People Pleasing Massacre

A poem

From this tomb
I look at the massacre
I’ve made of myself
Taking in every ripple of depression
The marches of its succession
Binging and fasting like waves sloshing
Overwhelming loose skin
Drinking in the scars
Grooves deeper than can be seen
Slashes from the blade
Tracks worn into this sick façade
Embedded in the tomb
For me, there’s no room
Depressions refusal to be released
Sagging waves of torment
Dropping into the scalding water
Reddening surface and silver deep
Lie back
Just lie back let it sink in
Conquer the concave slave
Drench black-eyed face under
Revell in the nearing thunder
I can see through my corpse to the decomposition
My life’s mission
Taking in their rot
I’m rotting alive
No need to be a giver
They keep taking
Clawing at the veins
Sucking my blood with straws
Lie back further
Steer across the landscape
It ain’t too horrifying from this angle
The sags tighten
Silver streaks lighten
Red fades to blush
Embrace the incoming hush
I’ll lie here
Lie to myself for a while
Let the silver lining twinkle
A perspective shift
A momentary lift.

© Natasha Sinclair

D&T Publishing – Interview

Interview for ‘Women in Horror’ month

Recently I was asked to interview with the wonderful D&T Publishing for Women in Horror (WIH) month – February 2021.
At first, I was, admittedly, taken aback because I live with a serious case of imposter syndrome — I mean ‘Women in Horror’, why would I be asked?! Why would anyone be interested in what I have to say? Then it dawned on me, Hey, yeah, I am one of those – a woman who writes horror!
Needless to say, I agreed happily, in support of a wonderful publishing house run by wife and husband duo, Dawn and Timothy, who do so very much for the indie horror community. They even warmly accepted one of my little dark tales, ‘Neighbours’, into their dark fiction anthology ‘After the Kool-Aid is Gone’ last year.

With a massive line-up of planned publications this coming year, they are a publisher to put on your ‘to watch’ list for sure!
Check them out by visiting their website and socials:

Home | D&T Publishing


You can catch my little interview, along with other WIH chat featured on D&T’s Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/DT-Publishing-105199147804217/

KJK Publishing

Editorial News

KJK Publishing is the company behind Amazon best-selling horror anthology collections such as ‘100 Word Horrors’ and ‘The Horror Collection’.

Owner and Author, Kevin J. Kennedy, recently invited me on-board as Editor of KJK’s successful ‘The Horror Collection’ series! As a fan of these collections, I couldn’t say no — delighted to be part of Kennedy’s team.

These books are a great pick up for fans of the genre, or as an introduction to the many flavours of global indie horror. Hosting a hugely diverse selection of horror voices across the spectrum of the genre, these books are a great way to find a new author or stir your appetite for a sub-genre you maybe wouldn’t have picked up otherwise. Connecting readers to emerging and seasoned voices in indie horror, THC books should be on your books to read — if you haven’t already that is. With eight books in the series so far, book nine is due for release this month, and the next two are in progress — including a special ‘Extreme Edition’, it’s fair to say KJK Publishing has started 2021 sprinting with all manner of sharp objects straight at your eyeballs!

The newest book in the series — ‘The Horror Collection: Yellow Edition’ features stories from; JC Michael, Kyle M. Scott, Lex H. Jones, Mike Duke, Sarah Tantlinger and Zoltan Komor. This lot promise spine-tingling, haunting chills, and a good heap of ‘What the fuck did I just read?’ bizarro. Love it! All wrapped in the signature THC cover created by Michael Bray.

*Update 18/02/2021 — Book nine is out now!

Check out the first published review of the collection on Erica Robyn Reads; [Book Review] The Horror Collection: Yellow Edition | Erica Robyn Reads

Its predecessors can be purchased individually or as a set. All of these books are also available to read free to Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Next in the series will be ‘The Horror Collection: Ruby Edition’ and ‘The Horror Collection: Extreme Edition’. Invited Authors have been propositioned, and submissions are rolling in! This is going to be lots of bloody fun!

As ever, shares and reviews are massively important in this crazy game, especially to indie writers and publishers. Please, if you take the time to read — leaving an honest review on your preferred platform is appreciated by ourselves and other readers. We love to hear what readers think — Thank you! Happy reading!

February Mentions

It’s coming up to National sex day/awkward date day/chocolate day, or Valentine’s day if you prefer. With that theme in mind, The Macabre Ladies ‘Dark Valentine’ is currently on sale until the 14th. Being horror, it’s fair to say it hosts a bit of the good ol’ ‘Anti- Valentines’ vibe — it’s worth grabbing a copy or better yet, pick up the boxset which includes an array of flash holiday-themed horror!

Also, February is Woman in Horror month, so picking up something from this female-fronted horror publishing duo or indeed anything where a WIH contributes, is a great way to support the community, while (hopefully) finding a great read – we all benefit! Just don’t forget to leave a review!

You can find all things Macabre Ladies on their site: Macabre Ladies Publishing

While on the subject of The Macabre Ladies, book three in the ‘Drabbles of Dread’ series is out on the 16th of February! This one with themes of the supernatural. Currently, it’s an absolute steal to preorder before release day. I have five new flash pieces in this one too.

In my last post, I talked about a short that I finished writing — which I had loads of fun with. I am de-fuckin’-lighted to announce that ‘Fuckin’ Maggots’ was accepted into The Evil Cookies’s ‘Gorefest’! Thanks to Editor, K. Trap Jones, for welcoming my little offering of smut and splatter into the anthology. Looking forward to getting my hands on the rest of the stories in this one when it’s released — more info to come.

In the meantime, if you enjoy splatterpunk horror, check out The Evil Cookie’s already published books: The Evil Cookie Publishing

Best-selling indie Publisher and Author, Kevin J. Kennedy, also recently outed me as Editor in KJK Publishing’s new The Horror Collection: Yellow Edition. This guy is truly a force in the indie horror community, producing work not to be missed, and an absolute pleasure to work with. I am stoked to be working on this best-selling, predominantly invite-only, anthology series. I can tell you right now — book nine is a going to be a belter!

While that’s in the works, the previous eight books can be nabbed as a set or individually over at Amazon.

What’s Happening

It’s only heading towards the end of January, and I’ve too many ideas for this year! That being said, channelling one at a time and arranging my notes into some semblance of order is the (lifelong) personal challenge. Unless it’s for someone else my sense of organisation, with my own creative projects, can be chaotic.

On the well-organised side (the joy of the Gemini), I have opened the doors and made Word Refinery public! If you haven’t already, feel free to check out Word Refinery pages. I am opening up my editorial and proofreading diary to new clients. More info here:

Word Refinery: Editorial & Creative Support

Word Refinery: Terms & Conditions 

About 

Writing has been slow burn this month, with the exception of one completed short story – which, hands up, I love. It’s wicked — I can’t wait for folk to read it. It’s parked for an upcoming submission, but if it doesn’t make the cut (I really hope it does!), it will be published this year, I may even squirrel it away for my solo collection.

On that front, it’s been a year since I’ve personally published. In remedy of this I am collating some short stories with a couple of unpublished pieces to put out a collection this year – potentially in the summer, depending on editorial commitments, which take priority.

One Last Time

Biding time until reaper's weepers dispersed
The mourning departed to spread grief song

I linger until silence befell cemetery gates
Beyond the ceremonial bound

In observance
Solitary silence
Spiritual widow
I’ve waited…

Making way across the damp green
Souls stick in the mud sinking
Making my way to you
One last time

Love out of sight
Residing now on opposing dimensions
Held in the brevity of penumbra
Lovestruck in shadow
Your dark spell, loves curse

By the mound afore you
I stare into your pit
Imagining the pits of your eyes behind the box
Pondering the transparency of your boxes of fabrication
Heart-shaped carpentry, weak to these sorrowful eyes

My love on a fine line
Kneeling with my hands in your mud bed
I climb into your grave
Lay atop of your box poured with flowers you hate

Deep in the hole upon my loves burial bed
Breathing in the fumes of your death
Feeling deaths whispers swarm my head

Love eternally buried in me
Beyond the finite blood and bone
Can you feel the heat penetrate your cold corpse?
I lie in your pit
Widow death shroud 
On top of my love…

One last time


© Natasha Sinclair

Quick 2020 Wrap Up

Just dropping by with a quick 2020 writing (or more subbing) wrap up since it seems to be the thing to do!

On my first year actively subbing and writing for specific calls, this has resulted in 58 pieces accepted for publication. 42 of these have been published this year – 8 Short Stories, 13 Flash Fiction, 20 Drabbles and 1 Poem. The remaining 16 accepts will be out in 2021.

I have been lucky to have my work appear alongside some cool folk from around this wee planet. Thankful and grateful for the opportunities and encouragement from my friends, family and writing community. Writing wise it’s been a pretty fun year — I’ve learned so much and developed some new skills along the way.

As for the rest of 2020, it will not be missed!

2020 – that’s plenty, be on your way!

FREE HORROR

Newly released for the death of 2020 – The Sirens Call eZine is out now! Celebrating a world of horror and dark fiction from around the globe, Sirens Call Publications have put out issue 52 containing 130 pieces of Horror and Dark Fiction. All honouring the theme of death. I am chuffed to have one of my own stories Snake appear in this issue. Snake first appeared in Concoction: A mini Anthology of shorts which is still available in print and ebook from Amazon worldwide. To get your hands on The Sirens Call eZine – where you can read online or download your copy FREE – head to their site:

RELEASE: The Sirens Call eZine Winter 2020 Edition – Issue 52 | FREE Online #Horror and #DarkFic #eZine #magazine @Sirens_Call | The Sirens Song (wordpress.com)

Snake, first printed here: Concoction Anthologies (2 books) Kindle Edition (amazon.com)

Penumbra

Shadows engulf mother Earth, shade and still-cold stretch through half the globe as Batara Candra embraces her most impossible love, Batara Surya. Two halves of a singular coin. Coming together only briefly once every eighteen years. A passing lingering embrace that ripples waves of darkness, causing tides to threaten to turn, waves of anarchy and torrents of cold panic; what if they never let go?

Doomed love or doomed planet by total eclipse — an impossible love where no-one truly wins. Love must pass through the penumbra, saving this world from suffocating darkness or burning light.

Until next time, my love.

No Good Grief

Gnashing and gnawing at my innards
Viscera shredded; trauma tombs embedded
Stitch in bells, weigh down the nauseating flapping
Jangle a euphonious jingle
Steady placement of chinked shield
Conceal agonies.
  
U-bend blocked
There my guilt brims
Shame for wishing away rapid cell division
Liquor and voluntary scalding
Natures way away
Life folding poured out
Out of Order; terror of disorder
  
For two, a freshly dug hole
The morning after
Mourning follows
Nipping at heals with the snow
A hollow in another garden
There, a piece of my heart lays
A depression for my first’s succession
  
She wants to see my torment on display
To harvest in morbid grief games
Pretend she’s just the same
Catfish loss-mother
Conspiring tiring 
Yearning to reap from the suffering leaks of my soul
Observe my lamentations trapped in a fishbowl
To don a cape, be in control
Prodding my wounds, infecting
  
Imitation empath storing stories
Catalogued, indexed, held hostage
Latching of grief vampires
Sucking ephemeral life’s marrow
Chipping stones off my bones
  
An archaeologist scraping the shovel
No delicate brushing of bristles
Attention desperation
Desecrating my pain 
Self-appointed steward on my cradles grave.