Deborah Sheldon's Blog

I'm so happy to announce that my novella Redhead Town has won the Paul Haines Award for Long Fiction in the Australasian Shadows Awards!

The back-cover blurb:
“LIFE IS BLOODY GOOD”
In Australia, vampires are a protected class.
Twenty-two towns are picked to siphon vampires, aka ‘redheads’, out of capital and regional cities. When polled, most Australians agree with this strategy. But most Australians don’t live in a ‘designated area’. Don’t have to step over drowsing redheads during the day. Or live in terror of marauding redheads during the night.
Mark Murphy is a nightshift worker in the designated area of Oleg’s Creek. His house is now worth nothing, and he can’t afford to leave. He’s heard rumours of The Refusal. Desperate, will he risk a grab at freedom?
Written by award-winning author Deborah Sheldon, Redhead Town is a dark tale of government overreach, societal breakdown, and one man’s love for his wife and son.

Redhead Town was released in March 2024 by PsychoToxin Press, which subsequently closed down. Unfortunately, that means my novella is currently out of print.

However, it should be relaunched in late October 2025 by Twisted Dreams Press.

The Horror Tree is a resource for writers, offering submission information on all the latest horror anthologies and publishers. The Horror Tree also posts articles, news and interviews. The Horror Tree has posted an interview with me about my deep-sea thriller novel, Nightmare Reef, which Severed Press released last month.

In part, interviewer Robyn O'Sullivan writes:
"When I read Nightmare Reef, I could barely put it down. It’s a psychological, physical, emotional, gut-wrenching journey across the Pacific Ocean with the Wagner family, in a not-so-reliable boat...."

You can read the full interview here:
https://horrortree.com/interview-with...

For more information about Nightmare Reef:
https://deborahsheldon.wordpress.com/...

Author, anthology editor and book reviewer Robin Knabel of Inky Bones Press has posted a fabulous review of my novel Nightmare Reef (Severed Press).

In part, she writes, "This book is intense, which is one of the reasons the story is so fantastic. Unlike any other sea creature story I’ve read to date, Nightmare Reef’s danger is relentless. This book absolutely mesmerized me, causing my breath to hitch as I hungrily turned pages to learn what would happen in the end. It’s a book I wish I could read once more with the ability to experience it again for the first time."

You can read the full review here:
https://robinknabel.squarespace.com/r...

For more information about Nightmare Reef:
https://deborahsheldon.wordpress.com/...

I'm happy to announce that Severed Press has released my novel, the deep-sea thriller Nightmare Reef.

The back-cover blurb:
The ocean is vast. The danger is ancient. And nowhere is safe.
For the Wagner family, sailing across the Pacific was meant to be the adventure of a lifetime. But beneath their ageing yacht, Nauti Buoy, something stirs—something thought extinct for millions of years.
Then the nightmare begins. Hunted by plesiosaurs—ferocious predators from a forgotten age—the Wagners are thrust into a relentless fight for survival.
From award-winning author Deborah Sheldon, Nightmare Reef is a harrowing tale of one family’s battle to the death against nature’s brutality.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPBSYP72

The military-horror anthology series Contact! is edited by Chris McInally and published by Screaming Banshee Press. The third title in the series, Contact 3: War is Hell, is out now and includes my story "Across the White Desert".

https://www.amazon.com.au/Contact-Hel...

The back-cover blurb:
War. It's never-ending.
So, are you ready for another tour of duty, soldier? Well, suit up!
Inside you will find nine action-packed tales of military horror. Whether it's the frozen wastes of the Antarctic, the blistering heat of the Australian Outback, or deep beneath the crushing waves of the Pacific, terror awaits on every page in the latest volume of Screaming Banshee's CONTACT! series.
With the Joe Ledger adventure 'A Footnote in the Black Budget' from NYTimes bestseller Jonathan Maberry, as well as stories from award-winning authors Pauline Yates, Pamela Jeffs, and Deborah Sheldon, it's time once more to take the fight to those things that dwell in the darkness.
Hoo-rah!

Every year, the Australasian Horror Writers Association assembles a team of industry professionals to help emerging writers better their craft through the AHWA Mentor Program. I will be a mentor again this year, along with Alan Baxter, Kaaron Warren, J. Ashley-Smith, Eugen Bacon, Shayne Armstrong, and Dan Rabarts.

Applications close 17 July.

https://australasianhorror.com/mentor...

Successful applicants will be matched for a three-month period of one-on-one development and guidance to progress their accepted work. Applicants must be an existing AHWA Member or become one via our Membership page before applying for the program.

The Horror Tree is giving away TEN e-book copies of my crime-horror novel Bodily Harm (Undertaker Books), which was a finalist in this year's Aurealis Awards.

https://horrortree.com/ebook-giveaway...

Just enter your email address to be in the running. The giveaway ends 25 July.

Please note, this novel deals with adult themes; reader discretion is advised. For more information about Bodily Harm:
https://deborahsheldon.wordpress.com/...

Survival has a price… Is Cara ready to pay it?
From the moment she feels a gun barrel shoved into her back, Cara Haynes is thrown into the brutal world of vicious criminals and the police officers tough enough to pursue them.
Cara has lived in Melbourne just a few weeks when she survives an armed robbery at her local pizzeria. Traumatised, afraid and alone, Cara’s lifeline is Mick Thompson, a detective from the Armed Offence Squad, whose compulsion to find these violent offenders keeps him awake at night. But soon, Cara doesn’t know the difference between safety and danger…
Written by award-winning author, Deborah Sheldon, Bodily Harm is a fast-paced, savage and disturbing read where one woman’s nightmare becomes a detective’s obsession.

Author, anthology editor and book reviewer Robin Knabel of Inky Bones Press has posted a terrific review of my collection, The Broonie and Other Dark Poems.

In part, she writes, "This collection is one of the most interesting I’ve encountered... The poems will take readers on a journey, discovering beautiful terrors and feeling fear and suspense. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of horror played out in many of the poems. If you’re a fan of monsters, trickery, and revenge, I think you’ll enjoy this eclectic book of poetry."

You can read the full review here:
https://robinknabel.squarespace.com/r...

For more information about The Broonie and Other Dark Poems:
https://deborahsheldon.wordpress.com/...

My novella Redhead Town was published in March 2024, shortly before its publisher closed down. Last month, Redhead Town was named as a finalist in the "Paul Haines Award for Long Fiction" presented by the Australasian Shadows Awards. So, award-nominated but out of print! A tough spot for an author.

This has been in the pipeline for months, and now the contract is signed! Twisted Dreams Press will relaunch Redhead Town in the next few weeks. I'm thrilled that my novella has a second chance at finding its readers!

For more information about Redhead Town: https://deborahsheldon.wordpress.com/...

Congratulations Ben Matthews!

His story “Flesh of My Flesh”, published in my anthology Spawn 2: More Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies (IFWG Publishing), won the Aurealis Award for “Best Horror Short Story”!

Here's a link to Ben's website:https://bjcmatthews.wixsite.com/ben-m...

For more information about Spawn 2: More Weird Horror Tales About Pregnancy, Birth and Babies: https://deborahsheldon.wordpress.com/...