January 09, 2026 | Read Online | This Week in Speculative Fiction with The Horror Tree for 1/9/2026 |
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| | Word of the week: Mactation - the act of killing, particularly the ritual or sacrificial slaughter of a victim. | Hi readers and writers! Welcome to this week’s Horror Tree newsletter. It has been a rude wake-up call this week, back to reality and back to tasks that were left uncompleted before the holidays. Perhaps that is why my health has decided to say ‘nah!’ However, I’ve been very creative in my mind. Three stories! Three story ideas that I want to get started on, but I’ve a ton of admin to complete first. The weather here in the UK isn’t helping either. We’re expecting a snowstorm to hit. It’s the waiting that’s torture. I’m trying to be productive, though, and managed to arrange my train tickets and accommodation for the UK Ghost Story Festival in February. I’m hosting a workshop, ‘We Are The Ghosts, Mister’ and I’m very excited! There’s still time to grab a ticket, folks, and it would be great to see you there. | You can find me (Corinne Pollard) lurking on Bluesky @corinnepwriter.bsky.social, Instagram & Threads @Corinnepwriter, and my website, corinnepollard.wordpress.com. Now, onto the latest articles on writing from around the web. | | | | | In this Newsletter, you'll find... | |
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| | | | | | | | 🌟 Horror Tree / Trembling With Fear Updates | Hi all.
Wow, a new year is here, and that doesn’t seem real. I hope that if you’ve made resolutions, you’re able to follow through on them. I believe in you! | I’ll be working over the next month to regroup and get back on track. We have an overdue edition of Trembling With Fear to release and a new website layout to go live with. There are other plans in the works, but those are the two key areas I want to get knocked out first. We’re also hoping to offer up some Horror Tree merch again this year, as it’s been a few years since we’ve had anything to offer!
And now, I will return you to your regularly scheduled newsletter! |
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| | | | | | 🌟 Newsletter sponsor | Read InhuMANities today! | | “Dark, visceral, poetic and devastatingly honest, Robertsons writing lives at the intersection of unabashed hunger, desire, beauty and repulsion. These tales strike at the heart of the queer, gothic soul. They are beautifully painful and darkly necessary. A must read for all those who love unflinching art.”
-Suzan Palumbo Author of Countess and Skin Thief. | |
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| | | | | | | | 🌟 Free Fiction Roundup | This week’s free fiction deals with death from murderers to spirit guides. Firstly “The Waiting Friends” is Whisper House Press’s Featured Story for January and is about a child who grows up without making friends. It is a chilling flash story with psychological horror. Next “A Little Monster” is a flash monster horror about how after their mother’s death, the narrator finds themselves looking after their mother’s cat, Marcel. It is a gory horror that looks at inheritance and responsibility. Lastly, “The Psychopomps are Dead” is a spooky flash about the afterlife and the consequences of having no guide after death. It is a thought provoking story with a great use of the personal pronoun ‘we’ to highlight that this can happen to everyone and the spirits/ghosts only have each other. Enjoy reading! | | “The Waiting Friends” by Mike Rusetsky at Whisper House Press. | “A little Monster" by Alyson Tait at Wyldblood (scroll down the page to read). | “The Psychopomps are Dead” by Jenna Grieve at Crow & Cross Keys. |
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| | | | | | 🌟 Writing Prompt | The Bones Sway | A couple treats themselves with a spooky, history-focused walking tour in their city. They moved there recently and don’t know anything about their city, which is why they’re horrified to discover a reconstructed gallows. | Their tour guide explains the history of the many women, men, and children who have been hanged for crimes that modern society can not conceive as logical or even lawful. He invites everyone on the tour to walk up the gallows and experience it for themselves. | Not wishing to appear a coward, the husband swallows and climbs the steps. His wife watches, but when he reaches the top, he hurries back down. He is pale and sweaty, refuses to speak, and walks away from the tour. | What happens next is up to you…Let your imagination run wild! | If you post any writing content during the week and think it would be a good fit for us to feature, do reach out and let us know at con...@horrortree.com |
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| | | | | | | | 🌟 Weekly Post Roundup | Sinister Systems open call 🤖💀 | Denver Horror Collective seeks science fiction horror stories about broken AI, bad first contact, and terrifying tech. | 📅 Jan 12 to Feb 13, 2026 | 📏 1,500 to 6,000 words | 💰 10 USD for 1,000 words then 0.5 cents per word | Details: | https://horrortree.com/taking-submissions-sinister-systems/ |
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| | Call for Submissions: DOOM SCROLL Social Media Horror | Social media horror alert 📱🩸 Whisper House Press is seeking 200 to 2,000 word stories for DOOM SCROLL, an anthology of dread rooted in feeds, algorithms, and online life. | Pay is 30 dollars, humans only, no AI. | Details: https://horrortree.com/taking-submissions-doom-scroll/ |
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