It’s October. A nip’s crept into the air, here in the mid-Atlantic. Pumpkins line the sidewalks outside supermarkets and stores smell of that bewitching blend of cinnamon and clove. It’s time for hayrides and apple cider, for kicking through piles of new-fallen leaves and remembering to put on a jacket before heading out in the morning.
 
At the same time, nights are getting darker. All of nature is preparing for the long sleep of winter. Sometimes a morning fog rolls in, so thick that when you walk out into it, you could fancy yourself alone in a world of roiling white.
 
Almost alone, that is. You know there’s something out there, concealed by the fog, watching you through eyes far keener than your own. That sudden set of footsteps you hear--the mailman’s or a serial killer’s? That rasping noise--a blowing leaf, or claws scraping the sidewalk?
 
Welcome to October, the season of Halloween.
 
Your earliest fears never leave you. Not the later, adult fears, concerning mortgages and cancer, money troubles, health and relationships. Those may keep us up at night, but they don’t inspire us to hide our heads beneath the bedcover. The fears I’m talking about children’s fears, born of that time before one’s world whittles itself down to the merely possible. They are ridiculous, even risible, and they can still ice up your insides, make you glance over a shoulder and think, even if just for an instant: what if . . . ?
 
My friend’s eight-year-old son is terrified of zombies. Another child I knew growing up always checked behind her door to make sure no aliens were hiding there. For me, the king of all spookdom was undoubtedly the Headless Horseman.
 
There are many legends of headless horsemen, of course. The Irish have the Dullahan, a grim spirit that uses the spine of a human corpse for a whip. El Muerto is the name of the decapitated equestrian rumored to terrorize south Texas. The dark and lonely hills of Dartmoor are reportedly haunted not only by headless riders, but also, perhaps to spice things up, by headless horses. My particular nightmare, however, was undoubtedly the most famous of all: the legendary Horseman of Sleepy Hollow.
 
Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad had to be partly to blame. I’ve never actually seen Mr. Toad’s side of the adventure, but Mr. Ichabod’s section was frequently shown around Halloween during my childhood. Those last seven minutes of the film, where Ichabod confronts the Horseman in a gloomy, blue-tinted woods, remains a masterpiece of tension.
 
I recall sleepless hours spent frozen beneath my bedsheets, straining my ears for the sound of hoofbeats outside. Every shadowed corner of my room had to be watched lest a tall, black figure stepped forth, ax in hand and cape a-flutter. Then, one night, I heard something creak. Heart pounding, instantly on full alert, I looked out into the darkness of my room and saw a black-gloved hand reaching for me. The Horseman had finally come for me. Throwing the covers over my head, I trembled, awaiting the end.
 
Never have I felt an emotion so primal, pure, and unfiltered. This includes a traffic accident years later, when the car I was riding in went out of control, spinning completely around in the middle of a freeway. Then, I had time to grit my teeth and anticipate the impact of one of the trucks that had been speeding down the road behind us. The Horseman’s black glove, in contrast, blotted out all else. It and my terror of it were the only things in the world. And while, when I realized that all the trucks stopped in time and I wasn’t about to suffer the fate of a bug on a windshield, I experienced a nearly bone-melting relief, that night when I finally dared pull back the blankets to face my empty and silent room . . .
 
The truth is, I was disappointed. No, I didn’t want to be decapitated--still don’t, thank you very much. But for just one instant, legend entered reality. For that handful of seconds where I was convinced the Horseman stood over me, the world contained something beyond the dates and numbers printed in my textbooks that my teachers insisted comprised the whole of reality.

And although I can now say with confidence that the black glove I saw was a hallucination brought on by terror, I also believe the Horseman actually was there in my room, just for an instant. I’m not saying that I think he’s real; trot down any lonely lane in Sleepy Hollow in the dead of night and I guarantee there’s a near hundred percent certainty you’ll emerge at the other end with your head firmly connected to your neck. What I mean is that the Horseman was present in spirit, and since he is an actual spirit, that’s all he requires to go on existing. Most ghosts, I think, would be rather diminished by reality. There’s many a good horror film that’s been ruined by too close a look at the monster.

We're celebrating Halloween, fall, that harvesty feeling of leaves crinkling under your feet, with a Scarecrow anthology sale! Now until Nov. 8, 2015, you can get the ebook or paperback edition of this truly extraordinary anthology for just $3.00 ebook or $6.48 trade paperback by using the coupon code SCARE at checkout. (Code only good at worldweaverpress.com.)

Scarecrow is one of our favorites, really capturing the horror and heartache of being a creature who is human but not.

Praise for Scarecrow:

Alpena, MI (October 27, 2015) – World Weaver Press (Eileen Wiedbrauk, Editor-in-Chief) is pleased to announce The Falling of the Moon, book one of the Moonfall Mayhem series by A. E. Decker, is available in trade paperback and ebook today, Tuesday, October 27, 2015.

If Ascot wants a Happy Ending, she’ll have to write it herself. -- In the gloomy mountains of Shadowvale, Ascot Abberdorf is expected to marry a lugubrious Count and settle down to a quiet life terrorizing the villagers. Instead, armed with a book of fairy tales, her faithful bat-winged cat, and whatever silverware she can pinch, Ascot heads east, to the mysterious Daylands, where her book promises she can find True Love and Happily Ever After, if she only follows her heart.

Determined to win the hand of Prince Parvanel, Ascot storms the Kingdom of Albright. With the book’s guidance, she’s confident she’ll overcome any obstacles the imperious Queen Bettina Anna throws in her way, be they witches, evil stepmothers, or Big Bad Wolves.

Unfortunately, the book doesn’t cover reluctant princes, wolves who read Dostoyevsky instead of blowing down houses, or a guild of Godmothers whose motivations may not be as pure as three drops of blood on a sweep of snow. Most annoying of all is the captain of the guard who swears he’ll see the moon fall before she weds Prince Parvanel.

There are stories . . . and then there are stories, and if this parade of shifty shenanigans continues, Ascot might have to rewrite her own tale lest she end most Unhappily Ever After!

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Wholesale: Ingram

​A. E. Decker hails from Pennsylvania. A former doll-maker and ESL tutor, she earned a master’s degree in history, where she developed a love of turning old stories upside-down to see what fell out of them. This led in turn to the writing of her YA novel, The Falling of the Moon. A graduate of Odyssey 2011, her short fiction has appeared in such venues as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Fireside Magazine, and in World Weaver Press’s own Specter Spectacular. Like all writers, she is owned by three cats. Come visit her, her cats, and her fur Daleks at wordsmeetworld.com.

World Weaver Press is pleased to announce not one but two newly signed authors today, Cheryl Low and Larry Hodges! We hope you're as excited to meet them and read their work as we were. And be sure to add their forthcoming books to your Goodreads "to-read" lists before you leave.

Cheryl Low was born and raised in California only to later chase her romantic lead around the globe to the north of Sweden. When not writing, reading, at the gym, or on adventure, she is likely to be found eating candy and watching horror flicks. She loves sugar in almost all its magnificent forms, craft projects though she does not follow directions, baking without adhering to recipes, notebooks of all sorts, and comfy chairs. 

Cheryl Low's novel Vanity in Dust, edited by Laura Harvey, is set in a decadent dark fantasy world of hedonism, addiction, and political intrigue. Add Vanity in Dust to your Goodreads lists.

• Website: cheryllow.com
• Goodreads
• Twitter @cherylwlow ​

Larry Hodges, from Germantown, MD, was going to be a math professor (bachelor's in math), but science fiction writing and table tennis (yes, ping-pong) sidetracked him, and now he writes (and coaches the latter) for a living. He is an active member of Science Fiction Writers of America with over 70 short story sales. Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions is his third novel, and combines three of his favorite things: science fiction, politics, and table tennis. He's a graduate of the six-week 2006 Odyssey Writers Workshop and the 2008 Taos Toolbox Writers Workshop, and is a member of Codexwriters.com. His story "The Awakening" was the unanimous grand prize winner at the 2010 Garden State Horror Writers Short Story Competition. He's a full-time writer with ten books and over 1600 published articles in over 140 different publications. He also writes about and coaches the Olympic Sport of Table Tennis, is a member of the USA Table Tennis Hall of Fame (Google it!), and once beat someone using an ice cube as a racket. Visit him at larryhodges.org.

Larry Hodges' science fiction novel Campaign 2100: Game of Scorpions, edited by Eileen Wiedbrauk, blends the political drama of The West Wing with a story of Earth's first alien contact, and will come out from World Weaver Press in 2016. Add Campaign 2100 to your Goodreads lists.

• Website: larryhodges.org
• Amazon
• Goodreads

The Falling of the Moon cover art has arrived! This delightfully offbeat fairy tale is the first young adult novel by A. E. Decker and will arrive in time for Halloween.

Publication Date: October 27, 2015
​
In the gloomy mountains of Shadowvale, Ascot Abberdorf is expected to marry a lugubrious Count and settle down to a quiet life terrorizing the villagers. Instead, armed with a book of fairy tales, her faithful bat-winged cat, and whatever silverware she can pinch, Ascot heads east, to the mysterious Daylands, where her book promises she can find True Love and Happily Ever After, if she only follows her heart.

Determined to win the hand of Prince Parvanel, Ascot storms the Kingdom of Albright. With the book’s guidance, she’s confident she’ll overcome any obstacles the imperious Queen Bettina Anna throws in her way, be they witches, evil stepmothers, or Big Bad Wolves.

Unfortunately, the book doesn’t cover reluctant princes, wolves who read Dostoyevsky instead of blowing down houses, or a guild of Godmothers whose motivations may not be as pure as three drops of blood on a sweep of snow. Most annoying of all is the captain of the guard who swears he’ll see the moon fall before she weds Prince Parvanel.

There are stories . . . and then there are stories, and if this parade of shifty shenanigans continues, Ascot might have to rewrite her own tale lest she end most Unhappily Ever After!
​

Today, we are talking with Bascomb James, the anthologist and editor of the Far Orbit anthologies published by World Weaver Press. The first Far Orbit volume, Far Orbit: Speculative Space Adventures was published in 2014 has garnered many outstanding reviews. The second volume, Far Orbit Apogee, was released earlier this week (October 13, 2015). Bascomb is currently reading submissions for the third Far Orbit volume, Last Outpost, which concentrates on military science fiction stories. 

Bascomb received his doctoral degree from the University of Notre Dame and he currently works as a clinical virologist for a large hospital system. Bascomb credits his interest in science, engineering, and invention to the science fiction stories he read as a child. 

Bascomb, can you tell us what inspired you to create the Far Orbit Anthology Series?

Sure, I’d be happy to explain. Science fiction and I were constant companions and best buds during my formative years, but somewhere along the way, we drifted apart and eventually went our separate ways. I missed my old friend. The familiar optimism and shared sense of wonder I loved was replaced by grim dystopian futures of the new SF landscape. The genre’s darkness and despair sucked the life out of the room. I kept thinking that science fiction shouldn’t be a dose of castor oil you choke down because someone said, “It’s good for you.” Science fiction should be fun to read, optimistic, and inspiring. With that in mind, I pitched the idea of a “Grand Tradition” SF adventure anthology to World Weaver Press and received a green light to proceed.
 
What is it about science fiction that appeals to you?

I love science fiction because of the compact that exists between SF readers and writers. The willingness of SF readers to suspend disbelief, gives SF writers unfettered license to create, awe, and entertain. The genre has no limits, no taboos, no preconceived notions of what constitutes right and wrong. In this barrier-free universe, the SF reader can experience the wildest ride imaginable. Sometimes the ride is uncomfortable; sometimes it’s mind-blowing. I also like SF because it provides a vehicle for transporting social issues to faraway worlds where they can be examined without bumping into emotional, theological, and cultural firewalls. Science fiction also helps me to understand how technologies interact and shape our social and economic systems. Contrary to popular belief, SF isn’t just about aliens, spaceships, and fantastic gizmos, it’s about us, our hopes and fears, our passions, motivations, intentions, and prejudices. More than any other genre, SF shows us what it means to be human. 
 
Who are your favorite or most inspiring Science Fiction authors?

Wow! There’s so many. Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, Lois McMaster Bujold, David Brin, Poul Anderson, Keith Laumer, Gordon R. Dickinson, Andre Norton, Ben Bova, L. Sprague de Camp, Joe Haldeman, Harry Harrison, Tanya Huff, Anne McCaffrey, Frederick Pohl, Terry Pratchett, Kim Stanley Robinson, Eric Frank Russell, E.E. (Doc) Smith, Verner Vinge, and James White.
 
If you could bring one SF-inspired technology into our world today, what would it be? 

Energy technologies – fusactors producing clean, cheap, and safe energy and high-capacity, non-polluting batteries like those used in phasers and light sabers. Today, many of our environmental problems revolve around energy generation and burning of fossil fuels. What if we could drive our cars from coast to coast on a single battery charge? What if every household and factory could be “off the grid?” What if airplanes and ships ran on electric motors? What if coal and petroleum products were only used to produce lubricants and chemical feed stocks? What would the world be like?
 
If you could hang out with any character from a sci-fi adventure, who would you choose?

Jame Retief, the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne (CDT) official from Keith Laumer’s Retief stories. Jame is pragmatic and anti-establishment, well-read, and he has a taste for fine food and wine. He’s also the guy you want on your side when the party gets rough. Or maybe I’d hang out with Dejah Thoris. just because…

Anthologist Bascomb James can be found online at bascombjames.com. He also tweets science fact and science fiction news from @BascombJ. Catch him at WWP's live Twitter chats #SFFlunch the third Friday of every month, Noon-2:00 PM Eastern Time.

​Alpena, MI (October 13, 2015) – World Weaver Press (Eileen Wiedbrauk, Editor-in-Chief) is pleased to announce Far Orbit Apogee, volume two of the Far Orbit Anthology Series, edited by Bascomb James, is available in trade paperback and ebook today, Tuesday, October 13, 2015.

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Amazon (CA)
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World Weaver Press (paperback)
World Weaver Press (ebook)

Rhonda Parrish, editor of the highly anticipated Fae anthology, interviews contributor L.S. Johnson.

What was the inspiration for your Fae story?

I must confess that my story began not with the each-uisge, but with the lake, and Rose’s walk past it. When I was in junior high, a group of high school boys used to hang out in the playground across from my apartment building. They would catcall, and wolf whistle, and sometimes follow me for a block or two. For several months I had to prepare for that every day. Even just going to the corner store was fraught. It became normal for me to carry a little butterfly knife—indeed, it suddenly seemed a perfectly normal thing to go into a shop with the intent of buying a butterfly knife. I think about that time a lot; I write about it a lot, in one form or another. All the different ways women run the gauntlet. edit.

(How to pronounce "Each-Uisge," in case you were wondering.)