Special Announcement: Darkling's Beasts & Brews and Creatures in Canada

 

We are excited to announce the relaunch of Darkling's Beasts & Brews in its new and improved upgraded version! Improved ebook navigation and formatting. Full color hardcover now resized, improved graphics and page numbers! Also, now available in black & white paperback edition!

To celebrate the relaunch, the ebook is 50% off through the end of the year!

And we've added a new ordering experience for the paperback and hardcover.

Happy Winter Holidays!

Oh, hold on, there's more...

Creatures in Canada: A Darkling Around the World Anthology has received a similar upgrade in ebook and is now also available in paperback.

Additional updates are coming soon...

Have a meaningful Eights Nights of the Dead, a spooky Halloween, a grateful Friendsgiving, a frightening Krampus Day, a miraculous Hanukkah, a darkly Winter Solstice, a horrifying Christmas and a fantastic rest of the year full of peace, love and horror.

See you around the valley!

BE THE BEAR Female Rage Anthology Open Submissions and Preorders

 

Inspired by a piece of artwork found online by Christopher Golden, Lycan Valley acquired artwork rights (cover reveal coming soon!) from the original artist and has opened submissions for BE THE BEAR Female Rage Anthology, edited by MJ Sydney and Lee Murray.

Additionally, we have set up a crowdfundr campaign in order to offer additional preorder options and ongoing updates. It is important to note that this anthology will be released regardless of funding, so there is no risk to supporters. We simply set it up this way in order to offer more options than our usual preorder package. (Additional exclusive options and updates coming soon!)

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES FOR BE THE BEAR FEMALE RAGE ANTHOLOGY

Not too warm. Not too cold. Just Dead. Just Right.

BE THE BEAR Female Rage Anthology, edited by MJ Sydney and Lee Murray

Submissions are open now through December 31* or until full. Please read all guidelines before submitting!

While we appreciate that there are many men who support and advocate for women and can effectively write female characters, this anthology is open to female** authors only! (See below how men can help support this anthology.)

This is a non-profit charity anthology to benefit organizations directly helping rape and sexual assault victims. (Specific organizations will be announced prior to publication).

As the title and cover image suggests, we want stories of women BEING rather CHOOSING the bear. We are looking for horror and speculative women's rage stories. Other than that, we’re leaving it open to allow women to express how and what that means, in a way that best reflects their experiences, who they are and their writing styles. The best female rage stories will be crafted with sensitivity and offer insight into our reactions to the real-world threats facing women and girls in a way that opens dialogue. (Stories based on real people and/or events should be depicted as fictional with names changed.) 

Don't hold back. Be loud. Show us your wild woman. Be feral. Show us your rage. Don't choose the bear. Be the bear! Give us your best female rage stories in 1500 and 7500 words (with the sweet spot being around 3500). A limited number of poetry submissions will be considered as well and you may include up to three poems per submission. (Artists*** wishing to submit original artwork should contact Lycan Valley directly.)

Due to the nature of this anthology, we are not limiting relevant graphic descriptions other than to the point they are unnecessary for the story. Do not make your story more graphic in terms of sexual abuse, violence or gore than it needs to be. We will leave it up to you to determine what that level is based on your story’s needs.

ABSOLUTELY NO AI. No reprints unless requested by our editors.

As this is a non-profit, charity anthology, we are asking for stories to be donated for the cause. All sales profits will go directly to support and advocacy for rape victims. Authors will receive a free ebook and audiobook download plus 5 discounted codes to give away and may request a printed copy of the anthology as well (with shipping included in the US, UK and Australia, outside these areas will incur a shipping fee). Authors may also purchase up to 10 copies of the anthology at print cost plus shipping (shipping direct from the printer).

Send all submissions through our submission portal.

With the subject line: STORY/POEM — TITLE — ### WORDS/LINES

Please include a 50-75 word third person author bio as well. Authors wishing to remain anonymous for personal or safety reasons, please let us know in the cover letter section of the submission portal and we will ensure your byline reads "by Anonymous" with no bio included.

Submissions should be formatted to SHUNN manuscript formatting guidelines (or close to it) and be saved as an .rtf or .pages file. Poetry submissions may include up to three separate poems in one document.

Inspiration from the cover artwork can be found here.

*In the event we close submissions early, advance notification will be made on our website and social media. Additionally, we may extend the deadline as needed. If necessary, we may expand this anthology to two volumes.

**This anthology is open to women only. This includes all women, regardless of sex assigned at birth. Men are encouraged to support this anthology by sharing, preordering, and reading women’s stories, by listening to women when they say no or are uncomfortable with men’s behavior and by refusing to stand by and stay silent when their male friends are sexually inappropriate towards women.

***Female artists interested in donating original interior artwork should contact Lycan Valley directly at submissions.LVP@outlook.com with the subject line BEAR ART. To be considered, art must be the artists own original artwork, no AI or computer graphics. High resolution jpg or png images will be required upon acceptance. Non-art submissions to this email will be deleted unread.

Familial Reflections Anthology Campaign

 

Familial Reflections...

An anthology of familial horror reflecting and exploring relationships in terms of love/hate, light/dark, good/evil.

Horrific stories of sibling rivalry, sibling love, fathers and sons, parents and children...

Terrifying stories by Richard Thomas, Michael Bailey, Stephen King, Richard Chizmar, Justin Zimmerman and Mercedes Yardley.

Chilling poetry by Erin Al-Mehairi, Wrath James White, Maxwell Ian Gold and Maria Alexander with an introduction by John Palisano

Cover art by George Contronis

*Initial Funding Goal: $5,000

Exclusive Perks and Rewards

In addition to the usual campaign perks, we've added two exclusive campaign perks:

Familial Reflections Hardcover: Limited quantities, only available during the campaign, included with the Familial Reflections Complete Package

Family Murders Trilogy Hardcover: A series of three flash fiction anthologies—A Mother's Love, Fatherly Instincts, Family Memories—brought together in one complete color hardcover honoring Mother's Day, Father's Day and Grandparents Day with Murder, Mayhem, Malice and Mischief! Bonus content added from Carl Jennings, Mercedes Yardley, Mackenzie Johnston, Jay Faulkner (RIP), Craig Spector and Luke Spooner. This special edition hardcover is only available through the contributors (and this campaign).

Additional funding to include original artwork by Orion Zangara Art

*Stretch Goal #1: Once funding reaches $5,000, we will add original artwork to each of the four poems in the anthology.

*Stretch Goal #2: Once funding reaches $6,000, artwork will be added to every story in the anthology.

Any and all additional funds raised beyond this will be used by Lycan Valley to directly pay authors and illustrators for on-going projects.

Lycan Valley is against the use of Gen AI and will never use or consider works, written or illustrated, that have been generated by or with the help of AI. We only support human writers, artists and narrators.

Are You Ready For This?

 

If you haven’t subscribed to Lycan Valley’s Newsletter, now’s the time! We’re getting ready to launch our Familial Reflections Anthology Campaign with special perks and exclusive offers for newsletter subscribers and Lycan Valley community members. 

Plus we’ll be announcing our Lycan Valley Halloween submissions and relaunching our Patreon. Don't miss out on the exciting news coming from Lycan Valley and the Machleif Cemetery!

Subscribe to our newsletter: http://www.lycanvalley.com/p/contact-us.html

Join the Lycan Valley Community: lycanvalley.mn.co/

Find us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/LycanValley

See you around the valley!

Image by joostrikkerink from Pixabay

Launch Day! HER SHADOW SIDE by Jennifer West

When eighteen-year-old Josephine flees her abusive mother and the third-floor bedroom she was locked in, she hopes to start a fresh, simple life with her boyfriend Ben and their unborn child in a quiet northern town. But some wounds don't stay buried for long.

Though hopeful, Jo continues to see shadows no one else can see—hear whispers only she remembers from her childhood: the stories her beloved grandmother once whispered to her in the dark about the Fae.

After a devastating loss, Jo spirals. Reality bends. The shadows whisper. And the line between grief and madness begins to blur. As her mind fractures under the weight of old stories and new trauma, Jo clings to her grandmother’s folklore like a lifeline—until she can no longer remember where the stories end and where she begins.

Available now in ebook and paperback! Audiobook coming soon!

"This book was born in the in-between — between naptimes, moon phases, and customers at the coffee shop.

It is my first novel, shaped in the quiet hours, in the margins of motherhood, and it carries the vulnerability and the chaos of a beginning...

I experienced two pregnancies and births during the writing of this book and since completing it, I’ve become a birth worker, honored to walk alongside people through pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. With this knowledge, I would have written parts of this story differently. But I’m leaving it as it is: a snapshot of where I was then, a reflection of what I knew, felt, and feared most of all.  It is a reminder that we are always becoming. Always learning. Always deepening into our work.

And to anyone out there who picked up this book hoping for a little scare, this story is meant to be extreme. It’s folklore and fear, identity and unraveling, the weight of motherhood, and the shadows we’re told not to look at too closely. But beneath the fiction lies a very real truth — postpartum depression and psychosis are real — and they are not rare.

If you know someone who’s recently had a baby, check in on her. She probably won’t become murderous, but there’s a good chance she’s not totally okay. The postpartum period is deeply important to a woman’s experience as she integrates becoming a mother. It should not be ignored. She should not be ignored. Check on her. Care for her."

Jennifer West lives in British Columbia, Canada with her husband and three daughters. When she’s not painting glitter onto little girls’ eyelids or reading, she is cohosting the In Her Good Books podcast and hiking the mountains of the Okanagan.  In 2018, she opened her own coffee shop so that she would have a place to write and that’s where you can usually find her - writing horror and pouring latte art.

Lycan Valley Closed for Passover

Lycan Valley is closed for Passover. When we come back April 22, we've got some exciting news you won't want to miss. In the meantime, enjoy 50% off all ebooks and audiobooks on our website (www.lycanvalley.com) through Earth Day. If you aren't already subscribed, sign up for our newsletter now so you're ready for our next big announcement! (http://www.lycanvalley.com/p/contact-us)

Horror Belongs in Fiction - Free eBooks from Lycan Valley!

 

(EDIT to add Pink Triangle Rhapsody and extended through November 12)

Horror belongs in fiction -- not at the polls, not in our living rooms, not in our communities, not in our government. 

Need an escape? A brief break from the election? Or just some excellent horror from fantastic writers?

Download one (or all) of these ebooks free now through November 12th.

• Revisiting the Undead  https://payhip.com/b/DUQy6

• Subliminal Reality. https://payhip.com/b/WXoMp 

• Creatures in Canada https://payhip.com/b/5RSg

• Dark Voices https://payhip.com/b/3YyP 

• Lycan Valley Reaper Series https://payhip.com/b/p0G2

• Pink Triangle Rhapsody https://payhip.com/b/z2fsh

(Image by Angela Yuriko Smith from Pixabay)

Happy Mother's Day from Lycan Valley!

 

We have four new pre-orders up and ready for you plus 30% off select titles. (Even better, we've updated our website for easier access and navigation!)

PREORDER PACKAGE INCLUDES EBOOK, AUDIOBOOK, PAPERBACK

Social (Media) Life by Mark Allan Gunnells June 2024 PREORDER NOW

The Nightmare Man by JG Faherty July 2024 PREORDER NOW

The Barricade     by Stephanie Ellis   August 2024      PREORDER NOW

Familial Reflections An Anthology April 2025 PREORDER NOW

30% OFF EBOOKS AND AUDIOBOOKS THROUGH MAY 31

DOWNLOAD NOW

DOWNLOAD NOW

DOWNLOAD NOW

DOWNLOAD NOW

DOWNLOAD NOW

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DOWNLOAD NOW

Happy Holidays from Lycan Valley (Part II)

Whether you celebrate Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa or being alive another day, Lycan Valley wishes you days filled with Light, Love, Peace, Hope and Happiness.

As we end an amazing year of horror, we have a few last minute gifts to help transition us all into a fantastic new year of horror. 

SONGS IN THE KEY OF DEATH, a collection of poetic horror, by JG Faherty is free on our website December 22nd, 23rd and 24th (ebook, audiobook or both) with coupon code WINTERHOLIDAY-23 at checkout. (Extended through the 25th!)

THE COLLECTED SHORT FICTION OF JOHN R LITTLE, Vol I Little By Little and Vol II Little Things is free on our website December 24th, 25th and 26th (audiobook only) with coupon codes LITTLE-1 and LITLLE-2 at checkout. Stay tuned for our announcement of Volumes 3 and 4 after New Year’s!

Looking for more? All other Lycan Valley titles are 50% off (ebook and audiobook) through the end of the year and qualify for automatic entry into our New Year’s Giveaway for a physical copy of The Pulp Horror Book of Phobias Vol I and Vol II. (No coupon code required, winner announced after Jan 1). 

Want a sneak peak at what’s coming in 2024? Join our Mighty Networks community or our Patreon page.. Also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads and Slasher @LycanValley and watch for next month’s special New Year’s Newsletter sent directly to your inbox!

Happy Holidays! See you around the valley!

Lycan Valley Eight Nights Holiday Giveaway

 

The month of December is host to a large number of winter holidays -- Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Winter Solstice and many more -- as well as the darkest month of the year.

To celebrate and help spread the light, Lycan Valley is giving away a different ebook/audiobook each of the 8 Nights of Chanukah plus another on Christmas Eve/Christmas. Look for the announcements beginning December 8 on social media for the download codes.

Additionally, all of our ebooks and audiobooks (or bundles) are 50% off now through the December 31 (discount shown at checkout). All purchases (excluding free giveaways) made through our website between now and December 31 will be automatically entered into our New Year's Giveaway to receive a physical copy of The Pulp Horror Book of Phobias Volume 1 and Volume 2 plus the art card set for both volumes.

Follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Threads, Slasher) or join our community on Mighty Networks for nightly coupon codes and more. Sign up for our newsletter and Patreon for advance notification of upcoming promos, new releases and other news.

Whatever holidays or special moments you're celebrating this month, help spread the light and snuggle in for some horrific and terrifying reading.

See you around the valley! 

Happy Halloween from Lycan Valley

Lycan Valley wishes everyone a fantastically terrifying Halloween! 

To celebrate, we're offering all of our ebooks and audiobooks for 75% off.

To take advantage of this offer, purchase any ebook, audiobook or bundle download from our website anytime now through the end of November. Discount automatically applied at checkout.

Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter for additional discounts, promotions and news from the valley (including advance notice of new releases and more).

Have a horrifying Halloween and see you around the valley!

Our Brand New Lycan Valley Community

 

You're invited to join our brand new Lycan Valley Community!

Whether you're a writer, an artist, a reader or a Lycan Valley fan, we'd love for you to join us.

Our new community is much more organized, engaging, interactive and personalized than our previous Lycan Valley Contributors Facebook Group, plus we're opening it to the public so everyone can join and help us grow a strong community network.

We started with a soft opening with our editorial staff then incorporated volunteers and previous Facebook Group members and now we're ready to open to the public and get things moving along.

Our new community platform is different from other social media sites in that you have complete control over what you see in your feed based on the topics you choose to follow. Additionally, it's much more interactive and we feel the platform can help up build a strong community of writers, readers, artists and fans.

To join, please use the link: https://lycanvalley.mn.co  and request to join. One of our moderators will approve your request and you can complete the sign up process (be sure to check your email spam and junk folders if you don’t see the approval notification). You will then have the option to download the app (recommended!).

 After joining, be sure to read the WELCOME - Start Here topic posts for getting started. And let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you for being a part of our community. See you around the valley! 

Lycan Valley on Patreon

Hello from Lycan Valley Editorial!

After careful thought and consideration, we've created a Patreon for Lycan Valley supporters. Whether you're a writer or a reader, there's a tier level with benefits for everyone.

Our goal with Patreon is to help fun upcoming anthologies and special projects, as well as to give our supporters an opportunity to get exclusive merchandise (stickers, mugs and more!), story feedback, free or discounted books and more. 

Check out our Patreon page and check back soon for information on our brand new Lycan Valley Community!

Become a Patron!

See you around the valley,

Lycan Valley Editorial

QUAUNTUM CORSETS ACQUISITION

As of May 25th, 2018, Quantum Corsets has been acquired by LVP Publications in the United States and has officially changed hands. This includes the transfer of all contracts for the seven previously published titles — Flash Fear, Mummy Knows Best, Weird Ales Volumes 1-3, Infection and Wolf at the Door.

Over the next couple months, LVP Publications will be reviewing and re-releasing these titles or returning story rights back to the authors. Authors will be notified by official email with further details once these decisions are made.

The Breast Cancer charity anthology, Her Dark Voices Vol 2, will continue as planned with minor adjustments. The anthology will be published as Dark Voices under LVP Publications and all proceeds will be donated.

Theresa Derwin and her team of editors will continue seeing the anthology through. Theresa will also continue the launch as originally planned. Updated contracts from LVP Publications will go out to HDV2 contributors in the next couple days.

We realize that many of you may have questions or concerns regarding the transition, but please be assured that we intend to make it as smooth as possible for everyone involved. At this time, we ask that general questions be limited as we make the transition.

However, questions and concerns regarding past due payments or contributor copies may be directed to Theresa Derwin at Theresa.Derwin@yahoo.co.uk and urgent contract questions going forward may be directed to MJ Sydney at LVPContracts@outlook.com.

Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding during this period of transition.

New Website Updates!

The expansion of Lycan Valley's online territory continues!  Although we have a few more things to add and a few wrinkles to iron out, the LVP Publications website is up and running, fully functional and ready for exploration.

Check out the new pages that have been added to our website:

ANTHOLOGIES - Curious about which short story and poetry collections are due out soon? Looking for links to buy the previously released Lycan Valley titles? All that you seek is right here!

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES - Interested in submitting your work to LVP Publications? From layout to word count to genre and format, all the rules and recommendations are helpfully outlined here! (Seriously, read these before submitting.)

WRITER RESOURCES - Hoping to step up your writing game with lessons learned from scribes who've seen it all and lived to tell about it? Go ahead and take advantage of a wide assortment of articles and videos, all absolutely free! New resources will be added periodically.

This is only the beginning of the website resurgence, so watch this space for further updates, news about publishing releases, helpful articles and more!