Watch: A Disturb Ink Books Anthology

by H. Dair Brown, Russell Gray, John Joseph Ryan

Scary stories where "We'll be right back right after these messages" isn't just a promise, it's a threat. Don't touch that dial...

In ancient times, people circled around a fire and told tales. In the 1960s, people gathered around the glow of a television set. Prepare to be terrified by Watch, the third chilling installment in the Sinister Century series from Disturb Ink Books. Grab a seat on the couch and get to know the people in these unsettling stories from the 1960s all featuring TV's dark

A ghostwriter, who has an unusual moonlighting gig, but his separate worlds are in danger of crashing togetherAn elderly man struggling with both a changing world and the shifting loyalties of his family during a momentous historical eventA woman trapped in a rural farmhouse with her family and a terrifyingly altered realityEdited by H. Dair Brown, this anthology weaves together spine-chilling horror and thriller tales from acclaimed and emerging authors, Russell Gray, John Joseph Ryan, and Trevor James Zaple.

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Disturb Ink Books publishes fiction that lurks in the haunted land where gothic horror and psychological thrillers meet.

Genres: Horror

47 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2024

About the author

I write dark, genre-blurring fiction where secrets and dark deeds rarely stay buried forever. My novels and stories contain wily characters moving through the hidden currents of decades past and present. I strive to craft stories that unsettle without chasing jump scares or gore for shock’s sake. If you’re drawn to stories that echo instead of scream, give my work a look.

In addition to writing, I also edit anthologies, curating collections of quiet horror, twisty thrillers, and literary suspense that bring together a wide range of voices. I love shaping volumes where each story sharpens and deepens the others.

Find me on BookBub, Pinterest, Substack, and ReamStories, or listen to my audiobooks free on YouTube.

Thanks for stepping into the shadows with me.

—Dair (rhymes with “scare”)

Reviews

[Russell Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disturb Ink presents a set of six short story collections set in different decades, exploring how the technologies of the times opened the door for unsettling situations and horrors. Why am I reading the third installment first? Well, I’m a bit biased.

One of my stories opens this volume collection. Unfortunately, I’m not the Russell Gray who wrote The Lustful Ape, a fact I’ve lamented every morning this week while brushing my teeth. Despite that shortcoming, I enjoyed writing a story about where an unhealthy parasocial relationship might lead, back before the term ‘parasocial’ was popular (though it was coined in 1956). Then one thing led to another, and I ended up with what I hope is an enjoyable and fast-paced suspense story.

The following story in the collection, the appropriately named Unsettled by John Joseph Ryan, really sinks its teeth into a moment in time. Set in a living room during a family gathering, the story revels in detailing the sights, smells, and sounds of a dysfunctional family watching the historic moon landing on television.

The closing story, Sorry Girls, He’s Married by Trevor James Zaple starts off with what seems to be ground zero of an imploding marriage and what turns out to be ground zero of an exploding marriage against the backdrop of a television debut performance of The Beatles. And then things start getting a bit eldritch…I think this was my favorite story of the bunch.

Overall, this was a fun collection of stories, each offering something different. If you enjoy unsettling short stories, especially ones set in the 60s and written by authors with three names, then you will probably love this volume.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Watch (Terrifying TV_The 1960s)" is Book 3 of the Sinister Century Anthology series. I expected you run-of-the-mill shorts about strange TV shows and uncanny encounters via the black and white screen. I was pleasantly surpised to find three stories very different from what I imagined I'd find. The opening story, "A Query for the Quarry," by Russell Gray, worried me a bit, because it does not really depend on 1960s television; only tangentially does it refer to a cooking TV show - but its premise I found original and intriguing enough to enjoy the story and heartily recommend it to thriller fans. "Unsettled" by John Joseph Ryan wasn't horror, either, but it's an incredibly poignant and cruel story, about the patriarch of a family whose messy ordinary life (bickering, violence, child neglect) transpires in front of the TV, which is showing live a very important historical event of the 60s; the contrast was indeed unsettling. Finally, "Sorry Girls, He’s Married" by Trevor James Zaple, a family horror tale, has great writing and atmosphere, and did not disappoint at all as a terrific expression of the anthology's theme!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.