The theme is Femme Fatale-that beautiful and seductive temptress who is sure to cause disaster and destruction wherever she chooses to go. This time, for the Castle of Horror, we're taking a dark peek into the mind of the female. These are horror stories from females, about females, edited by a female, each one featuring a clever twist on the femme fatale. Is she the villain or is she the hero? With everything from demons and snakes to taxidermy and strip poker, we've pulled together 16 tales that may leave you looking at your wife, your lover, your best friend, or just your next door neighbor, wondering "what is she really thinking?" Featuring stories from P. J. Hoover, Joy Preble, Christina Berry, Shelli Cornelison, Jessica Lee Anderson, Bernadette Johnson, S. de Freitas, Madeline Smoot, Carmen Gray, Jess Hagemann, Britta Jensen, S. N. Rodriguez, Miracle Austin, Katya de Becerra, M.J. Addy, and Beth Kander.

We've reached out to the finest minds in horror, from best-selling authors to fresh new voices, to bring you a collection of stories to chill the blood. Join us as we explore Hawaiian myth and intrigue from Jessica Lee Anderson, sexy, contemporary vampire horror from Dark Shadows star and author Lara Parker, zombie mystery horror from New York Times Best Seller Kevin J Anderson, Mexican mythology horror from David Bowles, grim sci-fi horror from PJ Hoover, home invasion terror from Jason Henderson (that's me), Gothic horror from Leanna Renee Hieber, spooky American ghost horror from Michael Aronovitz, survivalist horror from Tom Waltz, demonic family horror from Tony Bloodworth, Central American folklore horror from Julia Guzman, hilariously dark genie horror from Mario Acevedo, strange, mind-blowing mythology horror from Guadalupe Garcia McCall, demonic desert family horror from Barry Barclay, and genre-bending science fiction horror from In Churl Yo.

The theme is Gothic-- the horror of Gothic romance. Throughout the mid-century, paperback Gothic romance books dominated the shelves, always featuring a woman running away from a house. (Go ahead, Google "women running from houses.") Gothic romances tended to tell stories of women coming into conflict with old families, old houses and old traditions. So we've asked a bevy of best-selling writers to celebrate the movement with their own horrific takes on gothic. Run from the house with us! In Churl Yo offers a Bradburyesque sci-fi take on the Gothic, Alethea Kontis also chooses sci-fi in her tale of a futuristic medical procedure gone awry, John Ohno brings a classic governess-arrives-and-things-go-bad story, Jim Towns sets his story in 1972 with his movie-world horror tale, Amanda DeWees has a Gothic tale with an ingenious and tech-savvy female, Jeremiah Dylan Cook gives us a mysterious mansion-and sexy maybe-ghost, Leanna Renee Hieber brings us a ballad-like ghost origin story, Rob Nisbet makes a Lovecraft story out of Lovecraft himself, Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam comes to us with a ghost story of a house with its own ideas, Jason Henderson brings the beginning of a serialized story about an expedition into the fabled and haunted House of Usher, Charles R. Rutledge returns with a Carter Decamp psychic mystery, Henry Herz turns to folklore with his tale of a supernatural being wreaking vengeance on Scottish shores, Tony Jones spins us in the direction of violent, supernatural creatures with a taste for the nightlife, Michael Aronovitz weaves a tale about a person coming to terms with what it takes to escape an attic, Sam Knight perfectly evokes the smells and textures of life at an orchard, and Scott Pearson returns us once again to the contemporary era with his feminist commentary on the Modern Gothic.

The Darkest Lullaby is an anthology full of suspense and horror. You'll not want to miss this heart-pounding collection if you loved Survive the Night by Riley Sager, works by Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Joe Hill, or American Horror Story. Six authors come together to bring to life thrilling and heart-pounding horror stories of nannies and their wards, creating something unsettling that will haunt the reader long after they've finished reading! A governess is plagued by nightmares of her own death each night—but are they mere dreams? Atrocities of the past collide with the future for a nighttime nanny. Secrets surrounding a castle are murderous for a caregiver. A failed witch's apprentice must take up her late aunt's babysitting shift at a terrifying house. For one babysitter, discovering the truth about a local house, and her ward, comes with a hefty price. An unsuspecting young woman gets more than she bargained for when she takes on a nannying job… for a doll. Your new favorite hair-raising thrill awaits.

Heed the warnings, or you could be next. A society of Old Wives’ comes together in this collection of suspenseful stories. In between these pages, twelve authors draw on ancient tales your grandmothers warned you about. From demons living amongst humans, to ghosts lurking in the shadows, and even gods looming above, these recountings will surely inspire a fright. Open the book, turn the page, for it may be the last thing you do. Emporium of Superstition is an anthology full of superstition, suspense, and horror. If you love Survive the Night by Riley Seger, Stephen King, Joe Hill and American Horror Story, then you'll not want to miss this thrilling collection. keywords: old wives tale, retelling, folktale, urban legend, horror, light horror, suspense, thriller, mystery, paranormal suspense, paranormal horror

THE STORY: The home of the Blackwoods near a Vermont village is a lonely, ominous abode, and Constance, the young mistress of the place, can't go out of the house without being insulted and stoned by the villagers. They have also composed a nasty s

Readers are in for the fright of the night when they help Jodie and Johnny search for their Uncle Barnaby in the monster-filled halls of Grizzlemyst Castle. The reader chooses an optional path and gets drawn into an adventure where shrieking ghouls, brain-dead drudges, mutants, and torturers appear at every turn. Full color.