Newt's Nightmares🦎#119
Newt's Nightmares provides subscribers with news about the author's latest work, upcoming releases, and events.
Newt's Nightmares
News
Coming up for paid members
FREE Horror Story Compilations
Recommended Horror Books
Greetings, my wicked darlings!
February…
Cripes, what did I do? It seems so long ago.
Well, it’s been a mixed bag. First of all, I had COVID in January, then in February I rounded it out with a rotten cold, which was lovely. I’m all better now, but I have found myself in a bit of a creative rut. In particular, I’m a week behind my schedule because I’ve been obsessed with and banging my head against a cosmic horror mil sci-fi novella. I’m 15k words in, but it just doesn’t work as yet.
I’ve had some advice, and I’m completely rewriting the third act. So hopefully I’ll get there. When I do, I look forward to sharing it with you all.
I’m particularly looking forward to St. Patrick’s Day this month, and will raise a pint of Guiness (or Guiness 0%) to you all! To commemorate it, I’m releasing a story called ‘Leprechaun’.
“But Newt… Isn’t that cultural appropriation?”
Well, probably. I don’t think the fact that I’m 1/64th Irish suffices to claim ancestry. But, I love Leprechaun stories and I was absolutely willing to seize upon any excuse to write a story about one.
I wrote three stories in February, which went out to my paid subscribers:
‘Brides of Dracul’ - a comedy horror. This was a blast to write. It’s a mix of Wayne’s World, Kevin and Perry and The Ritual.
When a loutish biker ignores the fine print on a fetish profile, his dream Halloween hookup spirals into a deadly nightmare.
‘Night of the Expo’ - a psychological thriller. In a past life, I owned Steel Crown Productions, a company that produced tabletop and computer games. The Expos were a debauched, booze-filled adventure. This was a Hitchcock inspired trip down memory lane.
During a rainy night in Birmingham, Arthur, a mild-mannered wargamer, finds his plan to transport his latest trophy home going awry.
‘The Better Half’ - a supernatural horror short story. Often I can reel off the movies and books that inspired my stories. Hell, I can provide a Spotify playlist of the music I listened to. This was, like ‘Strings Attached’, inspired by a private conversation with a friend. He listed his brother’s wife’s complaints and being the discreet man that I am, I turned it into a story and emailed it to five thousand people.
When Gayle, a disillusioned housewife’s slovenly husband, transforms overnight into a domestic god, her initial relief turns rapidly to dread.
Free subscribers received:
A Folk Horror Short Story: Two brothers run afoul of a dark force deep in Sherwood Forest, the idyllic surroundings harbouring an ancient terror.
An Extreme Horror Short Story: Held captive in her father’s basement, Amelia struggles to escape. But reality isn’t always what it appears to be and soon she will learn an earth shattering secret.
A Splatterpunk Horror Short Story: Jedd’s careless catfishing triggers a catastrophic chain of events, plunges him into a nightmarish battle for survival.
And in March, free subscribers will get to read three new stories, previously read three months ago by my paid subscribers:
Faster On The Way Down
Leprechaun
Buried
I’ve just finished writing the newsletter for the British Horror Author’s Guild. I wrote two articles for them in February on the business side of being an author:
Sweet Screams,
Newt xx
Horror Story Promotions
Tales of Terror: 41 FREE horror stories, including: ‘Respect’, ‘Mind Games’, ‘The Enigmatic Skeleton’, ‘The Doll House Killer’, ‘Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues’
Midnight Whispers: 54 horror stories, including ‘Tales of the Macabre, Vol. 1’, ‘Tales of the Macabre, Vol. 2’, ‘Tales of the Macabre, Vol. 3,’ ‘Tales of the Macabre, Vol. 4.’ and ‘Tales of the Macabre: Books 1-4’.
Recommended Horror Books
I read two books in February:
The Suffering by David Sodergren: I got to read this story because I’m a paid subscriber of David Sodergren. The man needs no introduction. His work is spectacular. The Suffering actually made me wince in places. The book is a filthy, depraved nunsploitation work and I was hooked from page one. I don’t think I’ve ever read a David Sodergren book and not enjoyed it, but this is a masterpiece.
Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Wrath James White: This opened my eyes to redneck Americana, a part of American culture that I have no experience of. It is a grotesque story that was absolutely enthralling. I highly recommend it.
Tales of the Macabre
You can find my stories on Amazon, as Kindle Unlimited, eBook, Paperback or Hardback.
This collection of stories is designed for quick reads, whether over a coffee or during a commute. Either way, they promise to deliver exquisitely disturbing nightmares that gaze without flinching into the abyss—and linger in the mind long after.
FREE on Kindle Unlimited
Available to order on AMAZON.
Welcome to the complete collected works of Newton Webb. Tales of the Macabre, Vol. 1-4 are intended for mature audiences.
Read a collection of free short stories or listen to free audiobooks by Newton Webb on his website.