Frisson 1: Horror/Spec, #1

By Ravens Quoth Press

A diverse range of poets have unleashed their macabre visions and crafted haunting verses of horror, suspense, and the supernatural.

From sinister haikus that send shivers down your spine, to elegantly crafted sonnets that explore the unnerving aspects of the human mind, each poem beckons the reader into a realm where nightmares become vividly real. Lose yourself in the labyrinthine darkness with tales of monsters lurking in the night, graveside secrets exposed, and the consuming darkness that lies within the human heart. Be prepared to embrace the frisson of poetic terror as you to turn every page with a mixture of excitement and dread.

Horror & Speculative Verse

Featuring:

Ashley Nestler

Avery Hunter

Brian Duran-Fuentes

Carol Edwards

Catherine A. MacKenzie

Corinne Pollard

Damon Hubbs 

Dawn De Braal 

Destiny Pifer

Engilbert Egill Stefánsson 

Fariel Shafee

Francis H. Powell

Gina Easton

Guy Edward

Holly Payne-Strange 

Jacek Wilkos

Jameson Grey

Jerome Douglas

Jim Moss

John Grey

José Ángel Conde

Juan Manuel Perez

K.A. Schultz

Karuna Mistry

Kay Hanifen

Kurt Newton

Linda Sparks

Marc Sorondo

Mark Andrew Heathcote

Mathew Gostelow

Max Bindi

Mehreen Ahmed

Morgan Chalfant

Nikki Kossaris

Rick A. Pearson

Samantha Arthurs

S. Jade Path

Tim Law

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ravens Quoth Press
• Release date: Feb 16, 2024
• ISBN: 9798223844150

Book preview

FRISSON First Edition

Copyright © 2024 The Ravens Quoth Press

First published in Australia in February 2024 by The Ravens Quoth Press

A picture containing dark, cave, night sky Description automatically generated

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this production may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

Cover design by The Ravens Quoth Press

Formatting by Kara Hawkers

Editing by Kara Hawkers and E. Mery Blake

Edgar Allan Poe-Inspired Collection

Evermore

Speculative & Horror Collection

Frisson

Afterworld

Pensive Reflections

Balm

Dream

Psythur

Romance Collection

Cherish

Tempest

Adore

Ravish

Charity Collection

Shards

Individual Collections

Songs of the Underland & Other Macabre Machinations

by Kurt Newton

Don’t Cry on Cashmere by Brianna Malotke

The World Eats Love by Carol Edwards

The Secret Beautiful by Ximena Escobar

Follow us at: linktr.ee/TheRavensQuothPress

CONTENTS

GINA EASTON

And Love Shall Be Forgotten

Chimera

K.A. SCHULTZ

Say It

Talisman, Mine

Corruptible

So Beautiful

MARK ANDREW HEATHCOTE

A Brooch of Butterflies

I Speak of the Devil

The Yew Tree

MAX BINDI

Late at Night

The Accursed Conscience

JUAN MANUEL PÉREZ

We Were Here  First

NIKKI KOSSARIS

Premium Screw

RICK A. PEARSON

The Stench

SAMANTHA ARTHURS

The Wraith

MEHREEN AHMED

Soignée

TIM LAW

Watching My Reflection Slowly Shatter

FRANCIS H. POWELL

Corpse Bride

GUY EDWARD

Abigail

JACEK WILKOS

Splatter Senryu

BRIAN DURAN-FUENTES

Endless Eve of the Third Dream

CATHERINE A. MACKENZIE

Angst

CORINNE POLLARD

Immortal Regret

MORGAN CHALFANT

Hopscotch

Pain Scryer

AVERY HUNTER

Crimson Silence

Fin

S. JADE PATH

Lyssa

Risen

FARIEL SHAFEE

The Wait

Does it Matter Now?

ASHLEY NESTLER

Sweet Nothings

DAMON HUBBS

Mother Horror

CAROL EDWARDS

Lethe’s Song

#heartofdarkness

Beauty Knows No Pain

Wolf

Dinner Conversations

The Old Forest

Neon Pink Umbrella

JEROME DOUGLAS

Frisson’s Touch

DESTINY EVE PIFER

Dark Embrace

JOHN GREY

The Bellman

DAWN DEBRAAL

Nightmare

KARUNA MISTRY

Crazy Train

ENGILBERT EGILL STEFÀNSSON

The Whisper of the Shadow Queen

KAY HANIFEN

Devourers

JIM MOSS

Buffeted

MATHEW GOSTELOW

The Man Who Flayed Me

JOSÉ ÁNGEL CONDE

Bad Karma

MARC SORONDO

Haiku

In Praise of the Wolf

JAMESON GREY

Beneath It All

Unmarked

HOLLY PAYNE-STRANGE

Have You Seen My Doll?

Lonesome

Us Bugs

KURT NEWTON

Bloom

The Street Urchin

LINDA SPARKS

The Lost Queen

Lady of the Night

The Way of the Spider

Under the Bed

Hunger

THE RAVENS QUOTH PRESS

There are horrors beyond life's edge that we do not suspect, and once in a while man's evil prying calls them just within our range.

— H.P. Lovecraft, The Thing on the Doorstep

GINA EASTON is a former registered nurse who decided to pursue her long-time dream of writing as a profession. To date, she has had almost thirty short stories published in horror/fantasy anthologies and magazines.

Her debut horror novel, Black Jack, was released by World Castle Publishing in late December 2020. A second novel, a paranormal romance, is due out in 2024.

Chimera

by Gina Easton

Opposite attraction, us and we

What isn't there is what you see

Mirror reflects all shimmer and shine

Two bloody images, one of them mine

The other, Chimera, shifting her shape

Trapped in the mirror, she cannot escape

She guards my soul while I go to play

Judges me not at the end of the day

When under darkness I finally creep in

Spattered in gore and reeking of sin

She welcomes me back like a long-lost friend

Loving and loyal right to the end

Some call her monster

But she knows what be

Smile in the mirror

The monster is me