January 30, 2026 | Read Online | This Week in Speculative Fiction with The Horror Tree for 1/30/2026 |
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| | Word of the week: Odditorium - a museum or shop that showcases bizarre artifacts | Hi readers and writers! Welcome to this week’s Horror Tree newsletter. It has been a rollercoaster week of highs and lows, and I am glad January is nearly over. For most UK horror lovers, the past two weeks have been a mixture of debate and strong opinions about two films hitting the cinema: 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and Return to Silent Hill. Of course, I’ve seen both and loved them. Return to Silent Hill brought nostalgia for the video games and the previous films. I consider the Silent Hill films as comfort films, haha. I wasn’t expecting anything different, to be honest. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was more engaging. I think Ralph Fiennes’ performance was fantastic (especially his ‘Iron Maiden show’), but most of all, it is a British film. I saw this particularly as they filmed the opening scene at Richard Dunn Sports centre which is close to where I live, and it is now abandoned. But when I was a child, I swam in its pool and loved its water slides. Nostalgia again! | 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. Stuart here!
| We’ve got some big changes coming up with Trembling With Fear! The amazing Lauren is going to be stepping down as our lead editor! While she won’t be leaving Horror Tree, her role is going to be significantly reduced while she pushes ahead on her own writing. While we’ll miss her, as I said, she isn’t leaving and will still be helping behind the scenes! She’s leaving some big shoes to fill with how much she does for Trembling With Fear, and we’ve tapped two of our existing editors, Jane Morecroft and Angela E. Zolner, to help do just that! | Please be gentle while they adjust! 🙂 Unless it’s by submitting a huge pile of drabble, as we’re always looking for more! | On a personal note, I signed a contract for a new short story sale! More details on that when they become available (always exciting news!)
| 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 Business and Craft. Firstly, Helping Writers Become Authors invites author and writing coach, Nina Amir, to discuss writing for change and building an author platform for marketing their book. Authors are not just writing fiction novels but about change whether it is about environmental change, personal growth, or even social injustice. This is writing for change and audience-based activities become essential for marketing and promoting. Next in craft, Fiction University advises on how to drop clues and sneak them past your readers. This is not just for crime writing and detective novels, but essential for any plot where you wish to keep your reader guessing as to what could help solve the problem. Lastly, Writer Unboxed explores techniques of fully immersing with your characters in order to get the best writing. There’s step by step guidance and great quotes by famous writers that support this unusual creative technique. | Business: | Helping Writers Become Authors: “6 Reasons Writing for Change Requires an Engaged Community” | Craft: | Fiction University: “How to Sneak Clues Past Your Readers and Keep Them Guessing” | Writer Unboxed: “Radical Immersion: Becoming Your Character” | From Horror Tree: | ✍️ Guest Post: Short, Sharp, and Hungry by Ronald Malfi | 🎮 From Game to Movie to Book: Turning Return to Silent Hill into a Novel | 🩸 The Brides by Charlotte Cross - Book Review | 🎤 Screwing Sinatra – Book Review | ⏳ Borrowed Time – Book Review |
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| | | | | | 🌟 Free Fiction Roundup | This week’s free fiction is horror from creepy skulls to sci-fi hauntings. Firstly “The Skull of Francisco Xalbec” is a 1000 word story written in first person. The narrator must fill the skull of Francisco Xalbec with coins which are obtained one at a time by killing themselves. It is a dark twisted story about death, life after death, and competing with others. Next, “Wild Women Don’t Have The Blues” is a narrative poem about a visiting angel who brings dreadful news. There’s content warnings of death/dying, shaming and suicide. It is a thought-provoking poem about one’s actions and consequences. Lastly “Ghost Data” is a drabble (100-word story) of sci-fi horror. The narrator feels they are being haunted by their dead wife, but his Bots say otherwise. It is an intriguing story about grief and moving on. Enjoy reading! | | “The Skull of Francisco Xalbec” by Alan M. Fisher at The Deadlands Magazine. | “Wild Women Don’t Have the Blues" by Seth Wade at Strange Horizons. | “Ghost Data” by Caroline Layne at 100-Foot Crow. |
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| | | | | | 🌟 Writing Prompt | Writing Exercise: Coffin Love | A young woman is a wedding photographer who is envious of every bride. She has never been in love, and though she has tried dating, nothing has worked out past a two-week relationship. | Another wedding has her snapping photos at a gothic occasion. She dresses in black to fit in while thinking it is more of a wake than a wedding, especially as in the centre of the dancefloor is a huge coffin. Everyone dances around it until it is time for the couple to cut the cake. | No one notices the coffin open. No one except the photographer through her lens, and she is too stunned to even gasp. | 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 | | | | 🩸 After the Hurt – Open Call for Submissions | An anthology exploring the effects of whump: recovery, escape, caretaking, trauma, and survival. | Micro-fiction to novelettes | Free paperback or $10 USD | 50% of proceeds donated to charity | Submission window: July 1–31, 2026 | 🔗 https://horrortree.com/taking-submissions-after-the-hurt/ |
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