Kaaron Warren

Every suburban street holds secrets and ghosts, but Summerland Place holds more than most. The team from The Red Mullet Hair Salon head to Summerland Place to explore the abandoned houses there, on a prepaid, enter at own risk, explore every nook and cranny team building exercise. They are welcomed by the charismatic Milton, who runs the tours through the cul-de-sac he grew up in. They find houses filled with malevolent ghosts and tragic ones, with memories of family trauma and family meals. All come out changed by what they see, and what it triggers in them. Some will be lost in Summertime, a euphoric state of mind. Georgia, owner of the Salon, thinks she is stronger than any of it. She has no past trauma, no secrets; some would say no heart. She didn't expect to fall in love. Every instinct tells her not to. And yet she is drawn into the disturbing world of Milton and his mother, as she feels the seductive draw of Summertime ever stronger.

* SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUSTRALASIAN SHADOWS NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD * 'Eerie, atmospheric, full of suspense and surprises' - GUARDIAN 'A gothic-tinged tale with all the suspense and menace of page-turning crime fiction' - SYDNEY MORNING HERALD People come to visit my home and I love to show them around. It's not the original house of course. That was destroyed the day my entire family died. But I don't think their ghosts know the difference. Pera Sinclair was nine the day her family home was destroyed, killing everyone inside. Over the decades she rebuilt Sinclair House, each room telling a piece of her story and that of the people who died there. And while she doesn't believe in ghosts, she's not above telling visitors a ghost story or two. As Pera guides a family through her home on the last tour of the season, an unexpected group of men arrive. Dangerous men, who will hurt the family and see no reason to keep an old woman alive. But these men will learn that Pera is far from helpless. After all, death seems to follow wherever she goes... Sinister and lyrical, The Underhistory is a haunting tale of loss, self-preservation and the darkness beneath.

Calvaria Fell is a stunning collaborative collection of weird tales from two acclaimed authors, Kaaron Warren and Cat Sparks. It features previously published stories from both authors, along with a new novella by Kaaron Warren and four new stories by Cat Sparks. The collection offers a glimpse into a chilling future world that is similar to our own. Readers will be drawn into experiences at once familiar and bizarre, where our choices have far-reaching consequences and the environment is a force to be reckoned with. The title of the collection tethers these stories to a shared space. The calvaria is the top part of the skull, comprising five plates that fuse together in the first few years of life. Story collections work like this; disparate parts melding together to make a robust and sturdy whole. The calvaria tree, also known as the dodo tree, adapted to being eaten by the now-extinct dodo bird; its seeds need to pass through the bird's digestive tract in order to germinate. In a similar way, the stories in Calvaria Fell reflect the idea of adaptation and the consequences of our actions in a changing world.

The giant metal man has stood for hundreds of years, head tilted back, mouth open. All the dead of the town are disposed of this way, carried up the long, staircase that winds around him and tipped in. At his toe emerges the Bitters, the lifeblood of the town, keeping them healthy and prosperous as the sick and needy come to buy and drink. McNubbin is a happy man with all he wants in life. He's carried the bodies up since he was 14, a worthwhile, respected job. But when he notices broken girl after broken girl, he can't stay quiet, and speaking up will change his perfect life. Shirley Jackson award-winner Kaaron Warren has lived in Melbourne, Sydney, Fiji and Canberra. She has five novels in print, including the The Grief Hole, Slights and Tide of Stone, and seven short story collections, including Cemetery Dance Selects, an eBook. She is a past Guest of Honor at Stokercon and the World Fantasy Convention.

Three unflinching novellas of cursed objects, folk horror, and dark family secrets... The Deathplace Set by Kaaron Warren: Gloria inherits a set of cigarette cards, 24 beautifully illustrated, historically accurate cards depicting death scenes. Once she meets her future husband, they become obsessed with cards, determined to visit each of the locations, driven by a force they don't understand. They profit from this obsession, flipping haunted houses from dumps to delights, selling them for a good return. Their family grows and their five children join the exploration, learning to live with the ghosts, the constant moves, the underlying smell of death that follows them. The family vandalize each place they live in, knowing that you need to destroy in order to rebuild. It's only once the ghost of a young boy is roused that the true history of the cards is revealed and the true sacrifice to obsession begins. We Called it Graffitiville by Aaron Dries: Well intentioned virtue-hunters, Dan and Kiki, are two young Australian volunteers posted in Samoa. They met in-country, fell in love, and believe they are making a difference to the local communities. But over the past few months, the value of their work has been challenged. Their love has started to crumble, too. A trip to the southern part of the island proves to be a last-ditch effort to keep their relationship intact... but nature intervenes. A catastrophic tsunami obliterates the coastline, forcing Dan and Kiki inland. They seek refuge in an abandoned village on the side of a dormant volcano. Only this village--notable for the humanoid graffiti on the walls of its old churches and houses-- is not as empty as it at first seems. By night, these graffiti figures come alive and hunt Dan and Kiki through the surrounding jungle, desperate to drag them back to Graffitiville where the couple must participate in an ancient sacrificial rite. Quicksilver by J.S. Breukelaar: Some curses don't know how to die. Over two centuries, the artists, Ahava, Alex and Angel inherit a family curse passed down aunt-to-niece through the generations. The curse goes all the way back to a village in Poland where a mad uncle sold his soul to a witch for a shot at eternity. Although the witch gave his female heirs a fifth word to transform the curse into a blessing, this has forced them into a strange ritual of desecrating their own art in order to keep it sacred, an act of self-vandalism that consumes their bodies and their minds. A ritual that cannibalises their friendships, their love affairs, their lives, the darkness always just a brush stroke away. Until one day, one year and in one city, the curse comes too close to home, and the final niece learns the true meaning of wearing your he/art on your sleeve. Perfect for fans of Folk horror books, Horror mystery, Haunted Houses, Mystery Thrillers, Australian Horror, the South Pacific, Survival Horror, curses, demonic possession, and deals with the devil. Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Three unflinching novellas of cursed objects, folk horror, and dark family secrets... The Deathplace Set by Kaaron Warren: Gloria inherits a set of cigarette cards, 24 beautifully illustrated, historically accurate cards depicting death scenes. Once she meets her future husband, they become obsessed with cards, determined to visit each of the locations, driven by a force they don't understand. They profit from this obsession, flipping haunted houses from dumps to delights, selling them for a good return. Their family grows and their five children join the exploration, learning to live with the ghosts, the constant moves, the underlying smell of death that follows them. The family vandalize each place they live in, knowing that you need to destroy in order to rebuild. It's only once the ghost of a young boy is roused that the true history of the cards is revealed and the true sacrifice to obsession begins. We Called it Graffitiville by Aaron Dries: Well intentioned virtue-hunters, Dan and Kiki, are two young Australian volunteers posted in Samoa. They met in-country, fell in love, and believe they are making a difference to the local communities. But over the past few months, the value of their work has been challenged. Their love has started to crumble, too. A trip to the southern part of the island proves to be a last-ditch effort to keep their relationship intact... but nature intervenes. A catastrophic tsunami obliterates the coastline, forcing Dan and Kiki inland. They seek refuge in an abandoned village on the side of a dormant volcano. Only this village--notable for the humanoid graffiti on the walls of its old churches and houses-- is not as empty as it at first seems. By night, these graffiti figures come alive and hunt Dan and Kiki through the surrounding jungle, desperate to drag them back to Graffitiville where the couple must participate in an ancient sacrificial rite. Quicksilver by J.S. Breukelaar: Some curses don't know how to die. Over two centuries, the artists, Ahava, Alex and Angel inherit a family curse passed down aunt-to-niece through the generations. The curse goes all the way back to a village in Poland where a mad uncle sold his soul to a witch for a shot at eternity. Although the witch gave his female heirs a fifth word to transform the curse into a blessing, this has forced them into a strange ritual of desecrating their own art in order to keep it sacred, an act of self-vandalism that consumes their bodies and their minds. A ritual that cannibalises their friendships, their love affairs, their lives, the darkness always just a brush stroke away. Until one day, one year and in one city, the curse comes too close to home, and the final niece learns the true meaning of wearing your he/art on your sleeve. Perfect for fans of Folk horror books, Horror mystery, Haunted Houses, Mystery Thrillers, Australian Horror, the South Pacific, Survival Horror, curses, demonic possession, and deals with the devil. Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.

Botanica is an island, but almost all of the island is taken up by the Tree. Little knowing how they came to be here, small communities live around the coast line. The Tree provides them shelter, kindling, medicine--and a place of legends, for there are ghosts within the trees who snatch children and the dying. Lillah has come of age and is now ready to leave her community and walk the tree for five years, learning all Botanica has to teach her. Before setting off, Lillah is asked by the dying mother of a young boy to take him with her. In a country where a plague killed half the population, Morace will otherwise be killed in case he has the same disease. But can Lillah keep the boy's secret, or will she have to resort to breaking the oldest taboo on Botanica?

Botanica is the island, but all of Botanica is taken up by the Tree. When Morace and other students set out to walk around the Tree, a five year journey, he has no idea what lies ahead. Little does he know the risks his teacher, Lillah, will have to take to keep him alive, and the dangers he will face himself to save her life. A young teen companion book to Walking the Tree.

"Don't write merely to shock. People are used to shock-horror. You need to get beneath the skin. Use a flensing knife and keep it sharp. It's good to shock, but only as part of the story you tell."In this chapbook, Kaaron Warren-the Shirley Jackson Award-winning writer behind Slights, The Greif Hole, and Into Bones Like Oil-explores the craft and philosophy of trapping dark and disturbing fiction on the page.Drawn from essays, workshops, and articles about the craft and busines of writing, Capturing Ghosts On The Page feature's Warren's tips on writing ghost stories, overcoming professional jealousy, working to an anthology brief, tapping your drams for inspiration, and more.Whether you want an insight into the creative process that drives Warren's dark and enchanting fiction, or you are an aspiring writer seeking tips from one of the most talented authors of horror fiction writing today, this chapbook is a peek into the mindset and practice of a celebrated Australian author.

Multi-award winning creators Ellen Datlow and Kaaron Warren teamed up on Facebook a few years ago when Ellen posted photos of antique tools and Kaaron wrote microfiction pieces to accompany them, without either of them knowing what the tools were for. This chapbook collects and preserves their playful interaction for readers to enjoy.

When Stevie Searle almost dies in the accident that kills her mother, she doesn't see a shining path or a golden light. Instead, she sees everyone she's ever slighted, waiting to take a piece of her in a cold, dark room. The person whose place she took in the queue, the schoolmate she cheated off, the bus driver she didn't pay? All waiting. All wanting to take their revenge when she finally crosses over. Stevie is fascinated by the dark room, so she sends herself there again. And again. And again.

"A tale of creeping dread … Recommended." —Tade Thompson, author of Rosewater and The Murders of Molly Southbourne "Dark, disturbing, visceral" (5 stars) —NB Magazine In this gothic-styled ghost story that simmers with strange, Warren shows once again her flair for exploring the mundane—themes of love, loss, grief, and guilt manifest in a way that is both hauntingly familiar and eerily askew. People come to The Angelsea, a rooming house near the beach, for many reasons. Some come to get some sleep, because here, you sleep like the dead. Dora arrives seeking solitude and escape from reality. Instead, she finds a place haunted by the drowned and desperate, who speak through the sleeping inhabitants. She fears sleep herself, terrified that the ghosts of her daughters will tell her “it’s all your fault we’re dead.” At the same time, she’d give anything to hear them one more time.

Every nation of the globe has unique tales to tell, whispers that settle in through the land, creatures or superstitions that enliven the night, but rarely do readers get to experience such a diversity of these voices in one place as in A World of Horror, the latest anthology book created by award-winning editor Eric J. Guignard, and beautifully illustrated by artist Steve Lines.Enclosed within its pages are twenty-two all-new dark and speculative fiction stories written by authors from around the world that explore the myths and monsters, fables and fears of their homelands.Encounter the haunting things that stalk those radioactive forests outside Chernobyl in Ukraine; sample the curious dishes one may eat in Canada; beware the veldt monster that mirrors yourself in Uganda; or simply battle mountain trolls alongside Alfred Nobel in Sweden. These stories and more are found within A World of Horror: Enter and discover, truly, there's no place on the planet devoid of frights, thrills, and wondrous imagination