Short Story Connect discussion

Lovecraft is famous for his short stories. August 20th is his birth date. On my blog, Reading Fiction, Tales of Terror, I'm featuring one of his non-mythos shorts, Pickman's Model. It's a fast read and if you like to explore the masters of the short story genre, this is one you won't want to miss.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Devil in a Teapot?

FREE little horror story about a haunted teapot by Tim Macy, "The Brass Teapot" published at East of West.

Read at Tales of Terror Blog

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Hey Dracula Fans!

Do you know the meaning of Walpurgis Nacht? Bram Stoker does.
FREE short story by Stoker "Dracula's Guest" at Tales of Terror Blog

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To Build a Fire.

Does this title sound familiar? This is one of those short stories that has fallen off the radar and by one of our most talented authors, Jack London, king of wilderness stories.

It's about winter. A red-bearded, tobacco-chewing man is hiking the Klondike not far from the Bering Sea. Just him and his dog.

You can read it FREE at Tales of Terror, listen to the audio or even watch the film.

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What is the absolute opposite of "merry, merry" for the holidays?

Lovecraft for Christmas ...

Read HP Lovecraft's The Festival

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Are you looking for something besides Dickens for a Christmas ghost story? Nathaniel Hawthorne has one for you: The Ghost of Dr. Harris: A True Ghost Story

Hawthorne for Christmas:

FREE READ at Tales of Terror Blog:
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How about a Winter Solstice short story?

Reading Fiction, Tales of Terror Blog, a short-short story for Winter Solstice:
http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2014/...

Did you know that Winston Churchill wrote fiction?

Of all the fiction writers you know, Winston Churchill is not a name that comes to mind and certainly not associated with writing mystery or horror. Stop by Tales of Terror Blog this week and find out more about the former prime minister of UK and his dabbling in fiction suspense.

Yep, I've got his short story there for you to read.

http://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2015/...

If you like Southern Gothic genre, you will certainly like William Faulkner's short story "A Rose for Emily." It's literary and suspenseful and carries the flavors of historical southern family during Civil War time. Probably Faulkner's most popular short story.
FREE read at Reading Fiction, Tales of Terror Blog.

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Are you a fan of H.G. Wells? Have you read Valley of the Spiders?

Tuesday's Tale of Terror, FREE short story.

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Do you know author Mary Elizabeth Braddon? For this week I'm featuring two classic FREE reads by Braddon, and audio versions of her short stories:

"Good Lady Ducayne," a story that has a scientific twist to the vampire theme. And, "At Chrighton Abbey." Think Downton Abbey with a ghost.

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Did you know that literary icon George Eliot who wrote the masterpiece Middlemarch wrote supernatural fiction? The Lifted Veil is Gothic, romantic and explores extrasensory perception. Read it free here:

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Like stories about witches? Anton Chekhov's The Witch is a good one. FREE this week on my blog

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Can you guess what famous Irish horror writer wrote "The Night at the Shifting Bog"? A romantic thriller set in Ireland.

His Gothic novel was published in 1897 but he also wrote some 25 short stories. Several of them are free reads at Tales of Terror Blog

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A mysterious window. Fatal magic. A haunted mirror. What famous German musical composer wrote this short story "The Deserted House"? FREE short story at Tales of Terror Blog.

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Looking for a smoothly written ghost story for this week? Try Smoke Ghost. In the murky twilight ...

The question of real ghosts is the thrust of Fritz Leiber's Smoke Ghost. This is a tidy short read that gives us a 'modern ghost.' Leiber is a writer with a dramatic power and a flair for stylistic symbolism. The story fits into the genre of 'weird fiction' or speculative fiction.

Free read.

https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2015...

In the glittering world of F. Scott Fitzgerald's stories, do you think you would find a ghost story? Come meet the dark stranger in a derby hat and experience F. Scott Fitzgerald's supernatural fiction, A Short Ride Home. Besides chauffeurs, Cotillion dances, and raccoon coats, there is a contagion of evil in the air. FREE short story at Tales of Terror Blog

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Time for a sea adventure? Have you read the supernatural short stories of William Hope Hodgson? FREE read: "A Voice In the Night."

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Every week a free classic short story at Tales of Terror Blog.

Have you read these blood and thunder tales? Written by A.M. Barnard. Female author. She became an American literary icon of the 19th century.


FREE read https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2015...

Wives of the Dead
Is it autumn yet? This short story is perfect for a crisp cold night. You know this author well. He's famous for his supernatural stories that were regarded highly by Poe.



FREE read at Tales of Terror.

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Romantic Horror ...
Ready, set, Halloween!

FREE short story by the master writer of horror and romance. Have you read Ligeia?

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Have you read The Dream of the Red Hands? Tales of Terror Blog, free short story by a famous author of supernatural fiction. You know who that is, right?


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With all the chat about the World Fantasy Awards removing Lovecraft as their icon award figure, I thought it might be appropriate to read one of his short stories. The Tree isn't his usual fare. It's a very short story and not only supernatural but also quite puzzling. I liked it because it takes place on a mountain and, well, if you know me, you know I love the supernatural powers of mountains and summits.

Here you go. Lovecraft's "The Tree." I doubt you'll observe olive trees quite the same again.

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Have you ever known an "inexperienced ghost"? H.G. Wells has a story about one. Kind of a funny idea, yes? You won't be laughing for long. FREE short read at Tales of Terror blog. GONE HAUNTING ... "The Inexperienced Ghost":

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“The soul sits alone and waits for a footstep that never comes.”

How about a literary mystery? This short story by Edith Wharton is a special one, "The Fullness of Life." Not an especially enchanting title, but the story takes you beyond life and into death.

Take a read of this story about love, death, and the beyond.

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If you've not read much of author Emile Zola or French" literature, I have a short story for you this week that is more than just a little compelling.

"The Death of Olivier Becaille" by Émile Zola is a 35-minute read about a man with catalepsy and about to be buried alive. A terrifying subject but in the hands of Emile Zola, an extraordinary and unforgettable work of fiction.

Read it free at Reading Fiction Blog
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Christmas Eve's Phantom ...

There is someting "Between the Lights" on Christmas Eve. Read E.F. Benson's ghost story if you'd like to go beyond Scrooge.

https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2015...
FREE read at Reading Fiction Blog.

Do you know a boy named Claus?

This story is one of the best fantasies you'll read for the holidays. An old fashioned good vs. evil tale that will ignite your childhood imagination.

Come into the enchanted forest of Burzee and meet the Master Woodsman of the World. Meet Necile who finds a baby abandoned and starving in the woods. Who is this child?

If you've not read L. Frank Baum's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, you've missed a great Christmas fantasy story.

I didn't know about Santa Claus' childhood, did you? I totally believe!

Stop by Reading Fiction this week for the FREE story, audio, and amazing illustrations by the famous Michael Hague!

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Do you know the famous author who wrote the ghost story "Miriam"? If you've not read this short story, you've missed a fun ride into mystery and suspense by a master writer.

FREE read at Reading Fiction blog. Also 12-minute film too!

Stop by Reading Fiction Blog:

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“There are jungles in the upper air, and there are worse things than tigers which inhabit them …”

A line from Arthur Conan Doyle in his amazing short story "The Horror of the Heights." Sci-fi flavors for sure but no Sherlock here. I found this story impossible to stop reading. Even avid A.C. Doyle fans may have missed this one.

Read it free at Tales of Terror Blog
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Hunting for "Smee" in the Dark.

Do you know author A.M. Burrage? Read his most famous ghost story at Tales of Terror Blog. Audio too. Free short story.

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Did you ever know hit men to eat with their gloves on? The Killers are cool and slick in this famous short story by one of America's beloved authors. Want to read a mystery noir?

The Killers by Ernest Hemingway. Audio and film too.

https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2016...

Every week a FREE short story by a master storyteller.

Need a ghost story? This week on my blog we have one of the best short story writers, Kate Mosses' Mistletoe Bride. FREE read.

Stop by for the last week of Women In Horror Month celebration for February.

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How about an Irish ghost story? Is it St. Patrick's Day yet?
"The Dead Smile" by the famous Francis Marion Crawford is a mysterious tale at an old Irish castle, Ockram Hall. FREE 30- minute read at Reading Fiction, Tales of Terror Blog.



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Have you read much of Flannery O'Connor's short stories? If you've not experienced this author of Southern literature, you can read "A View of the Woods" free this week on Reading Fiction. This story of a child and her grandfather is an 'uncomfortable mystery.'

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In Fritz Leiber's short story, The Girl With the Hungry Eyes, we have a photographer and a model. What do you think a woman is most hungry for? Lust? Power? Revenge?

Stop by Tales of Terror for this free 30-minute read. Also film available (25 minutes) with James Farentino and Joanna Pettet, a Rod Serling classic from Night Gallery.

https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2016...

Need a ghost story?

“I could produce the merest necessary flicker, like the shadow of a just-opened leaf, on his trembling, tortured consciousness.”

So says the ghost of Frances in Olivia Howard Dunbar's short story "The Shell of Sense." FREE 30-minute read and what a beautiful and haunting one!

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Island of Immortality.
Immortality may be more terrifying than you think. Hugo award-winning author Ursula Le Guin has a short story for you if you come along with her to the Yendian Plane. FREE 35-minute read.

https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2016...

This week's short story is full of realism, mystery, supernaturalism, sanity, madness. If you've never read Anton Chekhov's The Black Monk, you are in for an extraordinary experience.

FREE read and audio
https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2016...

Joyce Carol Oates' Big Momma, free read ...

“Damn you, Violet—you are a shameless liar.”
...In her mother’s hot-vibrating presence Violet wore her sulky face. It was an airtight mask of some material like satin or silk, which she could draw down over her actual face. Like Hallowe’en.

Joyce Carol Oates' Big Momma is a wicked short story, written by a master author of the macabre.
This story is tender, emotional, and ever so creepy. A shocking ending that is sure to chill.

Read it FREE at Reading Fiction Blog
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The Unsolved Puzzle of the Man With No Face.

When was the last time you read an English murder mystery, a jazzy little puzzle, in the suspense style of Agatha Christie?

Reading Fiction Blog has a short story, FREE, to go with your lunchtime reading. "The Unsolved Puzzle of the Man With No Face" by Dorothy Sayers. A Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery.

Joyce Carol Oates praised author Dorothy Sayers in the NY Times: Lord Peter is a tour de force, superior to the tricky plots his creator has stuck him in; unlike most series detectives in what might be called the crossword-puzzle mode, of which Sayers is a master."

Stop by Reading Fiction for a free read.

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"House of the Dead Hand."
Curious title for a short story, right? The woman who wrote this story also was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Do you know her?


If you are looking for a well-written story, try this shortie. Read the FREE short story at Reading Fiction Blog.

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Got 5 minutes for a short story? No kidding, this shortie goes a long way in full Bradbury style. FREE read at Reading Fiction Blog.

How would you feel if you knew tonight was the last night of the world?

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Are you a fan of locked-door mysteries? Which short story is the most famous of this category? A young woman’s corpse jammed up a chimney. An elderly woman brutally murdered by decapitation. Locked doors. Nailed down windows. Not a single footprint.

This week's Tale of Terror by the master of the macabre. FREE read and audio.

https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2016...

The Magic of Sherlock ...
FREE 20-minute short story. Settle back and enjoy this story along with a pot of "Sherlock Holmes" blend of tea (lapsang souchong, assam melody, oriental spice), which is 'exotic and mysterious and perhaps a little bit insane, with a lingering hint of smoke' at Adagio Tea Company. All at Reading Fiction Blog.

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Carnacki the Ghost Finder
“Then I heard it, an extraordinary hooning whistle, monstrous and inhuman, coming from far away through corridors to my right.”

If you are looking for a good ghost story for this season's reading for Halloween, The Whistling Room by William Hope Hodgson is a good one.

Stop by Reading Fiction Blog for a free read and free audio too.
https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2016...

What if a clock began to run backwards? What would happen to your own personal time, do you think?

If you are looking for a fascinating and well written story for this Halloween season, you will want to read The Clock That Went Backward by Edward Page Mitchell.

FREE 30 minute read, and audio too at ReadingFiction Blog:

https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2016...

Edgar Allan Poe's "Some Words With a Mummy"
Halloween isn't really a holiday without reading an Edgar Allan Poe story. Here's one that's not as famous as the others: "Some Words With a Mummy." At Reading Fiction Blog:

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Hawthorne Style: "Absolute Evil" a FREE short story.

Do you know Julian Hawthorne? Son of Nathaniel Hawthorne? He wrote fiction and was especially good at mysteries.

Absolute Evil is full of suspense, a short story that is well written and oh so spooky.
https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2016...

Stop by Reading Fiction Blog for a free read.

Hawthorne Style: "Absolute Evil" a FREE short story.

Do you know Julian Hawthorne? Son of Nathaniel Hawthorne? He wrote fiction and was especially good at mysteries.

Absolute Evil is full of suspense, a short story that is well written and oh so spooky.
https://paulacappa.wordpress.com/2016...

Stop by Reading Fiction Blog for a free read.