February is Women in Horror Recognition Month, a movement that was founded to support and assist female genre artists in gaining opportunities, exposure and networking. In honour of the event, Sirens Call Publications devotes its February issue of The Sirens Call to supporting the cause and featuring the excellent talent displayed by ladies writing horror.
First up today is ‘Survival’ a piece of flash fiction by LE Jamez on page 126…
“She really couldn’t stand the sight of him anymore, but then the feeling was mutual. The thought of having to spend one more night under the same roof as him was making her sick, but since the outbreak they’d been confined together; she’d had no choice. No one did.
She studied him while she filled her backpack with bottles of water and dried food; just sitting in his favourite chair, the awful fake leather lazy boy she hated. Since this all started he had made no attempt to be the man she thought she had married; he refused to accept the current situation and had left all the planning to her. She took a breath and almost gagged at the stench that had filled the air in the past few seconds. It was time. Looking out the window she saw them stumbling up the path towards the door…”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Laura Jamez, a mother of two from Dunfermline in Scotland, has been obsessed with horror from an early age. She is currently writing a new horror story collection which will be released spring 2014, exploring the world of Vampires and Werewolves. One of Laura’s aims for 2014 is to appear in every issue of Sirens Call, watch this space.
Twitter: @lejamez
Website : www.officemango.com
Next up is Elaine Pascale’s ‘Cups and Helmets’ which starts on page 127…
“You are dead.”
Chip Ferris read the lips of the Defensive Tackle, but the words slid right by him. Nothing mattered but the game.
This was not any game; this was THE GAME. Not only was this Homecoming, and all of the former upperclassmen who had tormented him in the locker room were here to see him in his glory, but there was also a talent scout present. This scout could open doors. Chip’s parents were salivating over the scent of college scholarships.
Chip, who had never even paid for the gas in his own car, was unable to smell scholarships; he could smell warm apple cider mixed with leather and sweat. The cider was coming from the stands, while the leather and sweat were all around him. His sense of smell was quite acute, because his hearing was so poor. He didn’t mind: the less noise, the less there was to distract him. His focus, for football, was immense…”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Elaine Pascale lives on Cape Cod with her husband, son and daughter. Her writing has been published in several magazines and anthologies. She is the author of If Nothing Else, Eve, We’ve Enjoyed the Fruit. Elaine enjoys a robust full moon, chocolate, and collecting cats.
Twitter: @doclaney
Webpage: elainepascale.com
And the final offering today is ‘Dog Eat Dog’ by Suzie Lockhart which starts on page 131…
“It was a pungent stench that woke Miles Jackson from his state of temporary unconsciousness. He wasn’t able to decipher what it was at first, because chloroform was still burning in his nostrils, masking the worst of the foul odor.
Where the hell was he? He couldn’t see, couldn’t pinpoint the smell. It was just some type of funk.
Something wet tickled his hand, and he automatically recoiled. He didn’t know what it was, and realized with dismay that the reason he couldn’t see was because he was blindfolded. The air around him was cold, and even though he was freezing, Miles didn’t think he was outside. He squirmed around, and as sensation returned, found his hands tied behind his back.
Then he heard a tiny yelp.
What the hell was going on? Was this some kind of joke?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Three years ago Suzie Lockhart discovered a zest for the macabre, and now has stories in a variety of horror publications. She finished in the top ten for the Women on Writing Spring Flash Fiction Contest, and appeared in Dark Moon Digest’s Mistresses of the Macabre, as well as The Sirens Call Women in Horror Recognition Month eZine in 2013.
Working as a Contributing Editor for Horrified Press, Suzie and her writing/editing partner placed second in this year’s Predators and Editors Reader’s Poll for their first anthology, Nightmare Stalkers & Dream Walkers.
Twitter: @suzienbruce2
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/suzie.w.lockhart
If you like what you’ve read so far, why not download the issue for FREE? There are other wonderful pieces of fiction and poetry waiting for you!
The Sirens Call – Issue #13 – Women in Horror (Second Annual Issue)
The Sirens Song 