April Ghoul’s Day

Join us for our annual celebration of horror fiction and non-fiction and its authors.

April Ghoul’s Day 2021!

Saturday, April 3 – 4, 2021

This event will be virtual and videos of readings will be posted throughout the day on our YouTube channel. All of our authors will have their work posted periodically throughout the day on Saturday and they will all be up until midnight on Sunday when everything will be taken down to retain the atmosphere of an event. We have some incredibly talented authors onboard with varying subjects and we hope you will check everyone out because you may just discover your new favorite author!

Our 2021 Authors

April Ghoul’s Day 2021!

Saturday, April 3 – 4, 2021

This event will be virtual and videos of readings will be posted throughout the day on our YouTube channel.

We will have a Two Sentence Story Contest during April Ghoul’s Day as well with any entries posted periodically during the event.

We are thrilled to welcome TOTEM BOOKS aboard as a sponsor for April Ghoul’s Day. Since 2015, Totem Books has been Flint’s only bookstore and cafe. Our eclectic collection of new and used books and records is as diverse as the tight-knit community of customers we’ve built. You see, we think of our shop as a safe haven for inclusivity. Whatever your interests, our knowledgeable staff will help you find what you’re looking for. While you’re nourishing your mind, you can nourish your body in our cafe with specialty drinks, sandwiches, and more. To top it all off, we’re always hosting exciting events to make our community stronger. Totem is a place we can all be different together, so come join in! We’re looking forward to welcoming you. — http://www.totembooks.com

Our 2021 Authors

Chris Ringler

Not only one of the founding ghoul’s of the Flint Horror Collective, Chris has been writing since a teenager and has put out over twenty books. From dark horror to children’s books Chris has followed the stories where they took him, which lead to strange places indeed. Chris received honorable mention in Year’s Best Horror and Fantasy twice, was featured in three volumes of Bare Bone, and contributed to Horrible Disasters, Horror Addicts Guide to Life, and has done a half a dozen other things. Chris is an author, blogger, podcaster, filmmaker, and all around odd fellow. Find more about him here – www.spookychris.com

Jay Hartlove

Jay Hartlove is the award-winning author of the fantasy romance Mermaid Steel, which Kirkus Reviews said is, “A thoughtful, erotic fantasy that asks readers to see the best in one another.” He also wrote the urban fantasy Goddess Rising Trilogy (Goddess Chosen, Goddess Daughter, Goddess Rising) which Publisher’s Weekly recommended to readers who like Nalini Singh. He also wrote, produced and directed The Mirror’s Revenge, the musical sequel to Snow White, which had its theatrical run in the San Francisco Bay in 2018 to rave reviews. He loves to take stories where the reader does not expect, with sympathetic villains, heroes with very dark pasts, and lots of plot twists. He was selected for 50 Authors You Should Be Reading by The Authors Show. You can follow his creative adventures at www.jaywrites.com.

https://paperangelpress.com/category/series-books/series-goddess-rising/

https://waterdragonpublishing.com/books/mermaid-steel/

S.A. Bradley

S.A. Bradley is the host of the popular podcast Hellbent
For Horror, exploring all things horror across books, film,
comics, and music. Bradley has loved being scared by
over 1,600 horror films.
He’s turned his passion into purpose, sharing his
expansive knowledge on dozens of podcasts and in
anthologies like Medium Chill and EvilSpeak magazine.
Hellbent For Horror was a 2017 Rondo Hatton Classic
Horror Awards nominee for Best Multi-Media Horror
Site and was described by director Guillermo Del Toro as
“Well researched, articulate and entirely absorbing.”
Bradley’s first book, Screaming for Pleasure: How
Horror Makes You Happy and Healthy, is a thrilling ride
through the horror genre and its intense effect on every
generation. He shows how you can be enriched by horror.
Prior to becoming a champion of horror, Bradley served
in the U.S. Air Force and was a firefighter. He now lives
in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and their
dog, Fiona, where they can often be found meditating in
a death metal mosh pit or dancing around a Northern
Californian fire pit drum circle.
Get your spook on by following Bradley on Twitter @
hellbenthorror or on his website, Hellbentforhorror.com.
Screaming for Pleasure is now
university curriculum at Webster
University!

Valarie Savage Kinney

Valarie Savage Kinney is a writer and Renaissance festival junkie with a wicked caffeine addiction. She resides in Michigan with her husband, grown children, and minor zoo, including two small but rambunctious dogs, a hamster, and a seemingly endless array of guinea pigs. She is the author of the fantasy series The Secrets of Windy Springs, as well as horror novels Heckled and Slither, and short horror story collection, Consumption. She proudly puts the “I” in weird so you don’t have to, and has a thing for pirates, skulls, and rodents in need, though not necessarily in that particular order.

Josh Davis

Josh Davis is the author of many horror works. The Flint native began his writing career doing articles for various horror websites around the United States, and was shared among Karen Black and other greats. His wretched literature has appeared in several anthologies such as the Rejected for Content series and recently, Unimaginable, a collection of Sasquatch terrors with fellow Flint natives at Goblin Holler. His debut novel, Implosion of Chaos is set to his the market early April. He resides in Otisville, Michigan with his beautiful, supportive family.

Jerry Bradshaw

Jerry Bradshaw is a vegan writer/singer/actor from Pontiac, Michigan. Jerry holds a master’s degree in English Language and Literature from University of Michigan – Flint. When he was a teen, he liked to play “Horror Movie” on the streets after dark with his cousin – using a real butcher’s knife. He was only stopped by police once. He has written for East Village Magazine and Reel Rundown. His acting credits include “Bailiwick” (2017) as Mr. Finley and the iHorror anthology film “Bye, Felicia” (2015) which he served as cowriter. He has served as narrator for the audiobook edition of the horror anthology “An Unholy Trinity, Vol. 2” for Hellbound Books. He is currently working on producing audio for “Leatherface vs. Tricky Dick: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as Political Satire” by Martin Harris. Needless to say, he has an unhealthy obsession with horror movies. He can be bribed with coffee and tortillas. Jerry lives with his 17-year-old calico cat, Bhadra.

Mary Kay McBrayer

Mary Kay McBrayer is the author of the true crime novel, America’s First Female Serial Killer: Jane Toppan and the Making of a Monster. She co-hosts the horror movie comedy podcast Everything Trying to Kill You with two of her best friends, where they analyze and ruthlessly mock all your favorite films from the perspectives of marginalized women and women of color. She stays a little superstitious in downtown Atlanta.
http://www.marykaymcbrayer.comTW: @mkmcbrayer IG: @marykaymcbrayer

Peggy Christie

Peggy Christie is an author of horror and dark fiction. Her work has appeared in dozens of websites, magazines, and anthologies, including 13 Little Hells, Necrotic Tissue, and Fearotica: An Anthology of Erotic Horror. You can find her short story collections, Dark Doorways and Hell Hath No Fury, from Dragons Roost Press, and her vampire novel, The Vessel, from Source Point Press. Peggy is an officer, and one of the founding members, of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers, as well as a contributing writer for the websites of Cinema Head Cheese and Slack Jaw Punks. Check out her webpage at themonkeyisin.com for more information on her other publications, and appearances.

Peggy loves Korean dramas, survival horror video games, and chocolate (not necessarily in that order) and lives in Michigan with her husband and their dog, Dozer.

Lindsay Merbaum

Lindsay Merbaum is a queer feminist author and high priestess of home mixology. After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, she earned her MFA in Fiction from Brooklyn College, where she was a recipient of the Himan Brown Award. Her award-nominated short fiction has appeared in PANK, Anomalous Press, The Collagist, Epiphany, Gargoyle, Day One, Harpur Palate, and Hobart, among others. Her essays and interviews can also be found in Electric Literature, Bustle, Bitch Media, The Rumpus, and more. Lindsay lives in Michigan with her partner and cats and serves as an editor of book reviews at Necessary Fiction. The Gold Persimmon is her first novel.

Lucifer Fulci

Lucifer Fulci was created on October 31, 1994 by David Mark Stashko. At the time, he was playing in the deathrock band, Penis Flytrap, and had decided to create a pseudonym to go by for the sake of character performance. Since then, Lucifer often takes the reins as an author, musician, businessman, podcaster, actor and director. His credits include, but are not limited to, books like “Vile Witches,” “Blasphemy,” “Wormutanous” and “The Elder Thing.” Lucifer’s audio assault features his work in Penis Flytrap, Wormfood, Lords of October and his solo works. His latest solo album is called “The Elder Sign” and he is currently working with Lords of October to release their next album, “Cryptozoology.” His short film, “The Idol,” was an official selection of the “Mutantpalooza Film Festival” of 2020.
Lucifer’s latest book is still untitled, but he will be sharing a portion of it on April Ghoul’s Day 2021.

http://www.luciferfulci.com

MontiLee Stormer

MontiLee Stormer is a troublemaker, writing acts of mayhem and despair for her own selfish pleasure. Her interests wander from abnormal psychology to the storied Paradise Valley of Detroit. Published in strange and wonderful places, she currently reviews horror movies as well as other genre films for http://www.MovieReelist.com. She’s an active member of GLAHW and the Detroit Film Critics Society. She lives in Metro Detroit.

Leonard D. Hilley II

Leonard D. Hilley II grew up a quiet, shy kid with an inquisitive mind. Learning to read at an early age, he fell in love with books. He read every book he could get his hands on and stacks of dark comics about ghosts, monsters, and creepy things that stalk the night.
At eleven, he saw Star Wars. His imagination soared. Soon after, he discovered Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber. Six months later he had written the first draft of a novel. A novel he later discarded, but the characters stuck with him. Years later, these characters came to life in Shawndirea, which Hilley had intended to be a novella for Devils Den. The characters, however, refused to be ignored and took the opportunity to unveil Aetheaon in their first epic fantasy. Lady Squire: Dawn’s Ascension was quick to follow.
Shawndirea was Hilley’s farewell to butterfly collecting, and those who have read the novel understand why. He has taken Ray Bradbury’s advice to heart: “Follow the characters.” He does. He follows, listens, and take notes–often never knowing where they’re going to take him, but he’s never been disappointed in the results.

Hilley earned a B.S. Biology and an MFA in Creative Writing to combine his love of science and writing.
http://www.leonarddhilleyii.com

Paul Counelis

Paul Counelis is the author of 40+ books, ranging from horror fiction for adults to spooky and coming of age stories for kids, middle grade, and YA readers as well as non-fiction movie, memoir, and pop culture essay and books, including “11:59 and Counting: Horror Hosts in the 21st Century” and “Marshall’s Gully”.

He is also the editor-in-chief of HALLOWEEN MACHINE, a seasonal magazine focusing on Halloween, and a freelance writer for many publications including Rue Morgue, Fright Times, Flint Comix, and is the main writer for the annual Halloween paper Fear Finder.

As Uncle Salem, he is the lead howler of horror metalpunks LORDS OF OCTOBER and hosts an online radio show on Saturdays and Thursdays, BLANK GENERATION WITH UNCLE SALEM. With Chris Ringler he is the co-founder of media imprint GOBLIN HOLLER. His newest book projects are “Evil World Outside” for Goblin Holler and “Haunted Saginaw” for The History Press.

Ken MacGregor

Ken MacGregor writes stuff. Sometimes, he edits stuff too.

He has two story collections: AN ABERRANT MIND, and SEX, GORE & MILLIPEDES, a young adult novella: DEVIL’S BANE (YA winner of the 23rd annual Critters Readers Poll), a co-written (with Kerry Lipp) novel: HEADCASE (available in serialized form), and is a member of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers (GLAHW). He is a somewhat regular contributor to HorrorTree with his column Brain Babies. He has also written TV commercials, sketch comedy, a music video, some mediocre poetry, and a zombie movie. Ken is the Managing Editor of Collections and Anthologies for LVP Publications. He’s curated two anthologies: BURNT FUR for Blood Bound Books, and STITCHED LIPS for Dragon Roost Press..

When not writing, Ken drives the bookmobile for his local library. He lives with his kids, two cats, and the ashes of his wife.

Ken is currently between websites. He can be found via social media on the following platforms:

Twitter: @kenmacgregor

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KenMacGregorAuthor?ref=hl

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/macgregorken/

Gerald Dean Rice

Gerald Dean Rice lives in Royal Oak with his cat Pedro. He is the author of Dead ‘til Dawn and The Devil’s Gunt and is a lifelong horror fan. He began writing absolutely terrible stories at a young age from seeing movies like Creepshow when he was a kindergartner and is the recipient of numerous awards (that he made up).

Michael Cieslak

Michael Cieslak is a lifetime reader and writer of horror, mystery, and speculative fiction. A native of Detroit, he still lives within 500 yards of the city with his wife and their two dogs Tesla and Titus. The house is covered in Halloween decorations in October and dragons the rest of the year. He has served as an officer in the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers and is the editor of the Erie Tales anthologies. His works have appeared in a number of collections including DOA: Extreme Horror, Dead Science, Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes, the GLAHW anthologies, Alter Egos Vol 1, Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (a supplement for the Pugmire RPG), and the collaborative steampunk novel Army of Brass. Urbane Decay, a collection of Michael’s short fiction, was released in 2018 by Source Point Press.

Michael is the Editor in Chief of Dragon’s Roost Press (thedragonsroost.biz).

Michael’s mental excreta (including his personal blog They Napalmed My Shrubbery This Morning) can be found on-line at thedragonsroost.net.

Emerian Rich

Emerian Rich is the author of the vampire book series, Night’s Knights. She’s been published in anthologies by publishers such as Dragon Moon Press, Hidden Thoughts Press, Hazardous Press, and White Wolf Press. Emerian is the podcast horror hostess for HorrorAddicts.net and Copy Editor for SEARCH Magazine.

Andy Lockwood

Andy Lockwood is a writer, artist, dreamer, and horror enthusiast. He got his start in screenwriting and filmmaking where he rekindled his obsessive love of storytelling. He is the author of two novels, Empty Hallways and House of Thirteen; a 12-part serial, At Calendar’s End; and is a regular contributor to horror anthologies. He is always working on another piece of writing, whether it is a novel, a story, or something else entirely. When not lashed to the keyboard, he buys books he does not have time to read, and delves into mediums he has no time to fully explore, but dabbles in them anyway. He lives in mid-Michigan with his amazingly talented and entirely-too-supportive wife, a brood of cats, and a misguided idea of what it means to be an adult. More information about his books, his thoughts, and his random adventures are neglectfully curated at his website: www.happierthoughts.com

Phillip T. Stephens

Phillip T. Stephens attended the writers’ workshop at Michigan State then before teaching writing and design at Austin Community College for 20 years. His writing and art appear in anthologies, online, print and peer-reviewed academic journals. His work most recently appeared in the Kill Switch, Monsters We Forgot and Frozen Adornments anthologies, as well as Maintenant, Transmundane and Duende. He and Carol live in Oak Hill, Texas where they built a habitat in the shade of their oaks to house foster cats for austinsiameserescue.org. They found new homes for more than three hundred abandoned pets. You can find his work at Wind Eggs and his books on Amazon

Nadia Alamah

It’s about the mirror layers and levels of strange we peel back from the walls as we explore— the optical illusion gradually revealing in intensifying detail that what appears to be conveniently convenient is actually a placating mirage for the grotesque and the macabre! So says Nadia the Llama, a not-terribly-serious and sometimes silly writer and artist of abstract and weird shit, who believes that the greatest horrors lie deep within us and what we create. Cat mother of Ser Sherlock Mousebane and Mm. Spookella “Spooky” Andromeda, and reanimator of wilted and dehydrated houseplants, she will also occasionally self-publish and put together small reads for contemplative perusal. Catch her community creative stuff and hippie nature things at nadiaalamah.com and Insta @nadiaathellama.

Jon O’Bergh

Jon O’Bergh is an author and musician who appreciates a good scare. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of California at Irvine. A fan of ghost stories and horror movies, Jon came up with the idea for his first novel, The Shatter Point, after watching a documentary about extreme haunts. His second novel, Shockadelica, is scheduled for publication in April 2021. He has published four books and released over a dozen albums in a variety of styles. His supernatural stories have appeared in anthologies and magazines. After many years living in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., he now resides with his husband in Toronto.

Jen Sexton-Riley

Jen Sexton-Riley is a speculative fiction and horror writer. She grew up in rural New York on the shore of Lake Erie, and is a member of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers, as well as a member of SFWA and HWA. Her work has appeared in Daily Science Fiction, The Colored Lens, Ghostlight: The Magazine of Terror, Illumen, The Abyss, Dream of Shadows, Bewildering Stories, The Weird and Whatnot, the anthologies “Obscura: An Urban Fantasy Anthology”, “Marisa’s Recurring Nightmares”, “Erie Tales Unlucky 13”, and elsewhere. She graduated from Clarion West in 2018, and lives by the sea with her partner in marriage crimes, her daughter, and many pets. Find out what she’s up to lately at jensextonriley.com.

J.L. Royce

J. L. Royce is a published author of science fiction, the macabre, and whatever else strikes him. He lives in the northern reaches of the American Midwest. His work appears in Allegory, Ghostlight, Little Demon, Love Letters to Poe, Mysterion, parABnormal, Sci Phi, Utopia, Wyldblood, etc. He is a member of HWA and GLAHW and was a Finalist in the Q3 2020 Writers of the Future competition. Some of his anthologized stories may be found at: amazon.com/author/jlroyce.

Howard David Ingham

Howard David Ingham is the writer of the Bram Stoker Award nominated books We Don’t Go Back: A Watcher’s Guide to Folk Horror, and, more recently, Cult Cinema: A Personal Exploration of Sects, Brainwashing and Bad Religion. They blog at Room207Press.com Twitter: @HowtheWoodMoves

David C. Hayes

David C. Hayes is an author and former performer. His films, like A Man Called Nereus, Bloody Bloody Bible Camp, Dark Places, The Frankenstein Syndrome, Vampeggedon, Machined, Reborn, Back Woods (and approximately 60 more) can be seen worldwide. He is the author of several novels, collections and graphic novels including The Midnight Creature Feature Picture Show, Cherub, Cannibal Fat Camp, American Guignol and Kringle. His graphic novel Rottentail is now a major feature film and graphic novel The Rot has garnered critical acclaim. As a playwright, David’s full-length and one-act plays have been produced from coast to coast including off-Broadway. He is a voting member of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers. In his spare time, David is the Dean of Undergraduate Studies at Cleary University.

Naching T. Kassa

Naching T. Kassa is a wife, mother, and Horror writer. She’s Head of Publishing for HorrorAddicts.net and an Assistant at Crystal Lake Publishing. She also writes Sherlock Holmes stories in her spare time. Her story, “The Darker Side of Grief” appears in the Bram Stoker Award (R) nominated anthology, Arterial Bloom. You can find her work on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Naching-T-Kassa/e/B005ZGHTI0

Loren Rhoads

Loren Rhoads is the author of five novels from The Dangerous Type to Angelus Rose. Her most recent book is a collection of horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy stories called Unsafe Words. Several of the stories in it were written or set in Flint, Michigan. Check her out at https://lorenrhoads.com/

Due to the ongoing pandemic we took our annual appreciation of horror fiction and its authors to the internet and on September 5th and 6th we hosted our event. Video and audio of authors reading their original horror fiction were posted for just those two days. We have left three videos up as an example of what we did and invite you to settle in for some free chills.