June 26, 2026 | Read online | This Week in Speculative Fiction with The Horror Tree for 06/26/2026 |
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| | Word of the week: Pagophagia - compulsive consumption or craving of ice | Hi readers and writers! Welcome to this week’s Horror Tree newsletter. I’m currently typing this later in the week than I normally would, as once again the UK (and I believe Europe is as well) is going through a heatwave. We’re hitting the low 30 degrees Celsius with storms on the way. Yippee! And yes, that was sarcasm. I’ve managed to complete a short story regardless, and I’m quite proud of myself. I had fun with my characters, and I loved slotting in the research I’d done. Annoyingly, though, the editing software I was using for free has disappeared for some reason, so now I’m looking at ProwritingAid and wondering if it would be worth the cost, yes, the cost I can’t really afford. | 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.
As we wrap up the last full week of June, it feels like one of those natural moments to pause for a second before diving into what's next. July is right around the corner, bringing new submission windows, fresh opportunities, and maybe even a project you've been meaning to finish for months. | If you're feeling like your writing hasn't moved as quickly as you'd hoped this year, don't let the calendar convince you otherwise. Every draft finished, every rejection survived, every story revised, and every new idea scribbled into a notebook is progress. Writing isn't measured by how many publications you have or how many words you wrote this week. It's measured by showing up again tomorrow. | So whether you're polishing a story, outlining your next novel, or just trying to rediscover the excitement that made you start writing in the first place, keep going. You never know which submission, contest, or opportunity will be the one that changes everything. | Ending the month on a positive note, I have new stories out in the world! This last week has had the official releases of “Darker Stars“ and “Stellar Parallax‘ which both contain some of my science fiction writing. ( So, if you’re into science fiction… 😉 )
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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| | | | | | 🌟 Articles | This week, I’m sharing articles from General, Business, and Craft. Firstly, Writer Unboxed has fantasy author Vaughn Roycroft share his writing wisdom on how he keeps on writing. This is an intriguing article as he shares how encouragement actually has the opposite effect for him, and I must admit I understand this from my early teenage years. Everyone was always encouraging, but there was never any practical advice. We’re not children anymore, but we still need to keep going. Next in business, Jane Friedman’s blog has book editor Sandra Wendel and book designer Paul Nylander team up to give their advice on why authors should give up on attempting to format their book and focus more on writing. There’s some great practical advice here with examples included with images. Lastly, in Craft, Writers Helping Writers explores a range of examples for chapter endings to keep readers turning the page. Some of these examples you may already know of, but it is good to have a list of them so you can pick and choose if you’re struggling. | General: | Writer Unboxed: “For the Love of It” | Business: | Jane Friedman: “Your Creative Team Wants You to Stop Formatting and Just Write the Darn Book” | Craft: | Writers Helping Writers: “11 Chapter Endings to Keep Readers Turning Pages (Part 1)” | From Horror Tree: | Horror Appreciation by Seth Voorhees | Memorable Author Swag Ideas for Horror Writers | An Editing Approach for Senses Abuse | Book Review: Gentle Things by Danielle Giles |
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| | | | | | 🌟 Free Fiction Roundup | This week’s free fiction explores horror from puppets to haunted dreams. Firstly, “Only In The Dark” is a horror short story as well as a podcast original about two puppets called Toast and Bagel. They’re on a screen, teaching children scary things in a fun way, but as the scary stuff escalates, they still smile and say they’ve had fun, regardless. This is an eerie story that caught my eye in particular because the author is blind, which makes the title and the theme of darkness have an extra layer to it. Next, “Hot As Hell” is a flash horror about a man called Peter who is being chased by a monster. Every time he is injured, he heals, but he still feels the pain. Despite this, he smiles each time. This has a comical ending that you won’t see coming. Lastly, “Liminal” is a spooky story about a twin reaching out for her sister via the dreamworld. Time is irrelevant, and the twin will reach out multiple times, trying to communicate something important. Enjoy reading! | | “Only In The Dark” by Elizabeth Winfield at PseudoPod. | “Hot As Hell" by Norm Cowie at Disabled Tales. | “Liminal” by R.W. Owen at Crow & Cross Keys. |
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| | | | | | 🌟 Writing Prompt | Writing Exercise: Inferno | Your protagonist is a firefighter, and one day, a fire breaks out at the Old Manor, the one that everyone says is haunted. The damage isn’t too bad, but as your protagonist switches off the water, they spot a dark figure in the top window. They blink, and it vanishes. | Figuring it was a trick of the light, they return to base, where an hour later, another call comes through. | There’s another fire at the Old Manor. | This time, the fire takes hours to get under control, and the damage is extensive. Suspecting arson, your protagonist keeps an eye out for any suspicious people. | They look at the top window again, and this time the figure is there, waving. | 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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