A Horror Novelette Double Feature
Featuring: Patrick Barb & J.A.W. McCarthy
Cover Illustrations: Evangeline Gallagher
Interior Illustrations: Ryan Mills
Release Date: TBA
Print ISBN: 978-1-7379740-8-6
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-7379740-9-3
Goodreads Page
“So Quiet, So White” – Patrick Barb
Roger Grimsby, a small-town curmudgeon known for his ‘80s horror paperback cover art, believes an ancient, bloodthirsty entity with ties to his family may have reemerged. But how does this connect to his wayward grandson, who prying police detectives and grieving parents blame for a recent knife attack massacre at a nearby summer camp? “So Quiet, So White” is cosmic folk horror that balances the act of creation through destructive forces, with the Grimsby family at the fulcrum. Prepare for bloodshed, and the beauty found within.
“Imago Expulsio (The Red Animal of Our Blood)” – J.A.W. McCarthy
Shauna’s infatuation with the enigmatic painter she meets at art school escalates into unwavering devotion when she learns about the mercilessly brutal cat and mouse game that has consumed Elise’s life. She vows to protect her, to keep her safe—but how far will she go to keep her promise? A self-portrait vomits viscera and the sinister secrets that lie at the heart of the decadently deranged “Imago Expulsio (The Red Animal of Our Blood),” where body parts and gore become fine art.
PRAISE FOR “SPLIT SCREAM VOLUME THREE”
“Reading the stories in the Volume Three made me think this just might be the perfect length for horror fiction. [They] are a real kick in the head, combining the urgency of the short form with the characterization, texture, and nuance of longer works. Both authors deserve recognition for the maturity and ingenuity of their writing.
Both tales are told with admirable skill, with attention to pacing and characterization as well as shock value. Although you can read the entire volume in one evening, you will end with a sense of having taken a much longer journey.”
— S.P. Miskowski, author of I Wish I Was Like You
“SPLIT SCREAM Volume Three offers up a strong publication with stories by Patrick Barb and J.A.W. McCarthy. With threads of twisted secrets and a worship of art, both tales successfully create in-depth worlds where darkness lingers. Barb’s character-driven, cosmic tale steadily builds up unique layers for readers to discover as a deeper truth is constructed, which balances nicely with McCarthy’s lush prose where layers are bled away in a beautifully poetic and visceral story. Does art heal or destroy the characters within both tales? Readers will have to pick up this delightful pairing to find out!”
—Sara Tantlinger, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Devil’s Dreamland
“The third volume of the SPLIT SCREAM series features its most cohesive pairing yet. Barb’s and McCarthy’s stories reflect and refract. Both are deeply enamored with art, while exploring vastly different pathological vistas. The result is a duo that compliments each other’s aesthetics in one highly readable volume, covering both weirded-out slashers and neo-gothic tragedy.”
—Carson Winter, author of Soft Targets
“In Split Scream Volume Three, the authors explore the theme of art and how it can possess us, free us, calm us, and drive us mad. These stories carve and slice deep, lodging beneath the skin like a splinter.”
—Angela Sylvaine, author of Frost Bite
PRAISE FOR “SO QUIET, SO WHITE” by PATRICK BARB
“‘So Quiet, So White’ is an edgy, suspenseful tale of paranoia, set in a remote small town where locals blame a teenager for a recent massacre. The teen’s grandfather, Roger Grimsby, is an artist known primarily for his gruesome paperback covers, and his recollections hint at secret pacts and bloody sacrifices beyond the present crisis. Barb has created such an intense, hallucinogenic atmosphere around this isolated community, the imagery and the setting will stay with you for a long time.”
—S.P. Miskowski, author of I Wish I Was Like You
“‘So Quiet, So White’ features a remote town where the moon man’s watching and massacres happen. Roger and his family have a dark history and a darker present, secrets and unknown horrors gnawing at the edge of every page. Patrick Barb hooked me, didn’t let me go, and left me staring into the dark night when it was done.”
—Angela Sylvaine, author of Frost Bite
PRAISE FOR “IMAGO EXPULSIO” by J.A.W. McCARTHY
“‘Imago Expulsio (The Red Animal of Our Blood)’ offers an impressive visceral combination of cosmic horror and body horror in a tale of two artists. The erotic becomes inextricably entwined with something terribly sinister, as we follow the protagonist’s desperate attempts to save her beloved. McCarthy’s success at devising a moving, plausible love story within this struggle demonstrates exceptional artistry.”
— S.P. Miskowski, author of I Wish I Was Like You
“‘Imago Expulsio (The Red Animal of Our Blood)’ is a love story across time, an exercise in ever-lasting patience in the face of cosmic evil. The lovers display such strength, Elise reveling in her scars and Shauna showing all-consuming devotion. J.A.W. McCarthy renders body horror so lovingly, turning the grotesque gorgeous, while ratcheting up the tension to an ending that was, at once, agonizing and gratifying.”
—Angela Sylvaine, author of Frost Bite