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"I asked how many days it took before she was aware of the ghost."   It’s time for another flash fiction roundup! Join Aurelien for a quick tour of the latest sweet, spooky, supernatural, super weird, and, of course, super short fiction she's loved lately. No spoilers!    "Not the Pizza Girl" by Michelle Ann King: https://everydayfiction.com/not-the-pizza-girl-by-michelle-ann-king/ "Ghost Collecting" by Sheila Massie: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/article/ghost-collecting/ "Larry" by Elsa Richardson-Bach: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/article/larry/ "How to Confront the Sphinx Haunting Your Garden" by Alexei Collier: http://flashfictiononline.com/main/article/sphinx -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

This week for book club, let's go on a spooky tour of Aurelien's horror shelf, from teen witches and the perils of friendship, to creepy haunted houses, dark family secrets, and suspenseful short stories. No spoilers!   "A Head Full of Ghosts" by Paul Tremblay “And the Trees Crept In” by Dawn Kurtagich “The Twisted Ones” by T. Kingfisher “The Scapegracers” by Hannah Abigail Clarke “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” by Grady Hendrix “Slasher Girls & Monster Boys” edited by April Genevieve Tucholke “The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares” by Joyce Carol Oates   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

“Haunting is an art.”   Find us in the secret room for a hauntingly good time with "Open House on Haunted Hill" (2020) by John Wiswell. Autumn isn't only spooks and screams; it's also about loneliness, change, and the warmth of home. Warning: this story might melt your horror-loving heart.    Read the story: http://www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-64a-open-house-on-haunted-hill-by-john-wiswell/   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"What fearful shapes and shadows beset his path amidst the dim and ghastly glare of a snowy night!"   Let's meet at the spooky old church for book club to talk about a classic American ghost story: "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820) by Washington Irving. Featuring superb descriptions of fall foliage, an excellent spooky atmosphere, and ghostly, mysterious ending, this story will immerse you in autumn.    And if you can't get enough Sleepy Hollow, check out the latest episode of of Film on the Rocks: https://pca.st/zobwnl5i   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

“Terror can fill any space.”   It's time for book club, and for the exciting conclusion of Michael Crichton's "Sphere" (1987)! Packed with thrills, chills, and more giant squid than you can shake a stick at, Aurelien covers the second half of this mysterious scifi adventure. This episode is full of spoilers!   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"What they find defies their imaginations and mocks their attempts at logical explanation..."   Something has been found on the ocean floor, something intriguing and impossible. A group of scientists are sent 1000 feet down to investigate - and there, they find something even stranger. Aurelien covers the first half of "Sphere" (1987) by Michael Crichton, a paranoid, weird sciencey horror thriller.   Episode references "Packing for Mars" by Mary Roach: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9542311-packing-for-mars Learn about the Drake Equation: https://seti.org/drake-equation-index   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"Black winter had descended in a single night.”   Watch the tides and slip out in the cover of night for Daphne Du Maurier's "The Birds" (1952). It's a chilling, suspenseful story that's not really like the movie adaptation at all, and will fill your heart with dread. If you're a Shirley Jackson fan, add this one to your tbr! Spoilers ahead!   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

And now she sat so very quietly, so very still, like a living-dead doll staring out the window.   Buenas noches, spooky friends! This week, let Aurelien tell you all about how Georgina's perfectly planned life got flipped-turned upside down - by Death. Set during the Mexican Revolution, "This Strange Way of Dying" (2011) by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a spooky dark historical love story about choosing your future and also, becoming a goth queen. Spoilers ahead!   Read "This Strange Way of Dying" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia http://giganotosaurus.org/2011/08/01/this-strange-way-of-dying/   Buy the story collection "This Strange Way of Dying: Stories of Magic, Desire and the Fantastic" https://www.silviamoreno-garcia.com/blog/this-strange-way-of-dying/   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"She is only a ghost, and nobody believes in ghosts any longer."   Let's go back in time for book club this week, with Ellen Glasgow's 1920 ghost story "The Past". If you like classic gothic stories and spooky hauntings, but also want a protagonist who asks "wtf?", this one is for you. And, please, ignore the spiritual representation of trauma watching us from the corner.    Episode references Learn more about Ellen Glasglow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Glasgow   Check out "The Big Book of Ghost Stories": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13330932-the-big-book-of-ghost-stories   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

“The house was full of dead bodies, it seemed. It felt like a mechanical cemetery.”   Hey, spooky friends! It's a special, Bradbury birthday edition of book club. Aurelien discusses (and spoils!) her favorite Ray Bradbury short stories: the spacey sadness of "All Summer in a Day" and the visceral horror of "The Veldt". Plus: how it feels when a favorite author might be someone you wouldn't want to talk to at a party.    Episode references Listen to Aurelien talk about "The Mummy" (1999) on Film on the Rocks podcast! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/film-on-the-rocks/id1482638759?i=1000487571880   Read more about Bradbury's complicated legacy: https://electricliterature.com/the-new-fahrenheit-451-movie-fails-to-reckon-with-bradburys-racism/   Read that 1979 "Fahrenheit 451" coda: https://stjoe.k12.in.us/ourpages/auto/2015/3/9/49008830/Bradbury%20-%20Coda.pdf   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"Darkness stood hushed and bulky beneath his kitchen window."   Bring a flashlight and stay out of the cellar! This week, Aurelien covers Ramsey Campbell's viscerally horrifying "The Brood" (1980). It's a dark, unsettling story about a lonely veterinarian and the strange happenings in the house next door. Who lives there? What are they doing with all those small animals? And do you hear those moaning, wailing cries?   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com * Bonus clip from The Neverending Story (1984) property of Warner Bros

"Even when you’re dead, some things cut close to the bone."   Let's go to the mall, everybody! But be careful - you don't want to get stuck here, like the ghosts in "Old Habits" (2011) by Nalo Hopkinson. It's a short modern horror story that manages to pack in plenty of nightmares (and feelings). Spoilers ahead!   Episode references: Read the story at Uncanny Magazine: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/old-habits/ Grab a copy of Uncanny Magazine Issue Twenty-One: https://uncannymagazine.com/issues/uncanny-magazine-issue-twenty-one/ Need a smile? Watch "Let's Go to the Mall" by Robin Sparkles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY_bhVSGKEg   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"...and there were the trooping faeries that would steal them all away to their underground hills for a hundred years."   Meet by the edge of the wood and wear your best coat to book club for modern faery tale "The Coat of Stars" by Holly Black. It's a short and emotional story of lost love, faery bargains, and ethereal womenswear. Spoilers ahead!    -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"Not a spirit to be found, of course."   Meet in the hidden passage at midnight for book club to discuss modern gothic comic "Women Do Not Creep by Daylight" (2019), written by Vera Greentea and illustrated by Kyla Vanderklugt. A spiritual descendent of "The Yellow Wallpaper", it's the story of a determined young woman, a crumbling old castle, and a mysterious green amulet. No spoilers in this one!    Episode References: Buy the comic: https://greenteapublishing.com/collections/books/products/women-do-not-creep-by-daylight Read "The Yellow Wallpaper" free online: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1952/1952-h/1952-h.htm Read "Lullaby for a Lost World" free online: https://www.tor.com/2016/06/08/lullaby-for-a-lost-world/   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"She was not quite sure what made her so nervous."   Leave the city behind and join Aurelien at the lake house for Shirley Jackson's 1948 paranoia-inducing short story, "The Summer People". It's a story full of beautiful views, strange townspeople, and a distinct feeling of creeping dread.   Episode References: Explore US prices and wages by decade: https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages Make an egg'n'onion sandwich: http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/food-drink/egg-n-onion-sandwich/   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com * Clip from Tommy Dorsey at the Hollywood Paladium: https://www.oldradioworld.com/shows/Tommy_Dorsey.php * Clip from Artie Shaw At the Hotel Lincoln: https://www.oldradioworld.com/shows/Artie_Shaw.php * Clips from real Brylcream and Captain Midnite Ovaltine commercials: https://www.oldradioworld.com/shows/Vintage_Commercials.php

"The sound that wasn’t footsteps came closer."   Do you hear that strange tapping? Better investigate before book club this week for "Come Closer" by Sara Gran (2003). It's a strange, dark, twisty horror story about identity, relationships, and the strength (and weakness) of our own minds. And also demons.    References Listen to ep. 7 to learn about the Fox Sisters and their mysterious tapping And ep. 8 for the spooky true story of Pearl Curran and her Ouija friend https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossroads_(mythology) -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"I’m the picture of normalcy. June Cleaver with freeze-dried casseroles. Betty Crocker in a gas mask."   Grab your emergency supplies and join Aurelien at book club for YA contemporary weird novel "Let's Call It A Doomsday" by Katie Henry. It's a wild ride through teen angst, clinical anxiety, world-ending prophecies, and friendship (awww).    -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com * End tag from "Clerks" (1994) and property of Kevin Smith/Miramax

"He had not known that he lived in so wild a region."   This week, book club goes back to the '90s - the 1890s! With Ambrose Bierce's classic dark story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". Set during the Civil War, it's the exciting tale of a lucky escape and a long journey home -- or is it?    Read the story free online: http://ambrosebierce.org/owlcreekbridge.html Listen to a wind harp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qESQa8UHCTw   -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"Days ago, we gave a man to the sea, but here she is, dancing."   Hide the knives and bring the bleach for book club! This week, Aurelien read "My Sister, the Serial Killer" by Oyinkan Braithwaite. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, it's a modern, darkly funny take on a timeless story: girl meets boy, girl murders boy, girl gets sister to help dispose of boy's body in the dead of night, girl meets another boy...  -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com

"This is a city where numberless aspirations can be fulfilled."   This week, Aurelien discusses Ursula K. LeGuin's 1973 short story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" and NK Jemisin's 2018 response, "The Ones Who Stay and Fight". What kind of world do you want to live in? What are you willing to fight for? And which part of these stories is sci-fi?   Read "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas": https://www.utilitarianism.com/nu/omelas.pdf Check out "All the Birds in the Sky" by Charlie Jane Anders And "How Long 'til Black Future Month?" by NK Jemisin  -- * Theme: Magical Transition by Kevin McLeod * Additional music and sound effects from zapsplat.com