GORE 3: A Halloween Anthology

by D.A. Schneider, Wofford Lee Jones, Mark Simmons

Monsters come in many forms and often leave terror and GORE in their wake.
This third volume of our short story collection is the biggest, scariest and best so far.
We all love tales of monsters and gore...

Here is a full list of the writers published in this work with their stories:
D.A. Schneider (two stories) - DAYLIGHT SLAYING TIME
& NO WORDS
Wofford Lee Jones - MIDNIGHT SNACK
Mark Simmons - LIGHT THE TORCHES
Casey Masterson - THE PERFECT COUPLE
Vanessa Krauss - HIPPOPOTAMUS DOMESTICUS
Ann Wuehler - SUNDAY MORNING
Willow Campbell - LOOK ALIVE
Rebecca Lynn - JUSTINE
Khala Grace (two stories) - CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE & EXTRA CREDIT
NJ Gallegos - FULL CODE?
Rhys Allen - WOLVES WILL INHERIT THE EARTH
Sophie Ford - EMETOPHOBIA
Sofia Ribeiro Willcox - BLAME ON THE BOOGEYMEN
Derek Deutsch - THE DEAD END AND DARK SECRETS
Carole Bulewski - THE INTRUDER
Jude Deluca - MOLLY JANE
Graeme Parker - THE MONSTER UNDER THE BED
K.T. Gore - THE DEMON BARBER
And poem Three Blind Mice & The Butcher’s Wife
Jack Judd – Various poems
M.R. Gore – Poem He’s Made of Blood

Thank you one and all.

Genres: Horror

270 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 28, 2023

About the author

D.A. Schneider is an author of horror and mystery who lives in Indianapolis, IN.

After trying for some time to break into the comic book industry with his artwork, D.A. decided to focus on writing instead. A former NFL and entertainment columnist, D.A.’s most recent books include the cozy murder mystery Death of a Scholar (Holly Reynolds Mysteries Book 1) and the horror/crime novel Salvation.

D.A. signed with KGHH Publishing in May 2017, then co-founded Poe Boy Publishing in 2020, and signed with Editingle Indie House in 2022.

Reviews

[Wofford Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poe Boy Publishing and D.A. Schneider do it again for the third time. This one was a monster anthology in both senses of the word. Even though I contributed to this collection, my review is strictly about all the other stories. We have some returning authors from the first two Gore collections, as well as some authors and poets who were new to me. That was a real “treat”. The “trick” with this collection was that all the stories weren’t gore-tastic (and I was okay with that). Don’t get me wrong, there was a lot of red in this collection, but these tales went from horrific/unnerving to downright charming/endearing—high praise to all the authors who contributed. You truly have some diabolical minds. I highly recommend this collection because all the talented authors should be read and recognized. These are collections I will always read during Halloween (for as long as they are published) because they are what set the mood for the season, and they stay with me until the next anthology and the Halloween season rolls around. Long live Poe Boy Publishing and this GORE series.

[Progress Wings · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Captivating Read


EMETOPHOBIA by Sophie Ford:
This story is about Sarah who is very scared of throwing up. It shows how her fear affects her daily life in a big way. The story helps us understand how hard it can be to live with a big fear.

LIGHT THE TORCHES by Mark Simmons:
This is a story set in the old times about villagers dealing with a scary situation. It’s about how people react when they are scared and how they try to find out what’s causing the fear.

BLAME ON THE BOOGEYMEN by Sofia Ribeiro Willcox:
This story talks about Molly Jane, a doll that causes trouble. It shows how toys and things we think are safe can sometimes be scary. It’s a bit like a scary fairy tale.

THE DEAD END AND DARK SECRETS by Derek Deutsch:
This story is about a place called the Underworld, where people go when they pass away. It's a bit of a mystery story that mixes real-life feelings with make-believe places.

MOLLY JANE by Jude Deluca:
Another story about the doll Molly Jane but this time it shows even more scary things happening. It's about how some scary stories keep going and getting scarier.

NO WORDS by D.A. Schneider:
This story is different because it's not too scary. It's about a boy named Henry who is deaf and meets a monster, but they become friends. It shows that sometimes things aren't as scary as they seem.

THE MONSTER UNDER THE BED by Graeme Parker & THE DEMON BARBER by K.T. Gore:
These are classic scary stories. One is about the scary idea of something living under the bed, and the other is about a barber shop with a dark secret. They are meant to be fun and a little bit spooky.

Overall Review:
These stories are a mix of different kinds of scary tales. Some are about fears we all know, and others are about adventures with monsters. Each story has its own lesson or surprise, making the collection fun for people who enjoy a good scare.

[Khala Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's something lurking in the dark. Monsters have always been a topic of choice for spooky tales- from vampires to skinwalkers. Let your curiosity linger as you you tread through the various stories inside Gore 3. With a wide range of writers, the anthology doesn't disappoint. One of the most unexpected tales will give you a new concept of the Hungry Hippos- "Hippopotamus Domesticus" by Vanessa Krause. When piqued with a sense of adventure, "Light the Torches" by Mark Simmons provides high stakes and suspension. Of the other tales that are shared, "No Words" is griping. D.A. Schneider provides a provoking story without spoken dialogue. The tale features a boy who became deaf at an early age. Henry meets a monster who does not have the same malice as other known creatures. Overall, the story shows a great level of empathy despite being different. For even with different people, there's always a similarity that can bring them together.

Ultimately, I am thrilled to be included in this Anthology with such great writers! Everyone has brought an interesting interpretation to the theme: Monster.

[Vanessa Krauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I'm the author for one of the shorts. I'm reviewing the other stories.

Gore 3: A Halloween Anthology is a collection of short stories, some flash fiction, and a few pieces of poetry where the majority are either Halloween themed and/or gore themed. If you have a weak stomach, some of these are pretty visceral.

Going in order:

*The Perfect Couple by Casey Masterson - Bachelorette-inspired narrative that you know is bound to go sideways. Not in the way you're expecting, neither. There will be GORE, promise! Also, as a requirement of all horror anthologies, there is always at least one teeth puller in it. This is it. You were warned!
*Daylight Slaying Time by D.A. Schneider - Possibly based on a Twilight Zone idea, but still very clever. Without too many spoilers, it's a DST slasher murder mystery. Really liked this concept, very intrigued.
*Hippopotamus Domesticus by Vanessa Krauss (moi) - Halloween horror parody inspired by 'The Hidden World of the House Hippo', produced by Concerned Children’s Advertisers, 1999. Or, as you Canadians know it as 'The North American House Hippo.' The one random Canadian shows up and dumps Canadianisms everywhere.
*Sunday Morning by Ann Wuehler - Read several stories from Wuehler at this point, and she has a wickedly-unique voice that is hard to quantify as anything else other than her own.
*Midnight Snack by Wofford Lee Jones - Creature prowls through the house for its favorite things... people! Delicious, delicious people.
*Look Alive by Willow Campbell - Every vampire-action flick crammed into a short story + explosions! Vampires don't like being killed off by basically Blade on steroids.
*Justine by Rebecca Lynn - Possibly some kind of couple disagreement turned "why some people just shouldn't go on holidays." Wasn't sure what this one was.
*Cat Got Your Tongue by Khala Grace - The longest story in the collection. Cutesy small-village small-problems story, mostly, sans the main character's shrine to his mummified cats. The village gossip versus the misunderstood cat dad. Twist ending is very leftfield, confusing, comes out suddenly and from nowhere. Sure, needed some type of horror element, but hamfisted and very Beauty and The Beast-ish with a witch and...
*Full Code? by NJ Gallegos - ...Anyway. Zombies! Another author with a strong signature writing style. Also, BLUGH! If you want someone who does gross-out gore both authentically and well, get Gallegos. Need fluffy cute things, stat!
*Wolves Will Inherit The Earth by Rhys Allen - Nonbinary lead character, which is always nice to see. Theme is horror lab and experiments gone wrong. Pace is a bit dizzying.
*Extra Credit by Khala Grace - Speaking of more science experiments... Also a little fast-paced, confusing. Did get it in the end but wish there was a bit more depth, detail, clarity. Reason why you don't Frakenstein minds, bodies, and souls?
*Emetophobia by Sophie Ford - Psychological body horror. OCD/Hypochondriac nightmare fuel. This was horrifying and beautiful.
*Light The Torches by Mark Simmons - A collective of the village's most hardened individuals go out to hunt a monster. Actiony, stabby, more towards the fantasy horror. Adds some diversity to what is mostly a mix of sci-fi and contemporary settings so far.
*Blame on the Boogeymen by Sofia Ribeiro Willcox - A bit vague for me. But, contains allegory to the fears women have and may resonate with. Boogeymen come in many forms.
*The Dead End and Dark Secrets by Derek Deutsch - Pacific Northwest horror! As a Vancouverite, I always have a soft spot for the setting. The danger and the allure of going into the forests alone, alluring, enchanting, entrapping, clawing at ones sanity. Loved the atmosphere of it.
*The Intruder by Carole Bulewski - Also, another writer with a very unique voice. Stream of consciousness and musings by an entity typically maligned. It's pretty, but lacks much of a plot and horror elements.
*Molly Jane by Jude Deluca - As promised by the book cover... possessed horror dolls! I don't know what it says about me, but I thought this one was fun!
*No Words by D.A. Schneider - Halloween themed, yes there is monsters and blood, but my goodness, this was so sweet and cute! I just wanted to hug everyone and everything in this. Might give you cavities, but I liked it.
*The Monster Under The Bed by Graeme Parker - Don't read this to children, or they'll be forever terrified of what lies underneath.
*The Demon Barber by K.T. Gore - This was funny. Can't say much without spoiling, but the twist in it is just hilarious and I do like the characters.
*Three Blind Mice & The Butcher's Wife by K.T. Gore - Who else didn't make disturbing ditties to this one when they were little? Raise your hands! Only me and the morbid people in this book? Fine!
*Various poems by Jack Judd - Good variety, quite liked the poems here even though I'm not a poetry person.
*He’s Made of Blood by M.R. Gore - Self-explanatory. Gory dude.