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Shallow Waters: Special Christmas Edition
Nothing stays buried under the Christmas tree this year!
Not with 18 scary tales of flash fiction filled with yuletide goodness.
Shallow Waters is an official monthly flash fiction contest hosted by Crystal Lake Publishing, with different themes each month. The best submissions every month are then posted on Crystal Lake’s Patreon page (a behind the scenes community of readers and authors), where patrons read daily entries and vote for the winner (you don’t have to be a patron to enter). Come find Crystal Lake Publishing on Patreon to vote in future contests (or gain access to our Still Water Bay series and so much more). Be sure to check out the Shallow Waters series page here on Amazon, where you’ll find volume 1 for free.
This Christmas Horror flash fiction anthology includes:
Introduction by Joe Mynhardt
“Julaften Heks” by Anthony D Redden
“Welcome to the Party, Pal by William Meikle
“Santapocalypse” by Ken MacGregor
“Red Christmas” by Taylor Grant
“Mrs. Claus” by Francesca Maria
“Thirteen Fun Facts for Your Office Holiday Party” by C. C. Dockins
“Charlie-in-the-Box” by Vivian Kasley
“A Very Weird Christmas” by Madison McSweeney
“Snow Job” by Trish Wilson
“Pretty Lights” by Theresa Derwin
“Match, Wish, Girl” by Stephanie Parent
“If the Elf Moves, Kill It” by Matt Bliss
“Christmas at 19b” by Karen Bayly
“The Naughty List” by Tom Deady
“Ho, Ho, Help Me!” by Kenneth W. Cain
“Reindeer Game” by Jonathan Hyde
“Blue Christmas” by Michael Aaron Harrington
“Christlessmas” by Joseph VanBuren
This anthology is perfect for fans of Christmas Horror books, Holiday Horror, flash fiction, scary stories, classic horror tropes, horror books, mystery thrillers, horror anthologies, and mystery and suspense flash fiction stories. With a bit of dark humor and elves sprinkled over the top.
Not with 18 scary tales of flash fiction filled with yuletide goodness.
Shallow Waters is an official monthly flash fiction contest hosted by Crystal Lake Publishing, with different themes each month. The best submissions every month are then posted on Crystal Lake’s Patreon page (a behind the scenes community of readers and authors), where patrons read daily entries and vote for the winner (you don’t have to be a patron to enter). Come find Crystal Lake Publishing on Patreon to vote in future contests (or gain access to our Still Water Bay series and so much more). Be sure to check out the Shallow Waters series page here on Amazon, where you’ll find volume 1 for free.
This Christmas Horror flash fiction anthology includes:
Introduction by Joe Mynhardt
“Julaften Heks” by Anthony D Redden
“Welcome to the Party, Pal by William Meikle
“Santapocalypse” by Ken MacGregor
“Red Christmas” by Taylor Grant
“Mrs. Claus” by Francesca Maria
“Thirteen Fun Facts for Your Office Holiday Party” by C. C. Dockins
“Charlie-in-the-Box” by Vivian Kasley
“A Very Weird Christmas” by Madison McSweeney
“Snow Job” by Trish Wilson
“Pretty Lights” by Theresa Derwin
“Match, Wish, Girl” by Stephanie Parent
“If the Elf Moves, Kill It” by Matt Bliss
“Christmas at 19b” by Karen Bayly
“The Naughty List” by Tom Deady
“Ho, Ho, Help Me!” by Kenneth W. Cain
“Reindeer Game” by Jonathan Hyde
“Blue Christmas” by Michael Aaron Harrington
“Christlessmas” by Joseph VanBuren
This anthology is perfect for fans of Christmas Horror books, Holiday Horror, flash fiction, scary stories, classic horror tropes, horror books, mystery thrillers, horror anthologies, and mystery and suspense flash fiction stories. With a bit of dark humor and elves sprinkled over the top.
95 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 20, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 25, 2022
HO, HO, HO this is Christmas horror at its best. You read about uncanny Santa Claus monsters (or is it Satan Claus?), the night a family father shot Father Christmas mistakenly thinking him as a burglar and the taxidermatologist inviting very special guests into apartment 11b. The stories were quite far from being sentimental or kitschy and I really enjoyed every single one of them. Christmas will be regarded in a different light after reading this one. Highly recommended Christmas tales if you need something stronger than ginger bread...
December 31, 2022
Wow! Crystal Lake Publishing sent this recommendation over to me and it was right up my alley, an exceptional horror holiday anthology.
Readability was EXCELLENT, with stories really bite-size but long enough to get in and creep you out. The stories were diverse, as well, everything from slasher horror to holiday creatures of mythology, and the writer roster just as varied.
I really recommend this if you enjoy horror and short reads are more your thing.
Readability was EXCELLENT, with stories really bite-size but long enough to get in and creep you out. The stories were diverse, as well, everything from slasher horror to holiday creatures of mythology, and the writer roster just as varied.
I really recommend this if you enjoy horror and short reads are more your thing.
December 25, 2022
Finished this Christmas Day on my iPad at an airport while waiting for a long long delayed flight. Review to follow sometime after destination arrival.
January 3, 2023
You gotta love Crystal Lake Publishing…
And… not just because they have the coolest name in the business. But, because they help authors get a start and put out very good anthologies.
Like the majority of anthologies, there were hits and misses. However, all the stories were all on point and blended well together.
There are too many for me to review one by one, but I would like to at least make mention of the must-reads and other notables. Please note, though, that these are not just short stories, they are flash fiction, so that means, in no uncertain terms, that these tales will be done in a flash.
1. Julaften Heks by Anthony D Redden. Terrific story! Wanted more though, as I was absolutely spellbound. However, it seemed unfinished somehow. Why does the witch use the woodsman to get the children if she can grab them herself? What happens next to Eliza? Why did the woodsman serve her? So many questions!!!
2. Welcome to the party, pal by William Meikle. Absolutely loved this! A short story to end the debate on whether or not Die Hard is a Xmas movie. William Meikle left no room for argument.
3. Santapocalypse by Ken MacGregor. This was pretty clever. The whole time, I had a picture of Max Goldman (Grumpy Old Men) in my head yelling “Bah, humbug!”
4. Red Christmas by Taylor Grant. Clever story! The naming of the main character as Gabby (like the archangel Gabriel, brother of Lucifer), and mentioning she has dyslexia so there could be the reversal of letters. Tricky tale!
5. Mrs. Claus by Francesca Maria. This was so intriguing… and then it ended? WTF? I want to know what Mrs. Claus’ plot was. ARGHHHH…. So frustrating!
I’m going to take a little breather here and make the comment that maybe I am not so crazy about FLASH fiction. Hrmmmppphhh……
6. Thirteen Fun Facts for Your Office Holiday Party by
C. C. Dockins. I don’t know about this one. Very unique setup. If you are looking for wacky and weird, jump over to this story.
7. A very weird Christmas by Madison McSweeney (that should have been the title for number 6, but I digress) Great little story about the truth about Kris Kringle.
8. Snow Job by Trish Wilson. A fun, revenge tale.
9. Pretty Lights by Theresa Derwin. Just as I was getting into this, it was over. Sigh…. A messed up Christmas from a kid’s perpective.
10. If the Elf Moves, Kill it by Matt Bliss. A construction worker? Hell, no! Terrific story. Caught your attention right away and left you wanting more. One of my favorites!
11. The Naughty List by Tom Deady. Another favorite. Think of this as a true Yule log Christmas for little Billy. LOL.
12. Ho, Ho, Help Me by Kenneth W Cain. Perfect, dark humour tale that details the War on Christmas!
And… not just because they have the coolest name in the business. But, because they help authors get a start and put out very good anthologies.
Like the majority of anthologies, there were hits and misses. However, all the stories were all on point and blended well together.
There are too many for me to review one by one, but I would like to at least make mention of the must-reads and other notables. Please note, though, that these are not just short stories, they are flash fiction, so that means, in no uncertain terms, that these tales will be done in a flash.
1. Julaften Heks by Anthony D Redden. Terrific story! Wanted more though, as I was absolutely spellbound. However, it seemed unfinished somehow. Why does the witch use the woodsman to get the children if she can grab them herself? What happens next to Eliza? Why did the woodsman serve her? So many questions!!!
2. Welcome to the party, pal by William Meikle. Absolutely loved this! A short story to end the debate on whether or not Die Hard is a Xmas movie. William Meikle left no room for argument.
3. Santapocalypse by Ken MacGregor. This was pretty clever. The whole time, I had a picture of Max Goldman (Grumpy Old Men) in my head yelling “Bah, humbug!”
4. Red Christmas by Taylor Grant. Clever story! The naming of the main character as Gabby (like the archangel Gabriel, brother of Lucifer), and mentioning she has dyslexia so there could be the reversal of letters. Tricky tale!
5. Mrs. Claus by Francesca Maria. This was so intriguing… and then it ended? WTF? I want to know what Mrs. Claus’ plot was. ARGHHHH…. So frustrating!
I’m going to take a little breather here and make the comment that maybe I am not so crazy about FLASH fiction. Hrmmmppphhh……
6. Thirteen Fun Facts for Your Office Holiday Party by
C. C. Dockins. I don’t know about this one. Very unique setup. If you are looking for wacky and weird, jump over to this story.
7. A very weird Christmas by Madison McSweeney (that should have been the title for number 6, but I digress) Great little story about the truth about Kris Kringle.
8. Snow Job by Trish Wilson. A fun, revenge tale.
9. Pretty Lights by Theresa Derwin. Just as I was getting into this, it was over. Sigh…. A messed up Christmas from a kid’s perpective.
10. If the Elf Moves, Kill it by Matt Bliss. A construction worker? Hell, no! Terrific story. Caught your attention right away and left you wanting more. One of my favorites!
11. The Naughty List by Tom Deady. Another favorite. Think of this as a true Yule log Christmas for little Billy. LOL.
12. Ho, Ho, Help Me by Kenneth W Cain. Perfect, dark humour tale that details the War on Christmas!
December 21, 2022
Christmas has been cancelled at my house after reading this book. Holy heck, it puts you off Christmas, with it’s dark, creepy anthology of holiday tales. Who can sleep after this?
This book is enough to take you OUT of the Christmas spirit, as it literally grabs you by the tinsel, and takes you over to the dark side….where there are no cookies and hot chocolate. A masterful anthology by great authors who say Ho Ho Ho in the creepiest way possible. I’d say Merry Christmas, but after reading this book, it would seem like I’d be inviting something dark, menacing and downright unnatural into your homes, so I won’t. You can thank me later.
This book is enough to take you OUT of the Christmas spirit, as it literally grabs you by the tinsel, and takes you over to the dark side….where there are no cookies and hot chocolate. A masterful anthology by great authors who say Ho Ho Ho in the creepiest way possible. I’d say Merry Christmas, but after reading this book, it would seem like I’d be inviting something dark, menacing and downright unnatural into your homes, so I won’t. You can thank me later.
December 22, 2022
Christmas horror
18 short stories by 18 authors all stories were interesting Christmas horror to keep you on Santa good side Christmas eve.
18 short stories by 18 authors all stories were interesting Christmas horror to keep you on Santa good side Christmas eve.
January 5, 2023
What an absolute Christmas Cracker of a collection, from the awesome Crystal Lake Publishing House! I have really been enjoying the Shallow Waters thread of books, and when I spotted a Christmas Special edition, well, it was something of a no-brainer, because who doesn't love a great scare at Christmas time? It's traditional!
This collection has some amazing stories, that will stay with me long, long after the holiday season is over (which, technically, I suppose it just is)! So, if you missed out this year, please add this to your reading list for the end of 2023, as I can absolutely guarantee you won't be disappointed. Or just read it now. After all, as Scrooge said, you have to celebrate Christmas in your heart all year round... This is a great excuse to do just that.
There are some superb standout stories, here, and as ever, no spoilers in my reviews, but if I am being forced at reindeer-antler point to pick a favourite, it has to be William Meikle's "Welcome To The Party, Pal". Ho-ho-ho. (If you get that reference, you'll love this story as much as I did, as it contains a wonderfully woven homage to one of the best Christmas films, ever.) That talent is so rare, and is to be prized, and so my favourite in this great collection, is this festive offering from Mr. Meikle's extraordinarily talented pen. Or whatever Wullie writes with, over there in Newfoundland. Great job, as ever, Wullie.
That said, there isn't a single story that disappoints in any way - a rarity in any collection, but perhaps a mark of the dedication that Crystal Lake Publishing's CEO, Joe Mynhardt, goes to every single time, to bring us lucky readers such stunning collections and collaborations from some of the best horror writers there are in this Universe. Or maybe even any parallel one. Another superb collection to be extremely proud of, Joe, and as ever you rock - even around the Christmas Tree, as this Shallow Waters Christmas Special Edition certainly proves!
Enjoy this one, folks. It's not to be missed!
This collection has some amazing stories, that will stay with me long, long after the holiday season is over (which, technically, I suppose it just is)! So, if you missed out this year, please add this to your reading list for the end of 2023, as I can absolutely guarantee you won't be disappointed. Or just read it now. After all, as Scrooge said, you have to celebrate Christmas in your heart all year round... This is a great excuse to do just that.
There are some superb standout stories, here, and as ever, no spoilers in my reviews, but if I am being forced at reindeer-antler point to pick a favourite, it has to be William Meikle's "Welcome To The Party, Pal". Ho-ho-ho. (If you get that reference, you'll love this story as much as I did, as it contains a wonderfully woven homage to one of the best Christmas films, ever.) That talent is so rare, and is to be prized, and so my favourite in this great collection, is this festive offering from Mr. Meikle's extraordinarily talented pen. Or whatever Wullie writes with, over there in Newfoundland. Great job, as ever, Wullie.
That said, there isn't a single story that disappoints in any way - a rarity in any collection, but perhaps a mark of the dedication that Crystal Lake Publishing's CEO, Joe Mynhardt, goes to every single time, to bring us lucky readers such stunning collections and collaborations from some of the best horror writers there are in this Universe. Or maybe even any parallel one. Another superb collection to be extremely proud of, Joe, and as ever you rock - even around the Christmas Tree, as this Shallow Waters Christmas Special Edition certainly proves!
Enjoy this one, folks. It's not to be missed!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews