And lastly, we turn our attention to our Artist Spotlight, the amazing Samual Araya and his full cover art for A Darke Phantastique. Samuel Araya is a professional illustrator. His work has appeared in a variety of media, from videogames, T-shirts, posters, and records, to cards and books, including two editions of the prestigious Spectrum: The… Continue reading Artist Spotlight: Samuel Araya
Tag: Darke Phantastique
Author Spotlight: Tom Conoboy
Even S. T. Joshi exclaimed that he’d never read anything like “Phoenix on the Orange River”, the final story in A Darke Phantastique. Written by Tom Conoboy, it begins: Once, on a moonlit road, quiet and warm, Death trundled by with a handcart bearing the belongings of my father. I was kissing a woman at the time, Magenta… Continue reading Author Spotlight: Tom Conoboy
Author Spotlight: Weston Ochse
Weston Ochse, our next spotlight in our continuing series on contributors to A Darke Phantastique, gets into the character of Ernest Hemingway in “The Fine Art of Courage”: “The matador must have a spiritual enjoyment of the moment of killing. Killing cleanly and in a way which gives you esthetic pleasure and pride has always been one… Continue reading Author Spotlight: Weston Ochse
Author Spotlight: Nickolas Furr
“In the Wardrobe” is the story by our next Author Spotlight contributor to A Darke Phantastique, Nickolas Furr. Here’s a sneak peak: Lord Butler-Graham leaned on his walking-stick, hand over hand, his knuckles rolling beneath scarred skin as he shifted his weight. The lamps glowed dimly, casting shadows about the room. A few dozen of the club’s gentlemen sat… Continue reading Author Spotlight: Nickolas Furr
Author Spotlight: Wendy Rathbone
Continuing our Darke spotlight, we next find Wendy Rathbone. Her beautiful story, “I Keep the Dark That Is Your Pain”, begins: Rumor had it the man in the old house at the edge of the woods was the greatest hunter the town had ever known. Stories told that he’d taken down rogue bears, the most rabid and fiercest of… Continue reading Author Spotlight: Wendy Rathbone
Author Spotlight: Lucy A. Snyder
“Kudzu” is an invasive story from A Darke Phantastique contributor Lucy A. Snyder. It begins: Your cell chimes just after you fall asleep. Swearing, you fumble for it on the nightstand. Certain you set the thing to vibrate, you stare at it blearily, wondering if you should just let it go to voicemail. LaRonda stirs sleepily beside you. “You… Continue reading Author Spotlight: Lucy A. Snyder
Author Spotlight: Ian Futter
Next up, we have poet of the dark, Ian Futter. His poem “Him”, is a beautiful piece in A Darke Phantastique. I fell in love with death. He stopped my heart and stole my breath. With charming smiles of bone and eyes like caves that called me home. And what is behind this seduction? … Continue reading Author Spotlight: Ian Futter
Author Spotlight: Jerry E. Airth
Jerry E. Airth offers “Promise to Nessie” as the next spolight contributor to A Darke Phantastique. It begins as follows: A heart-seizing cry rose from the lake, a wild, lost, lingering cry, born of desperation and fear and a great desire to be understood, to be private, to be free, to escape. It was a tearing at the fi re-blasted… Continue reading Author Spotlight: Jerry E. Airth
Author Spotlight: J. C. Koch
Continuing with our spotlight on contributors to A Darke Phantastique, we come to J. C. Koch and her story “Outsiders”. The beginning is eerie: I have lived in darkness for so long. The memory of light is still with me. It floats in my mind, tantalizing, so close yet so far away. For longer than I can… Continue reading Author Spotlight: J. C. Koch
Author Spotlight: Marge Simon
Our next spotlight author, Marge Simon graces A Darke Phantastique with “Selected Poems: Spider Poem, The Little Man, Dream the Titanic”. Here is a snippet: Needing neither sun nor moon, my mistress spins her webs. Long of leg, with umber hair drawn to fine designs with clip and braid the bright black eyes, the… Continue reading Author Spotlight: Marge Simon