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Shivers in the Night
Eerie. Disturbing. Otherworldly. Featuring ten original short stories, Shivers in the Night is the first anthology written by Yukon Writers' Society members. Each original story embraces the art of suspense and terror with a knack for heart-pounding endings.
In Spinner's Tale, brace yourself for a tangled web of horror. While diving into A Pretty Facade, don't be fooled by Maria's perfect life. There's more than just science at play in the Texas body farm in The Rotting. Old photographs and an odd cat lead Janie to a house with a hair-raising secret. And Mr. Sweaters's Gift isn't a gift at all.
Shivers in the Night sends you to the darkest corners of your mind and keeps you awake well into the night.
In Spinner's Tale, brace yourself for a tangled web of horror. While diving into A Pretty Facade, don't be fooled by Maria's perfect life. There's more than just science at play in the Texas body farm in The Rotting. Old photographs and an odd cat lead Janie to a house with a hair-raising secret. And Mr. Sweaters's Gift isn't a gift at all.
Shivers in the Night sends you to the darkest corners of your mind and keeps you awake well into the night.
- GenresHorrorAnthologies
196 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 2, 2018
3 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Shayla Raquel
12 books136 followersA self-publishing mentor, best-selling author, and public speaker, Shayla Raquel works one-on-one with writers every day. A lifelong lover of books, she has been in the publishing industry for a dozen years and teaches on author branding, indie publishing, book marketing, and the craft of writing.
Her award-winning blog teaches new and established authors how to write, publish, and market their books.
She is the author of the Pre-Publishing Checklist, “The Rotting” (in Shivers in the Night), The Suicide Tree, The 10 Commandments of Author Branding, All the Things I Should’ve Told You, and “Savage Indulgence.” In her not-so-free time, she studies all things true crime and obsesses over squirrels. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three fur babies.
Her award-winning blog teaches new and established authors how to write, publish, and market their books.
She is the author of the Pre-Publishing Checklist, “The Rotting” (in Shivers in the Night), The Suicide Tree, The 10 Commandments of Author Branding, All the Things I Should’ve Told You, and “Savage Indulgence.” In her not-so-free time, she studies all things true crime and obsesses over squirrels. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three fur babies.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 26, 2025
This collection of short stories will definitely live up to the title!
Spinner's Tale by Donna Freeman
Phyllis, suffering a miscarriage and divorce, finds solace and comfort with an elderly lady. When a nightmare compels Phyllis to visit her friend late at night...well, let's just say things don't go to plan. (Definitely didn't see that one coming!)
"Elaine invited her into the old house, and it was apparent she was lonely."
Sinister by Carolyn Blevins
A young, pregnant woman stays in a cottage of a friend's deceased cousin. She soon makes friends with a stray cat and discovers a box full of old pictures. With growing dread, she realizes that something is wrong, very wrong, with the images of the cottage's old inhabitants.
"...a shadow crossed the window and filled the room..."
I enjoyed this one, but good lawd, that pregnant woman was dense - as soon as I would've seen those pictures I would be out of there!
The Rotting by Shayla Raquel
Eva works on a body farm - studying the forensics of decomposition - and is familiar with death in all his many forms. Despite all odds, she's now faced with someone she knew...but there's something distinctly wrong with his body. (Really enjoyed this one!)
"Death is a funny little thing. He shows up when we least expect him - the most inopportune times."
Mr. Sweater's Gift by Oren Patterson
Astrial projection - literally dream-walking - has become the common place for our narrator. He's decided to turn this dangerous art into a vigilante gig. At first it is truly amazing, but things soon sour when he tries to possess the wrong person.
"This wasn't my body....chasing the young woman, a heavy cackle-breath haunting my ears..."
I liked the concept but the character reveal / reversal felt a bit sudden for the story's pace.
"Free. Weightless, I could do anything now. Laughter filled me, but it was silent as I had no throat."
The Baby by Kevin Hesser
Two brothers witness a car accident with a hysterical (but unharmed woman) screeching for her baby. They think nothing of it...but are later reminded of the event in one of the most horrifying ways possible. Sometimes the skeletons in the closet should really have been buried a little bit deeper. (Very creepy!)
"Ma Ma." A baby's voice broke the night's silence with a voice that nightmares are made of.
Scared of the Light by Mark Love
Between his father's drinking, his mother's drugs and the all-around abuse, Johnny soon realizes that remaining hidden is a far better plan.
"I went into seclusion. It's not what you think. I submerged myself into total darkness. It was the only place I felt safe."
But little does he know, there is something else in the cellar with him... I really enjoyed this one - I truly wish it was longer and expanded into a full story! I would've loved that!
"I was only five years old at the time. I spent my first summer locked in our cellar."
Revenger by M. C. Horn
Judge Judy needs to take a seat. Judge Alice Bright, a lifelong member of the court, is absolutely sick of the criminals walking free. If they aren't going to be punished properly, well, she will have to do something about that. Interesting concept and well-executed!
The rest of the room looked totally empty to Albert. "Where did all that laughter come from?" Albert asked. "I didn't see anyone."
A Pretty Façade by Gary Medina
There is something wrong with Maria - she does not know what and no one seems to be able to tell her. But there is something wrong, very wrong. And it looks like her husband and several mysterious strangers are bound-and-determined to fix her...but what if she does not want to be fixed? (Really well-written).
"The tug in her head was much more prominent, and she had enough consciousness to be annoyed by it. Still, it compelled her to straighten her posture."
Not Safe by Melonda Gruntmeir
Mary, the youngest of her family, seems to have a perfect life. Playing with her sister Beth and later living with her. Only things are not as perfect as they seem and soon her life begins to crumble. This one has more of a circular narrative that left me confused at times.
"It's getting more and more difficult to breathe."
In Stitches by J. C. Merry
Clint, a local detective, gets a new partner (Madeline) to help him with the latest serial killer case. Someone is murdering people, and rapidly, but the closer he comes to figuring out the identity, the less he wants to know. Very fun murder mystery!
"The woman's body hung stiffly from the rope, swaying with the church bells."
The 2018 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge - A book about or set on Halloween
I received a free copy from the authors in exchange for a honest review
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October 7, 2018
Members of the Yukon Writers' Society have put together a spooky collection of short stories. October was the perfect time of year to read this one. The collection contains 10 stories, each by a different author. The subject matter varies, but each story falls in the horror genre.
The stories:
1. Spinner's Tale by Donna Freeman
2. Sinister by Carolyn Blevins
3. The Rotting by Shayla Raquel
4. Mr. Sweater's Gift by Oren Patterson
5. The Baby by Kevin Hesser
6. Scared of the Light by Mark Love
7. Revenger by M. C. Horn
8. A Pretty Façade by Gary Medina
9. Not Safe by Melonda Gruntmeir
10. In Stitches by J. C. Merry
This was an entertaining and quick read. As with all anthologies, I enjoyed some of the stories more than others. Overall, a nice collection, and a good read for fans of horror.
I received a free digital copy of this book from one of the authors, Shayla Raquel, in exchange for an honest review.
The stories:
1. Spinner's Tale by Donna Freeman
2. Sinister by Carolyn Blevins
3. The Rotting by Shayla Raquel
4. Mr. Sweater's Gift by Oren Patterson
5. The Baby by Kevin Hesser
6. Scared of the Light by Mark Love
7. Revenger by M. C. Horn
8. A Pretty Façade by Gary Medina
9. Not Safe by Melonda Gruntmeir
10. In Stitches by J. C. Merry
This was an entertaining and quick read. As with all anthologies, I enjoyed some of the stories more than others. Overall, a nice collection, and a good read for fans of horror.
I received a free digital copy of this book from one of the authors, Shayla Raquel, in exchange for an honest review.
September 14, 2018
I received a complimentary copy from Shayla Raquel!
It’s getting to be the time of year that is perfect for things that go bump in the night and the Yukon Writers’ Society members have been hard at work creating some deliciously dark delights. So turn out the lights and grab a flashlight to set the mood for SHIVERS IN THE NIGHT!
How do you feel about spiders? That ending that leaves looking over your shoulder or maybe a cat that seems to have been around long enough for at least nine lives? Maybe working on a body farm could be interesting, especially when one of the new “residents” looks just a little too familiar, no, it couldn’t be him…
From very short stories to tales that could become novels, there are some fascinating tales, all horrors, all uniquely told, all definitely cringe-worthy and all showcasing a talented author in their own special light!
If you’re feeling brave, read them all at once or draw out the thrills a story at a time. Shayla Raquel, Carolyn Blevins, Donna Freeman, Oren Patterson, Kevin Hesser, Mark Love, M.C. Horn, Gary Medina, Melonda Gruntmeir and J.C. Merry are here to give you SHIVERS IN THE NIGHT and maybe even your next nightmare…
Publisher: Yukon Writers' Society (May 2, 2018)
Publication Date: May 2, 2018
Genre: Horror
Print Length: 196 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
It’s getting to be the time of year that is perfect for things that go bump in the night and the Yukon Writers’ Society members have been hard at work creating some deliciously dark delights. So turn out the lights and grab a flashlight to set the mood for SHIVERS IN THE NIGHT!
How do you feel about spiders? That ending that leaves looking over your shoulder or maybe a cat that seems to have been around long enough for at least nine lives? Maybe working on a body farm could be interesting, especially when one of the new “residents” looks just a little too familiar, no, it couldn’t be him…
From very short stories to tales that could become novels, there are some fascinating tales, all horrors, all uniquely told, all definitely cringe-worthy and all showcasing a talented author in their own special light!
If you’re feeling brave, read them all at once or draw out the thrills a story at a time. Shayla Raquel, Carolyn Blevins, Donna Freeman, Oren Patterson, Kevin Hesser, Mark Love, M.C. Horn, Gary Medina, Melonda Gruntmeir and J.C. Merry are here to give you SHIVERS IN THE NIGHT and maybe even your next nightmare…
Publisher: Yukon Writers' Society (May 2, 2018)
Publication Date: May 2, 2018
Genre: Horror
Print Length: 196 pages
Available from: Amazon
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com
October 8, 2018
This collection of short stories is the perfect read before Halloween. I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to scary. I read this collection, a few each day – only in daylight hours, when someone else was home and with music in the background to drown out any house noises. And, it still scared me!!!
This collection had it all from scary humans to ghosts, to creatures, to just plain eerie! I will never look at a cat, spider or even a mother with a baby in the same way! The variety of writing styles and concepts were well done. Get the book, get ready for Halloween – but you were warned!!!
This collection had it all from scary humans to ghosts, to creatures, to just plain eerie! I will never look at a cat, spider or even a mother with a baby in the same way! The variety of writing styles and concepts were well done. Get the book, get ready for Halloween – but you were warned!!!
September 12, 2018
I was given a free copy of this book. I LOVED this book! Very creative and a good diverse group of genres, writing style and ideas. Sucks you in and you gotta finish it!
June 17, 2018
I bought this book to support a friend that had a story in it, and am so glad I did!! Since it’s a short anthology I wanted to review each particular authors books because a couple of these stories were gold and NEED to be full books!
Donna Freeman- it’s hard to show any talent in a book that is 15 pages long, but she has 1 specific paragraph that sealed the deal for me. She’s good! And that ending was a nice twist!
Carolyn Blevins- all I can say is OMG. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.
Shayla Raquel- probably the best story in the book. I LOVED it!!! She has some real talent and I can’t wait to read more of what she writes!
Oren Patterson- I wish this story was a full book. I would love to read it!! The plot is fantastic!
Kevin Hesser- this guy is clearly a fisherman because he makes the most accurate night time fishing statement ever haha but this story had me on my toes! I wish this was a full book too because I would really love more story.
Mark Love- “Don’t let the eerie sounds in the night startle you. What lies in the darkness can be your friend.” I’ll leave it at that. Good story.
M.C. Horn- this wasn’t a horror story, this was a dream come true! Haha loved it!
Gary Medina- this story was intriguing. Not really my cup of tea but not bad either.
Melonda Gruntmeir- this story seemed to contain an underlying, and much deeper meaning. Good story. Made me think!
J.C. Merry- this would be a fantastic thriller to read! Another of the short stories that I wish were a full length novel!
So all in all I would say all of the authors showed talent while a couple stood out as being 5 Star reads. I look forward to the next anthology they put out!
Donna Freeman- it’s hard to show any talent in a book that is 15 pages long, but she has 1 specific paragraph that sealed the deal for me. She’s good! And that ending was a nice twist!
Carolyn Blevins- all I can say is OMG. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS.
Shayla Raquel- probably the best story in the book. I LOVED it!!! She has some real talent and I can’t wait to read more of what she writes!
Oren Patterson- I wish this story was a full book. I would love to read it!! The plot is fantastic!
Kevin Hesser- this guy is clearly a fisherman because he makes the most accurate night time fishing statement ever haha but this story had me on my toes! I wish this was a full book too because I would really love more story.
Mark Love- “Don’t let the eerie sounds in the night startle you. What lies in the darkness can be your friend.” I’ll leave it at that. Good story.
M.C. Horn- this wasn’t a horror story, this was a dream come true! Haha loved it!
Gary Medina- this story was intriguing. Not really my cup of tea but not bad either.
Melonda Gruntmeir- this story seemed to contain an underlying, and much deeper meaning. Good story. Made me think!
J.C. Merry- this would be a fantastic thriller to read! Another of the short stories that I wish were a full length novel!
So all in all I would say all of the authors showed talent while a couple stood out as being 5 Star reads. I look forward to the next anthology they put out!
June 10, 2018
Shivers in the Night is an anthology of horror tales by the members of the Yukon Writer's Society. One of the ten contributors, @shaylaleeraquel, is also the organizer of the group and the copy editor of this nice little collection. This group self-published this tome, and kudos to them for following the dream and bringing us these stories.
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Overall, this is a decent collection, with most of the stories being fair to good. There are a few gems hidden in this group, however, notably tales by Donna Freeman, Shayla Raquel and Gary Mefina. For a quick break from realty, these vignettes are a fun little escape, or just do the buffet and read them all at once. Either way, this book is a nice little addition to my library.
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My Rating: 3.75/5 stars
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Overall, this is a decent collection, with most of the stories being fair to good. There are a few gems hidden in this group, however, notably tales by Donna Freeman, Shayla Raquel and Gary Mefina. For a quick break from realty, these vignettes are a fun little escape, or just do the buffet and read them all at once. Either way, this book is a nice little addition to my library.
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My Rating: 3.75/5 stars
October 21, 2018
"Shivers in the Night" was surprisingly frightening.
Now, it's not my usual fare, but, after meeting a few members of the Yukon Writers Society who contributed stories to this compilation, I had to give it a read. I'm glad I did—even though I lost at least a few hours of sleep after having read some of the stories.
In some ways, this book reminds me of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," a book I'd sometimes read as a kid. But "Shivers" isn't for kids.
Bravo to this writers group for writing, compiling, and publishing this smart collection. I hope to see more in the future—but maybe not in such a horrific genre.
Now, it's not my usual fare, but, after meeting a few members of the Yukon Writers Society who contributed stories to this compilation, I had to give it a read. I'm glad I did—even though I lost at least a few hours of sleep after having read some of the stories.
In some ways, this book reminds me of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark," a book I'd sometimes read as a kid. But "Shivers" isn't for kids.
Bravo to this writers group for writing, compiling, and publishing this smart collection. I hope to see more in the future—but maybe not in such a horrific genre.
August 22, 2018
Overall this was a very fun read. It's full of short stories so it was also a very quick read! It got me interested in these new authors and there are some I'd definitely like to read more from, especially Shayla Raquel, Mark Love, Gary Medina and J.C. Merry. These stories were able to really pack in a whole tale in a short story format. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good horror story!
October 23, 2018
Shivers in the Night is a book with ten short scary stories in them by ten different authors from the Yukon Writers’ Society. “The Yukon Writers’ Society is an encouraging supportive group for fiction writers in Yukon, Oklahoma.”
Personally I love spooky stories, so when the lovely Shayla Raquel told us about this book I was very excited to read it! Especially at this time of year, I thought it was perfect. Although I can read horror novels at any time and any day of the year if I’m honest, I love it ^-^. I told myself to read one story each night for ten days, but when I started it I didn’t wanted to wait for the next day so I kind of read it all in two days.. whoops. But that’s also a good thing because I guess you can say that I enjoyed it a lot!
I made some notes for each story, in order:
Spinners Tale by Donna Freeman- This story was very good, it had many creepy elements in it and I was wondering from the start what would happen.
Sinister by Carolyn Blevins- This was a very well executed story and I can definitely see this being made into a short film, one that I would love to watch!
The Rotting by Shayla Raquel- This story was so cool! And that plot twist though! I didn’t see it coming.
Mr.Sweater’s Gift by Oren Patterson- I personally had a bit of trouble understanding this story. I did like the many creepy elements it had and I do feel that is has much potential to become something great, I just needed a bit more explanation, but that might be just me of course.
The Baby by Kevin Hesser- Great executed story, I loved it. It was very creepy and it is unlike I have ever heard of before!
Scared of the Light by Mark Love- This is a very unique story and I found myself wanting a full version of it! I’d love to see this being made into a full novel one day, I would definitely read it. The amount of gruesome details is bloody good as well.
Revenger by M.C. Horn- Whoa that ending though. It left me wondering was really as going on and I still cannot describe what I felt during that ending.
A pretty façade by Gary Medina- I like where this story was going, but it wasn’t really for me. I did like the writing style, keep up the good work!
Not Safe by Melonda Gruntmeir- I personally had a bit of trouble getting into this story, but I did really like the plot of this story!
In Stitches by J.C. Merry- I liked this story a lot and I definitely didn’t saw the ending coming. It was very good. I also found the mutilated bodies quite creepy and I loved it.
Overall “Shivers in the Night” is a great book full of spooky stories which I really enjoyed. My personal favourites are; Sinister, The Baby and Scared of the Light.
This is a perfect book for this time of year and I would recommend it to all of you especially to my fellow spooky readers out there.
Personally I love spooky stories, so when the lovely Shayla Raquel told us about this book I was very excited to read it! Especially at this time of year, I thought it was perfect. Although I can read horror novels at any time and any day of the year if I’m honest, I love it ^-^. I told myself to read one story each night for ten days, but when I started it I didn’t wanted to wait for the next day so I kind of read it all in two days.. whoops. But that’s also a good thing because I guess you can say that I enjoyed it a lot!
I made some notes for each story, in order:
Spinners Tale by Donna Freeman- This story was very good, it had many creepy elements in it and I was wondering from the start what would happen.
Sinister by Carolyn Blevins- This was a very well executed story and I can definitely see this being made into a short film, one that I would love to watch!
The Rotting by Shayla Raquel- This story was so cool! And that plot twist though! I didn’t see it coming.
Mr.Sweater’s Gift by Oren Patterson- I personally had a bit of trouble understanding this story. I did like the many creepy elements it had and I do feel that is has much potential to become something great, I just needed a bit more explanation, but that might be just me of course.
The Baby by Kevin Hesser- Great executed story, I loved it. It was very creepy and it is unlike I have ever heard of before!
Scared of the Light by Mark Love- This is a very unique story and I found myself wanting a full version of it! I’d love to see this being made into a full novel one day, I would definitely read it. The amount of gruesome details is bloody good as well.
Revenger by M.C. Horn- Whoa that ending though. It left me wondering was really as going on and I still cannot describe what I felt during that ending.
A pretty façade by Gary Medina- I like where this story was going, but it wasn’t really for me. I did like the writing style, keep up the good work!
Not Safe by Melonda Gruntmeir- I personally had a bit of trouble getting into this story, but I did really like the plot of this story!
In Stitches by J.C. Merry- I liked this story a lot and I definitely didn’t saw the ending coming. It was very good. I also found the mutilated bodies quite creepy and I loved it.
Overall “Shivers in the Night” is a great book full of spooky stories which I really enjoyed. My personal favourites are; Sinister, The Baby and Scared of the Light.
This is a perfect book for this time of year and I would recommend it to all of you especially to my fellow spooky readers out there.
April 21, 2019
Fun anthology into the horror genre. Whether you want spine tingling stories or stories that makes you think, this little book is the ticket. Inside you will meet up with a harsh Judge whose punishments fit the crime, get a gift from Mr. Sweater, and a mystery on a body farm to name a few. Just don't read in the dark.
April 6, 2025
Stumbled upon a copy of this in a used book store. Really enjoyed the variety of horror tales in this anthology! Each were engrossing in their own way, but “Spinner’s Tale” by Donna Freeman and “In Stitches” by J.C. Merry were standouts.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews