Story Publications

2019 New Year’s Day Review

/ Darrell Grizzle / Leave a comment

2018 was a great year for me as a budding author! I did my first two author readings, moderated my first-ever DragonCon panel, got to be on two DragonCon panels with my friend James Tuck, and was on a panel at Monsterama for the first time. I had 4 story publications, and I released my first collection of short stories, the horror/crime chapbook, I Never Meant to Start a Murder Cult and Other Stories.

Some highlights of 2018:

Getting involved in the Atlanta Chapter of the Horror Writers Association

Reading my story “The Curse of the Spider” at Scary Fireside Stories for Halloween, on October 27th at the Lake Clair Land Trust in Atlanta. Good times and s’mores were had by all! Authors reading their spooky tales were (L-R): Lynne Hansen, Nancy Collins, me, Michael Wehunt, Gini Koch, Peter Salomon, Jessica Nettles, Jeff Strand, Amanda DeWees, and Brian Kirk.

2018 Scary Fireside Stories

Being on the Occult Detectives panel at Monsterama with Amanda DeWees and John Hartness:

2018 Monsterama Occult Detectives

Being on a DragonCon panel with my literary idol Katherine Kurtz:

2018 DragonCon Katherine Kurtz

According to Goodreads, I read 104 books in 2018. Several were multiple books by the same author: 2 by Amanda DeWees; 2 by E.J. Stevens; 2 by Katherine Kurtz; 2 by M.C. Beaton; 4 by Bobby Nash; 6 by Gail Z. Martin and her pen name Morgan Brice; and most disturbingly, 13 by Jeff Strand. A spookily large percentage of these books were ghost stories.

What’s ahead for 2019? Here are some of the stories I’m working on, outlining, or have submitted for publication:

  • A thriller/mystery about a sheriff in the North Georgia Mountains who suspects that a string of murders might be related to a crime he committed himself 15 years earlier. He struggles to find a serial killer while keeping his own secret hidden from his husband and the community that elected him sheriff.
  • A ghost story novella, to be titled “Ghostwood Crossing”
  • A horror story about two kids from a snake-handling church who take the Bible a little TOO literally
  • A horror story about a feral werecat
  • A homoerotic graveyard story about two Miskatonic University students trying to cast a spell from a family grimoire
  • A crime story about a murderous grandmother
  • A gay Christmas romance novella
  • A lighthearted story about graverobbing and poison

Looking forward to an awesome 2019!

Ghost Ship!

/ Darrell Grizzle / Leave a comment

Here’s a preview from my upcoming short story collection, “I Never Meant to Start a Murder Cult and Other Stories.” Two of the stories will be illustrated by one of my favorite artists, Brian MacGregor from Savannah. Here’s one of Brian’s awesome illustrations! The collection will be a chapbook of horror and crime fiction: four short stories and five flash-fiction stories. All of the stories have been previously published except for one, a brand new ghost story set in the Victorian era. The collection will be available in paperback as well as eBook. I’ll post links as soon as the book is available (sometime before the end of August).

Ghost Ship