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Shallow Waters Vol.5: A Flash Fiction Anthology (A Series of Supernatural Stories) Kindle Edition
Crystal Lake Publishing (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Mark Allan Gunnells (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Dave Jeffery (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Jason Parent (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Anthony D. Redden (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Kevin David Anderson (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Pedro Iniguez (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Linsey Knerl (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Sheldon Woodbury (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Michelle Mellon (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Michael Patrick Hicks (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
Alex Ebenstein (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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Shallow Waters—where nothing stays buried.
With 23 Dark Fiction & Horror tales diving beneath the surface of life, death, and the mystery that lies beneath.
Shallow Waters is the official monthly flash fiction challenge hosted by the award-winning Crystal Lake Publishing. Every month a new challenge is posted online, with authors submitting via email. The best submissions are then posted on Crystal Lake’s Patreon page (an exclusive behind the scenes community of readers and authors), where patrons read daily entries and vote for the winner. What you’ll find in these Shallow Waters anthologies include the winners as well as the most popular of our finalists. Stay tuned for more volumes in this series, or find Crystal Lake Publishing on Patreon to enter or vote on future challenges (or gain access to our Still Water Bay series).
Volume five includes suspenseful stories of horror on the road, war, graveyards, Karma, and Halloween.
Includes:
Introduction by Joe Mynhardt
“Driving On” by Guy Medley (winner)
“Dichotomy” by Jason Parent
“Babysitting for Writers” by Kevin David Anderson (winner)
“The Good Samaritan” by L.F. Falconer
“Of Debris and Duty” by John Boden
“The Visitors” by Mark Allan Gunnells
“Twenty Reasons to Stay and One to Leave” by Richard Thomas
“The Knights of Cold Days” by Dave Jeffery
“Travel Bag” by Bryan Miller
“In the Desert, In the Night” by Pedro Iniguez
“Grievance” by Christine Lajewski
“Fuel for My Fire” by Linsey Knerl
“The Dead Lands” by Anthony D Redden
“Welcome to Gothmart” by David Bernard
“The Mascot” by Jennifer K Carstens (winner)
“Wasteland” by Sheldon Woodbury
“All’s Fair” by Michelle Mellon
“Stay Away” by Michael Patrick Hicks
“The Road Home” by Rand Eastwood
“Midnight Sun” by James Dorr
“The Wind Stakes Its Claim” by Kris Kinsella
“The Forest of Skin” by Esteban Vargas
“Second Chance” by Alex Ebenstein (winner)
In this volume…
- Traveling can be a mixed bag...especially when something in your travel bag starts moving.
- A woman journeys north for survival.
- Sometimes, working retail is not the worst part of your day.
- In the desert of New Mexico, ancient Navajo legends emerge, only to discover the cruelty of Man.
- An overachieving woman uses twisted methods to feed her need for turmoil.
- A trio of Halloween trick-or-treaters learn that sometimes things slip through.
- A cemetery caretaker with a secret gift, a dead body, and the hope of a second chance.
- Grief can change a person. Literally.
- Someone has a bone to pick with the Deacon.
- Sometimes what lies ahead is more frightening than what was left behind.
- Babysitting can be a tough gig, especially on Halloween
- A father and son venture out into the dead lands to search for the night creatures feasting on the corpses.
- In the distant future an ancient warrior and his ghost ship battle for the fate of the universe.
- A young girl looks forward to visiting her dead grandmother and watch the mysterious figure who dances beneath the trees.
- In the war of love, a seasoned soldier makes the most of his last battle.
- A weary lawman contemplates life and his crumbling role in it as he watches the world unspool.
- We know not what we fight, but it knows how to kill us.
- In war, how long can a young soldier’s undying love for his wife and daughter keep him alive?
- A businessman in the Old West has a chance encounter with a soldier whose war has yet to end.
- The flower of death spawns in Maku-unah's maw and her seed thrives within the skin of the world.
Proudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateApril 15, 2020
- File size399 KB
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From the Publisher

Take a Deep Breath and Dive Beneath the Surface of Shallow Waters—Where Nothing Stays Buried.
This series includes over 100 flash fiction stories by the likes of Chad Lutzke, Armand Rosamilia, Tim Waggoner, Robert Ford, Jonathan Winn, Mark Allan Gunnells, Jezzy Wolfe, Mercedes M. Yardley, Dino Parenti, Kenneth W. Cain, John Boden, Matt Shaw, Jess Landry, Dan Weatherer, Theresa Derwin, Monique Snyman, Richard Thomas, Jennifer Loring, Lee Murray, Kevin Lucia, Ben Lathrop, Lori Michelle, Jason Parent, Dave Jeffery, AJ Franks, Jonathan Fortin, R.B. Wood, Jay Bechtol, Robert W. Walker, Denver Grenell, and many more.

Product details
- ASIN : B086VNTCFC
- Publisher : Crystal Lake Publishing (April 15, 2020)
- Publication date : April 15, 2020
- Language : English
- File size : 399 KB
- Simultaneous device usage : Unlimited
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 82 pages
- Lending : Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank: #930,221 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #949 in Horror Anthologies (Kindle Store)
- #1,746 in Occult Suspense
- #1,978 in Horror Short Stories
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Sheldon Woodbury is an award winning writer (books, short stories, poems, screenplays, and plays) who writes mostly in the dark fantasy and horror field.
Dave Jeffery is author of 15 novels, two collections, and numerous short stories. His Necropolis Rising series and yeti adventure Frostbite have both featured on the Amazon #1 bestseller list. His YA work features critically acclaimed Beatrice Beecham supernatural mystery series and Finding Jericho, a contemporary mental health novel that was featured on the BBC Health and the Independent Schools Entrance Examination Board's recommended reading lists. A third edition of this book will be released by Demain Publishing in 2020.
Jeffery is a member of the Society of Authors, British Fantasy Society (where he is a regular book reviewer), and the Horror Writers Association. He is also a registered mental health professional with a BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Studies and a Master of Science Degree in Health Studies.
Jeffery is married with two children and lives in Worcestershire, UK.
For more information please visit: www.davejeffery.webs.com
Kevin David Anderson was born in Indiana, and currently lives and writes speculative fiction in Southern California. Before becoming a writer and active member of the HWA (Horror Writers Association), Anderson earned a B. A. in Mass Communication (TCOM) with a focus on Media Production from CSUF (Fresno State), and worked as a marketing professional for more than a decade, during which he managed award-winning campaigns for both television and radio.
Anderson’s debut novel the geeky, cult zombie classic, Night of the Living Trekkies, from Quirk Books, the publisher of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, is a funny, offbeat Zombie novel that explores the pop culture carnage that ensues when the undead crash a Star Trek convention. Publishers Weekly gave Night of the Living Trekkies a starred review and the Washington Post listed it as one of the top five Zombie novels of 2010.
Night of the Living Trekkies and Anderson’s follow up, Night of the ZomBEEs have become required reading in college courses, most notably the class designed for incoming freshman, How to Survive Your Freshman Year by Studying the Zombie Apocalypse, at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania.
Anderson’s short stories have appeared in almost a hundred publications, from anthologies and magazines to podcasts and radio dramas. His work has appeared in multiple languages and on every continent, excluding Antarctica - mostly because penguins and polar bears don’t read. Anderson was the first American to be published in the award-winning South African Horror Magazine, Something Wicked. Anderson’s short story Third Shift took first position in the Top International Horror competition from Rain Fall books in the UK. Anderson has contributed to many award-worthy publications including the British Fantasy Award-winning magazine Murky Depths, and the Bram Stoker nominated anthology, The Beauty of Death from Independent Legions Publishing. Several dozen of his stories have been turned into audio productions with voice talents like Jason Hill, Rish Outfield, and Mur Lafferty, on Parsec Award-winning podcasts like Pseudopod, The Drabblecast, The Dunesteef and on the very popular Simply Scary Podcast and the No Sleep Podcast.
When not writing horror, comedy, or horror-comedy, Anderson likes spending time at the beach with his family, attending horror conventions and book festivals, working with special needs students, and writing and telling bad, corny, nerdy jokes. Dad jokes with a geeky twist are his specialty and with the help of his son, he published The Geektastic Joke Book for Kids under the pseudonym, Giggles A. Lott and Nee Slapper. Giggles & Slapper’s next book JURASSIC JOKES: A Book 65 Million Years in the Making, came out at the end of 2019 and the latest STAR WARS: The Jokes AWAKEN was named one of the top 10 Star Wars gifts for kids by Best Deals For Kids (dot) com in 2020.
In his head, Jason Parent lives in many places, but in the real world, he calls New England his home. The region offers an abundance of settings for his writing and many wonderful places in which to write them. He currently resides in Rhode Island.
In a prior life, Jason spent most of his time in front of a judge . . . as a civil litigator. When he wanted a change, he traded in his cheap suits for flip flops and designer stubble. The flops got repossessed the next day, and he's back in the legal field . . . sorta. But that's another story.
When he's not working, Jason likes to kayak, catch a movie, and travel any place that will let him enter. And read and write, of course--he does that too sometimes.
Please visit the author on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJasonParent?ref=hl, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AuthorJasParent, or at his website, http://authorjasonparent.com/, for information regarding upcoming events or releases, or if you have any questions or comments for him.
Anthony D Redden is an author of science fiction and horror. He has work published by Gag me with a …, The Pygmy Giant, Micro Horror, Flashes in the Dark, Ether books, Schlock webzine, Kyanite publishing and Crystal Lake Publishing. He has also appeared in the anthologies 'Fugitives' by Sinister Saints, 'Weird Ales 2: Another Round' by Quantum Corsets, and 'Mummy Knows Best' by Terror Tree Books. He is also part of the editorial staff for Bandit Fiction, and a movie reviewer for the entertainment magazine Scifimonkeys.com. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and is desperately trying to find the time to juggle a family and a writing career. He has a particular interest in disability representation in fiction, alt-history fiction, coffee and sherbet dip dabs.
If you like what you read then please leave a review saying so. Anthony frequents Twitter and Facebook most days, so feel free to say hello.
www.anthonydredden.com
Michael Patrick Hicks is the author of several horror books, including the Salem Hawley series and Friday Night Massacre. His debut novel, Convergence, was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Finalist in science fiction, and his short stories have appeared in more than a dozen anthologies.
Connect with Michael at:
Substack: https://michaelpatrickhicks.substack.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MikeH5856
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7909523.Michael_Patrick_Hicks
Instagram: http://instagram.com/mphicks79
Linsey Knerl is a mom of six who has been homeschooling since 2004. Her interest in small business and entrepreneurship led to a freelance writing career that complimented her own homeschool style. Linsey has been a trusted source for families since 2008. Her tips for families have appeared in various publications, including Time, Shape, Better Homes & Gardens, Reader’s Digest, Family Circle, All You, and Woman’s World. Her media company (Knerl Family Media) has grown to include her better half in life and business, Sam. Together Sam and Linsey work to educate and support their growing family.
Linsey is also working on several dark fiction projects. When she's not enjoying the beautiful Missouri River bottom landscape you can find her reading weird short stories, playing the piano, and recreating the Danish recipes her grandmother made long ago.
Since its founding in August 2012, Crystal Lake Publishing has quickly become one of the world’s leading publishers of Dark Fiction and Horror books in print, eBook, and audio formats.
While we strive to present only the highest quality fiction and entertainment, we also endeavour to support authors along their writing journey. We offer our time and experience in non-fiction projects, as well as author mentoring and services, at competitive prices.
With several Bram Stoker Award wins and many other wins and nominations, Crystal Lake Publishing puts integrity, honor, and respect at the forefront of our publishing operations.
We strive for each book and outreach program we spearhead to not only entertain and touch or comment on issues that affect our readers, but also to strengthen and support the Dark Fiction field and its authors.
Not only do we find and publish authors we believe are destined for greatness, but we strive to work with men and woman who endeavour to be decent human beings who care more for others than themselves, while still being hard working, driven, and passionate artists and storytellers.
Crystal Lake Publishing is and will always be a beacon of what passion and dedication, combined with overwhelming teamwork and respect, can accomplish. We endeavour to know each and every one of our readers, while building personal relationships with our authors, reviewers, bloggers, podcasters, bookstores, and libraries.
We will be as trustworthy, forthright, and transparent as any business can be, while also keeping most of the headaches away from our authors, since it’s our job to solve the problems so they can stay in a creative mind. Which of course also means paying our authors.
We do not just publish books, we present to you worlds within your world, doors within your mind, from talented authors who sacrifice so much for a moment of your time.
There are some amazing small presses out there, and through collaboration and open forums we will continue to support other presses in the goal of helping authors and showing the world what quality small presses are capable of accomplishing. No one wins when a small press goes down, so we will always be there to support hardworking, legitimate presses and their authors. We don’t see Crystal Lake as the best press out there, but we will always strive to be the best, strive to be the most interactive and grateful, and even blessed press around. No matter what happens over time, we will also take our mission very seriously while appreciating where we are and enjoying the journey.
What do we offer our authors that they can’t do for themselves through self-publishing?
We are big supporters of self-publishing (especially hybrid publishing), if done with care, patience, and planning. However, not every author has the time or inclination to do market research, advertise, and set up book launch strategies. Although a lot of authors are successful in doing it all, strong small presses will always be there for the authors who just want to do what they do best: write.
What we offer is experience, industry knowledge, contacts and trust built up over years. And due to our strong brand and trusting fanbase, every Crystal Lake Publishing book comes with weight of respect. In time our fans begin to trust our judgment and will try a new author purely based on our support of said author.
To date we’ve published around 100 books, and with each launch we strive to fine-tune our approach, learn from our mistakes, and increase our reach. We continue to assure our authors that we’re here for them and that we’ll carry the weight of the launch and dealing with third parties while they focus on their strengths—be it writing, interviews, blogs, signings, etc.
We also offer several mentoring packages to authors that include knowledge and skills they can use in both traditional and self-publishing endeavours.
We look forward to launching many new careers.
This is what we believe in. What we stand for. This will be our legacy.
Welcome to Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.
Alex Ebenstein [eb-en-stine] is a maker of maps by day, writer of horror fiction by night. He lives with his family in Michigan. He has stories published in Boneyard Soup Magazine, Tales to Terrify Podcast, and by Cemetery Gates Media, among others. He is also the founder of Dread Stone Press and edited "Field Notes from a Nightmare: An Anthology of Ecological Horror." Find him on Twitter @AlexEbenstein.
Mark Allan Gunnells loves to tell stories. He has since he was a kid, penning one-page tales that were Twilight Zone knockoffs. He likes to think he has gotten a little better since then. He loves reader feedback, and above all he loves telling stories. He lives in Greer, SC, with his husband Craig A. Metcalf.
Pedro Iniguez is a speculative fiction writer and painter.
His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Nightmare Magazine, Tales from OmniPark, Tiny Nightmares, Star*Line, Space and Time Magazine, Helios Quarterly, Speculative Fiction for Dreamers, and Crossed Genres.
Originally from Los Angeles, he now resides in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he is currently working on his second novel.
He can be found online at:
pedroiniguezauthor.com
Michelle Mellon has had stories published in more than two dozen speculative fiction anthologies and magazines. Her primary focus is horror, but she has also written science fiction, fantasy, and mystery. In April 2018 her first story collection was published by HellBound Books. Her second story collection was self-published in April 2022. For updates on her work, visit her website www.mpmellon.com and/or follow her on Twitter - @mpmellon.
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