Dark Visions – A horror anthology (The Box Under The Bed Book 2)

Dark Visions is the second anthologies in the Box Under the Bed trilogy, edited by USA Today bestselling author, Dan Alatorre.

I have two short stories in Dark Visions which is available as a soft copy book, ebook and audio book from Amazon US:

Blurb

From the creators of the #1 bestseller The Box Under The Bed horror anthology comes Dark Visions, 34 horror stories from 27 authors.

Tag along on a con man’s New Orleans vacation where he gets more than he bargained for from a mysterious voodoo shop. A collection of family photos reveals an eerie secret about a beloved grandmother’s true nature. A child’s horrifying memories haunt her into adulthood. A new camp counselor learns that the camp has secrets she might not live to reveal.

Edited and compiled by Amazon bestselling author Dan Alatorre, this anthology of horror brings together the minds and pens of more than two dozen amazing authors.

Dark Visions will take you into the realm of the eerie and macabre, with thrills and chills from:

USA Today bestselling author Dan Alatorre (The Navigators),
USA Today bestselling author Jenifer Ruff (Everett),
bestselling author Allison Maruska (The Fourth Descendant),
bestselling author J. A. Allen,
award-winning author MD Walker,
award-winning author Juliet Nubel,
award-winning author Dabney Farmer,
award-winning author Sharon E. Cathcart,
award-winning author Heather Kindt,
award-winning author Bonnie Lyons,
award-winning author Sharon Connell,
award-winning author Geoff LePard,
award-winning author Anne Marie Andrus,
award-winning author Christine Valentor,
award-winning author BA Helberg,
Ernesto San Giacomo,
award-winning author Alana Turner,
Nick Vossen,
award-winning author Robbie Cheadle,
Betty Valentine,
award-winning author Frank Parker,
award-winning author Bonnie Lyons,
award-winning author Lori Micken,
Chuck Jackson,
Ellen Best,
Victoria Clapton

Perfect for Halloween or any time, these stories will make you think twice before spending the night alone, planting a tree in your garden, or even visiting your mother.

CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED.

Reviews

5 Star Amazon review

If you’re looking for quick reads to enjoy during a break in your day, Dark Visions offers some eerie, creepy, and unsettling short stories that are perfect for this time of year.  Although I can’t review each individually, I’ll mention those I was still thinking about days after finishing.  If you’re a parent, The Storm by J.A. Allen will rip your heart out.  Pictures showing people who weren’t there when the picture was taken is disturbing and haunting – which is why The Stranger by Allison Maruska is a freaky little tale.  The Willow Tree by Robbie Cheadle is dark and twisted, but what makes it even more frightening is that it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility.  It’s easy to imagine hearing about something like this on the news.

Dark Visions offers a nice variety of stories that may have you looking over your shoulder and double-checking the locks on your doors.

I received an ARC from one of the authors.

5 Star Amazon review

Today launched an anthology of ~30 horror stories from multiple authors in a collection called Dark Visions, the second in the Box Under the Bed volume. Although it was edited / Arranged by Dan Alatorre, I was given a heads up by a blogger who I follow named Robbie Cheadle. Robbie and her son write children’s books for the Sir Chocolate series, which I’ve read and reviewed, as well as promoted on my blog — they are fantastic and deserve a lot of praise and attention. When Robbie mentioned she’d written a few darker stories, I jumped on it. I knew she’d written other works, but I wasn’t familiar with them. Now I am as she has two in this wonderful collection. As I skimmed the table of contents, I found 4 other authors who blog that I’ve followed over the last year. How fun is that!

I read all of the stories / poems. They range from 2 pages to about 20 pages, and the entire collection is probably around the 250 page mark. From light spooky stories to much darker, its range is strong and inviting. Nothing is so scary that you’ll run in fear, but there’s a lot beyond subtle to find tantalizing. I do like this type of fiction, so it was a good fit for me. There’s also hardly any gore (none I can actually remember, but taste in this subject can be subjective and personal). It’s more about pushing the envelope with the air of mystery, the hint of suspense, and the suggestion of something very bad or impacting occurring.

I won’t point out any favorites since there’s a lot to cover, but I will highlight Robbie’s pieces because I do think she deserves the attention. The first is called “The Haunting of William Cheadle” which makes you wonder… which family member is she trying to spook? An early line: ‘it’s sticky, like blood.’ There’s a housekeeper I pictured as a certain character from Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca who keeps someone in line. It’s all covered in a fine dose of murky and sinister fog… which makes for a very eerie and cool story. The other, The Willow Tree, my favorite kind, involves a doctor… something found in a bag… the tree… and a lot more I can’t tell you! But it’s enough to make you want to read more from Cheadle in this genre.

So… if you’re looking for a few traditional and some non-traditional spooky stories, an opportunity to sample different writers and styles, or a collection of short works to read throughout the next few weeks when the nights get shorts and darker, the ghosts come out to haunt us, and the season turns rather chilly, you’ve found a great place to start!