After much deliberation and discussion, our curator Paul Carro has made the final selections for the SELF (S)CARES Anthology! Acceptances and rejections have been sent out, so anyone that was waiting for the news, please check your emails! Sending the rejections was not easy because these stories were all amazing, creative, and original, each in their own way. Choices were made on a long list of criteria, including creativeness, originality, and those that sought to go outsi

Today, we have some guest reviews from local Pittsburgh author, Kerry E.B. Black! Check out her thoughts on some Easter Horror below and be sure to grab both books to give them a read! CARL by A.C. Hessenauer Billed as an Easter horror, A.C. Hessenauer’s novella, Carl, focuses on a fourteen-year-old girl named Tess. Tess discovers a once-loved stuffed rabbit she’d named Carl among the Easter decor. She takes the tattered toy to her room and places him in a place of honor whil

Welcome to Latham's Last Words, where I give you my last words on books I've enjoyed. I do love extreme/splatterpunk horror and when I saw the table of contents for this anthology I knew it was going to be a banger. And I was right! Gorefest With the amount of horror talent in the table of contents there's no chance this wouldn't be an awesome, gruesome, gory, disgusting good time. F**kin Maggots by Natasha Sinclair A brutal rock and roll story that was unexpectedly lewd and

Exploring The Labyrinth In this series, I will be reading every Brian Keene fiction book that has been published (and is still available in print) and then producing an essay on it. With the exception of Girl On The Glider, these essays will be based upon a first read of the books concerned. The article will assume you’ve read the book, and you should expect MASSIVE spoilers. I hope you enjoy my voyage of discovery. A Gathering of Crows Welcome to Brinkley Springs, West Virgi

This week, Cindy O'Quinn is Uncomfortably Dark's spotlight author. She is an absolute delight! Check out her interview below and be sure to pick up one of her books! MEET CINDY O'QUINN Introduce yourself in 4 sentences or less. I’m Cindy O'Quinn, the youngest of three daughters. An Appalachian writer from the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. No, my dad wasn’t a coal miner. He was a bread deliveryman. Mom worked in a shoe factory. Childhood nickname, Little Joe, after my

THE FACE OF PAIN By Tim Waggoner THE FACE OF PAIN is presented as a journey through one of the most creative and visceral representations of Hell that I’ve ever seen put on paper. Raw, all-consuming pain brought to life in this twisted world that centers on a hospital built on corruption and cruelty where pain is all they know, one where the doctors bring pain, thrive on it, delight in causing it. One woman, facing the unthinkable, becomes lost in this twisted hellscape, figh

MORTY’S HOLIDAY By: Bryn Grover Release: 2/27/26 Page count: 93 KU: Yes       Hoopla: No Synopsis: Morty just wants a vacation. A few days without the burden of killing people for a quota, the bosses breathing down his neck, just sweet, sweet life on the life on high seas. First line: “Stepping off the ramp of the cruise ship and taking a deep breath, Morty stopped and looked around him.” Favorite line: “I already had things set up father down the beach for them to fall into

Happy Saturday! Today I did things a little differently than usual. Kinda. I feel as though these reviews get a little wild and unhinged, but in the best ways possible—and when I say unhinged, I mean that I went ahead and used multiple quotes for several of the books and censored some of the quotes. If you know me, you know I don’t censor anything. So, that alone should say something. Anyway, I went a bit longer on these, so let’s skip the small talk and dive right in! Enjoy!

Welcome to Latham's Last Words, where I give you my last words on books I've enjoyed. Today I have two reviews for you. Out Of The Drowning Deep by A. C. Wise and Monkey Bones by Rob Smales. Out of the Drowning Deep by A.C. Wise What do an angel, an outdated automaton and a recovering drug addict have in common? They're all trying to solve the mystery of the Pope's murder. But the mystery is just the mechanism to being these three together. A sci-fi religious cosmic horror

Porcelain Lullaby by Blaine Daigle I went into this story almost blind, the only clue being the creepy doll on the cover. Who doesn’t love a creepy doll story? This turned out to be so much more than just a story with creepy dolls in it, although they are there, and are fully creepy. But this is also a story about family, about the tragedies that can tear us apart, about the grief and regret and anger that can keep us rooted in our past, forever haunted by it. This is a story

THE RESURRECTION GIRL BY NATHAN LUDWIG Anastasia Fell has the power to resurrect the dead. The government exploits this ability in order to “defib” murderers at the scene of a crime. Innocent victims are left to rot while the feds look good with their conviction numbers. Naturally, this has taken a severe mental toll on Fell and she is desperate to break free and make a real difference. She gets more than she bargained for when her longtime obsessions in the Butcher Brothers,

Wilson by Jack Finn Carnival horror has been one of my favorite tropes since I was a teen. There’s just something inherently creepy about a carnival or traveling circus. The mere concept of a collection of strangers, many picked up along the way, pitching a tent on the edges of town with the aim of peddling their wares, or showcasing their talents, feels absurd, especially nowadays. Just try pitching that idea to someone now and not have them look at you like you grew a seco

Friends and foes, I’m back! It feels good to put some new and amazing recommendations on your already overwhelming TBR. But alas, it’s my curse. There are so many goodies this week that I’m just going to jump on it… TERRAFIDE By : Ryan Hyatt Release : 3/24/26 Page count : 293 KU : No       Hoopla : TBD Synopsis : Eight stories from revenge and car salesmen to the need for a better time and zombies. First line : “Jose is the first they let go, although we can’t agree what that

NOW A BRAM STOKER NOMINEE! Find out why today! MOLTING by Kathryn Tennison Michelle Callaway falls in love at first sight with the dilapidated A-frame house in the New Hampshire woods. Wanting a fresh start, she pours herself into making this house her perfect home. But someone – or something – already nests in that house. Can Michelle force it to leave before she loses her sanctuary, her sanity, and her sense of self? Praise for Molting! “A searing horror debut overflowing w

Happy Saturday! We’re starting April off strong with the reviews I have today! Two are new-to-me authors, and one is from a very familiar author. The one thing they all have in common is that they’re phenomenal writers, and I cannot recommend their books enough! Enjoy! PUMPKIN SEEDS by Tyler Downs “Burnt goddess of night, Naked in your bed of bones, I welcome you to swim again, In a sea of skulls and tongues, Upon your throne of spines, Amid your maze of madness, Let us gaze

Reviews and thoughts on writing with Craig Brownlie That sounds a little anxious, though definitely in the proper order. RE/Search 8/9: J.G. Ballard V. Vale (Editor), Andrea Juno (Editor) The Hematophages: Splatterings Stephen Kozeniewski Dark Entries Ian Rankin, Werther Dell'Edera Madness and Greatness Can Share the Same Face Amanda Headlee There are two parts to these reviews for the first quarter of 2026. The first half is already floating about on Uncomfortably Dark. As a

Welcome to Latham's Last Words, where I give you my last words on books I've enjoyed. Matthew Cash is one of my favorite authors. He writes in so many subgenres of horror. This Autonomous God Now this is religious horror. I dare say some would consider this book blasphemy. But that's ok. Horror is meant to make the reader uncomfortable. The story will make you think and some parts will make you squirm with it's grotesqueness. It's not overly extreme, but there are some parts

Don't miss one of the best reads of the year from Amanda Headlee! Take a journey back in time, travel the Wild West with Bea and hear her story of feminine rage, empowerment, and freedom. THIS IS HOW A VILLAIN IS MADE by Amanda Headlee Fleeing her father's cruelty, Beatrix Beaumont arrives in Yellow Creek City with little more than a name and a will to survive. When she lands work as a caretaker in the home of a respected town leader, it seems like a stroke of luck. But the h

Strange Little Ghouls by Wendy Dalrymple From Florida Gothic horror author Wendy Dalrymple comes a collection of 13 terrifying tales centering the female experience. From doting mothers to twisted girl scouts, unsuspecting lovers and vengeful young women, Strange Little Ghouls explores the darkest parts of our hearts and minds. I listened to the Audible version of Strange Little Ghouls and I’m very glad that I did. It was exceptional, both in narration and in content. The s

Did you miss this fall release from Patrick Tumblety? Be sure to grab a signed copy from Uncomfortably Dark Today or grab the ebook online! Links below! ONE FRIGHT ONLY by Patrick Tumblety Terrors too terrifying to let loose for long, the Badger Farms Halloween Attraction returns for one night only! Bring your family, tell your friends, and get ready for the scariest celebration of the year! Too full of candy to make it to the farm? Buy a virtual ticket to watch the terrors