressures of living and spirals into depression and disillusion, to the point that insanity seems logical in an illogical world.

Artists who take their work seriously

No Matter by C.J. Subko

Flash / An artist pursues the perfect painting—which will require the perfect subject.

Perfume by Patrick Suskind

Novel / A man with an exceptional nose seeks to create the perfect perfume, at whatever cost.

Bring me to life

Will and the Hanged Man by C.J. Subko

Short story / A man accused of murder is hanged, and then the blacksmith finds him secretly reincarnated the next night. Their torrid love affair answers all their earthly desires, but at what cost?

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kerstin White

Novel / A Frankenstein retelling wherein Elizabeth, Victor’s family’s ward, develops a toxic, violent love affair with Victor, culminating in her learning all about his dark scientific plans—and participating.

Let me save you

The Remaking by C.J. Subko

Flash / A man saves a woman from jumping off a bridge, and then takes drastic, permanent measures to make sure that she’ll be protected forever.

Twinning by Rhiannon Rassmussen (from Vastarien)

Short story / A man preserves someone in an art installation.

Killers who couldn’t quit

The Clown Killer by C.J. Subko

Short story / A man who kills clowns is haunted by the squeak of one of the clown nose trophies he stole and buried.

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

Short story / A man who kills his master is haunted by the beating of the dead man’s heart beneath the floorboards, to the point of insanity.

Dark fairy tales

Any Good Sacrifice by C.J. Subko

(link will be live Nov 4th)

Flash / Four young women with strange properties go to the God’s Maw for a special ritual, and must make sacrifices along the way. But the final sacrifice is to be the most crucial.

The Ribbon Rule by Mae Jimenez

Short story / In a world where people’s lips are sewn together with silk at 13, the MC chooses lace. This choice and her defiance land her on a path towards breaking the system or becoming the system, and only her wits will choose which.

Finite!

Hopefully now you have plenty of short and long things to read for spooky season. I hope you enjoy my stories and getting to know some other works.

Thanks for reading C.J. Subko Books! This post is public so feel free to share it.

If you read my stories and you can think of better pairings, put them in the comments! Or if you just want to share YOUR spooky stories and recommendations, even better!

See you next week with an interview from author Lisa Tirreno on her debut!