Vicar of Fists
by John Baltisberger
Out July 15th 2025!
Kevin Welch was just a small-time thug until a brutal encounter made him the pope!
Now being hunted through the streets of Rome by clergy intent on taking his place as pontiff, Kevin finds a possible, though unlikely ally in an enigmatic and alluring hitwoman, but it seems she would just as soon kill him as help him, so can he actually trust her? Does he have a choice?
Kevin just wanted to get his life back, and the only thing standing between him and that life is a cadre of bloodthirsty bishops and cardinals, furious nuns, hallucinogenic manifestations of Satan … and his own ineptitude.
Scattered #1: A Dark Forest Press Zine
Edited by J.W. Donley
This is the very first issue of Scattered, a brand new zine from Dark Forest Press LLC. Inside you will fine wild fiction, random reviews, and weird ephemera. Grab a copy and dive in today!
The only way to get the full formatted Zine or the physical copy is to become a DFP Patreon Member.
Crevasse
Voices from the Cold: Book 1
by Clay Vermulm
Five hundred feet above safety and 1,000 feet below it, can climbers Greg and Quinn survive a harrowing supernatural encounter long enough for help to arrive, or will they become two more mysterious disappearances on the high mountain peaks of Washington State?
“This story is a stark reminder of the razor-thin boundary between humanity and the abyss. With a voice that channels some elements found in Koji Suzuki’s work, Vermulm delivers a tale as timeless as it is terrifying, a testament to his mastery in evoking both the fragility of human identity and the relentless, untamed forces of nature.”
LEOPOLDO GOUT, CREATOR/PRODUCER OF NETFLIX’S THE CHOSEN ONE, AUTHOR OF PINATA AND GHOST RADIO.
“Clay Vermulm’s Crevasse is a tale of large egos, grand challenges and achievements, and the horrific things we sometimes find in the wilderness. An adventurous novella presented in sparklingly clear, crisp, and precise language. Vermulm’s extensive knowledge of climbing comes through as well. Much recommended.”
CHRISTI NOGLE, AUTHOR OF THE BRAM STOKER AWARD® WINNING FIRST NOVEL BEULAH
100 Unusual Prompts for Writers of Horror, Weird, and Bizarro Fiction
by J.W. Donley and friends
With contributions from John Langan, Carlton Mellick III, Shane Hawk, and many more.
Do you write fiction that tends to be a bit more ‘out there’ than most?
Do most writing prompt books just seem to be not for you?
Well, you are in luck! Here is a book of 100 writing prompts for us writers of “other” fiction, be it horror, Weird, or Bizarro. Can’t think of something to write? Just flip to a page at random, and you will find all the inspiration you need.
Cats of the Pacific Northwest
by J.W. Donley, Illustrated by Leo Corbette
“Thanks to Donley, I’ll have to look at my cats with a raised eyebrow from now on. Cats of the Pacific Northwest is unnerving and has visuals that will creep up your brain stem in the dead of night.”
—Shane Hawk, author of Anoka
“This dark, contemporary fairy tale weaves together Hansel and Gretel, The Blair Witch Project, and Get Out, and to create an unsettling, moving, and haunting story.”
—Richard Thomas, author of Disintegration, and Breaker (Thriller nominee)
David, an unsure young man, is trying to figure out how to be a “man” in the modern age. Well, at least what his girlfriend, Emma, expects of him.
When she suggests a backpacking trip out on the Olympic Penninsula, he jumps at the opportunity to demonstrate his worth. But, once they get out into the wilderness, they are quickly lost. Now they are out of food and beginning to starve, when a strange couple of cats cross their path.