13 DARK FANTASY & HORROR STORIES

Order your copies here: UK and US.

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Britannic Comic is coming… soonish!

Grant Springford is a talented writer and artist. While learning new skills on photoshop I wanted to pay tribute him and his work.

Grant provided the silhouette illustrations for my #13darkfantasyandhorrorstories book stories. He has also leant me his skills as an editor.

I took this photo on a trip we made to #timessquarenyc in 2016. I wanted the opportunity to decorate its billboards and bring a little of his upcoming #britanniccomic to our friends in the states.

You can find more of his work on Instagram: @gspringford.

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Deep Sea Hell Beast

A flash fiction story by Mark Young

Water gushed down the scaly skin of the blob-like mass as the creature emerged from the sea. A multitude of unlidded eyes glared at onlookers, many on land reaching for their phones to find they no longer worked.

It bared a mouthful of razored teeth. It announced its presence with a screech that tore into the ears of everyone within the vicinity.

Chaos ensued.

Filled with terror, holiday makers fled the sea for land but found no refuge when the creature pursued. Pulling itself onto the beach with its suckered tentacles, it swiped at the human delicacies falling in its path.

Snatching at the limbs of screaming teenagers. Gobbling fallen children whole. Cracking and crunching bones. Tearing flesh with its bladed teeth. Blood dribbled from its blubbery lips. It screamed with relish as it devoured the meaty morsels scrambling before it. Dinner had been served.

Whistles blowing, lifeguards came to the rescue. They fought through the bolting hordes only to turn and run when they saw the creature up close.

It was every man, woman, and child for themselves.

Many didn’t live to tell the tale while many escaped with their lives, traumatized by the horrors they had witnessed.

There have been many possible sightings since, and authorities are on a hunt to capture the monster before it causes any more deaths.

To this day the creature has still not been found.

© 2021 Mark Young

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DEEP SEA HELL BEAST HITS THE HEADLINES!!!

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(c) 2021 Mark Young.

Hello there!

It’s been a while since I last posted, so I wanted to take the opportunity to drop by and say hello.

I hope your 2021 has gotten off to a good start. Let’s all hope things get back to a new normal soon.

I’ve been keeping busy with other projects. But I’m now in the throws of completing editing on my third book. Watch out for posts on this in the coming weeks.

Back in February Sinister Smile Press featured me as their author of the month. I have featured stories/chapters in two of their publications: “To Hell and Back” in “If I Die Before I Wake Vol.3” and Chapter 9 in “Devil’s Gulch.”

You can check out the interview below:

Both “The Heartbreaker” and “Coven” (the first and second volume in the 13 Dark Fantasy & Horror Stories series) scored some cracking reviews:

You can check out Under The Covers’ full review here.

Both books also garnered some great reviews on Goodreads too. You can check those out here:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43250823-the-heartbreaker

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493188-coven

There’s a few publications coming out this year featuring my work which I’m really excited about and can’t wait to share. So stay tuned for more posts. In the meantime, why not check out “The Heartbreaker” and “Coven.” And if you’ve read them, why not leave a review. I’d really love to hear your thoughts on them.

Be in touch soon.

Love to you all.

Mark Young

Under The Covers Book Reviews – review The Heartbreaker

Huge shout out to Under The Covers Book Reviews for this fantastic review. I’m blown away.

Here’s the review in full:

“If you love short stories, particularly of the horror or dark fantasy varieties, Mark Young should absolutely be your go-to author. 

I’ve had the honor and privilege of contributing stories to two of the same books as Mark…so I already knew I loved his writing. I swear, I think I could pick out his work from hundreds of other writers. His voice is distinctive and he has a lovely style I adore. He is definitely a rising star in the horror genre. 

As a side note, he also has a beautiful voice and accent…I want to pay him to read to me all day long. 😂🖤

The Heartbreaker: 13 Dark Fantasy & Horror Stories, as the title states, has thirteen amazing stories, ranging from classic vampire tales, to government experimentation, to bullies who get their comeuppance. 

Here is a brief description of each of the stories included: 

The Heartbreaker – A brilliantly written story about a military man with special gifts…gifts which his government is abusing. It’s a very satisfying, highly plausible story. And terrifying…did I mention terrifying? 

Black Mist – A young girl, abused by her step-father, makes a life-altering decision. This story had a Needful Things vibe to me, and I absolutely loved it. 

Curse of the Dreamweaver – A rich, famous, good-looking athlete ruins his life by drunk-driving…and then some. This was one of my favorites…I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. 

The Artist – An actress meets an artist…and then weird things begin happening. This was a super cool, creative premise. 

Let’s Not Talk About Kevin – A young boy is locked away by his parents…but why? This is a quick, entertaining story. I would have liked a bit more background about what happened to Kevin and his sibling…but I still really enjoyed his thoughts. 

Heavenly Waters – I love sea creature stories…and this one was epic. What if you were out fishing and found THIS in the water? I think most women will find a guilty satisfaction while reading this short. 😉

The Good Boy – A man whose young son disappeared years before…might have new information about his whereabouts. This was so well-written, and, reading as a parent, so heartbreaking. I love how Mark can bring out such an array of emotions.

Living With Your Parents Can Be Murder – What happens when you move back in with your parents at age 42? Nothing good, I’d imagine. This story gave me a good chuckle. 

The Vanished – Something about this story screamed Dean Koontz to me. A massive storm hits, and a boy’s one wish comes true…much to his detriment. A special shout out to Wolf, the best character ever! 

The Unforgiving – A man, whose son is being bullied, is forced to confront his past. And it’s not pretty. This was deliciously evil and heartbreaking all at once. 

Gone – A man is bitten by a mosquito…or is he? This story is gory, weird, and brutal…and I loved every zany minute. 

The Diary of Ethel Edie Brown – A modern look at a classic horror monster…I loved the diary entries and alternating timelines. This was a beautifully executed short story. 

Protégé – A journalist meets a renowned doctor in the deep woods…and lives to regret it. This definitely brought to mind The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Overall, I enjoyed every single story in this book. 
Recommended! 

4.5 stars rounded to 5
Available now!“

The full review can be found on Facebook, Goodreads and Amazon.

It’s free on Kindle Unlimited and available to purchase on Amazon.

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“Your heart is in his hands” artwork.

Recently I’ve been spending a little less time on social media and re-teaching myself to draw (when I’m not reading or writing). So I thought I’d take the opportunity to share with you the fruits of my labour.

This piece is inspired by the anti-hero Steve Wrangler from my short story The Heartbreaker.

Here’s a snippet. I hope you like it.

“Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be the subject of your own experiment, Dr Knight?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m tired of having my heartstrings pulled. You wanted to change the experiment – reverse the procedure. I’m ready to oblige.” With a simple flick of my hand, I wrench Doc up. “Sweet dreams, Dr Knight.”

My hand clasps his heart – his organ like a spasmed fist. The pumping muscle punches against the breastplate as I pull it toward me. His toes scrape the concrete, as I drag his body in my direction. I grab Doc by the throat, still pulling his heart with the other hand. His body shudders. Blood gurgles in his throat and spills down his chin.

Chest bone cracks.

Rib cage rips open.

Blood soaks his clothes, reddening his crisp white coat. Doc’s heart floats into my palm and I crush it with my bare hand.

His limp body drops.

Blood pours from his mouth as he lands on his knees. Crack.

He tumbles over, smashing his head on the ground. He looks pathetic, almost comical, slumped on the concrete with his bulging eyes popping out of his head.

The alarm registers again, followed by the sound of voices.

No time to lose.

I run for the car, jump in and start the engine.

From the short story The Heartbreaker from ‘The Heartbreaker: 13 Dark Fantasy & Horror Stories published by Red Ink Publishing. Extract and illustration by Mark Young. (c) 2020 Mark Young.

Illustration by Mark Young. (c) 2020 Mark Young.

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