Here we are at the final episode of October. If this is your first time tuning in, welcome! We've been serving up horror fiction all month long. Two stories per episode, twice a week, with author insights and listener discount codes.

We're closing out the month and the season with two novels. Justin Holley's Unseen Gods, and Ramsey Campbell's An Echo of Children. These are fully fledged horror stories and both came out within the last few weeks. Amanda Benzecry reads the Prologue from Unseen Gods and Nathan Chatelier reads an extract from Chapter 7 of An Echo of Children.

Biographies

Justin Holley lives somewhere on the Cass Lake chain of lakes with his wife, and also a rather large Daneiff named Nu and a clever but tiny Devon Rex named Jinx. Justin is the author of the novels Blood from the Stars, Tethered to Darkness, Seven Cleopatra Hill, the 3-book Bruised series, and several pieces of short fiction haunting anthologies and magazines around the world. Bruised made Grand Master Brian Keene’s 2015 list of top fifteen books. He’s hard at work on his next novel when not boating, investigating the paranormal, or playing sport.

Ramsey Campbell was born in Liverpool in 1946 and now lives in Wallasey. He has received the Grand Master Award of the World Horror Convention, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Horror Writers Association, the Living Legend Award of the International Horror Guild and the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015 he was made an Honorary Fellow of Liverpool John Moores University for outstanding services to literature. Three of Campbell’s novels have been filmed – The Influence, Pact of the Fathers and The Nameless (in development as a Netflix series).

Both books are now available to purchase on our website using the discount code revealed in the episode! Unseen Gods by Justin Holley and An Echo of Children by Ramsey Campbell.

This episode was hosted by Olivia.

‘Unseen Gods’ is ©2025 Justin Holley (Flame Tree Publishing, 2025)

‘An Echo of Children’ is ©2025 Ramsey Campbell (Flame Tree Publishing, 2025)

.....................................................................................................................................

Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer).

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here: flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

Our full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com

Flame Tree Publishing, Independent Publisher of the Year 2024, British Fantasy Society. Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.

The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.

If you listened to Tuesday's episode, you’ll know that this week on the LIVE AND SPOOKY edition of the podcast, we’re spotlighting our anthology, Latin American Shared Stories. A vibrant collection of speculative stories and fascinating essays highlighting the many voices, mythologies, folklore and storytelling prowess of authors from Latin American countries or writing in the traditions of the Latin American diaspora.

In that episode, we included a note from the editor V. Castro and shared two brand new short stories along with insights from their authors.

Today’s bonus episode gives the rest of the anthology’s contributors a platform to share their thoughts and inspirations behind their work. We’ll also be revealing an exclusive discount code that will get you 30% off the anthology on our website!

A big thank you to all of the anthology contributors who sent in audio clips for the podcast: V. Castro, Daniel Olivas, Alyssa Alessi, Gustavo Bondoni, David Bowles, Dr R. Andrew Chesnut, Rios de la Luz, Ivette N. Diaz, Laura Diaz de Arce, Ruth Joffre, S. Alessandro Martinez, Juliana Spink Mills, Vanessa Molina, Richie Narvaez, Wi-Moto Nyoka and A.E. Santana.

This episode was hosted by Bea.

.....................................................................................................................................

Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer).

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here: flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

Our full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com

Flame Tree Publishing, Independent Publisher of the Year 2024, British Fantasy Society. Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.

The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.

If you caught Tuesday's episode, you’ll know that this week on the LIVE AND SPOOKY edition of the podcast, we’re spotlighting our anthology, Fever Dreams. A collection of horror short stories edited by Mark Morris that showcases some of the very best short fiction the genre has to offer.

In that episode, we included a note from the editor, Mark Morris and shared two brand new short stories along with insights from their authors.

Today’s bonus episode gives the rest of the anthology’s contributors a platform to share their thoughts and inspirations behind their work. We’ll also be revealing an exclusive discount code that will get you 30% off the anthology on our website!

A big thank you to all of the anthology contributors who sent in audio clips for the podcast: Mark Morris, Priya Sharma, Caolán Mac an Aircinn, Tracy Fahey, Philip Fracassi, Craig DiLouie, Kaaron Warren, Lucy A. Snyder, Chad Lutzke, Kay Chronister, Ryan Cole, Clay McLeod Chapman, Alan Baxter, Rob Francis, Tanya Pell and C.J. Leede.

This episode was hosted by Olivia.

#horrorfiction #newreleases #spookyseason

.....................................................................................................................................

Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer).

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here: flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

Our full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com

Flame Tree Publishing, Independent Publisher of the Year 2024, British Fantasy Society. Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.

The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.

Welcome back to the second week of our LIVE AND SPOOKY month of horror!

This October, we’re giving you double the episodes with double the chills. Each week, we are spotlighting the newest Flame Tree horror fiction titles so you can celebrate and fully embrace the spooky season.

And this week, we’ll be heading into a feast of horror. The two stories we will be featuring are from ‘Fever Dreams’, which is the sixth volume in our ABC of Horror series, edited by Mark Morris. The included stories are ‘Piglet’ by Priya Sharma, narrated by Amanda Benzecry (06.59) and ‘Forty Below’ by Caolán Mac an Aircinn, narrated by Nathan Chatelier (39.43).

Fever Dreams is now available for purchase on our website or from any good bookstores near you.

This episode is hosted by Olivia.

‘Piglet’ is ©2025 Priya Sharma and appeared in Fever Dreams (Flame Tree Publishing, 2025)

‘Forty Below’ is ©2025 Caolán Mac an Aircinn and appeared in Fever Dreams (Flame Tree Publishing, 2025)

#horrorfiction #newreleases #spookyseason

.....................................................................................................................................

Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer).

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here: flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

Our full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com

Flame Tree Publishing, Independent Publisher of the Year 2024, British Fantasy Society. Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.

The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.

If you caught Tuesday’s episode, you’ll know that this week on the LIVE AND SPOOKY edition of the podcast, we’re spotlighting our anthology, This Way Lies Madness. A collection of short stories that presents fictional interpretations of madness with the hope of reinventing the over stigmatized representations of mental health in horror.

In that episode, we included a discussion between the editors, Lee Murray and Dave Jeffery, and shared two brand new short stories along with insights from their authors.

Today’s bonus episode gives the rest of the anthology’s contributors a platform to share their thoughts and inspirations behind their work. We’ll also be revealing an exclusive discount code that will get you 30% off the anthology on our website!

A big thank you to all of the anthology contributors who sent in audio clips for the podcast: Lee Murray, Dave Jeffery, Sara Larner, Sean Hogan, Emily Ruth Verona, Ryan Cole, Callum Rowland, Kayleigh Dobbs, Sayan J. Soselisa, Amanda Cecelia Lang, Alan Baxter, Stephen Volk, Ramsey Campbell, Alma Katsu, Marie O’ Regan, Grace Chan, L.E. Daniels and Sumiko Saulson.

Lee Murray in discussion with the book’s illustrator, Greg Chapman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-3hwbqGF_U&t=1s

This episode was hosted by Bea.

.....................................................................................................................................

Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer).

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here: flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

Our full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com

Flame Tree Publishing, Independent Publisher of the Year 2024, British Fantasy Society. Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.

The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.

The first ever LIVE AND SPOOKY episode of the Myth and Fiction podcast is here!

This October, the Flame Tree Myth & Fiction Podcast is being haunted by our newest horror fiction titles. We're bypassing the tricks this Halloween and treating you all to: 2 brand new short stories, 2 episodes a week, editor and author guests and exclusive listener discounts!

Today’s episode looks at This Way Lies Madness. A short story anthology that in the tradition of Poe’s 'The Tell-tale Heart', presents fictional interpretations of madness. It seeks to provide a creative benchmark for writers, challenge mental health stigma, awaken understanding, and offer hope to readers through the lens of horror fiction. In this episode you’ll hear from the anthology editors and get to listen to the following short stories with a special note from their authors: ‘The Dark Gets In’ by Sean Hogan (12:02), narrated by Nathan Chatelier and ‘A Note for William Cowper’ by Sara Larner (31:01), narrated by Amanda Benzecry.

This Way Lies Madness is now available in the UK from our website or from any good bookshop near you. The US on sale date is the 14th of October.

This episode was hosted by Bea.

‘The Dark Gets In’ is ©2025 Sean Hogan and appeared in This Way Lies Madness (Flame Tree Publishing, 2025)

‘A Note for William Cowper’ is ©2025 Sara Larner and appeared in This Way Lies Madness (Flame Tree Publishing, 2025)

#horrorfiction #newreleases #spookyseason

.....................................................................................................................................

Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer).

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here: flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

Our full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com

Flame Tree Publishing, Independent Publisher of the Year 2024, British Fantasy Society. Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.

The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.

September’s podcast guest star is author and editor V. Castro!

V. Castro is the celebrated author of Mestiza Blood, The Queen of the Cicadas and several short stories in our anthologies. She finds her inspirations in Mexican folklore and the urban legends of Texas.

In this episode, recorded at London Book Fair, Nick and V. chat all about their passion for storytelling, folklore and dark fiction.

And the best part? You can hear more from V. next month in our LIVE AND SPOOKY celebrations where she'll be back on the Myth & Fiction Podcast to talk about editing Flame Tree's upcoming anthology, Latin American Shared Stories! This stunning book will be going on sale on the 21st of October.

.....................................................................................................................................

Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer).

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here: flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

Our full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com

Flame Tree Publishing, Independent Publisher of the Year 2024, British Fantasy Society. Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.

The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.

In today’s episode, we are taking a look into the veil between worlds, the margin between the living and the dead. Is it really so clear which side is which? Or is this veil thinning all the time, in memories we inherit, and in those moments when we brush close to the other side?

Featuring

‘Our Bones Were the Mortar’ by Anjali Patel (01.25), read by Cheryl S. Ntumy. A story from our African Ghost collection, which follows a woman who wants nothing to do with her family’s legacy of necromancy - until she feels the weight of thousands of enslaved souls buried beneath Manhattan.

‘A Visit to the King of Ghosts’ from Hawaiian folklore and recorded by W.D. Westervelt (11.49), read by Shilpa. A narrative where a man's spirit separates from his body to wander the ghostly realm. Borrowed from Flame Tree’s Quests & Journeys.

Biographies

Anjali Patel is a Black and South Asian speculative fiction writer. Her poetry and short stories have appeared in Escape Pod, Uncanny Magazine, Fantasy Magazine, khōréō, The Deadlands, and others. Find her at anjali.fyi or all socials @anjapatel.

W.D. Westervelt (1849–1939) was an American author and pastor. He settled in Hawaii in 1899 and served as the Corresponding Secretary for the Hawaiian Historical Society beginning in 1908. He is considered one of the foremost authorities on Hawaiian folklore in English.

Cheryl S. Ntumy is a Ghanaian writer of speculative fiction and has appeared in Black Friday, FIYAH Literary Magazine, Apex Magazine and World Literature Today.

Learn more about Shilpa Varma and her role at Flame Tree here.

This episode was hosted by Olivia.

‘Our Bones Were the Mortar’ is ©2021 Anjali Patel and was originally published in Khōréō (2021), but more recently appeared in African Ghost (Flame Tree Publishing, 2024).

‘A Visit to the King of Ghosts’ was recorded from Hawaiian folklore in 1915 by W.D. Westervelt, but more recently appeared in Quests & Journeys (Flame Tree Publishing, 2024).

#podcast #shortstories #necromancy #ghosts #folklore

.....................................................................................................................................

Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.

This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer).

Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here: flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.html

Our full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com

Flame Tree Publishing, Independent Publisher of the Year 2024, British Fantasy Society. Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.

The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.