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Stories We Tell After Midnight
Stories We Tell After Midnight Volume 2
As a deadly scourge overwhelms the continent, four survivors race to find a last exit out of Australia.
Up in the attic, a bedtime story outlives its storyteller.
A city boy visits his country cousins and stumbles on a terrifying family secret.
From a film set in the Arizona desert, to an overgrown rambling old house in the Florida swamps, to the dusty streets of a small Mexican town, the stories in this volume plunge the reader into the shadows of a world almost forgotten by modern fables of cold science and bright sunlight. They are the brushed over voices who call a warning to those who would comfort themselves in the thought that monsters aren’t real, and those things can’t happen here. Stories We Tell After Midnight Volume 2 offers up tales of revenge, of hunger, and of the horror that stalks you just beyond the glow of your cell phone light, but only to those who dare turn the page…
Up in the attic, a bedtime story outlives its storyteller.
A city boy visits his country cousins and stumbles on a terrifying family secret.
From a film set in the Arizona desert, to an overgrown rambling old house in the Florida swamps, to the dusty streets of a small Mexican town, the stories in this volume plunge the reader into the shadows of a world almost forgotten by modern fables of cold science and bright sunlight. They are the brushed over voices who call a warning to those who would comfort themselves in the thought that monsters aren’t real, and those things can’t happen here. Stories We Tell After Midnight Volume 2 offers up tales of revenge, of hunger, and of the horror that stalks you just beyond the glow of your cell phone light, but only to those who dare turn the page…
ebook
First published October 1, 2020
27 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Rachel A. Brune
33 books100 followersRachel A. Brune graduated from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts in May 2000, and was immediately plunged into the low-stakes world of entry-level executive assistant-ship. Her unexpected journey out of that world and into the military is chronicled in her self-published book Echoes and Premonitions.
Rachel served five years as a combat journalist, including two tours in Iraq, and a brief stint as a columnist for her hometown newspaper. After her second tour, she attended graduate school at the University at Albany in NY, where she earned her MA in Political Communication, and her commission as a second lieutenant in the military police corps.
Although her day job has taken in her in many strange, often twisted directions, Rachel continues to write and publish short fiction. She released her first novel, Soft Target, in early 2013. In addition to writing for the online military interest zine "Task & Purpose," she blogs her thoughts about reading and the writing life at The Infamous Scribbler. You can also follow her on Twitter, where she goes by the handle @rachelabrune.
Rachel served five years as a combat journalist, including two tours in Iraq, and a brief stint as a columnist for her hometown newspaper. After her second tour, she attended graduate school at the University at Albany in NY, where she earned her MA in Political Communication, and her commission as a second lieutenant in the military police corps.
Although her day job has taken in her in many strange, often twisted directions, Rachel continues to write and publish short fiction. She released her first novel, Soft Target, in early 2013. In addition to writing for the online military interest zine "Task & Purpose," she blogs her thoughts about reading and the writing life at The Infamous Scribbler. You can also follow her on Twitter, where she goes by the handle @rachelabrune.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 9, 2020
Brune has assembled a rich and varied set of stories here, some of them haunting, some of them terrifying, and some laugh out loud bizarre. (slight spoilers ahead)
The anthology rightly opens with ‘Bedtime Tales’ by Nicola Lombardi about a grandmother preparing her grandchildren—and us—for oncoming nightmares.
Gregory L. Norris’s ‘Baby Gray’ left me with a residual creepiness in the uncanny shape of an infant.
‘Iron Teeth’ by Jude Reid is gorgeously written and horrific, a brilliant exercise in tension and survival.
‘Victoria’ by Jay Caselberg brings you along on a disturbing jaunt into the London Underground with a man cursed with a headcold and a job to do.
Michele Tracy Berger’s powerful ‘Family Line’ explores the price of freedom and offers a teasing glimpse of Anubis himself, all with a mastery of second person POV.
Twisty ‘Primary Manifestations’ by Laura E. Price wanders the soul of a house and the family within.
I loved the vintage vibe of ‘Cameraman’ by Joe Scipione in which a man succumbs to dreamy madness in the shape of a giant snake.
‘Seek, Don't Hide’ by Liam Hogan packs a gutpunch in just a few pages. This among other stories wonderfully shows how trauma makes for good horror.
Following on its heels is ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ by Jeff Samson. A denser read but with a similar, existential punch that shakes our place in the natural world.
‘The Cleaning Lady’ by Samantha Bryant is a clever, quick bite that confirms that toxic bosses exist even in the supernatural realm.
‘Whisper Wood’ by Eddie Generous is classic horror with great monsters and a cult that really needs to be written into novel form.
Tim Jeffreys’s ‘Last Shot’ also offers a classic yarn, reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode with a compelling love story.
‘False Confession’ by Joseph Rubas is a gritty, slight tale of ghostly revenge.
Pedro Iniguez’s ‘The Curse of the Cucuy’ offers all the thrills of a slasher film.
Hats off to Elizabeth Davis. Her story ‘The Cut-Mouth Woman and Me’ starts out with all the portent of ‘The Ring’ movies and becomes something wonderfully transcendent.
The snappy dialogue and prose of ‘(and I feel fine)’ by EJ Sidle really gives this zombie apocalypse story its humanity.
Solange Hommel’s tight little story ‘Mouths to feed’ is a dark gem that left a smile on my face.
When I started ‘Red Rover, Red Rover’ by Larina Warnock I worried, “Oh, no, there’s a dog. Please don’t let him die.” Not to worry, Rover’s got a few tricks up his paw in this revenge tale.
Set in a broken0down subway car, T.M. Starnes’s ‘Cell Phone Lights’ is a cinematic nailbiter with screenplay potential.
‘Lamina’ by Eliza Master is a short, shocking mind-bender that’s cleverly crafted.
Priya Sridhar’s very surreal ‘The Terrible Teddies’ had me chuckling and glad my teenage days were behind me.
‘The Thing All These Relationships Have in Common Is You’ by DeAnna Knippling is a beauty. Even without mentioning Siouxsie Souix I would have savored all the sensory details and stayed for more. (Bonus points for naming a character Bela after mentioning Bauhaus.)
If you love really good flash fiction, check out ‘Field Trip’ by J.L. Knight, which made me burst with laughter and appreciation.
With ‘The Bugs Come Out at Night’, Mike Sullivan wraps this creepshow up with a juicy story about family strife and infestations.
All in all, this was a solid anthology for those with a taste for the dark and surreal.
The anthology rightly opens with ‘Bedtime Tales’ by Nicola Lombardi about a grandmother preparing her grandchildren—and us—for oncoming nightmares.
Gregory L. Norris’s ‘Baby Gray’ left me with a residual creepiness in the uncanny shape of an infant.
‘Iron Teeth’ by Jude Reid is gorgeously written and horrific, a brilliant exercise in tension and survival.
‘Victoria’ by Jay Caselberg brings you along on a disturbing jaunt into the London Underground with a man cursed with a headcold and a job to do.
Michele Tracy Berger’s powerful ‘Family Line’ explores the price of freedom and offers a teasing glimpse of Anubis himself, all with a mastery of second person POV.
Twisty ‘Primary Manifestations’ by Laura E. Price wanders the soul of a house and the family within.
I loved the vintage vibe of ‘Cameraman’ by Joe Scipione in which a man succumbs to dreamy madness in the shape of a giant snake.
‘Seek, Don't Hide’ by Liam Hogan packs a gutpunch in just a few pages. This among other stories wonderfully shows how trauma makes for good horror.
Following on its heels is ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ by Jeff Samson. A denser read but with a similar, existential punch that shakes our place in the natural world.
‘The Cleaning Lady’ by Samantha Bryant is a clever, quick bite that confirms that toxic bosses exist even in the supernatural realm.
‘Whisper Wood’ by Eddie Generous is classic horror with great monsters and a cult that really needs to be written into novel form.
Tim Jeffreys’s ‘Last Shot’ also offers a classic yarn, reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode with a compelling love story.
‘False Confession’ by Joseph Rubas is a gritty, slight tale of ghostly revenge.
Pedro Iniguez’s ‘The Curse of the Cucuy’ offers all the thrills of a slasher film.
Hats off to Elizabeth Davis. Her story ‘The Cut-Mouth Woman and Me’ starts out with all the portent of ‘The Ring’ movies and becomes something wonderfully transcendent.
The snappy dialogue and prose of ‘(and I feel fine)’ by EJ Sidle really gives this zombie apocalypse story its humanity.
Solange Hommel’s tight little story ‘Mouths to feed’ is a dark gem that left a smile on my face.
When I started ‘Red Rover, Red Rover’ by Larina Warnock I worried, “Oh, no, there’s a dog. Please don’t let him die.” Not to worry, Rover’s got a few tricks up his paw in this revenge tale.
Set in a broken0down subway car, T.M. Starnes’s ‘Cell Phone Lights’ is a cinematic nailbiter with screenplay potential.
‘Lamina’ by Eliza Master is a short, shocking mind-bender that’s cleverly crafted.
Priya Sridhar’s very surreal ‘The Terrible Teddies’ had me chuckling and glad my teenage days were behind me.
‘The Thing All These Relationships Have in Common Is You’ by DeAnna Knippling is a beauty. Even without mentioning Siouxsie Souix I would have savored all the sensory details and stayed for more. (Bonus points for naming a character Bela after mentioning Bauhaus.)
If you love really good flash fiction, check out ‘Field Trip’ by J.L. Knight, which made me burst with laughter and appreciation.
With ‘The Bugs Come Out at Night’, Mike Sullivan wraps this creepshow up with a juicy story about family strife and infestations.
All in all, this was a solid anthology for those with a taste for the dark and surreal.
April 4, 2021
Maybe I'm more influenced by the slow pace at which I read it and the later stories in the collection, but the overall tone of this anthology was darker, bleaker, and more unforgiving. This isn't a great place for final girls or poetic justice.
I'm still not 100% sure whether it's a step down in quality from the previous SWTAM anthology, but if it is, it's a very slight one. There is still no shortage of good reads and juicy terrors.
I'll begin with the ending. "The Bugs Come Out At Night" has a promising title and intrigued me from the start. The family drama was very compelling and the threat was built up slowly just enough to keep it in my mind. That said, I place a huge value on endings, and this one didn't really have the richness its character's deserved or enough to justify its length. It's the first Crone Girls Press anthology-ending story I've read start to finish, but I suspect the one in Coppice & Brake was better.
Back to the beginning, Bedtime Tales, Baby Gray and Iron Teeth are all good creepy entries, the last one with disturbing realism despite it's folkloric title.
Victoria was a bit weird. It's a good use of the spookiness of public transport, and disturbing because I had a bit of a sniffle at the time, but overall I'm not sure what to make of it.
Maybe the reason why The Bugs Come Out At Night left me cold is that, on the subject of small towns with dark secrets and rural horror, Family Line does a much better job of delivering. What price would you pay for freedom, after all, and what price would you keep paying still?
Primary Manifestations was an emotionally engaging haunted house story, and a good tonal contrast to most of the earlier works.
Cameraman was both confusing and disappointing. The practical consequences and the paranormal experience seem disconnected from each other. I don't know what the monster really is, why it's affecting our protagonist as opposed to anyone else, or why he did what he did at the end.
Seek Don't Hide is short, to the point, and brutal. A tale of disproportionate punishment.
Hey Diddle Diddle...tried my patience, and eventually I ran out. The conversational prologue of an opening didn't do it any favors, and I didn't get very far before I gave up hope that there would be enough masterful technique and genuine scares to justify the outlandish premise.
The Cleaning Lady was an effective flash fiction entry; an old family retainer lamenting the unworthy successor to the old master.
Whisper Woods was a story darker and grimmer than I usually like, but I absolutely love it. A very satisfying blend of different types of evil, and a really disturbing premise.
Last Shot was a pretty good Death Omen tale, with a mystery and misdirect. It's another fairly well-trod premise that Crone Girls Press delivers fresh and well-done.
False Confession is a novel idea and smoothly carried out. I liked it.
The Curse of Cucuy disappointed me. It's worth stating that I'm not a fan of slashers, but this one had way too much build up for not enough pay off, and the logistics of the villain's actions seem questionable.
The Cut-Mouth Woman and Me delivered everything that I hoped it would from the start.
(And I Feel Fine) Is a well-done zombie story, not easy to find. I'm not sure about the full implications and logistics of how the infection and link work, but I understood enough of the emotion and character arcs.
I'm still not 100% sure whether it's a step down in quality from the previous SWTAM anthology, but if it is, it's a very slight one. There is still no shortage of good reads and juicy terrors.
I'll begin with the ending. "The Bugs Come Out At Night" has a promising title and intrigued me from the start. The family drama was very compelling and the threat was built up slowly just enough to keep it in my mind. That said, I place a huge value on endings, and this one didn't really have the richness its character's deserved or enough to justify its length. It's the first Crone Girls Press anthology-ending story I've read start to finish, but I suspect the one in Coppice & Brake was better.
Back to the beginning, Bedtime Tales, Baby Gray and Iron Teeth are all good creepy entries, the last one with disturbing realism despite it's folkloric title.
Victoria was a bit weird. It's a good use of the spookiness of public transport, and disturbing because I had a bit of a sniffle at the time, but overall I'm not sure what to make of it.
Maybe the reason why The Bugs Come Out At Night left me cold is that, on the subject of small towns with dark secrets and rural horror, Family Line does a much better job of delivering. What price would you pay for freedom, after all, and what price would you keep paying still?
Primary Manifestations was an emotionally engaging haunted house story, and a good tonal contrast to most of the earlier works.
Cameraman was both confusing and disappointing. The practical consequences and the paranormal experience seem disconnected from each other. I don't know what the monster really is, why it's affecting our protagonist as opposed to anyone else, or why he did what he did at the end.
Seek Don't Hide is short, to the point, and brutal. A tale of disproportionate punishment.
Hey Diddle Diddle...tried my patience, and eventually I ran out. The conversational prologue of an opening didn't do it any favors, and I didn't get very far before I gave up hope that there would be enough masterful technique and genuine scares to justify the outlandish premise.
The Cleaning Lady was an effective flash fiction entry; an old family retainer lamenting the unworthy successor to the old master.
Whisper Woods was a story darker and grimmer than I usually like, but I absolutely love it. A very satisfying blend of different types of evil, and a really disturbing premise.
Last Shot was a pretty good Death Omen tale, with a mystery and misdirect. It's another fairly well-trod premise that Crone Girls Press delivers fresh and well-done.
False Confession is a novel idea and smoothly carried out. I liked it.
The Curse of Cucuy disappointed me. It's worth stating that I'm not a fan of slashers, but this one had way too much build up for not enough pay off, and the logistics of the villain's actions seem questionable.
The Cut-Mouth Woman and Me delivered everything that I hoped it would from the start.
(And I Feel Fine) Is a well-done zombie story, not easy to find. I'm not sure about the full implications and logistics of how the infection and link work, but I understood enough of the emotion and character arcs.
January 10, 2021
Rachel A. Brune has been putting out some amazing anthologies with her Crone Girls Press, and Stories We Tell After Midnight Volume 2 may be the best yet. My typical experience with anthologies is that they’re a mixed bag with stories I like or love, stories that fall flat, and stories I don’t finish. My enjoyment depends on how many lean toward the “like/loved” category, but it’s rare I don’t come across some of the other two types. With SWTAM2, there were no DNFs and only one entry that didn’t feel successful. But what really surprised me was how many I absolutely loved.
I usually try and give my top three favorite stories a shout-out, but in this case, I couldn’t narrow it down to any less than five.
Primary Manifestations by Laura E. Price is a haunted house story with an inventive and captivating structure and is an award-worthy piece of literary horror. Telling the multigenerational story of a family trapped by a house, it has Haunting of Hill House (Netflix version) vibes but is uniquely it’s own. Honestly, Price’s masterful writing knocked my socks off.
The Cut-Mouth Woman and Me by Elizabeth Davis is an endearing tale of a friendship between a teen girl and a monster from an urban legend. Davis made me feel so much for both her characters that I was heartbroken when it came to an end both for its poignancy and because I wanted to read more.
The Cleaning Lady by Samantha Bryant is a flash piece, telling the tale of the woman who has to clean up after a vampire (Dracula’s son?). Both humorous and tragic, it made every word count and delivered a lot in just a few pages.
Iron Teeth by Jude Reid is a tale about what people will do to survive. With the subject matter of famine and cannibalism, a lot of authors would have taken us to a post-apocalypse, but Reid transports us back in history to a siege in Russia. With its harsh, wintery world and the children protagonists, it has a fairy-tale vibe but remains pure horror.
Cameraman by Joe Scipione involves a struggling cameraman who gets his big break only to start seeing a monster through his lens. This story scratched my Twilight Zone itch with a character coming face to face with the inexplicable and being driven off the rails by it. What earned its place on this list though, was that it compelled me to keep thinking about it long after I finished it.
But these are only the tip of the iceberg, and I could go on singing the praise of more stories from this collection of twenty-four, but I like to keep my reviews short.
If Brune keeps delivering anthologies like these, it won’t be long until she’s considered one of the top editors in the business.
I usually try and give my top three favorite stories a shout-out, but in this case, I couldn’t narrow it down to any less than five.
Primary Manifestations by Laura E. Price is a haunted house story with an inventive and captivating structure and is an award-worthy piece of literary horror. Telling the multigenerational story of a family trapped by a house, it has Haunting of Hill House (Netflix version) vibes but is uniquely it’s own. Honestly, Price’s masterful writing knocked my socks off.
The Cut-Mouth Woman and Me by Elizabeth Davis is an endearing tale of a friendship between a teen girl and a monster from an urban legend. Davis made me feel so much for both her characters that I was heartbroken when it came to an end both for its poignancy and because I wanted to read more.
The Cleaning Lady by Samantha Bryant is a flash piece, telling the tale of the woman who has to clean up after a vampire (Dracula’s son?). Both humorous and tragic, it made every word count and delivered a lot in just a few pages.
Iron Teeth by Jude Reid is a tale about what people will do to survive. With the subject matter of famine and cannibalism, a lot of authors would have taken us to a post-apocalypse, but Reid transports us back in history to a siege in Russia. With its harsh, wintery world and the children protagonists, it has a fairy-tale vibe but remains pure horror.
Cameraman by Joe Scipione involves a struggling cameraman who gets his big break only to start seeing a monster through his lens. This story scratched my Twilight Zone itch with a character coming face to face with the inexplicable and being driven off the rails by it. What earned its place on this list though, was that it compelled me to keep thinking about it long after I finished it.
But these are only the tip of the iceberg, and I could go on singing the praise of more stories from this collection of twenty-four, but I like to keep my reviews short.
If Brune keeps delivering anthologies like these, it won’t be long until she’s considered one of the top editors in the business.
January 8, 2024
After-midnight nightclubs, nursery rhymes gone awry, dating while cannibalistic, becoming part of an all-too-real movie premiere—and more. This is a good variety of stories, ranging from flash to nearly novella. A strong collection—every story was solid and scary!
November 4, 2024
The ratings and reviews are so good. I wanted to like this so bad. But for me, the cover is the most unsettling thing about this book. Some of the stories were more quirky than scary. Idk, am I dead inside?
November 23, 2021
Good read in ing
I love the ghosts who stayed with us in my house from my parents the ghosts were these stories bring them back to me thanks sincerely christinedunne Harlingen Texas
I love the ghosts who stayed with us in my house from my parents the ghosts were these stories bring them back to me thanks sincerely christinedunne Harlingen Texas
March 9, 2022
😍
Grabs you and just won't let go! Not that it matters.. You won't be able to put it down til the end and than wish for more! Thank you for an awesome read!
Grabs you and just won't let go! Not that it matters.. You won't be able to put it down til the end and than wish for more! Thank you for an awesome read!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews