Tiny Terrors: Spring 2025

by Graveside Press, Alan P. Marks, Caroline Barnard-Smith

Step into the Graveside …
Horrors abound, and you never know what you’re gonna find. Winged beasts at a snowy Chicago train stop, a museum of death that’s a little too realistic, the new apartment popping up overnight across the hall, clowns who are really underpaid for their work, and entities who can put a stop to your worst nightmares … for a price.
A collection of thirty-seven stories across the gamut, ranging from paranormal, body horror, psychological, gothic, cosmic, and creature-features.
There’s a little terror for everyone.
Featuring terrifying short stories from the minds of Caroline Barnard-Smith, Lane Blevins, Victoria Brun, A E Deakin, Matthew Doggett, Jim Donohue, Gina Easton, Dane Erbach, Patricia Esposito, gaast, Chad Gayle, Jacqueline K Goldblatt, Kay Hanifen, P. N. Harrison, Larry Hodges, Diane M Johnson, Alex Laurel Lanz, Shannon Lawrence, JC Lee, Z. C. Loki, Alan P. Marks, Michael Mullen, J. E. Norwood, Devin Oldham, JD Outcalt, A. J. Payler, Vicky Pointing, Michael A. Reed, Justin Sangermano, J.E. Schleicher, Chris Scott, Mary Frances Slebodnik, Petina Ann Strohmer, Norman Gary Thomson, Katherine Traylor, Kayla Whittle, and David Lee Zweifler

Contents:
1. Dream Eater for Sale – Caroline Barnard-Smith
2. Lawyer, Captain, Cook – Devon Oldham
3. Apostolnik – J.C. Lee
4. A Mask for Osiris – Norman Gary Thomson
5. One in the Bed – Katherine Traylor
6. Bitter Harvest – Jacqueline K. Goldblatt
7. From Both Sides of Your Mouth – Alex Laurel Lanz
8. Symphony in White – Vicky Pointing
9. Mouse-clown – Z.C. Loki
10. The Echo and the Altar – P.N. Harrison
11. Blabbermouth – Lane Blevins
12. Cemetery Whale – Larry Hodges
13. Doorway to Nowhere – A.J. Payler
14. Fole-à-Deux – Gina Easton
15. Phoenix – J.D. Outcalt
16. Red Tide – Victoria Brun
17. Eliza – Petina Ann Strohmer
18. Ex Sanguine – Alan P. Marks
19. Extinguished – Matthew Doggett
20. You Are Mine, My Soul Yours to Keep – J.E. Schleicher
21. Flesh of My Flesh – Shannon Lawrence
22. Dry-clean – Kayla Whittle
23. Getting Better – David Lee Zweifler
24. Make a Little Room for Me - gaast
25. Morson’s Funeral Home and Museum of Death – Justin Sangermano
26. The Body and the Blood – Diane M. Johnson
27. Four Walls and a Roof – Chris Scott
28. Sailing to Quigley – Patricia Esposito
29. That Night – Dane Erbach
30. The Absence of You – A.E. Deakin
31. What Smiles Are For – Chad Gayle
32. Hard Labor – Jim Donohue
33. The Confession of R.M. Renfield (Undated and Unread) – Kay Hanifen
34. The Ghosts We Keep – Michael A. Reed
35. The Issue with Mould – J.E. Norwood
36. The Lightkeeper’s Diary – Mary Frances Slebodnik
37. You’re Really Something – Michael Mullen

563 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 29, 2025

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graveside Press never lets me down!

This is a fantastic collection of unique stories. There wasn't any particular theme, so it was fun seeing what each title brought. Expect ghosts, revenge, monsters, and so much more. Most of the stories are pretty bleak, though, so make sure to have another book on standby for when you need to take a few breaks.

My favorites included:

Flesh Of My Flesh by Shannon Lawrence
Ex Sanguine by Alan P. Marks
Blabbermouth by Lane Blevins
Folie-á-Deux by Gina Easton
Extinguished by Matthew Doggett
Four Walls and a Roof by Chris Scott
The Lightkeeper's Diary by Mary Slebodnik
You Are Mine, My Soul Yours To Keep by J.E. Schleicher

Thank you Graveside Press for this ARC copy!

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom published is in this book!

[Justyn Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely collection of short fiction. Chilling stories all throughout. There wasn't a single one that I did not enjoy. A couple of my favorites were Bitter Harvest and A Mask for Osiris. I definitely recommend checking this collection out if you're a fan of quick, intense horror stories with a heavy dash of the surreal.

[Diane Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quality storytelling from start to finish. Every horror short in this collection is a gem. Every single one.

[cherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you to Graveside Press for providing a review copy (accessed via Booksprout)!

i have mixed feelings about this anthology because while I did like some of them, the misses range from "it was well-written but i didn't get it" (so i was still able to appreciate it) to "that was straight up a waste of my time." and there are a few too many ones i disliked immensely for me to feel positive about this anthology.

that said, shoutout to the ones i did enjoy or at least found interesting (in alphabetical order):
Apostolnik by J C Lee
Bitter Harvest by Jacqueline K Goldblatt
From Both Sides of Your Mouth by Alex Laurel Lanz
Dry-clean by Kayla Whittle
Getting Better by David Lee Zweifler
Morison's Funeral Home and Museum of Death by Justin Sangermano
Symphony in White by Vicku Pointing
The Ghosts We Keep by Michael A. Reed
The Issue with Mould by J. E. Norwood
What Smiles are For by Chad Gayle

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

[Cat Treadwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always know I'm in for a good time with a Graveside anthology! As always, this is a great collection of nasty little tales, some of which genuinely made me squirm. They are concise little slices of horror, with some inevitably better (read: more fun!) than others, but I found myself looking up quite a few of the authors to find out about their other work.

Perfect for spooky season!

I was kindly sent an early copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are entirely my own.