Demonic Classics: Once Upon a Debacle

by Valerie Willis, Kim Plasket, Erika Lance

Everyone knows the classics such as Peter Pan, Huckleberry Finn, and The Wizard of Oz. Have you ever thought about what would happen in those stories if they were written just a little differently... More wickedly...What if Tinkerbell defended her love for Peter Pan, at any costs including her soul?What if Huck’s adventure took him down a more dangerous side of the river?What if The Wizard of Oz was nothing more than a surreal nightmare?The authors within this tome have brought your classic and timeless books back to life with a demonic twist only found in the Demonic Anthology collection. Expect a very different impression of the stories everyone grew up to love, written in such a way they just might be changed in unforgettable ways.

170 pages, Paperback

Published September 24, 2020

About the author

Valerie Willis is an award-winning dark fantasy romance author, expert typesetter, and co-founder of 4 Horsemen Publications Inc., where she’s designed hundreds of book interiors and covers that bridge gothic elegance with digital versatility. Known for her commanding presence on stage and deep genre knowledge, she’s a frequent guest speaker, panelist, and workshop host across the Southeast—sharing everything from book design secrets to monster lore.

Whether she’s co-hosting paranormal deep dives on the Eerie Travels Podcast or sipping cocktails with fellow creatives on Drinking with Authors, Valerie blends intellect and intrigue with her signature love for myth, monsters, and the macabre.

Her novels are steeped in mythological roots, dark history, and folkloric creatures—many plucked straight from Medieval Bestiaries—earning her the unofficial title of “Accidental Guru of Monsters, Myths, and Mayhem.”

Under V.C. Willis, she pens the Traibon Family Saga, an MM Dark Fantasy Romance praised for its rich character arcs and morally gray heroes. For readers craving steamy, laugh-out-loud urban legends with a spicy twist, look no further than Honey Cummings, where erotica meets cryptids and fairy tales in the most unexpected ways.

Reviews

[Maxine (Booklover Catlady) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is yet another great instalment the great series of short stories in each book in the “Demonic” series. Collated, edited and published by the amazing Author Valerie Willis.

This time familiar fairy tales and long-time poplar favourite books and movies get a big twist put on them? What if the endings you love so much changed totally? Or characters were nothing like you knew? What if those tales went to the dark side? Do you dare?

There is a great mix of Authors in here (love you Kim Plasket) and for something a little different here it is. Short story anthologies are often overlooked yet so many famous Authors started with them, Stephen King is one example.

They are great if in a reading slump for a short read or if like me you end up reading them all then that’s a great ride too. I hope you enjoy the stories in here as much as I did.

Thanks so much for reading my review! If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request.<\i>

[Jamie Zaccaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm honored to have my story "Lips as Red as Blood" included in this amazing collection of reimagined tales. My favorite was "Brom Bones Rides Again."

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This horror anthology sparked its writers to take classic stories and characters and reinvent them through a horror lens. One standout piece here is John Di Donna's "Mad Mad Captain Ahab." Di Donna lets Ahab finally score his nemesis, but does the nemesis have an even greater nemesis? Di Donna takes us into a dark, visual world that may have you rethinking Melville--or at least realize why you were falling asleep to it.