The Blight of Black Creek - MaryRajotte.com

FEATURED IN: In Somnio – A Collection of Modern Gothic Horror from Tenebrous Press

Publication date: November 2021
Editor: Alex Woodroe
Cover Art: Sally Cantirino
Interior Art: Daniella Batsheva, Marisa Bruno, Echo Echo, Claire L. Smith, Tammsle

ABOUT THE BLIGHT OF BLACK CREEK

In the small hamlet of Black Creek, a young woman stands up against an arcane practice threatening her ailing father. But when she discovers something that threatens her own life, she takes drastic measures to protect herself and her family’s legacy.

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PUBLICATION DETAILS

In the hands of Mary Shelley, Daphne Du Maurier, and Shirley Jackson, Gothic Horror often explored the bleak shadows of our very homes and the darkest corners of the human mind. It examined themes of madness, personal transformation, phantoms, and the occult.

Drawing inspiration from these original Gothmothers, IN SOMNIO takes those familiar themes and recasts them in a modern light!

This collection features nineteen vibrant, unique stories ranging from deeply intimate one-room settings to sprawling fantasy worlds; from the depths of darkness to comedy and adventure. Each story brings a new perspective on our inherent love of Gothic Horror and what those vital elements of terror still have to say today!

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS

J.A. Bryson – Senescence
Mary Rajotte – The Blight of Black Creek
Aster S. Monroe – Trespass
S.E. Zeller – Wild Thing
Julie Hutchings – The Beach
Helen Whistberry – Needs Must
Taylor Jordan Pitts – What We Sow
A.P. Howell – Always an After
Elou Carroll – Ghost Light
Barbara A. Barnett – Self Storage
Harklin Ashe – Nude in Repose #37
Lauren Bolger – Junk Soul
Rachel Unger – We Named You After Her
Jessica Lévai – Silver Hands Against the Devil
M. Lopes da Silva – A House Without Ghosts
Victoria Nations – The Reaching Sea
Briana Una McGuckin – After the Apples
Lin Darrow – The Burning of Langston Flare’s Haunted Masquerade and Seafood Restaurant Experience (For Love)

AN EXCERPT

I bury my head in the crook of Pa’s arm. My tears fall hot like a summer storm, stirring up his moldering scent, but I take it in as a reminder of him. When the rattling in his throat quiets, I gather him toward me to catch some remnant of his gentleness, but he is all sharp angles now that the life has seeped from his core. And like the breeze high in his willow tree on a late fall night, he shushes and sighs, giving up his last breath until he falls forever still.
© MARY RAJOTTE

READER REVIEWS

In Somnio is crafted from 19 short stories and several wonderfully macabre illustrations, and what strikes me is the breathtaking variety of subject matter. Most have modern settings, some could easily be described as experimental in structure, yet they are all recognizably gothic horror. I mentioned distraught maidens above—the women characters here have power and agency. They are not helpless victims. And make no mistake, this is gothic horror with the accent on horror. There are some seriously creepy stories here, the kind that crawl under your skin and lodge themselves at the base of your brain.
– David Simon

“The Blight of Black Creek”… stands out as one of her best. It was breathtakingly beautiful, taking on themes of family, tradition, love, and resilience. As soon as I finished, I read it a second time.”
– Holley Cornetto, The Horror Tree