At long last, we’re nearing the end of my summer hiatus, and I’m so very excited to jump back into posting regular fiction here on Talebones!

During my time away this summer, I found that poetry was an ideal playground to exercise in, messing around with imagery and wordcraft without committing to longer projects. Poetry has been something I enjoy dipping into every now and again for many years—I find the limitations of the form really inspiring.

I’ve posted a few of those poems on Notes over the last few months, but I thought it might be fun to share three of them here, with all of you, as a little end-of-summer treat. (I don’t see myself making a habit of posting poetry here on Talebones; this is just for fun.)

The three poems I’m sharing below all have similar themes, which makes them feel like logical sisters to share a post together. If you enjoy them, please let me know!

Updates are on their way this week for a Fall Season full of new Talebones fiction! 🍂 Stay tuned!

If you like this short post, and you want to see more like it, please let me know with a like, comment, share, or restack!

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Poem #1: The Wolves Are At It Again

(after Susan Goldwitz)

A voice calls. 
They return North on feathered paws, 
admire the bliss and ruin of their southward migration, 
tired mouths roaring open, drinking starlight. 

Shards and shivers under streetlamp hum, they lean 
sidelong to yip and howl in your ear as they pass. 
They are rude and rowdy still, but spent now like sodden fuses. 

They were wild, once. 
They must return home to remember. 

As they fly, they shed their suits and ties, their wingtips 
brushing the earth.

They swim back through your dreams of your hidden names. 
Above their trails, the new moon yawns dark like a mouth.  

Poem #2: Moons Turn Easy

It’s night.
The trees sway
drunk 
on all this moonshine.

Some fool 
smashed the jar
to let the liquid run—
quick like a friend,
quiet like a shoulder— 
through all the gleeful cracks.

Drenched, the evergreens exhale
and the stars come winking out. 

Poem #3: August Road

Night is the underbelly of a black dog 
passing silently through a field of spent dandelions; 
dusty summer stars cling to soft dark fur, 
waiting to be shaken loose. 

Full moon, one rolling eye 
gazing elsewhere, and bright tears pool,
turning the empty road below into a river. 

If you roll your trouser legs up you could wade in it 
like the daylight creeks of childhood, slippery
stones underfoot, gasping-cold in the heatwave ripple.

Skin freckled, dandelion clocks rising with your breath, clouds
racing the sun across the sky, and in the evening
your mother calls, and the neighbor’s black dog
responds.   

Thank you for reading!

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Genre: Uncanny/Dark Fantasy

Length: TBD

Synopsis: The island of Orthro is dying, and with it the cult that has flourished there for centuries, hidden away in an abbey of stone filled with vast hives of sacred bees.

But Tyss, a young acolyte who has never known any home but the small island, is not willing to perish with the rest of her religion. She enlists the aid of an unlikely ally to help her escape the abbey and navigate the violent sea and the strange lands beyond, unaware that she carries a dark hope with her, and sinister seeds ready to take root in new soil…

—

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Table of Contents

COMING SOON!

This weekly(ish) digest is the way I communicate with my readers to let them know what’s been going on around the Talebones landscape, along with any housekeeping to be aware of.

How has summer been treating you??

First of all, I want to welcome the new folks who have found me over the last few months through various means. Thank you so much for jumping aboard! ❤

I’ve been on a creative hiatus of sorts this summer, and honestly? It’s been a really necessary refresh. A lot of my time has been spent offline, tackling household tasks as well as following a need for more spontaneous delight and joy in my days, and I’ve really, really appreciated the break.

In August, I’ll be soaking up some of that last sumptuous summer break while also turning my attention to gathering momentum again in September. Because of this, I figured now would be a good time to check in, say hi, and update you all on what’s been happening and what’s intended to happen when the new season dawns.

Ready?

Let’s go!!

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✨ First, A Quick Word From Our Sponsor… ✨

• Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, creative consultant, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my Work With Me site for rates and services! Don’t see something that works for you? Reach out via email or DM—I’m happy to discuss. Let’s make your projects sing!

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• Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag or a Ferris Island souvenir for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!

And now, back to Talebones Tuesday…

Round-Up!

In case you missed it…

• SUMMER SEASON SHORT FICTION:

  • The Things We Are - in this quick flash fiction ditty, a piece of Pacific Northwest folklore is told from an unusual perspective

  • The Snag in the River - a small collection of mysterious diary entries that paint an eerie picture of the settlement of a fabled town: Cullahan, Washington

  • The Blue Thread - a widowed farmer reaches for happiness by the light of the midsummer bonfire

• Imp Interview with Shaina Read - I recently sat down with from the team to discuss my horror novella, Imp, as well as other aspects of horror storytelling, finding inspiration, and more!

• Crafting Serial Fiction with - If you’ve ever been curious about how to plan, write, and publish serial fiction online, this complete six-part livestream series—a conversation between me and fellow serializer Simon K Jones—covers all of that and so much more! It’s free to listen to, makes no wild promises or unfair expectations, and offers realistic tips and good-humored wisdom for all phases of the process. Check it out!

• New around here? Most of my speculative fiction takes place on a haunted island in Washington State called Ferris Island. Check out the landing page to see which stories are currently available to read here online, along with other info and resources!

  • I also have stories of various genres set elsewhere, listed here.

• TALESTACK NEWS is a twice-monthly bulletin of Substack fiction news where I collate as many announcements, projects, submissions opportunities, community endeavors, and generally cool things as I can gather. Check out the most recent issue here! (And if you’re a writer on the platform, read the submission guidelines and email your news to talestack.editor@gmail.com by September 6th to be included in the next issue!)

Summer Musings - A Personal Note 🌞

As a former educator of many years, I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with summer. I enjoy the warm, lazy days (when they’re not excessively hot, that is) and the time spent watching things grow and flourish and fruit in the garden. But there’s also an innate feeling of preparation to this season, a drumbeat of getting ready. And even though I’m not prepping a classroom anymore, I still feel that September is the gateway to some kind of reset.

This summer, I’ve spent some time carefully considering Substack and how it fits into the overall scheme of my writing life. The platform continues to change and evolve, both in ways that I like and in ways that I feel…less than enthused about. But, despite it all, this platform is still my favorite place to play, to experiment, and to finish what I start. I don’t see that changing any time soon.

A huge part of that is YOU. All of you! Newbie or longtime reader, paid sub or free, quiet lurker or frequent commenter, open-every-email or pick-and-choose…all of you make Talebones what it is, and I could not be more grateful for this peaceful, playful little corner in the vast ocean of the Internet. Thank you. ❤

As we head into the Fall Season around here, I’m not anticipating any big changes or adaptations to how I show up in this space. Any tweaks you see will be relatively minor, just ways that I can make sure I’m still bringing you compelling stories and quality fiction resources in a way that’s sustainable (for me) and fun (for you).

To that end, a couple of quick notes:

• Talestack News is on a full break until September. I sent this out in an email last week, so hopefully this won’t take anyone by surprise…but summer has been very quiet in the News, and my most recent inbox check only had one announcement in it. 😬 So I decided to take a little break in August, let summer run its course, and return for the next issue on September 7th.

  • PLEASE feel free to send your news at any time over the next few weeks to talestack.editor@gmail.com to make sure it’s in the first September issue when we return!

• Paid subscribers—I owe you a long-overdue Revision Diary post. I’m aware, and I’m so sorry. The summer slowdown hit my novel’s revisions, too, but I do have some updates for you. (Think: color-coded notecards. Oh boy.) The new post is on its way!

• The next official update you’ll hear from me won’t be until the end of the month. I’m going to enjoy the rest of my hiatus (my birthday is this week! woohoo!) and spend some time doing a little site admin, brainstorming, and other behind-the-scenes activities ahead of September. I’ve also got a garden to mind and a house to tidy up before the cozy months are upon us, so there’s lots to do! That said, I’ll be around on Notes and may even post another piece of short fiction if the mood strikes me, so I won’t be too far away!

Until then…how about a little preview of what to expect in September? 👀

COMING SOON - The Red Hive! 💀🐝

This September, I am excited to announce an all-new serial novella, set in an uncanny fantasy world that may or may not be familiar to long-time readers…

Title: The Red Hive

Genre: Dark/uncanny fantasy

Synopsis: The island of Orthro is dying, and with it the cult that has flourished there for centuries, hidden away in an abbey of stone filled with vast hives of sacred bees.

But Tyss, a young acolyte who has never known any home but the small island, is not willing to perish with the rest of her religion. She enlists the aid of an unlikely ally to help her escape the abbey and navigate the violent sea and the strange lands beyond, unaware that she carries a dark hope with her, and sinister seeds ready to take root in new soil…

*******

So, this one’s been cooking in the background for a bit.

The idea itself had been percolating since early this year, but back in May, I decided to set myself an experiment. I wanted to see how far I could get writing a draft without serializing. Could I write a whole novella without sharing any of it online?

The answer? No. (Well, not entirely. 😂)

Over the course of a month or two, I managed to get a chunk of it drafted, plus a detailed outline. But the experiment proved something to me that—honestly?—I feel pretty good about.

I really like serializing. I like that it keeps me moving, and I like that it incentivizes finishing a project. While writing quietly has its perks, serializing is a tool in my current toolbox that I don’t want to take for granted.

So! In short, The Red Hive is coming to Talebones this fall, and I’m really excited to introduce you all to these characters!

How long will it be?

I’m not entirely sure, although if my outline is any indication, it’ll be about the length of my usual novellas (around 10-12 weekly chapters). My goal is to keep it a Fall Season (three-month) project and not allow it to spill its banks.

Here’s hoping. (lol)

Is it connected to any previous work?

This story is set in a fantasy world that I’ve written in before and will have some connective tissue to previous stories set in that world. But never fear: you do not need to read anything first to prepare for this story. I do my darndest to make sure that my online stories stand on their own and can be enjoyed in isolation, and this one will be no exception.

The other stories set in this place are all available in my short fiction collection The Shell. If you’ve read the other stories set in this world—great! They will add some color to your experience. 😉

When will the first chapter drop?

I am planning to launch this one on Friday, September 4th.

If you have any other questions, throw ‘em in the comments!

Otherwise—stay tuned! ❤

Review Highlight: Bonewhistle! 🦦

If you’ve read any of my books, I would be so honored if you would pause now to leave a rating or review.

But this month, I would be especially grateful for reviews of Bonewhistle!

In this collection of tales from a haunted island in the Pacific Northwest, nothing is quite what it seems…

A quick, spooky little mix of stories, perfect for a weekend read!

Have you read Bonewhistle? I would love an honest review!

For self-published authors, there’s no multi-million-dollar engine running promotion, marketing, and other advertising…there’s just me! So ratings and reviews go a LONG way in raising indie books in algorithms, triggering retailers to suggest them to customers, and helping new readers find self-published books that they’ll love!

And you don’t have to write a long review, either. A simple star-rating or a “Loved it!” both work just as well!

You can review my books on:

• Amazon

• Goodreads

• Storygraph

• Pagebound

• Or you can visit the books on their individual My Books pages to review them on the sites of specific retailers, like B&N, Kobo, or Fable!

Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to leave a review!

It really, really means the most. ♥

Talebones Runs On Your Support!

Talebones is kept afloat by a beautiful and diverse tapestry of support, from my freelance day job as a writer and editor to purchases of books and merch AND the bountiful generosity of my paid subscribers!

You can become a Talebones Paid Subscriber for $5/month or $50/year (or go above and beyond as a Founding Member) to gain access to ALL online Talebones fiction past and present, exclusive resources, discounts to merch/products and freelance/consulting services, and more!

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Thank you for reading!

I really appreciate you sticking around for this update!

I hope that August treats all of us kindly, no matter where the season leads us, and I’m excited to reconvene with you all in the harvest air of September!

Blessings to all, wherever you may be. ❤

Your grateful storyteller,

S.E. Reid

✒ Editor’s Note

Welcome back, Talestack Readers!

[New around here? Check out our FAQ page!]

July may be nearly over, but there’s plenty of time left for summer reading! 📚

I don’t know about you all, but July has been quite a full month around here. Lots going on, both good and overwhelming. (Hence why this issue is several hours later than usual today…oops!)

Even so, there’s nothing quite like making time to read in the middle of a busy summer day, and the writers of fiction on Substack are here to liven up your seasonal TBR with their serial projects, published books and ebooks, and community events!

Since we’re already running late, I’ll cut my usual preamble short—let’s get to the good stuff!

Happy reading, happy writing!

S.E. Reid
Editor of Talestack News

TALESTACK NEWS is a FREE-TO-READ publication!

Please support us by liking, commenting, sharing, and restacking. Any monetary support is appreciated, but not necessary.

📣 Announcements!

Finished Projects:

• The first season of ’s fantasy serial, Dreamwalker’s Diligence, has just wrapped up. Blurb: “Dreamwalker’s Diligence is a bite-sized fantasy serial about a magical antiques shopkeeper with a penchant for mysteries. Come for the arcane artifacts. Stay for the cozy vibes and a touch of the uncanny.” Jump into the first season, called The Butcher’s Ring, here!

• has just wrapped up the final chapter of Terrific, an action-packed serial featuring a cast of memorable superhumans, and the entire current volume is free to read until the publication of the final book next month. From Daniel: “The current volume begins here, and the final storyline begins here, for anyone looking for prose fiction featuring flawed but aspirational superheroes. Thank you to everyone who was reading along, and thank you to anyone who takes a look now.”

New Projects:

• has released the next installment of his latest project, The Piano Man Chronicles. From Vince: “Parts 1 and 2 are available and the conclusion is releasing July 31. The Piano Man Chronicles is a two-year anthology project where a new story surrounding the fictional novel ‘Piano Man’ is released.”

  • Also, in preparation for the release of Vince’s next novel, Landslide, next spring, his fictional protagonist Alex Shelby occasionally invades Vince’s Substack to share a snarky column. Two were released in July: The Burn Ward of Freedom and Leave the hate to the professionals.

• has relaunched his fiction newsletter Written Ward with his first-ever serial, What Remains, a blend of supernatural suspense, Appalachian gothic, and quiet horror. From John: “The first installment, Do Not Clean Glass, takes readers beneath an inherited antiques shop in West Virginia, where two cousins face a cellar full of dangerous objects governed by rules they don’t fully understand. It begins with one careless touch, one broken rule, and a warning that says what not to do but not what happens next.”

📚 The Bookshelf

(Titles listed in order of release date.)

• ’s historical Arthurian fantasy epic, The Shield of Locksley—originally published as a long-running serial on Substack—is now available for purchase as an ebook through Amazon! Release Date: 7/10/26

• ’s debut novel, Underworld, a powerful reimagining of the story of the Greek goddess Persefóni, is now available for purchase in ebook and paperback through Amazon and Bookshop.org (ebook is also available on these platforms)! You can learn more about Katharine’s self-publishing journey in this post. Release Date: 7/20/26

• ’s high-octane novel CARNAGE! is now available for pre-order as an ebook through various retailers. Ian is also on the lookout for ARC readers—check out this post for more details. Release Date: 8/8/26

• A new anthology of prose and poetry, By Morning, the Sea Had Taken It, is now available for preorder through . Every piece in the collection features the same haunting final line: “By morning, the sea had taken it.” (Thanks to for sending me this news, and who was also chosen to be included in the anthology!) Release Date: 8/15/26

🫱🏻‍🫲🏾 Connection Corner

• Have you ever wanted to learn the craft of horror storytelling, or tighten up your own spooky storycraft? In June, launched a new series called Horror Short Stories, Step By Step. From Leigh: “As the name suggests, it’s a tutorial on how to write horror short stories, using a sample story to illustrate the steps.” Part One and Part Two are already out, with the next part coming early August.

• Mark your calendars! is hosting an online launch event for their newest anthology of poetry and prose, By Morning, the Sea Had Taken It, on Saturday the 15th of August, 6:00–7:00pm (BST). The event is free, but the Press requests that you sign up at the Eventbrite page if you mean to attend.

• would like to cordially invite you all to a collaborative murder mystery event this August—MURDER IN THE MANSION: A Prompt Event to Kill For. From Gregory: “Billionaire Thelonius Radford Davenport has been murdered in his mansion. The details are being kept hush-hush…and the motive is unclear. Was it for money? A crime of passion? Had he learned a dangerous secret? No-nonsense Inspector Prodwell is on the case. And YOU are—or, rather, your character is—one of the suspects!”

  • Participants will decide the details of their character and write the scene where Inspector Prodwell questions them in 1,000 words or less. It will include where the scene takes place, relevant backstory, your character’s relationship to the victim (which could be tied to your backstory or not), a likely (inventive) murder weapon to which you have access, and a motive (which you’ll deny, let slip, try to downplay, or whatever you choose).

  • The game begins August 1^st and all entries must be posted by August 31^st.

  • A post with links to all the entries will be created, and there will be a vote for people to pick who they think the murderer is (or should be).

  • Stay tuned for more details; if you have any questions, you can DM Gregory Blair at @gregoryblairentertains.

Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:

talestack.editor@gmail.com

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• Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my Work With Me site for rates and services.

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• Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!

I have a short, simple, epistolary piece of fiction for you today!

In my seasonal hiatus from regular posting, I’ve been gathering a lot of fun new story ideas, but most of them require some hefty percolating time before I can fully dive into them.

Instead, this piece is a revisit to a previous piece of fiction, a slight expansion of a small previous world. A bit of exercise, and an uncanny addition to some expanding lore.

I hope you enjoy!

If you like this short story, and you want to see more like it, please let me know with a like, comment, share, or restack!

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While you won’t find it mentioned in any history books, folk tales and local whispers tell of a small town on the Palouse called Cullahan, Washington. It is no longer there, and no tangible traces of it exist. I have visited the spot; it’s just industrial wheat fields and rich soil now, and most regional academics believe the town is a pervasive myth.

That said, in my years-long investigation, I have found former residents who report remarkably similar stories, and I continue to dig into local archives and sift through local recollections despite the pushback.

Today, I have received a goldmine.

The following text is from pages photocopied from a very old, handwritten diary. These are clearly selections and excerpts handpicked to be sent to me; some dates are missing, and some entries cut off in strange places. Because the pages are photocopies they are almost impossible to authenticate, though the handwriting and the marks of age visible appear era-appropriate. If the sporadic dates are to be believed, this diary was written in the early 1850s.

These were sent to me anonymously, and there was no cover letter or explanation included with the folder of photocopies. Who owns this diary now, I couldn’t say. And how they knew to send these to me, I can only guess.

What proceeds may unearth more questions than it answers. Even so, I feel like there are important clues about the truth of Cullahan’s origins—and Washington’s stranger corners of history—to be found in the following recollections.

April 2, 1852

I have chosen my acres to settle on. The price was good. Maybe too good, but I am told that the soil is fertile, and my hope is that they saw my condition and took pity on me. Since leaving Cincinnati, my symptoms have improved markedly, but I know the specter of consumption still hangs around my countenance.

Tomorrow I will inquire about hiring men to plant and tend wheat, and to build a small cabin that I can live in, for I am sick to death of sleeping in this cursed old wagon. I am told that wheat is the right crop for this landscape, and I can believe it.

I have never seen such an expanse of sky. I have never seen such hills.

The Nez Perce guide from our wagon train—they called him Tom, though what his real name is I don’t know—has told me that “wheat” in the trade language used by the locals is “sapolill” and I find that charming.

He drops in every so often to check on me and share the news he gets from the nearby fort and the trading posts, which is kind. I secretly hope he is impressed with me, though in truth I think he thinks I’m crazed to be out here alone. I can tell he is not altogether happy with the land I’ve settled, but he won’t say why.

It is lonely out here. I keep busy, and I don’t always feel it—the loneliness. If I stand still too long, it cuts me wide open and reminds me of what I’ve lost.

May 27, 1852

My wheat grows! It is beautiful, rolling green growing waves of it. The hired men have done a perfect job of planting and tending—their care is evident.

The little cabin they have built is good, too. It is not fancy, but I did not expect a palace. The well is dug, and they also built me a small stable for my horse, and I have been promised a henhouse as well.

Despite their help, I do feel that the men here are only humoring me. I keep getting glances. Not unkind ones, but pitying, like they know I’m not long for the life I’ve chosen. They expect that once my money runs out I will run, too. Back East. Back to a life of modern convenience, of modern comforts.

In truth, it feels as though my efforts are haunted by the ghosts of the Whitmans. The bloody business was only a few years ago but I hear that the violence is still rolling across the region like sharp stones down a hill.

It only firms my resolve. Still, I worry for Tom and his folk.

[date unknown]

It is late in the night, and I sit up writing by the light of the lantern with a shaking hand. Out in the ripening wheat, something is singing.

I say something, because it does not sound like a human voice. It is no nocturnal bird. It is not a coyote, either. I have become accustomed to their eerie, lonely shrieking.

No. What is out in the wheat is nothing I know.

June 10, 1852

Lately I have been thinking of what Tom told me, about this stretch of prairie. That in the old days his people avoided it, because strange things would happen here. People would appear and disappear, and the ones who arrived would be driven mad by their confusion, by not belonging. Strange visions and voices, invisible influences. Demons, he said, or whatever their equivalent is. He struggled to explain the concept to me.

“Demons are from your religion,” he said. “Not ours.”

All just stories. I would never have believed such things, even if he told me before I chose this place to live in. Even so.

In his faltering explanation, Tom likened it to a river. Drop a leaf in the river, and mostly it carries on wherever the current leads it. But if the leaf strays too close to the edge, it can get caught in an eddy and spin, or snag.

This place is a snag, he said. A trap. Mesachie, he said.

The word is not from his language; it’s the trade jargon. It means bad.

July 15, 1852

One of the hired men has vanished. Left, I thought, when Mr. Vernon (the foreman) told me about it, but he shook his head and said, “No. One minute he was there, next minute he was gone. We didn’t see him go.”

Mr. Vernon and the boys don’t seem to have made the connection—the disappearance, the field. Why would they? They don’t know the stories. All they know is that their friend is gone.

I am conflicted. I think maybe I should tell them, before anything else goes wrong. But the wheat will be ready for harvest soon. I need them to stay with me, to see the harvest through. Without the harvest, I have nothing.

[date unknown]

I think whatever is in the wheat was waiting for it to get high enough.

It is easier to proceed with mischief when one is hidden from sight.

July 17, 1852

I have dismissed the men. Mr. Vernon and the others. Tom insisted on it, before anything else happens. He’s right, of course, but it means my ruin.

What little chance I had of making a life here is over. It is too late to start East, so I must eke out a living here through the winter as best as I can.

Tom has promised to help, that he and his people will contribute food and supplies that they can spare, to help me limp through until the spring thaw. They are too kind. I feel a perfect fool.

Outside, the ripening wheat seems to mock me. It is beautiful. It is nearly ready.

It is dangerous.

A trap, just like Tom said.

[date unknown]

This morning, there was a child in the field. Alone. Quite alone, and so afraid.

She is resting near the fire, now. I don’t know what to do.

[date unknown]

More appear. Where are they coming from? Why me?

Sapolill giveth, Sapolill taketh.

I could almost laugh. But I am too afraid.

[date unknown - author has written “Midwinter” at the top of the page]

Leaves running down the river get snagged, and here they are. My house is full of lonely strangers. Wanderers from the wheat. It stands amber-gold and dip-headed in the winter cold, watching me as I welcome them in.

There will be snow soon.

Leaves, just little orphaned leaves. I don’t know where they come from. Some of them don’t speak my language. Some of them have strange skin. Old and young. Man, woman. Ghost or demon or flesh, I hardly know anymore. But they are lost, so I open the door.

I think maybe I am going mad. Tom won’t visit. He’s afraid of me, or afraid of the wheat. There will be snow soon.

The house of Abigail Cullahan is full, now.

Some of them stay, some of them go back out into the winter light, looking for a home they will never find. Cursed to wander forever.

Sapolilly. Sapolilly. He’s out there in the wheat, taking and giving. Singing in the night. Pulling some down into the soil, drowning them in it. Sending some back up to wander into my house, to sit beside my fire.

The snag. This trap in the river of time. I don’t think I’ll ever understand it.

It will snow soon. My house is full, so full.

March 10, 1853

It is spring.

The wheat is long dead. Winter feels like a long, long dream, and I am awake.

Thank God.

As I sit to write this, in the final pages of this book, it is morning. The sun breaks open upon the face of the earth. I look around me, and I see the strange blessing of it: that Sweet Sapolill—the spirit of the wheat—has given lonely Abigail Cullahan a family. It is a miracle, but a fearful one.

Do all recipients of miracles tremble like this?

I intended to head East in the thaw, but I believe I will stay. How could I leave this family behind, now that it has been gifted to me? Who else but me will properly be the custodian of this eddy in the river, this place where those orphaned by time gather in their confusion?

There may be a way to appease him. I will spend my days searching for a way to stem the tide. We will all try. We will work as one, laboring together. To spring the trap, to free the lost.

The wheat has re-seeded, and soon these hills will be awash with green again.

I believe I will stay.

END

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✒ Editor’s Note

Welcome back, Talestack Readers!

[New around here? Check out our FAQ page!]

Welcome to July! 🌞

It’s about halfway through summer for those of us in the northern hemisphere, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve been spending a LOT of time reading lately.

Between the strange and spooky tales of Stephen King, the eerie rural beauty of Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, the verses of thoughtful poets like Galway Kinnell and Linda Pastan, and even some challenging historical nonfiction centered around the storied region where I live, I’ve been craving the words of others and finding so much inspiration in the pages of their work.

I don’t feel particularly productive most days—the heat really does a number on my thinking brain. But even so, summer feels like the perfect time to be open, curious, and receptive to other ideas. To new things, new puzzle pieces. Letting what Stephen King called the writer’s “idea net” drag behind, picking up all kinds of flotsam and jetsam. And just like beach-combing, what can seem like junk from far away can turn out to be treasure when you pick it up.

📚 If you feel like it, let us know in the comments below what YOU are reading this season! What have you finished, and what’s still on your list? Inquiring minds would love to know. ❤ (And maybe the next best thing on your TBR is lurking in the issue below!)

Happy reading, happy writing!

S.E. Reid
Editor of Talestack News

TALESTACK NEWS is a FREE-TO-READ publication!

Please support us by liking, commenting, sharing, and restacking. Any monetary support is appreciated, but not necessary.

📣 Announcements!

New Projects:

• has started an ongoing atmospheric serialized story, Spring of 77, Sky was Yellow, Sun was Blue. Excerpt from Part One: “It’s cold even for early April, still small piles of dirty snow leftover from February’s blizzard. We’re behind schedule though we’ll be in the city soon. Hopefully Sis’s bus is running a little late, traffic on Good Friday is lite so we zipped through the tunnel and into P. A. parking.”

Awards:

• Congratulations to , winner of the Science Fiction (Round 3) edition of the Lunar Awards’ 11th Season, along with Runner-up and Honorable Mentions and ! Learn more about the winning stories and other cool details in this post from awards ambassador and guest judge !

Milestones & Wins:

• has announced that her debut literary fiction novel, The Music Between, will be published in November by High Frequency Press! Cover still in development; keep an eye on Ellen’s site for details as they arise. Congratulations, Ellen! 🎉

• Please welcome to Substack, a fiction writer from India. From Anshuman: “I write observational stories about working and lower-middle-class Indian family life. I’m drawn to minimalist, character-driven fiction, especially the restraint of writers like Raymond Carver and Jhumpa Lahiri. I’m currently working on a linked story cycle following one family across time, and I’d love to connect with other literary fiction writers and readers who enjoy closely observed work.” Check out his latest piece here!

📚 The Bookshelf

(Titles listed in order of release date.)

• and just released Welcome to the Hinterland, a free digital zine exploring abandoned, forbidden, and liminal places. From EJ: “If you love dead malls you’re going to love this zine.” Featuring work from , , , , , , and . Available to download here!

• is releasing a series of ebooks, collecting his historical fiction novellas under an umbrella called TRILOGY, with the eventual goal of raising funds for print versions. The first one, TRILOGY I: The Bridges of Rome, is a stand alone collection that takes place in Italy: Rome, Montepulciano, and Lake Como. Synopsis: “Three unforgettable novellas set against the timeless beauty of Italy. From Montepulciano to Rome and Lake Como, TRILOGY: The Bridges of Rome explores love, loss, family secrets, and redemption. In Montepulciano a dying actress prepares her children for life without her. In Rome, buried secrets unleash devastating consequences. And at Lake Como, a grieving widower and an Italian-Indian police officer discover that hope can emerge from heartbreak. Richly atmospheric and deeply moving, these stories reveal the fragile bridges between sorrow and healing.” Release Date: 6/2/26

🫱🏻‍🫲🏾 Connection Corner

• is announcing Vivid Prose Warm-Up Prompts. From CM: “Every week, I’ll share a random short piece of deliberately flat, ordinary prose. Our challenge? Transform it into our own unique, immersive, vivid version. Writers are invited to rewrite and share their take in the comments so we can all read, discuss, and learn from one another. Athletes practice, doctors practice, and musicians practice with the support and encouragement of others to perfect their skills and reach their highest potential. Writers need practice, too, so this space is dedicated for the practice of writing vivid prose with the support of fellow writers.”

• is looking for interested beta readers for his upcoming supernatural wilderness adventure thriller novel, Kronomund. From Cole: “Kronomund follows a team of search and rescue volunteers, trying to uncover the mystery behind a series of prophetic missing posters, which predict future disappearances in the remote national park where they work. While the story delves into the supernatural, it is heavily grounded in mountaineering and wilderness survival. I’m really looking for people who enjoy the genre, and are excited to weigh in. For interested readers, I am offering comp subscription to my story archives. For any writers, I would also be open to a critique swap.”

  • If you’re interested, please reach out to @colenoble via DM or email at colenobleclimbs@gmail.com with “BETA” in the subject line.

• is inviting the Talestack News readership to Write Club, a nightly meetup for fiction and narrative non-fiction authors to get their stories in front of an energetic group of readers/authors for feedback and (if they want it) critique. From David: “Our first four write club rounds drew 12 - 16 readers each, and the authors all reported the feedback was fun and useful.” All are welcome to join at writeclub.chat for nightly sessions at 7pm EST or learn more details here.

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Happy Midsummer Solstice to all who observe! ☀

Today, I bring you a quick seasonal ditty to bring a bit of the supernatural uncanny (but with some redemption, of course) into your day, whether you’re celebrating the sunshine or wishing you had more of it.

I hope you enjoy!

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Duncan MacNeill stood at the border of the village green, watching his neighbors build up the large pile of old wood and bones and broken furnishings for the midsummer fire in the center of the lush lawn, and his heart was sore within him. So sore, in fact, that it read on his face and in the slump of his strong shoulders.

“Duncan MacNeill,” said a firm voice from behind him.

He turned to see the old woman, Kate of the Hedge, sitting on the low stone wall of the churchyard, smoking her hawthorn-wood pipe with her skirts and shawls all gathered around her like a heap.

“Why bring such a troubled face here?” she asked. “You’ll douse the fire before it’s lit.”

Duncan startled at her casual use of the word he refused to speak aloud, but he sighed, and shrugged, and said, “It’s only that I’ve been alone now for too long, I think. My Isabella, God rest her, has been dead and gone seven years. I miss her terribly.”

The old woman gazed at him without expression. Her teeth were yellow from the tobacco, but her eyes were bright in her wrinkled face. “You’re too young to grieve so. Why should you not take a new wife?”

“The young women here all have their matches, promised or fulfilled,” he replied. “And after all, it wouldn’t be fair to saddle them with the affliction of my grief. They deserve better than that, and I am no prize.”

“Then let not the women of this village decide your fate,” said Old Kate. “Your kiln is dark, is it not?”

Duncan was surprised by the question, but nodded hesitantly. “Yes. Dark, and clean, and ready for the harvest and the midsummer ingle.”

“And it’s blessed, too, I imagine?”

Duncan nodded fervently. He took such things very seriously. “Oh yes. I always keep it blessed and speak the good over it, whether the ingle burns within or no.”

“Very well,” Kate said, pulling the pipe from her thin lips to punctuate her meaning. “Then go home, and do as I bid you: at twilight tonight, just after the sun slips behind the hills, take you a ball of blue thread to the kiln. Throw it with a strong arm, to the back, to the shadows, but hold the end of the string. Pull the ball of thread toward you, and when it snags, ask you, ‘Who holds it?’ The voice you hear will tell you who to marry. Then, come ye here to the midsummer fire and kindle the kiln as you otherwise would. Now, repeat back to me what I’ve told you.”

Duncan listened well, and he repeated back to Kate of the Hedge everything she had said. (Except, of course, that he did not speak the fire’s name; such a thing was not done by any farmer of good standing in this country. Only a daft old woman like Kate could get away with it.)

“Only one worry,” Duncan said, when he had finished his recitation. “I don’t think I have any blue thread.”

“Had your Isabella a sewing basket?”

“Aye, she did.”

“Then take my tongue if she didn’t have a ball of blue thread within,” said Old Kate, replacing the pipe back in her mouth and staring out at the growing pile of tinder for the midsummer fire. “And more’s the better for it, being hers.”

*******

So Duncan MacNeill went home, back to his little farm and his little croft at the foot of the hills. The meadows were purple and white with the blooming heather and the wild thyme, and the clear summer air was alive with the humming of the bees. The fields were tall with barley and oats, still green.

It was a good place, but too quiet for want of a wife, and haunted—not by Isabella’s absence, but by Duncan’s own sorrow. The land was fairly soaked with it.

He went to the place where he had hidden away her things, in an old chest against the wall. When he opened it, the smell of her clothing wafted out and embraced him. It was a sweet smell, but with it came sweet memories, and these he could not bear. So, quickly, he pulled out her sewing basket and closed the chest again.

True to the old woman’s word, there was indeed a small ball of blue thread within the basket, coiled carefully around a slim wooden spool.

For the rest of the afternoon he neither ate nor rested, but thought only of Old Kate’s words to him while he worked in the fields. And when twilight fell, he left his cottage, down the gloaming path to the kiln, and the blue thread rested in the pocket of his coat.

His father had built the kiln and its barn many years ago, a long, low building of field-stone with a thick thatched roof. At its far end was the tall, domed chimney. It was cold now, but later tonight—when he brought the burning ingle back from the midsummer fire in the village—it would be alive with smoke and heat.

Duncan entered the barn of the kiln and walked its length in the darkness. It was empty for now, its shelves and spaces swept and ready for the oat and barley harvest to come. For winter’s plenty.

When he reached the place where the kiln’s wide, circular hearth began—all dark, all quiet—he paused. There was no sound except the whistling of the wind along the top of the chimney.

He took the ball of blue thread from his pocket, and, as Kate had told him to do, he threw it to the back of the hearth, hard as he could, so that he heard the soft snick of the wooden spool hitting the stone on the other side. Then he began to coil it toward him, slowly, slowly.

It took a long time.

It took longer than it should take.

The wind whistled in the chimney, and the sound of mice scurrying in the dark barn behind him—looking for dropped grains from the year before that his broom had missed—made Duncan’s skin crawl. The midsummer light outside failed and failed and still the thread kept winding and winding. An impossible length.

Duncan thought, at first, he might set the ball of thread down so that he could go, or even that he might cut it. He knew that the village green was alight with the midsummer fire by now, and that he should bring the ingle back to his own croft if he wanted any part of the ritual’s blessings. If he did not bring it home tonight, it would be too late.

But just as he reached into his other pocket for the small knife he kept there, the thread suddenly caught, tightened, and held.

Duncan pulled gently. It did not move, as if tangled in invisible fingers in the gloom of the hearth.

So Duncan whispered, in fear of the ghostly grip, “Who holds it?”

There was no answer. He cleared his throat, and found his courage, and asked again in a stronger voice, “Who holds it?”

And a voice came from the chimney: “I do.”

A feeling like the delicate touch of a woman’s finger slipped down the nape of Duncan’s neck, leaving raised gooseflesh in its wake. He swallowed hard. “Who are you, I wonder?”

“My name is the name you dare not speak,” said the voice. For all the fear Duncan had of its invisible grip, the voice had a pleasant sound. Low and soft.

Duncan considered the answer, and what he might say next. Old Kate had not told him what to do beyond this.

“I have thrown the blue thread to ask you a question,” he said. “May I ask it now?”

“You may.”

“I would like to know if I shall marry again, and who she might be.”

There was a quiet, and Duncan worried that he had offended the voice in the chimney. He fidgeted with the ball of thread in his hand while he waited patiently for the answer.

“I am only surprised,” the voice replied, finally. “This game is usually played by children. Little girls, midsummer-drunk or chasing at ghosts in the autumn, wondering at things beyond their ken, and I play along only because it pleases me to do so. I don’t think a man of your years has ever asked me this before. You are not old, but you are too grown for games.”

“Oh,” said Duncan. “Will it not work, then? Is there no answer for me?”

The voice considered a bit more, before it replied, “I am sorry, but I do not have a name to give you. All I have is my gratitude. You have taken such good care of this place, and of me, and blessed me without fail though you did not know I was here. I wish I had more to give you, but all I have is my thanks, empty as it might be to you.”

Duncan’s disappointment weighed down his shoulders, but he smiled a little, just to show there were no hard feelings. “You’re kind for trying,” he said. “And I was only glad to keep you tidy and blessed. I think, perhaps, this should stay a game for little girls. I think, maybe, Old Kate was a little addled.”

“I have heard that such confusion is common for you children of the earth,” the voice said, not unkindly.

Duncan knew that he should say goodbye and take his leave of the voice, to go quickly to the village green and gather the ingle, but he had forgotten how nice it was to talk to a friendly voice like this. “May I ask you another question?”

“You may as well.”

“Do you live there in the chimney?”

“I do.”

“For how long have you lived there?”

“I was born when the first fire was kindled in me. But I am far older still. It is difficult to explain.”

Duncan bristled at hearing the word spoken with such boldness, and in such a place. But if the voice in the chimney could not say it, then who could?

“Do you ever think of coming out of there?” he asked.

“I do.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“I have not been invited.”

“Oh.” Duncan shrugged. “If that’s all it takes, then I would extend the invitation gladly. You have served my family well for such a long time, it’s the least I can do.”

The voice in the chimney was silent again. And when at last it spoke, there was depth of feeling in its tone, almost emotion. “You would give me this gift?”

“I certainly would,” he said. “And gladly. You may come out whenever you wish.”

And she did. Even in the dark of the kiln, Duncan knew she was a she, because he could see the outline of her as she emerged from the chimney, glowing like an ember, stout shoulders and wide hips and a generous head of hair. Her eyes were red things—comforting, but with a spark of danger within. She was like a person, but on purpose. It was a costume for her to wear.

When she stood before him, he loved her instantly.

“Will you not tell me your name?” he asked her, hardly daring to breathe.

She handed him the ball of blue thread. He slipped it into his pocket.

“I have already told you—my name is the word you dare not say, for fear of curse and crisis,” she replied.

“I would pull every curse and crisis down upon my head for the honor of speaking your name,” he replied.

She smiled kindly, but she knew better, and she was patient. “What do you call the thing you cannot name?”

“Ingle,” Duncan breathed, taking in every inch of her strange aspect.

“Then Ingle you will call me,” she said. “For I would not have you break your well-worn habits on my account, superstitious as they may be. Go now to the midsummer fire and bring back what you seek. I will wait for you.”

“When I return, will you marry me?” Duncan asked.

Ingle laughed, a sound like lightsome sparks snapping in the air. “When you return, I will stay with you. Think on it a while, whether or not you want to marry something whose name you cannot speak. These things should not be decided lightly.”

*******

At the midsummer fire, the flames glowed gold upon the faces of the village buildings, the blacksmith and the church and the marketplace, and the village green was alive with every soul from miles around: all from the village and countryside, farmers and crofters and merchants and children. And there were strangers, too, spirits taking advantage of the thinning veil of night to move flicker-footed through the living. But these could only be seen by a few, and would be forgotten by daybreak.

Duncan MacNeill moved through the crowd and found Kate of the Hedge sitting on the low stone churchyard wall at the edge of everything, watching the gathering and smoking her hawthorn-wood pipe, as if she had never moved from this morning.

“Old Kate,” he said, “I did as you bid me do, and something very strange happened.”

“Did it?”

“It did,” he said, leaning on the wall beside her, “and now I’m bewitched.”

She peered up at him. “You don’t seem too fussed over it.”

“Truly, I’m not.” He turned to look at the bonfire, the smoke billowing into the night sky, a shroud for the full midsummer moon. “But what shall I do now? I saw her, and I loved her, but she bade me consider well whether we could marry.”

“She is wise,” said Old Kate. “All ancient things are wise. Know this, Duncan MacNeill: many a man before you has loved and even married something he cannot understand, and many a man has dashed himself upon the rocks for his folly. To avoid ruin, you must be generous of spirit with her, every day for the rest of your life. Loose-handed and curious. It takes a strong man to do so, but the rewards are mighty.”

Duncan did not think of himself as a quick or wise man, but he did think he understood Old Kate’s meaning. In his pocket, the ball of blue thread sat heavy. Isabella’s blue thread. It still smelled of her, like the clothes in the chest, like the cottage sometimes. Like the haunted land that he held her to with his sorrow.

How he missed her. But how he wished to be happy again, too.

“I must return to the kiln,” he said, standing back up. “I must return with the fire.”

Old Kate glanced up at him, surprised at his bold use of the word.

“Go well to her, Duncan MacNeill,” she replied. “And whatever you choose, let it free you both.”

*******

When he returned to his farm—as he did every summer, just like this, on this night—he held a torch blazing, lit by the midsummer bonfire. With it, he would kindle every hearth he owned, and thereby carry summer’s blessing with him.

But this time was different. Because this time, when he reached the kiln, someone was waiting for him.

Ingle was sitting near the hearth, her deep red eyes flickering with some kind of good-humored delight to see him again. In the light of the torch in his hand she was even more strange, even more breathtaking. Fire danced on her, revealed her as something wearing burnished human skin. She did not belong, and yet she did.

“You’ve returned,” she said.

“You waited,” he replied.

“Of course. I said I would.”

He kneeled beside her, took the torch, and leaned it forward to light the fuel in the hearth. It leapt up, crunching on the tinder as on gristle and bone, flames breathing up into the chimney like a small echo of the communal bonfire miles away.

Ingle inhaled deeply, peacefully, as if the smoke was fresh air to her.

“So now,” she said, “have you thought more about marrying me?”

Duncan nodded. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ball of blue thread.

“It belonged to someone I love very much,” he said. “I will love her forever, and I know I will. But I can’t imprison her here, in this place. She’s gone. She deserves to rest easy.”

He threw the ball of thread into the fire; the flames took it. He watched it burn, and as it did so, he thought he caught a shiver of something flutter up, through the chimney and away, singing with relief. But maybe it was only the pop and hiss of an ember.

When he looked down again, Ingle was holding his hand.

Duncan met her strange eyes. “I’ll not cling to you. I’ll not expect you to cling to me. But if you choose, I’ll try to please you with what little I have.”

“Even if you can never speak my true name?” she asked.

“Even so,” he said. “Though I’ll spend my whole life endeavoring to learn it.”

This answer made her smile.

He drew her to her feet, and together they left the darkness of the kiln, out into the midsummer night. The air was sweet with heather and thyme. The barley and oat fields sighed in and out with the night breeze from the hills, green and expectant.

Above them, the bright stars scattered like sparks.

END

Author’s Note:

This story contains references to a few real-world superstitions.

In Scotland, throwing a ball of blue thread or yarn into the grain-drying kiln was, in fact, a divinatory practice used by young women during Samhain and Midsummer to learn who they might marry.

All across the UK and Ireland, huge midsummer bonfires would be kindled in villages and on farms, and massive gatherings would commence to dance and eat and celebrate. Carrying some of the communal flame home to kindle your own hearth was considered a blessing upon the house for the coming harvest.

Also, a taboo existed in some places in Scotland around using the word for “fire” too openly or casually, especially in connection with the grain-drying kiln, in fear that the element of fire might “hear” and take offense and burn up the year’s harvest, which would be a complete catastrophe for any farmer. A few words were used instead, including “ingle.”

(As I am Scottish by marriage, not by birth, I’ll ask forgiveness from my native Scottish readers for any misrepresentations or liberties taken. 😂)

Thank you for reading!

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Welcome to a special edition of Talebones Tuesday - with video!

In the short message above, you’ll learn that I’ve decided to pare back some of my announced summer season plans, and why.

I am truly sorry if this update is a disappointment to anyone. Throwing out an announcement or a story and then taking it back or pausing it is the sort of thing I try very, very hard to avoid, but in this case, I really do think it’s best.

Admittedly, I have a bad habit of overloading myself. I’m getting better at recognizing the impulse when it pops up, but I’m clearly a slow learner. (lol)

I really appreciate your understanding. ♥

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section, and I’ll be sure to reply as soon as I can.

Thank you for watching/reading ❤

Important Links from the Video:

• Check out my ongoing livestream series with all about the craft of writing serials. Part Four is coming up soon!

  • Part One - What is Serial Fiction?

  • Part Two - Prep & Outlining

  • Part Three - Writing & Publishing

• Looking for something else to read on Substack this summer? Check out my most recent editions of Talestack News, a twice-monthly bulletin board where I share what’s coming up in Substack Fiction. New treasure for your TBR awaits!

  • Talestack News - Issue 73

  • Talestack News - Issue 74

• If you love a bit of cozy maritime horror for a spooky summer, check out my newest short story collection, Bonewhistle. Or, feel free to explore my other books and see if anything takes your fancy!

✨Talebones runs on YOUR support! ✨

• Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my NEW Work With Me site for rates and services.

• Shop My Books! - Explore my self-published works, both ebook and paperback, available from various retailers!

• Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!

Subscribe now

✒ Editor’s Note

Welcome back, Talestack Readers!

[New around here? Check out our FAQ page!]

Summer may be slow, but the fiction is still flowing! 🌞

I’m writing this in the middle of a small but powerful heat spike.

Here in the maritime Pacific Northwest, we’re not used to extremes. Anything over 80 degrees can really shut the whole region down, send us running indoors for shade and a cold drink. The plants pout. The animals hide.

Everything feels slower when it’s hot outside in a place where heat is unusual.

Veterans to Substack will know this by now, but the northern-hemisphere summer around this platform can be slow. Engagement goes down as readers find themselves busy with summer plans, new routines, travel, or just a different set of warm-weather distractions and priorities.

If you’re new to the platform, you might look at your stats and worry that you did something wrong. But you didn’t. This is just the seasonal norm, and a necessary one. We need slow seasons in order to thrive.

So take advantage of it! Be bold, like the folks in the following issue—start a new project, or experiment with a new genre. Try something you’ve always been afraid to try. Or, if you feel you’ve already taken a lot of risks lately, maybe you’re being called to rest and gather input. Give your creative brain a chance to soak up new stimuli, learn new things, or just lie fallow for a little while.

Whatever summer brings for you, I hope it’s full of good vibes and good stories. And Talestack News will be here to help! ❤

Happy reading, happy writing!

S.E. Reid
Editor of Talestack News

TALESTACK NEWS is a FREE-TO-READ publication!

Please support us by liking, commenting, sharing, and restacking. Any monetary support is appreciated, but not necessary.

📣 Announcements!

Finished Projects:

• has just concluded her first-ever serial, a documentary literary fiction called The Three Sheep Rebellion. Synopsis: “The Three Sheep Rebellion is a documentary fiction serial set in Scotland in the spring of 2026. Featuring an ensemble cast, this story shows the impacts of geopolitics on even the most resilient communities who are now faced with an impending food distribution crisis. Thankfully, the town of Milnathort has a particularly clever seven-year-old named Daisy who challenges them to simply do what makes sense, thereby irrevocably changing the course of history.” Jump into Chapter One here!

New Projects:

• On June 21st, will be launching his serial, a reimagined, fictionalized, but historically sound account of the biblical story of Philemon, called Neither Slave Nor Free. Learn more about the project—along with its inception and vision—at the announcement post here!

• has just launched his fantasy serial, Seventh Daughter. Excerpt: “The ball tonight was for her, after all, and nobility from all corners of Pretani had been trickling into Camelot for a fortnight. Acquaintances she had known since she was a girl; country nobles who rarely made it to the capital; dignitaries from the Pretani’s various protectorates; there were even rumours of suitors from overseas. Dragonhearth was full to bursting with the finest folk, the city beyond overrun by their retainers, and all in celebration of Princess Marian Pendraig. For tonight, if God was good, she hoped to meet the man who would steal her heart.” New installments are planned to drop every Saturday!

• has started Dark as Dawn | Bright as Night, a dark fantasy with shades of a family saga, epic adventure, coming of age, and romantic tragedy in seventeen bingeable episodes. New episodes drop every Sunday with original illustrations by . It’s recommended reading for those who want to keep the atmospheric and unsettling feels alive and well this summer. Jump into Episode One here!

• has launched Season/Book 4 of The Môrdreigiau Chronicles, titled A Shattering of Souls. From Leanne: “Eidothea’s and her Chosen Court’s world is upended as consequences come to roost. The Court is scattered and we are not clear of the prophecy of ash and dust yet… had a blast doing an ‘unboxing’ of all the journals too!” Jump into the Prologue here!

• has embarked upon a ten-week summer mini-series podcast (with transcription available), a YA cozy fantasy called Zandry and the Witch. Excerpt: “The witch looked me up and down again, then sighed, asking my magic competency. When I said it was a solid three, my schoolmates snickered, the witch looked at the headmistress doubtfully, and I colored up to my eartips. The headmistress assured her I was perfectly capable of mixing herbs and casting all the usual cantrips by rote. ‘I guess I’ll take her.’ The witch didn’t look happy.”

Milestones & Wins:

• has decided to change her newsletter name—Chapter by Chapter with Shannon Haynes is becoming Story Feathers. From Shannon: “I started writing and sharing Chapter by Chapter to accomplish what seemed like an impossible goal: completion of that first novel draft. But now that I am editing that novel, writing more stories, and preparing to write another novel, I can see that what I’m really doing here is much more than Chapter by Chapter. I am finding creative magic in my path and writing down pieces to share with you—capturing Story Feathers.” Learn more here!

📚 The Bookshelf

(Titles listed in order of release date.)

• ’s young adult paranormal romance novel, That Moonwater Witch, is now available for purchase as an ebook and paperback through all distributors, including Amazon. Release Date: 5/29/26

• The second volume in The Midnight Vault anthology series, inspired by the uncanny flavor of The Twilight Zone, is now available! This new collection contains stories from dozens of Substack fiction authors all across the speculative spectrum. Available to purchase—along with the original volume—in a beautiful hardcover from Tiny Worlds Publishing. Release Date: 6/1/26

• is launching a new epic historical fiction ebook series called TRILOGY, with each volume containing three novellas. The first, Bridges of Rome, is now available to download through Gimmebook. Release Date: 6/2/26

• The second book in ’s fantasy saga, The Shieldbreaker - Book Two: Holiest of Cities, is now available for purchase through Gimmebook. Release Date: 6/8/26

• This month, ’s science fiction novel, Oceanus, will be re-released in a brand-new edition—both ebook and physical—with an all-new cover through Tiny Worlds Publishing. Release Date: 6/19/26

❤ Shout-Outs

• sent a shoutout to : “Shout out to Hallie Jules for her birthday this week! She put out a birthday prompt and it’s inspired what’s potentially going to be a whole new serial called The Moonstone Files.” Happy Birthday, Hallie! 🎉

🫱🏻‍🫲🏾 Connection Corner

• Fans of YA/crossover, fantasy, and mythical reimaginings, you are being summoned— is looking for ARC readers for her new novel, Underworld! From Katharine: “Underworld [is] a reimaging—not a retelling—of the myth of Persephone. We’re talking ancient Greece, an epic journey of self-discovery, mythological Easter eggs all over the place, gods behaving like spoiled children, not-so-subtle allusions to gender and social inequality, and the issues young women have to deal with.” For more information, or to sign up, click the link here!

• would like to remind everyone that the collaboration, Upon Our Seas, In Our Skies (explained in more detail in a past Talestack issue here) will continue to accept stories, poetry, and more until her new serial, A Shattering of Souls, is complete.

Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:

talestack.editor@gmail.com

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This weekly(ish) digest is the way I communicate with my readers to let them know what’s been going on around the Talebones landscape, along with any housekeeping to be aware of.

Summer is here!! Summer is here!! 🌞

Today, as I post this, it’s shaping up to be a hot and sunny day in my neck of the woods.

Tomorrow, the rain will be back. ‘Twas ever thus around here! 😂

But I’m going to channel all of today’s sunniest vibes into your official invitation to join me in all the fiction goodness that Talebones Summer promises! I’m still poking and prodding and doing a bit of site admin to say goodbye to spring and update for the new season, but I didn’t want to let another day go by without letting you all in on what’s going on.

So! Are you ready to see what’s happening around these parts?

(It’s a long one, grab a snack!)

Let’s go!!

Subscribe now

✨ First, A Quick Word From Our Sponsor… ✨

• Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, creative consultant, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my NEW AND IMPROVED Work With Me site for rates and services! Don’t see something that works for you? Reach out via email or DM—I’m happy to discuss. Let’s make your projects sing!

• Shop My Books! - Explore my self-published works, both ebook and paperback, available from various retailers!

• Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag or a Ferris Island souvenir for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!

And now, back to Talebones Tuesday…

Round-Up!

In case you missed it…

• The Things We Are - in this quick flash fiction ditty, a piece of Pacific Northwest folklore is told from an unusual perspective…

• Snag your copy of Midnight Vault II! - My speculative short story, A Perfect Guest, is one of many tales included in this fantastic anthology of Substack fiction inspired by The Twilight Zone! Grab your copy today!

• Crafting Serial Fiction with ! PART TWO - In this livestream mini-series, I have the great honor of sitting down with speculative fiction writer extraordinaire Simon K Jones to discuss the ins and outs of serial fiction: what is it, how does one go about it, and how to stick with it when the going gets tough. You can watch the playback of Part Two at the link above—in which we cover how to Prep and Plan for your serial before pen hits paper—and stay tuned for the next live episode, date TBD! (Missed Part One? Watch here!)

• New around here? Most of my speculative fiction takes place on a haunted island in Washington State called Ferris Island. Check out the landing page to see which stories are currently available to read here online, along with other info and resources!

  • I also have stories of various genres set elsewhere, listed here.

• TALESTACK NEWS is a twice-monthly bulletin of Substack fiction news where I collate as many announcements, projects, submissions opportunities, community endeavors, and generally cool things as I can gather. Check out the most recent issue here! (And if you’re a writer on the platform, read the submission guidelines and email your news to talestack.editor@gmail.com by June 14th to be included in the next issue!)

NEW EBOOK - Say Hello to Bonewhistle! 🌞

It’s officially summer here in the northern hemisphere—typical Pacific Northwest rainstorms aside, that is!—and for so many folks, that means making plans for travel, day-trips, camping excursions, visiting far-away family, or staycations.

But whether you’re packing your bags for adventure or you’re planning to stay home and stay cool this summer…you’re invited to take a creepy-cozy 99-cent journey to mysterious Ferris Island, Washington!

Climb aboard the ferry and explore this DIGITAL-ONLY collection of uncanny Ferris Island fiction!

In this collection of eleven uncanny and cozy folk horror tales, Ferris Island’s flora, fauna, and phantoms seek their own unique justice. Across these pages, the forgotten world bleeds into mundane lives: a lonely lighthouse keeper hears whispers that call him to worship, a high school senior dreams of the big-time but hides a sinister secret, and a hunter discovers that something in the woods never forgets a fatal mistake...these stories and more are ready to haunt you!

Spanning decades of Pacific Northwest island history, Bonewhistle is an unsettling brew of smalltown secrets, eerie folklore, and unexpected glimmers of hope.

The tales in this collection were all previously published on Substack and have been updated, polished, and reformatted for your digital reading pleasure!

In this collection:

• Hank’s Tales (The Orientation, The Lake, and The Knocking)

• Brokeneck

• The Third Rabbit

• Glossy

• Bonewhistle

• The Bone-Stag

• Fair Folk

• The Island Hour

• Keeper

⭐ GRAB YOUR COPY HERE! ⭐

But that’s not all—

In honor of stocking up your summer TBR for wherever the season takes you, ALL of the Ferris Island ebooks are 99 cents each!!

That means Bonewhistle, The Orchard Hounds, AND Ivy & Ixos are all available to throw on your Kindle for less than your favorite cup of iced coffee!

This sale won’t last forever, though.

Prices will jump back up to normal on FRIDAY, JUNE 5th, so stamp your ticket, climb aboard, and let yourself get carried away!

We’re Heading Back to Camp, Y’all! 👻

Last year, I started writing a summer serial called Ivy On The Trail, in which a beloved teen character from previous tales gets up to spooky fun at summer camp on Ferris Island, a haunted island in Washington State.

About halfway through that serial, I felt it was best to pivot to a different story for reasons both personal and on principle, and my readers at that time were so gracious and patient with me as I took that leap. (If you were there, THANK YOU.)

But this year, you are cordially invited to join me as we head back to camp…with some slight modifications.

This new version of Ivy on the Trail will start over completely.

I’m sending seventeen-year-old Ivy back to camp as a counselor-in-training with all three of her best friends: brave Bailey, anxious Ethan, and jock-with-a-heart-of-gold Jake. And in an episodic style—more monster-of-the-week than a true novella—the four of them will encounter supernatural shenanigans as they navigate camp duties, friendship dynamics, and their looming senior year of high school.

If you weren’t around last year, don’t worry—this story is a complete do-over, to be enjoyed without any prior context necessary.

If you WERE here last year and remember the original beginning, you may recognize some shared DNA and, hopefully, some resolved plot threads. ;)

I’m looking forward to having a bit of truly light-hearted spooky fun this summer, and I hope you’ll join me!

The first episode will drop later this week, so watch your inboxes!

Review Highlight: Imp! 🦋

If you’ve read any of my books, I would be so honored if you would pause now to leave a rating or review.

But this month, I would be especially grateful for reviews of Imp!

In this bite-sized PNW-gothic horror novella, creative inspiration comes at a high cost for those willing to pay it.

A quick, haunting little tale, perfect for a weekend read!

Have you read Imp? I would love an honest review!

For self-published authors, there’s no multi-million-dollar engine running promotion, marketing, and other advertising…there’s just me! So ratings and reviews go a LONG way in raising indie books in algorithms, triggering retailers to suggest them to customers, and helping new readers find self-published books that they’ll love!

And you don’t have to write a long review, either. A simple star-rating or a “Loved it!” both work just as well!

You can review my books on:

• Amazon

• Goodreads

• Storygraph:

  • The Orchard Hounds

  • Ivy & Ixos

  • The Shell

  • Imp

• Or you can visit the books on their individual My Books pages to review them on the sites of specific retailers, like B&N, Kobo, or Fable!

Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to leave a review!

It really, really means the most. ♥

Talebones Runs On Your Support!

Talebones is kept afloat by a beautiful and diverse tapestry of support, from my freelance day job as a writer and editor to purchases of books and merch AND the bountiful generosity of my paid subscribers!

You can become a Talebones Paid Subscriber for $5/month or $50/year (or go above and beyond as a Founding Member) to gain access to ALL online Talebones fiction past and present, exclusive resources, discounts to merch/products and freelance/consulting services, and more!

Learn more about each tier’s perks here.

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Thank you for reading!

Phew, that was a long one!

I won’t take up any more of your time—only to say THANK YOU so much as always for reading through to the end!

Talebones wouldn’t be what it is without y’all, and I couldn’t be more grateful for your continued support, care, comments, and the all-too generous currency of your attention. ❤

Looking forward to a fun fiction-forward summer with you!

Your grateful storyteller,

S.E. Reid

✒ Editor’s Note

Welcome back, Talestack Readers!

[New around here? Check out our FAQ page!]

Summer has arrived at Talestack HQ! 🌻

And just like that…..it’s June!

We are halfway through 2026 (how? don’t ask me), and whether this is midsummer or midwinter where you live, I always tend to think June is the perfect time to sit back and take stock, a natural halfway point in the annual hike.

Here in the maritime Northwest, we jokingly call this month “June-uary” because the weather tends to be, uh…changeable. More often than not, a little less than summery. But like January, June is also a logical moment in the year to take a look around and ask yourself some honest questions about your creative life and the path you’re taking to get where you want to go.

Here are a few example questions I like to consider:

• What creative goals did I set at the start of this year, and are they still relevant at this point months later?

• What tools, routines, or attitudes are no longer serving me? What can I jettison, what can I adjust, and what would I like to add to my arsenal?

• How can I adapt or change course to make sure I’m still on the path I want to be on?

• What crazy creative experiments would I try if the goal was just to have fun and learn more about myself and my process?

• By the end of 2026, how do I want to feel about myself and my work?

Questions like this can help you to remember what it is that you want in a world preoccupied with comparison and hustle. But don’t forget: in all of this honest interrogation of yourself and your creative path, it’s vital to stop and celebrate your achievements, too. Even if they seem small…they aren’t small at all. Every step you’ve reached is a step forward. They all count toward the journey.

This summer, my hope for you—for all of us—is that we can press on toward becoming the writers, artists, creatives, and humans we want to be for the good of ourselves, our families and friendships, and our communities, too.

It’s work, but it’s worthwhile. ❤

Happy reading, happy writing!

S.E. Reid
Editor of Talestack News

TALESTACK NEWS is a FREE-TO-READ publication!

Please support us by liking, commenting, sharing, and restacking. Any monetary support is appreciated, but not necessary.

📣 Announcements!

Finished Projects:

• is wrapping up a seven-part fantasy/adventure serial called Where the Blood Calls. Synopsis: “On the maiden flight of the Aetheric Dirigible, HMS Dawn Javelin, the crew responds to a cry for help from a Scottish fishing village. Little did they know it wasn’t a simple mission of mercy. As the Javelin’s captain and landing party are trapped in the village below, Dr. Rebekah Verity Thorne faces a dire challenge in the sky. A tragedy from her past rises from the clouds to threaten ship and crew, testing loyalties, honor, and ingenuity. In the end, it wasn’t a rescue—but a reckoning.” This story is part of 's Upon Our Seas, In Our Skies writer collaboration. Jump into Chapter One here!

• ’s webcomic, Audrey, The Unicorn Girl, just finished its run on Substack. Blurb: “Audrey, The Unicorn Girl is a slice-of-life comic featuring a perfectly normal girl... except that she has a unicorn horn on her head! Join Audrey as she tackles preteen life as a unicorn girl!” Jump into Chapter One here!

New Projects:

• —brand new to Substack!—has just started serializing a folkloric horror called Kaal: The Meridian Dark. Excerpt: “The night Alene Hartsfield sold out the O2 for the third consecutive time, something old woke up beneath the Thames. She didn’t know that yet. She was too busy bleeding.”

• has just launched her new dark fantasy Pacific Northwest serial, Dark As Dawn | Bright As Night. Blurb: “Death is only the beginning for Mae as she faces an ancient goddess of light and a self-made demon of the dark in a battle to save her father and her soul.” Jump into Episode One here!

• has just launched a four-part short story about “abandonment, obsession, perfection, and self-discovery.” Jump into Part One of Searching for Donna Reed.

• Keep an eye on some upcoming summer projects:

  • will be launching Seventh Daughter on June 6th, “an epic adventure that combines traditional and modern fantasy styles, offering an ensemble cast that includes reimagined figures from Arthurian lore, beloved fairy tales, Shakespearean plays, and countless other classics, all in an original world with fresh twists of madness and mischief from the mind of yours truly. And the journey begins…”

  • is about to embark on the next installment in her Judith Temple series of supernatural mystery tales on June 13th! Blurb for Ripples In The Cove: “When hyper-logical psychic detective Judith Temple agrees to visit her boyfriend’s family at their lake house, she plans out exactly how to relax and try to enjoy her mini-vacation. But when Judith and Tim arrive, they find that the quiet lake town has been upended by a young girl’s mysterious disappearance. As Judith begins to experience visions of the missing girl, she must find a way to save her before it’s too late.”

📚 The Bookshelf

(Titles listed in order of release date.)

• ’s latest collection of Pacific Northwest folk horror/cozy horror short stories, Bonewhistle, is available for purchase as an ebook on Amazon. (Also, all of her ebooks set in the same location are on discounted sale until June 5th!) Release Date: 5/25/26

• ’s urban fantasy detective novel, This Strange Sight, is now available for purchase in various print formats as well as audiobook. You can also read the Prologue for free here on Substack! Release Date: 6/1/26

• The second volume in anthology series, inspired by the uncanny flavor of The Twilight Zone, is now available! This new collection contains stories from dozens of Substack fiction authors all across the speculative spectrum. Available to purchase from Tiny Worlds Publishing. You can also read more about the book in the Release Day announcement post. Release Date: 6/1/26

• ’s new novel about interconnected lives in a small town, The Extra Shot, is available for preorder through Coverstory Books. Release Date: 7/1/26

• ’s oceanic horror novella, Jellyfish Bloom, is now available for preorder as an ebook through Amazon. ARC and review copies are also available on NetGalley and BookSirens. Release Date: 7/24/26

Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:

talestack.editor@gmail.com

✨Talebones runs on YOUR support! ✨

• My Tip-Jar! - Enjoying this resource? Show your appreciation with a one-time tip!

• Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my NEW Work With Me site for rates and services.

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• Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!

At last, it begins!

I confess, I was getting VERY “in my head” about this whole Revision Diary thing. I had decided that I wanted this to be a very casual and conversational chat with all you wonderful folks… and then immediately started overthinking it. 😅

‘Twas ever thus, right?

But no more! I’…

Read more

Today I bring you a wee piece of flash fiction!

I’m calling it “flash fiction” partially because it’s short (I wanted to keep it around 1,000 words) and also because it was written expressly as an exercise, a quick trip to the creative gym, as it were. I wrote it fast and I’m publishing it even faster. 😂

Just a fun little ditty, a quick read over coffee or a snack. I hope you enjoy!

If you like this little story, and you want to see more like it, please let me know with a like, comment, share, or restack!

And for more fiction fun of various shapes and sizes, subscribe for free!

Subscribe now

We do not have long. We were made for a purpose.

We were birthed out of the stone and the deep water, the cracked veins of the earth, and strode on two strong legs apiece.

As we slipped from the rocks, we looked at each other—so funny!—and laughed at the strange shapes we took. We had faces, ears, eyes. We had two strong legs and two strong arms. We had coarse darkness around us, needles like a tree, giving us a softness, a texture.

Fur and flesh. What fun!

It had been a very long time since we took shape, so we danced proud in our new skin, large four-toed feet creasing the dust and leaving evidence of our passage, and it was a joy to gambol in the summer sun. We had no words between ourselves—we did not need them—but we could whistle and howl with our newborn lungs, and we did so, and we climbed the trees and sipped the sweet creekwater and scented the pine-good air. It was play, and it was joy.

But we were made for a purpose, and the mountain, our mother, whispered up through our heavy soles: You do not have long. Go!

So we followed her trembling finger of rage to the place where the devils were.

They had made a small dwelling in the narrow valley, the fresh timber still bloody with sap and screaming for its severed roots. Sometimes smells would come from the dwelling’s tall black iron throat—smoke, and the devils’ own acrid food. When the sun was high they would leave the dwelling only to do whatever dark work devils do, using blades to cleave the stones and steal the golden blood from our mother’s veins. What they did with it, we did not know. And when the sun descended, they would return to the dwelling to eat their rot-sweet food and sleep.

We watched them from the trees for a long time. They did not have our sense of smell, our good ears, our deep-set eyes. They did not see or sense us until we decided to play games with them.

We would whistle our strong whistles and howl our beautiful howls, and the devils would come hunting for us with their weapons that flash fire. What fun! The fire would pass through us without harm and we would run, hoping they would give chase. But they could not keep up with our long legs and our large feet. They would shout and gibber among themselves, plot and scheme.

We carried on like this for a while. It was good to play, and we would have played forever if we could. But our mother whispered through our soles: You do not have long. Avenge me!

So, one night, we crept up to the dwelling, surrounding it—for we were many—and let all of our mother’s rage fill us, for the theft of golden blood and the pain of the devils’ work and the screaming timber. We took up stones and threw them at the dwelling, striking and striking again.

We could hear them within, crying out in their terror and confusion. Their weapons flashed ineffectual fire. We climbed the dwelling, tearing the timber apart to reach the devils inside, like smashing an egg shell to sup its contents.

Fierce, we shrieked our war-cries. But it was all play, all show, not to harm them. Not really. Only to frighten, only to send them away. Only to make them quit and run.

Through the shattered dwelling we could hear one of them singing, a strange tune meant to lull us like a spell:

“If you leave us alone, we’ll leave you alone, and we’ll all go home in the morning.”

But we only laughed; we would not be lulled. We did not have long, and we were made for a purpose. All night we carried out our mother’s vengeance until the first light of dawn.

Then, satisfied, we withdrew to watch.

And as the sun rose, the devils abandoned their dwelling, still sending their fire into the trees, still shouting, but there was no strength in the sound or the fire. It was all show, but we had nothing to fear from them.

When they were well and truly gone, we whistled and howled to one another, triumphant, listening to our voices echo up and down the narrow valley, and all of our siblings sang with us. What fun!

It was good to dance and celebrate, but soon enough our mother whispered through our soles: You do not have long. They will return, but they must not find you. Away!

So, reluctant as children, we let her take us back into the embrace of stone and remake us into the Things We Are, so that the devils would be fooled by us. So that they would always wonder. We watched them return to the valley in their droves and hunt for us, but they never did find us, because there was never anything to find. Just a story to scatter among them like seeds.

We did well.

But I feel shame, because I alone am restless. I still remember the feeling of the breeze in my fur and the sound of the birds in my ears and the taste of creekwater and the dust on my wide soles. I yearn to dance and give chase. It is not enough to be what I am, when I am haunted by remembering.

So sometimes, when our mother is agreeable, I slip through the veins of the earth just to whistle again.

I hope that the devils and all their kin can hear.

What fun!

END

Author’s Note:

This story is inspired by, arguably, one of the most popular and well-known pieces of modern Bigfoot lore: the Ape Canyon incident, which occurred at a small mining claim on Mount Saint Helens in 1924.

You can learn more details about the incident from one of the men involved (including my source for the song that one of the “devils” sings) in this article.

As for this story? I always appreciate an opportunity to see things from the “monster’s” point of view. 😉

Thank you for reading!

Want more short Talebones fiction? Try this:

✨Talebones runs on YOUR support! ✨

• My Tip-Jar! - Enjoyed this story? Show your appreciation with a one-time tip!

• Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my Work With Me page for rates and services.

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• Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!

This weekly(ish) digest is the way I communicate with my readers to let them know what’s been going on around the Talebones landscape, along with any housekeeping to be aware of.

May is nearly over - I think we’re due for an update!

Hey y’all! I know I haven’t been as active in my typical way—most of my recent writing admin has been behind the scenes and, frankly, pretty boring. 😂

But I still like to invite you all into an update when we’re nearing the end of a month, and in this case, the start of a new season! So!

Let’s get caught up, shall we?

Subscribe now

✨ First, A Quick Word From Our Sponsor… ✨

• Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, creative consultant, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my NEW AND IMPROVED Work With Me site for rates and services! Don’t see something that works for you? Reach out via email or DM—I’m happy to discuss. Let’s make your projects sing!

• Shop My Books! - Explore my self-published works, both ebook and paperback, available from various retailers!

• Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag or a Ferris Island souvenir for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!

And now, back to Talebones Tuesday…

Round-Up!

In case you missed it…

• SPRING SHORT FICTION SO FAR:

  • What Passes Down - an uncanny tale about a mysterious old family photo, a reluctant storyteller, and an impossible romance…

  • Elma - in this short speculative piece, a mild-mannered gallery worker is summoned to visit his former mentor, an aging artist, and she makes one simple request of him…

• Crafting Serial Fiction with ! - In this livestream mini-series, I have the great honor of sitting down with speculative fiction writer extraordinaire Simon K Jones to discuss the ins and outs of serial fiction: what is it, how does one go about it, and how to stick with it when the going gets tough. You can watch the playback of Part One at the link—in which we cover the surprisingly long literary history of serialization—and stay tuned for the next live episode on May 30th!

• Have you checked out Scatterbones lately? - I have a funny little newsletter called Scatterbones where I post the random non-fiction stuff that doesn’t fit anywhere else: reviews, short essays, musings, etc. Check it out, and subscribe (it’s free!) for more tidbits from my brain!

• Last summer’s supernatural/dystopian serial Smoke-Mouth is officially concluded! This story will remain FREE to read until the start of Summer Season 2026 when it will head behind the paywall. If you’ve been meaning to read it through from beginning to end, now’s the time!

  • Explore the Table of Contents

  • Get started here - Episode One: The Fool

  • Read the final episode here - Epilogue: Union

• New around here? Most of our speculative fiction takes place on a haunted island in Washington State called Ferris Island. Check out the landing page to see which stories are currently available to read here online, along with other info and resources!

  • We also have stories of various genres set elsewhere, listed here.

• TALESTACK NEWS is a twice-monthly bulletin of Substack fiction news where I collate as many announcements, projects, submissions opportunities, community endeavors, and generally cool things as I can gather. Check out the most recent issue here! (And if you’re a writer on the platform, read the submission guidelines and email your news to talestack.editor@gmail.com by May 31st to be included in the next issue!)

Coming Soon - Midnight Vault II! 🌙

BIG thanks to , , and for putting the amazing event together and for gathering the tales to end up in this published work. It was a privilege to join in, and I’m so excited to have the anthology in my hands!

Out of respect for the MVII publication contract, A Perfect Guest will be heading behind the archive paywall this week. Next time you see it, it’ll be in the pages of the fabulous Midnight Vault.

Stay tuned for more updates as the book rolls out!

Secondhand Card Sale! 🃏

Every so often I end up with some cool stuff in my possession that just doesn’t quite fit my work patterns anymore. Lately, I was looking through my desk and found five gently-used decks of creativity or story-inspiration cards that I don’t use anymore. They are awesome, but I can’t keep everything.

So, I would love to pass them on to you!

Check out the Talebones Secondhand Shop to explore the decks available and let me know if you’d like to snag ‘em!

A Peek At Summer Season 🌻

Typically, Summer Season at Talebones sees me launching into a new serial. But this year is a little different, because this year I’m already working on a pretty darn big project as I revise my past serial—Freelance & Fishmaids—into my first-ever published novel.

That said, I have discovered that I really do perform best when I have a couple of different projects feeding into each other, as long as they balance well. Energy begets energy, you know? So I am determined to post more short fiction this summer and stay open to other collaborative or intriguing projects as they pop up. Always good to find time to play and keep the skills sharp.

(NOTE: For my lovely paid subscribers waiting on the next Revision Diary post—it’s coming! I had a bit of a hiccup with my planned timeline, but who’s surprised? 😂 Thank you for your patience!)

Review Highlight: Imp! 🦋

If you’ve read any of my books, I would be so honored if you would pause now to leave a rating or review.

But this month, I would be especially grateful for reviews of Imp!

In this bite-sized PNW-gothic horror novella, creative inspiration comes at a high cost for those willing to pay it.

A quick, haunting little tale, perfect for a weekend read!

Have you read Imp? I would love an honest review!

For self-published authors, there’s no multi-million-dollar engine running promotion, marketing, and other advertising…there’s just me! So ratings and reviews go a LONG way in raising indie books in algorithms, triggering retailers to suggest them to customers, and helping new readers find self-published books that they’ll love!

And you don’t have to write a long review, either. A simple star-rating or a “Loved it!” both work just as well!

You can review my books on:

• Amazon

• Goodreads

• Storygraph:

  • The Orchard Hounds

  • Ivy & Ixos

  • The Shell

  • Imp

• Or you can visit the books on their individual My Books pages to review them on the sites of specific retailers, like B&N, Kobo, or Fable!

Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to leave a review!

It really, really means the most. ♥

Talebones Runs On Your Support!

Talebones is kept afloat by a beautiful and diverse tapestry of support, from my freelance day job as a writer and editor to purchases of books and merch AND the bountiful generosity of my paid subscribers!

You can become a Talebones Paid Subscriber for $5/month or $50/year (or go above and beyond as a Founding Member) to gain access to ALL online Talebones fiction past and present, exclusive resources, discounts to merch/products and freelance/consulting services, and more!

Learn more about each tier’s perks here.

Subscribe now

Thank you for reading!

I won’t take up any more of your time—only THANK YOU so much as always for reading through to the end!

Talebones wouldn’t be what it is without y’all, and I couldn’t be more grateful for your continued support, care, comments, and the all-too generous currency of your attention. ❤

Next time you hear from me, it’ll be Summer!

Your grateful storyteller,

S.E. Reid

✒ Editor’s Note

Welcome back, Talestack Readers!

[New around here? Check out our FAQ page!]

May is a month of showers and flowers… 🌼

(Not to borrow my own words, but I just posted the following message on Notes and I feel like it’s a message we could all use here at Talestack, too. Please indulge me.)

Every day, on his daily walk, our dog Finn slows down and looks over his shoulder in the same spot—a nondescript section of a quiet rural driveway.

He does it because at least a half-dozen times in the six years we’ve walked with him there, our sweet neighbor has driven by and said hello and given him a treat, and it’s always in or around that spot.

Behaviorally, dogs are (usually) what’s known as optimistic gamblers. If there’s a chance something great will happen, they will expect it, and put themselves in a position to catch it. Even if that means weathering repeated disappointments in the process. Surely if a good thing happened once, it can happen again.

And maybe we should strive for this to be said of us: that creatives, writers, artists are optimistic gamblers.

Maybe we take note of our triumphs—no matter how many or how few—and let them have more psychological and emotional weight than our defeats.

Maybe we slow down.

Maybe we look over our shoulders in the right places.

Maybe we expect good opportunities, even if they only come around every so often. Even if the disappointments outweigh the victories.

After all: if it happened once, it can happen again. ❤

Happy reading, happy writing!

S.E. Reid
Editor of Talestack News

TALESTACK NEWS is a FREE-TO-READ publication!

Please support us by liking, commenting, sharing, and restacking. Any monetary support is appreciated, but not necessary.

📣 Announcements!

New Projects:

• has just embarked upon a new horror serial called A Death Worse Than Fate. Benjamin calls it an “Occult Penny Dreadful” and poses: “What if Sherlock met Watson in an unearthed casket, while he was robbing graves for medical study?”

• has launched a new sword-and-sorcery-inspired, limited-run serial, Serpent King’s Castle. Synopsis: “Wulf Almsson, city guardsman, serves the king, even as the people he loves incite rebellion. All Wulf can do is try to protect them and the folk who suffer under the oppressive thumb of the tyrant…until the day that he discovers that the king is no man, but a serpent cloaked in flesh. Quick, unkillable, and insatiably hungry. And the serpent knows that Wulf has found him out. Blackmailed by his manipulative captain, Wulf has no choice but to go along with schemes to overthrow the serpent king. If he wants to save the city that he loves, he must be prepared to make sacrifices…even if it means giving up part of himself.” Jump into Chapter One here!

• Coming in June: will be launching Luminescent, a light novel inspired by the tropes and style of anime/manga. Synopsis: “Luminescent primarily follows the story of two characters with the rare power of luminescence—something that allows them to exorcise monsters called ‘chaotics,’ which spawn from people’s negative emotions. The story takes place at their university, which holds an annual chaotic-hunting competition. The first character is Mindie—a rambunctious first-year student eager to achieve her dream of being the best luminescent the world has ever seen. Her cockiness often lands her in hot water, but she can get serious too. She’s particularly protective of her best friend Pike. The second character is Pike—Mindie’s best friend who dreams of becoming a novelist. He is also luminescent but would rather stay out of the spotlight while playing the role of Mindie’s support. He suffers from low self-esteem and has trouble asserting himself. Their imperfect perspectives shape the narrative into a mix of action and simple, everyday moments, along with clashing ideals regarding the nature of chaotics and how they should be dealt with.” Subscribe to stay tuned for the debut!

Awards:

• Psst, sci-fi writers! Listen up! The is going to open for Science Fiction submissions in a few days—but only until the end of the month!—so subscribe to the newsletter, start brainstorming your best short story ideas, and keep an eye out for the announcement post!

📚 The Bookshelf

(Titles listed in order of release date.)

• From the brilliant minds of and comes a collaborative murder mystery tale, Diary of a Murder! Blurb: “Can two amateur detectives solve a cold case that everyone else has given up on? Drew and Jane are writers, but when they find the diary of a murdered woman, they're suddenly inside the story.” It is available exclusively as a digital zine here.

🫱🏻‍🫲🏾 Connection Corner

• is promoting her recently-published adventure book, Crowns of Gold, ahead of an in-person signing event coming this summer! Blurb: “In Crowns of Gold, Jenn Zuko merges the romance of classic adventure with the grit of survival and self-discovery. A master of stage combat and the fight as story, Zuko channels her deep knowledge of writing, literature, and the performing arts into the tale of Gemmanalia Jonquil, a runaway slave who rises into a swashbuckling pirate queen.” Check out the signing event’s Eventbrite page to join the fun!

Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:

talestack.editor@gmail.com

✨Talebones runs on YOUR support! ✨

• My Tip-Jar! - Enjoying this resource? Show your appreciation with a one-time tip!

• Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my NEW Work With Me site for rates and services.

• Shop My Books! - Explore my self-published works, both ebook and paperback, available from various retailers!

• Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!

✒ Editor’s Note

Welcome back, Talestack Readers!

[New around here? Check out our FAQ page!]

Here it is, the Merry Month of May! 🦋

At Talestack HQ, May is the start of butterfly season. They are literally everywhere right now in the increasing Pacific Northwest sunshine: big floaty ones and small fluttering ones, bright colors and muted hues. They are beautiful and temporary and mesmerizing to watch as they flit from here to there.

Butterflies and moths are a symbol of metamorphosis, of course, from little squiggly caterpillar to graceful creature of flight. But to me, the butterfly and its ilk also symbolize the transformative power of beauty, even in the most fragile things.

I’m reminded of this poem by Rainer Maria Rilke:1

A beautiful butterfly near
the earth is displaying
the illuminations of its flying
book to an attentive nature.

Another closes on the border 
of the flower that we breathe:
this is not the time to read.
And still so many others,

fragile blues scattered,
floating and fluttering
like the blue fragmenting
of a love letter on the wind,

of a torn-up letter
we had just been writing
while its addressee
hesitated at the door.

—

I recognize how silly this might sound, but I think of us—all the readers and writers and artists and creative people who gather at this little newsletter—as the metaphorical butterflies, with our colors and our illuminations and our patterns. We may be fragile and temporary beings, but when we display our creativity to the “attentive nature” of an audience, something profound can happen. Something that outlasts us, and transforms as it travels through time.

Today is a good day to display your wings. Start something new. Take a bold move. Tell your story, and see what happens!

We’ll be here to read it when you’re ready. ❤

Happy reading, happy writing!

S.E. Reid
Editor of Talestack News

TALESTACK NEWS is a FREE-TO-READ publication!

Please support us by liking, commenting, sharing, and restacking. Any monetary support is appreciated, but not necessary.

📣 Announcements!

New Projects:

• has just launched a new nautical serial called Leviathan’s Huntress, “a tale of lost love, fearsome monsters, and transformation on the high seas!” Jump in quick before the next chapter drops!

• Barrie of is celebrating three years of his publication Just Write, Right on Substack with a 30 Days/30 Stories mini-project. From Barrie: “Mostly, I’ll try and take a previously-used prompt or story title and spin a new yarn from it (but new ideas seem to be simmering the more I write so no strict rules). The first collection of tales will come out on Friday, 8th May and weekly until the month is done.” Subscribe to follow along!

• has just embarked upon a new fantasy serial called Apex Predator​, projected to run about six episodes. Synopsis: “Reports of a man-eating monster prowling the southwestern coast of Margonne have reached the king in Palisade, and he sends Adon Santinetta and his crew to investigate. For the first time, Artema Santinetta joins her father, mostly to keep him company on his first assignment since his wife’s sudden death. She soon finds herself in the middle of a life-and-death struggle against a terrifying beast everyone thought was mythical. To survive, she must rely on her own wits and the unknown skills of a total stranger.”

• has just launched a character-driven, literary fiction serial called The Thing Itself. Blurb: “Over the course of their contract marriage, the Conte and Contessa have built something warm, functional, and good. On their fifth anniversary, they decide together: to end it. Now, what comes after — for the household, the territory, and everyone whose life the arrangement touched. The Thing Itself is a character-driven serial about a contract marriage that worked—and what remains when it ends.” Jump into Chapter One here!

• has just started a new weekly Regency romcom/family comedy serial called The Darridges: Banter & Bluff. Synopsis: “The year is 1814. The place is London (or, well, an overly-romanticized version of it). And one morsel of news is blazing through that fashionable sector of society known as the ton: For the first time in a decade, the entire Darridge clan—that’s right, the Marquess of Twynham and all seven of his offspring—will be in town for the Season. What a Season this will be! Regina Darridge is off to London for her debut Season, and all her family is coming to support her. But Regina and her best friend Julia have their own plans, too. Plans that involve Regina’s brother James and that are guaranteed to get James and Julia betrothed. Plans that are simple, straight-forward, and utterly—utterly!—fool-proof. So, yes, indeed, what a Season this will be.” Jump into the First Installment here!

Awards:

• Congratulations to , winner of the Horror (Round 2) edition of the Lunar Awards’ 11th Season, along with Runner-up and Honorable Mentions and ! Learn more about the winning stories and other cool details in this post from awards ambassador and guest judge !

Milestones & Wins:

• would like to present his latest poem to the Talestack readership, called My Hands and My Heart. Rolando calls it “a reflection on the spiritual side of humanity.” Check it out!

📚 The Bookshelf

(Titles listed in order of release date.)

• ’s debut collection of dark short stories, Dead Sisters Tell No Tales, is now available for purchase as a digital file through Ko-fi! You can also learn more details at this post. Release Date: 5/2/26

🫱🏻‍🫲🏾 Connection Corner

• is launching a month-long creative collaboration called Upon Our Seas, In Our Skies. From Leanne: “[This] is an invite to writers and artists to come together and create a collection of fiction, art, faux historic profiles in any format: short story, serial, poetry, artwork. Think Horatio Hornblower/Persuasion/Pirates of the Caribbean (the last for vibes) with flying ships and Gifted persons who can do just one kind of magic. Your story or art will show Gifted persons aboard aetheric flying dirigibles in His Majesty’s Navy during the period 1817-1822 (the book’s “publication” date). I’ll be sharing the wrap up post on June 6th so you can post anytime between April 22nd and that date.”

Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:

talestack.editor@gmail.com

✨Talebones runs on YOUR support! ✨

• My Tip-Jar! - Enjoying this resource? Show your appreciation with a one-time tip!

• Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my NEW Work With Me site for rates and services.

• Shop My Books! - Explore my self-published works, both ebook and paperback, available from various retailers!

• Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!

This weekly(ish) digest is the way I communicate with my readers to let them know what’s been going on around the Talebones landscape, along with any housekeeping to be aware of.

So…where the heck did April go?! 😂

Spring is definitely springing around here, and between getting my butt outside into the veggie garden and taking care of daily writerly tasks, it’s tough to find space to breathe. But April had a lot of good forward momentum too, even if it was mostly behind the scenes, so I wanted to post a little round-up here today to bring us all together again before we go skipping off into the wild meadows of May!

This missive is pretty simple, with a handful of FYIs and a sneaky little giveaway, so make sure you read through to the end.

If you’re ready, let’s jump in!

Subscribe now

✨ First, A Quick Word From Our Sponsor… ✨

• Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my NEW AND IMPROVED Work With Me site for rates and services! Don’t see something that works for you? Reach out via email or DM—I’m happy to discuss. Let’s make your projects sing!

• Shop My Books! - Explore my self-published works, both ebook and paperback, available from various retailers!

• Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag or a Ferris Island souvenir for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!

And now, back to Talebones Tuesday…

Round-Up!

In case you missed it…

• SPRING SHORT FICTION SO FAR:

  • What Passes Down - an uncanny tale about a mysterious old family photo, a reluctant storyteller, and an impossible romance…

  • Elma - in this short speculative piece, a mild-mannered gallery worker is summoned to visit his former mentor, an aging artist, and she makes one simple request of him…

• 2x2 Livestream with - Two authors, two questions! In this recent interview I had a blast chatting with Eric about all kinds of fun stuff, including folklore and fantasy, how our writerly “terroir” affects our work, where fiction and the search for meaning intersect, and so much more!

• Last summer’s supernatural/dystopian serial Smoke-Mouth is officially concluded! This story will remain FREE to read until the start of Summer Season 2026 when it will head behind the paywall. If you’ve been meaning to read it through from beginning to end, now’s the time!

  • Explore the Table of Contents

  • Get started here - Episode One: The Fool

  • Read the final episode here - Epilogue: Union

• New around here? Most of our speculative fiction takes place on a haunted island in Washington State called Ferris Island. Check out the landing page to see which stories are currently available to read here online, along with other info and resources!

  • We also have stories of various genres set elsewhere, listed here.

• TALESTACK NEWS is a twice-monthly bulletin of Substack fiction news where I collate as many announcements, projects, submissions opportunities, community endeavors, and generally cool things as I can gather. Check out the most recent issue here! (And if you’re a writer on the platform, read the submission guidelines and email your news to talestack.editor@gmail.com by May 3rd to be included in the next issue!)

NEW Freelance Offering - Consult With Me!

As a freelance editor, I am constantly looking for ways to diversify what I offer to my clients. For some folks, a simple back-and-forth of emails works great. But in the past I have also enjoyed jumping on the occasional consultation video call with clients who specifically requested it, because they prefer a face-to-face setting for asking more granular questions and getting more detailed answers.

I’ve never made this particular offering public or official…until now!

I am now offering one-on-one consultation sessions for writers who are stuck on a story problem, have questions about self-publishing, storytelling, or building an indie author presence on Substack, or need someone to break down their project into actionable steps and help hold them accountable to those steps.

The session package includes:

• Pre-session review of materials (a relevant section of your manuscript, an audit of your Substack or author website, etc)

• One goal-based, solution-oriented, hour-long video call

• One follow-up email with action points, next steps, and a 30-day check-in date

As this is a new offering and I’m still working out the logistics, I only have FOUR slots open for May.

If you’re curious about this offering and want to know more, including how to book your slot for this coming month, check out my freelance site under “Rates”—

CLICK HERE!

Follow along with my Revision Diary!

Back at the end of March, I launched my introductory Revision Diary post—which is free for all to read—as I begin revisions on my upcoming speculative novel, Freelance & Fishmaids, to be self-published this fall.

The Diary will be a monthly(ish), personal glimpse into my process as I turn a long-running serial into a coherent, publishable work.

This week, the next Revision Diary post will go out to paid subs only.

To that end…

Review Highlight: The Orchard Hounds! 🍎🐺

If you’ve read any of my books, I would be so honored if you would pause now to leave a rating or review.

But this month, I would be especially grateful for reviews of The Orchard Hounds!

This collection of thirteen speculative short stories set in the fictional landscape of Ferris Island, Washington contains tales of mystery, magic, and the macabre woven with vivid settings, cosmic justice, and ghostly redemption.

Have you read The Orchard Hounds? I would love an honest review!

For self-published authors, there’s no multi-million-dollar engine running promotion, marketing, and other advertising…there’s just me! So ratings and reviews go a LONG way in raising indie books in algorithms, triggering retailers to suggest them to customers, and helping new readers find self-published books that they’ll love!

And you don’t have to write a long review, either. A simple star-rating or a “Loved it!” both work just as well!

You can review my books on:

• Amazon

• Goodreads

• Storygraph:

  • The Orchard Hounds

  • Ivy & Ixos

  • The Shell

  • Imp

• Or you can visit the books on their individual My Books pages to review them on the sites of specific retailers, like B&N, Kobo, or Fable!

Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to leave a review!

It really, really means the most. ♥

Talebones Runs On Your Support!

Talebones is kept afloat by a beautiful and diverse tapestry of support, from my freelance day job as a writer and editor to purchases of books and merch AND the bountiful generosity of my paid subscribers!

You can become a Talebones Paid Subscriber for $5/month or $50/year (or go above and beyond as a Founding Member) to gain access to ALL online Talebones fiction past and present, exclusive resources, discounts to merch/products and freelance/consulting services, and more!

Learn more about each tier’s perks here.

Subscribe now

Thank you for reading!

I know I haven’t been as obviously active around Substack as usual this year, but I promise I’m still around: lurking, reading, making trouble on Notes, refueling my creative brain, and constantly iterating how I would like to show up in this space.

I really feel that I’m entering into a new phase here—a good phase, but also a quieter, calmer, deeper one. More roots, less leaves.

It may not be as flashy as some of my past seasons have been, but I welcome the change. It feels right for where I am these days. ♥

I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate you all for jumping aboard the Talebones train and continuing to stick with me as this wild writerly life unfolds!

Here to more fiction fun in the sunshine months!

Your grateful storyteller,

S.E. Reid

Click HERE to start at the beginning. Click HERE to head back to the Navigation Page.

—

Previously, what was broken found repair.

In this episode, a midsummer day, two years after.

—

This serial is only available to paid subscribers.

Subscribe or upgrade to read!

Subscribe now

Read more

✒ Editor’s Note

Welcome back, Talestack Readers!

[New around here? Check out our FAQ page!]

And With That, Everything Gets Moving…

I dunno about how April is going for all of you, but as soon as spring hit in earnest, everything around here at Talestack HQ went a little crazy. 😅

The weeds in our yard are supercharged by the warmer weather, mocking us with the confidence of an invading force as they inch closer and closer to the house. The seedlings in the greenhouse can’t wait to get planted out, to start digging deeper into real soil. The calendar starts to fill up with things we want to do and things we have to do and things that simply should get done.

Everything in this season feels alive and lively…and more than a little stressful. It’s easy to fall behind, or at least to feel that way.

But despite it all, there’s always room for a good story in even the most stressful day, season, or year. Stories force us to slow down and soak in. They sweep us off our feet and they hand us the tools to face our anxieties with both ferocity and grace. There’s nothing quite like their subtle magic to soothe the busy mind.

I’m pleased as always to bring you this issue and its stories, as well as its opportunities for you to share yours! Take a look and see if your new favorite read is hiding here below.

Happy reading, happy writing!

S.E. Reid
Editor of Talestack News

TALESTACK NEWS is a FREE-TO-READ publication!

Please support us by liking, commenting, sharing, and restacking. Any monetary support is appreciated, but not necessary.

📣 Announcements!

Finished Projects:

• recently completed her dark fantasy western, The Spaniard. Blurb: “A story of revenge, the tale follows a drifting gaucho after having his life and love destroyed by dark forces. In the heat of the desert, he meets a mysterious woman he’s seen only in dreams, who accompanies him on his quest to discover if his young son might still be alive.” Jump into Episode One here!

• is about to conclude her dystopic magical realism serial, Smoke-Mouth, with a long-awaited epilogue before the end of April. Synopsis: “Jenny-Dog is just fine on her own. Jenny-Dog needs no one and no one needs her. Until a fool young stranger shows up, says she’s walking all the way to the crippled mountain—to Lawetlat’la, to Smoke-Mouth—and asks if Jenny wants to come along. Jenny doesn’t fancy their chances. After all, it’s over a hundred miles on a dangerous road through a once-modern region laid bare by quakes and crisis. There are many-eyed angels hovering in the summer sky, and hungry thieves lurking in the woods with violence in their hearts. But the mountain is calling. And when Smoke-Mouth calls, the dreamers reply.” Jump into Episode One here!

New Projects:

• recently embarked on a new legal thriller serial called What I Have Failed To Do. Synopsis: “Burned-out attorney Augustus Butler, or Gus for short, has decided that justice really must be blind, because how else could gesticulates wildly all this be happening. Therefore, he tells himself, the most logical course of action is to coast through his meaningless job as a partner at a criminal law firm until he saves up enough money to retire early and travel the world. It’s not like he ever wanted to practice law in the first place, and whatever’s left of his family won’t miss him if he disappears somewhere in eastern Europe. And then one day, a case crosses Gus’ desk that his partner at the firm calls, and I quote, ‘so open-and-shut that it might even convince even an old miser like you that there’s hope left to be had in this hopeless world’. Gus thinks it sounds too good to be true, and he’d be lying if he said he took the case in good faith. But for a brief moment, he begins to believe that maybe, just maybe, the bad guys don’t always win.” Jump into Chapter One here!

• has just launched a three-part speculative mystery series called La Bella Morte. Blurb: “‘La Bella Morte.’ The Beautiful Death. A blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror all wrapped up in mystery, this short form serial will follow the strange exploits of Thomas Edwards during his time working under the enigmatic and eccentric Dr. Victor Simmons. Their goal? To learn the ‘facts of life,’ as Dr. Simmons says. But what does he mean by this statement, and what secrets is he hiding in the quiet isolation of rural Japan?” Check out Part One here!

• will debut her political fantasy of manners, Heart of Stone, on May 4th. Synopsis: “Set in a cliffside fortress built within an intricate network of tunnels and caves, a bitter academic is given the role of tutoring the king’s son, a position his now-deceased father held. Convinced another man is guilty of the crime, he hatches a plan to secure a chance to bring the ‘killer’ to ‘justice’. As the real murderer plots something more deceptive and explosive, a sharp-tongued maid and the painfully idealistic king’s son find themselves caught between opposing forces manipulating them for their own ends.” Publishing twice-per-week, subscribe to stay updated about this genre-bending serial novel.

📚 The Bookshelf

(Titles listed in order of release date.)

• ’s literary novella, In The Wake of Dreams, is now available for purchase as an ebook anywhere you get your digital downloads. You can also purchase it directly from him through Ko-fi. Release Date: 4/17/26

📝 Submissions Bulletin

• Do you write complex female characters in your fiction? Would you like to learn more about how to do so? has developed a rubric called FINALLY, which helps fiction writers determine whether they’ve written believable and complex female characters. They are also looking for fiction that elevates the courage and power of women. Check out the rubric and submission details here.

• The team at —the beloved horror community on Substack built for readers and writers who love the genre—is actively seeking fresh horror fiction! From MM: “Every week we share community spotlights, featured stories, and a chat thread where horror writers and fans share what they’re working on and what they can’t stop thinking about. Every month we share a feature-length issue with essays, criticism, personal horror, and art. Each issue has a theme, and we want YOU to be featured! We feature emerging voices alongside seasoned writers. We run writing contests. We spotlight artists. We are genuinely, enthusiastically here for your weird stuff.” They are seeking:

  • Opinion pieces. A horror take you’ll die on. One essay per issue. 300-500ish words.

  • Featured Short Fiction. Horror. Under 1,500 words.

  • Horror Artists. Illustrators, painters, photographers. If your work lives between unsettling and gorgeous, we want to feature you. All mediums.

  • True Stories. Something spooky that happened to you. You’re not sure how to explain it. You’ve told it once and watched the room go quiet. That’s the one we’re looking for. Under 500ish words.

  • Reviews. Film, book, game, podcast—any horror media assessed with a strong point of view. Not plot summaries. Conviction.

  • Got something that fits? Reach out to macabremondayteam@gmail.com

Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:

talestack.editor@gmail.com

✨Talebones runs on YOUR support! ✨

• My Tip-Jar! - Enjoying this resource? Show your appreciation with a one-time tip!

• Work With Me! - Looking for an editor, beta reader, proofreader, or copywriter? Look no further! Check out my NEW Work With Me site for rates and services.

• Shop My Books! - Explore my self-published works, both ebook and paperback, available from various retailers!

• Visit the Gift Shop! - Grab a piece of Talebones swag for your very own! Mugs, tees, hats, sweatshirts, and more, updated seasonally!

✒ Editor’s Note

Welcome back, Talestack Readers!

[New around here? Check out our FAQ page!]

Goodbye March, and Hello April!

(Talestack HQ wishes those who celebrate a very Happy Easter!)

Well, it’s official: around here, spring is alive. It’s been sunny for two days in a row, the seeds in the old mossy greenhouse are starting to sprout, and all the wildlife has that distracted, busy energy unique to the feral dance of spring. Everywhere you look, there’s new life and new green.

Every year I am humbled to realize that despite the news, despite the goings-on of conflict and chaos and grief in the human world—both personal and global—there are patterns beyond us that will continue on without our say-so. Forces of creation that ebb and flow with tides we have no control over. Stories being told all around us: over our heads, under our feet. Millions of tiny dramas and sagas for us to observe, to learn from, and to be inspired by.

When we pause to tell stories to one another, we step into something much bigger than we could ever imagine.

This issue is full of such stories of every shape and size, and each one deserves applause. I hope you find your next favorite read within. Let’s celebrate the power of good stories well told, together!

Happy reading, happy writing!

S.E. Reid
Editor of Talestack News

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📣 Announcements!

Finished Projects:

• is wrapping up her romantasy serial, A Sword for Wellington, on April 11th. This is the third book/season in The Môrdreigiau Chronicles; it continues the Chosen Court story and introduces two new characters. Synopsis: “The prophet Llyr dreamed of a sword needed to complete the ritual that will save the world from ecological collapse. Will Eidothea and her Chosen Court retrieve the sword in time? Gwenddydd has the sword. She comes forward in time to deliver King Arthur’s sword to the Duke of Wellington in order to save Britain. Fortunately, she meets Sir Hugh Devenish, a wounded veteran of the Peninsular Wars, who helps her find her way in this modern world of 1815. Both Eidothea and Gwenddydd face opposition, for there is one who wants to destroy both Britain and the Chosen Court itself.” Jump into Chapter One here!

New Projects:

• is embarking upon a new historical fantasy/mythology serial, Ash & Oak. Blurb: “When Áslaug encounters the All-Father in the forest, he not only makes her a seiðkona but also gives her the ability to walk the dreaming and glimpse the future. What she sees will change her own path, and the destiny of her people. At the same time, across the storm-tossed sea, Tobias is sent to an abbey to be an oblate. When his world collides with Áslaug’s, the repercussions shatter both their lives, and reverberate through history.” Jump into the first chapter here!

• has just started a new superhero serial called Dawn of the Super Surgeon. From Michael: “[In this serial] we’ll explore a question that gets to the heart of human and superhuman nature alike. Can supervillains truly change? Will other people, particularly the heroes, let them? And what happens to the supervillain’s loyal henchwoman/sidekick who’s along for the ride, complete with their patented Death Kazoos? Will she have to restrict herself only to the special-order Celebration Kazoos with the confetti attachment? Intriguing questions all: we’ll find out in the new Edison City comic superhero serial, Dawn of the Super Surgeon!” Jump into the first episode here!

• has added a new multimedia component to his fiction world. From Jaime: “After more than a year weaving GEAR GIRLS, the all girl gnome rock band, into my main novel series, their first album is now ON SPOTIFY!!

  Crazy, I know, but we’ve brought Ezra, Juno and Katt to life for everyone to enjoy.” Listen Here!

• is launching Selene’s Vow, a 7-part novella, set in the same universe of The Môrdreigiau Chronicles but the first three books/seasons are not required reading. From Leanne: “This one can stand alone (regular readers, there will be TEA!). There are no Arthurian quests this time, but our heroine, Lady Selene Jermyn would very much like her moonstone pendant back, please. Whoever possesses the pendant, has the right to marry her and claim the family estate and title. The man who won it from her father doesn’t seem too inclined to return it. There are sea dragon cameos.” First chapter releases April 18th.

  • Also, Leanne would like everyone to know that if you would like to binge read and catch up to the Chronicles, the EPUB and PDF of the first two books/seasons are available to new subscribers via their welcome email!

• recently launched a fantastical slice-of-life comic called Audrey, The Unicorn Girl. Blurb: “Audrey, The Unicorn Girl is a slice-of-life comic featuring a perfectly normal girl... except that she has a unicorn horn on her head! Join Audrey as she tackles preteen life as a unicorn girl!” Jump into the magical tale here!

• has recently started a series of short fiction on his Substack called The Killing Machine, featuring a hitman called George Coleman with a very specific code of ethics. Jump into the first story, The Fine Print, here!

• In her continued search to seek out and tell her own family history, has recently turned to the world of fiction in a new multi-part story called A Tale of Inheritance With A Spark of Magic. Blurb: “The setting is a photography studio a hundred years ago, truth mingling with fiction. In the present day, a woman will begin to sense the presence of ancestors she’s never met, woven into the soft footfalls of a calico who mysteriously connects her to the past.”

📚 The Bookshelf

(Titles listed in order of release date.)

• ’s swashbuckling fantasy adventure, Death Whispers of the Etherwave, is now available for purchase as an ebook, paperback, or hardcover through various sources! Release Date: 3/19/26

• ’s supernatural thriller novella, The Boatman, is releasing this week through Bad Hand Books (and available wherever you get your favorite reads!) Release Date: 4/7/26

• ’ historical fiction novel based on true events, Refusal To Obey, is available for preorder through Pane Books! Signed manuscript pages, special editions, and merch are also available for purchase. Release Date: 9/21/26

❤ Shout-Outs

• would like to send a shout out to his pal, : “I’ve known Kummer Wolfe for years. Long before we moved over to Substack. What he doesn’t know is how much I both admire and respect him and his talent as a writer. He has the character that makes you say, ‘I want to be him when I grow up.’ I want the world to know this man. I want him to be famous. So I’d like to start with his new publication: Death Whispers of the Etherwave. You can find his growing world over at Worlds of Kummer Wolfe. If you reach out to Kummer, a great man by any standard, tell him ‘Jaime’ sent you.”

Got something you want us to publish? Have any questions, comments, or feedback? Send it all to:

talestack.editor@gmail.com