Cirrus@Austlit

'A driver picks up a hitchhiker from the side of a road; a restorer develops an unusual bond with a cursed doll; a visit to the cabin in the woods goes terribly wrong...

'We all know how these stories end - or do we?

'In This Fresh Hell, every story begins with a well-known horror trope but ends with a twist, bringing new life and unexpected resolutions to old ideas. Fears are interrogated, ghosts re-examined, and monsters reconfigured.

'From chilling to quirky, these stories will appeal to dedicated horror fans and those dipping into the genre for the first time.

'A Slender Man offers help to a boy in trouble; a haunted house is reluctant to terrify its new residents; a heartbroken influencer is challenged on a luxury cruise from hell.

'Writers from Australia and around the world reignite and subvert horror tropes in 19 genre-bending stories:

'Eugen Bacon, Elle Beaumont, Katya de Becerra, Jason Franks, Raymond Gates, Narrelle M. Harris, Sarah Glenn Marsh, Greg Herren, Claire Low, Annie McCann, Chuck McKenzie, L.J.M. Owen, Gillian Polack, Tansy Rayner-Roberts, Clare E. Rhoden, Candace Robinson, Sarah Robinson-Hatch, Claire L. Smith, C. Vonzale Lewis, and A.J. Vrana.' (Publication summary)

'In Narrelle M Harris' She-Wolf of Baker Street, Audrey Hudson takes the lead in this contemporary, paranormal take on the residents of Baker Street.

'After Sherlock Holmes “rescues” Audrey Hudson from a kidnapper, she offers him her upstairs flat in exchange for solving the unsolved murder of her family in Edinburgh. Sherlock’s being forced to theorise without data, however – he doesn’t know his new landlady and her late family are werewolves.

'There’s a lot he doesn’t know about his attractive new flatmate, John Watson, too.

'Momentum is added to the case as Sherlock’s investigations suggest a much bigger mystery is at play, involving a disturbing case on Dartmoor with a Greek interpreter; Sherlock’s agoraphobic sister, Myca; Audrey’s long-dead love, Ruby Stockton; and the fate of Great Britain’s mystic heart.

'Will Holmes be able to unravel the mysteries that have haunted Audrey’s life? And can Audrey protect her new pack, or is she about to lose those she loves once again to unknown enemies?' (Publication summary)

'All the corvids – the rooks and ravens, jays and jackdaws, crows and magpies – have the best collective nouns. A parliament and a party. Tidings and titterings, bands and trains. An unkindness.

'Clamour and Mischief brings a veritable storytelling to these corvidae, this bird family known for intelligence, cunning and connection with folklore and urban legends. Our storytellers come from around the world and include award-winning and shortlisted writers, as well as fledgling authors in their professional debut.

'This anthology’s sixteen striking stories, edited by Narrelle M Harris, are imbued with the humour, darkness, wisdom and magic of the birds which inspired them. Take them as a jest, a guide, or a warning – but don't, whatever you do, ignore them!'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Since his first appearance in 1887, Sherlock Holmes has been the quintessential English sleuth, alongside his loyal companion and biographer, Doctor John Watson.

'But what if they had come from some other place in the world, or another time? How would they differ from Conan Doyle's creations? How similar might they remain?

'Holmes and Watson are herein re-imagined in new cultural contexts, in different genders and sexualities, and in stories rich in foreign detail that still reflect their origins.

'Fourteen writers with cultural or historic expertise explore the possibilities in stories set in Germany, C17th England, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Russia, India, Poland, USA, Ancient Egypt, Viking Iceland, and even the entire world.

'You will discover how the Great Detective remains singular in every world!'

Source: Publilsher's blurb.

'Families can be thorny, especially when the closet's full of skeletons.

'It’s 2019, and Frank and Milo are fulfilling a dream they only recently realised they had – fatherhood. But they’re not only gaining a daughter – they’re inheriting some serious issues from little Lyra’s extended family. Milo is also discovering his own family history isn’t quite what he’s been told. Parenthood. Always full of surprises…

'With all this going on, they’d very much like to not be involved in any more violent crime, thanks.

'However, crime is not quite done with them in the fifth and final book of the Duo Ex Machina series.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Frank and Milo were introduced in Fly By Night (1999), where they got caught up in crime for the first time - smuggling, murder and assault.

'Five years later, on the verge of The Big Time, Frank and Milo were tangled up in murder and kidnapping again in Sacrifice (2004). The first consequence of Milo's experiences was to out himself and Frank as a couple on national television.

'In 2009, Number One Fan explores the full consequences of the events of Sacrifice - anxiety disorders and the derailing of their music career - as well as the new directions Frank and Milo are taking now. Crime still loiters in the wings, however, or a type more often seen in the music industry: a stalker.

'So here we are in 2014, and Frank and Milo are still together, still in love, and with new challenges. They'd very much like to not be involved in any more violent crime, thanks. However, crime seems not to be quite done with them.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Five years after a serial killer nearly put an end to Duo Ex Machina, Frank and Milo are still dealing with the aftermath, which includes a breakdown and the derailing of their career. But they're still together, still in love, and still making music.

'A new album is out, and Frank is producing too, helping former pop princess Gabriella Valli relaunch her career. Maybe this will be the comeback they've been looking for.

'Or it could be, if the mysterious letter-writing Number One Fan doesn't turn out to be dangerous as well as obsessed.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'It's all about scars and what they mean.

'Old myths made new.

'Poems for those who've passed.

'Tales of the lost and found.

'Rarely seen stories, reprinted.

'Brand new stories - in new places and familiar worlds.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Rome's Burning is a five-piece band with its roots in the 13th century; a line of musicians gifted with the magic-wielding Minstrel Tongue. For hundreds of years, Rome's Burning and its forebears have used music to protect the world from vampires, trolls, zombies, ghosts, banshees, dragons, water demons and other denizens of the dark. But after one hellish night in the suburbs of Budapest, Rome's Burning defeated a nest of vampires at a terrible cost; their lead singer and the love of his life are dead, Rome's Burning is no more. The survivors retreat as far as they can - to Melbourne, Australia - to deal with their grief, decide on their future, find a new leader and, as tradition demands, a new name. Before any of that happens, however, these minstrel-warriors have to find out why the dead keep rising everywhere they go. Everyone has secrets and some of them might explain what's going on. Perhaps the key is in the hands of Kitty Carrasco, the Melbourne funeral home beautician who doesn't know the secrets of her own past. Kitty and Cadaver is a story of grief, love, vampires, music, magic, secrets and the restless dead.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'At the height of the invasion, cities lie in ruins in Banjo's War. The bush is the only safe haven; the co-operation of black fella and white fella the last bastion of hope. This story captures the palpable desperation of the novel, depicting a near too fantastic wish-fulfilment, of an Australia and its many diverse peoples brought together to fight a common, non-human enemy. An alternate reality we'd all like to believe was somehow possible.'

Source: Foreword.

'In a world where wings gives everyone the freedom to fly, an artist born wingless uses her art to show the winged world the wonder of the ground. But when she meets a recently injured police officer who finds himself grounded, they will both learn that there is more than one way to soar.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'John Watson, invalided army doctor and sometimes artist, and Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective, become flatmates and friends in contemporary London. Love grows too, despite past betrayals and present dangers—for where you have Holmes and Watson, there too are Moriarty and Moran. A Dream to Build a Kiss On explores love and family, trust and betrayal, brothers and brothers-in-arms, forgiveness and revenge, in an ongoing tale told 221 words at a time.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.