2026 Featured Authors and their stories
The Waiting Friends
by Mike Rusetsky
Published Jan. 1 2026
Mike Rusetsky is a Ukrainian-American author of horror, urban fantasy and speculative fiction. He started out as a playwright, with his original one-act productions Angel of Death and The Plight of Smitty earning critical praise. His recent publications include stories in anthologies by Outsider Publishing, Black Hare Press, Inkd Publishing, Storm Dragon Publishing, Wicked Shadow Press and the periodicals Sometimes Hilarious Horror, Tales from the Crosstimbers, and Trollbreath Magazine. Mike is an active member of the Horror Writers Association and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. He lives in Columbus, Ohio with his beautiful wife and their spoiled Alaskan Malamute dog. mikerusetsky.com
Cubicle Rot
by Esser Marrow
Look for it Feb. 1, 2026
Esser Marrow writes character-driven horror to explore social norms and internalized oppression and trauma. Her debut novel, Kitten, is complete, and she is currently at work on a poetry collection inspired by iconic horror films. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, daughter, and two cats locked in a lifelong feud.
Hors d’Oeuvres
by Greg Chamberlain
Look for it March 1, 2026
Gregg Chamberlain writes speculative fiction and poetry for fun, zombie filk because he can, and oddball stories and poems just to see what results. He lives in rural Eastern Ontario, Canada, with his missus, Anne, and their cats, who allow the humans the run of the house.
Goodbyes
by David O’Mahony
Look for it April 1, 2026
David O’Mahony is a horror and dark fantasy writer from Cork, Ireland. He has had more than 45 stories published or accepted across the globe, with his work finding homes with Temple Dark Books, Graveside Press, Cloaked, Parabnormal, Dragon Soul Press, Rogue Planet Press, Dark Holme Publishing, Wicked Shadow Press, Exquisite Death, AntipodeanSF, and others. He has written non-fiction at irishexaminer.com
Good News
by J.D. Simpson
Look for it May 1, 2026
J.D. Simpson is a Kentucky author of speculative fiction. His works have been featured in Triangulation’s Hospitium anthology, Nonbinary Review’s Epiphany, Whisper House Press’ Costs of Living anthology, M Presents’ Liminal Madness, and many other publications. His campfire tales of terror–written as John Beardify–have appeared in audio form on the Nosleep Podcast, Creepypod, and numerous anthologies. He hopes that you enjoy reading this story as much as he enjoyed writing it.
Side Hustle
by Karen Ovér
Look for it June 1, 2026
Karen Ovér is back in Texas after more than a decade in New York City. Her latest works appear in the anthologies The Book of Carnacki, The Legion Press, Dark Yonder #6 and #11, Arkham Institutions, Detectives Sleuths, and Nosy Neighbors, as well as the Triangulation anthology Dark Hearts. When not in the midst of wrestling the cat for the keyboard, (and dealing with persistent feline editing,) she can sometimes be found clinging to a ballet barre, attempting to realign the vertebrae sent in all directions by hours of maniacal word processing. Visit Karen’s author pages at this website and this facebook page.
Connor the Canary
by S.T. Talbot
Look for it July 1, 2026
S. T. Talbot has been writing since he was a boy, but he took up writing fiction to process living in an unfamiliar environment following his move from his hometown in the San Bernardino mountains to Florida. If he’s not at work staring blankly at clipboards or in his office conjuring up ghost stories, he’s most likely listening to spine-chilling old-time radio shows or gorging on cheap, foggy horror films with his cat, Casper. You can find him on Instagram @s.talbot.writes
Poor Dead Family
by Michael Bettendorf
Look for it August 1, 2026
Michael Bettendorf (he/him) is a multi-genre writer from the Midwest. His short fiction has appeared at Cosmic Horror Monthly, Mythaxis Magazine, The Drabblecast, and elsewhere. His debut experimental horror novel/gamebook Trve Cvlt was released by Tenebrous Press (Sept. 2024), who is giving him another go with his forthcoming cyberpunk-scuzz-noir collection Midwestern Chrome (2026), and his novella Help! I Can’t Stop Shitting Snakes is forthcoming at CLASH Books (2027). Michael has too many hobbies, like rebuilding/modifying retro video game consoles. Find him on Bluesky @BeardedBetts and www.michaelbettendorfwrites.com.
As of January 2026, and following up on best practices identified during the production of YEAR ONE: A WHISPER HOUSE PRESS ANTHOLOGY, short stories are published on the first day of each month and will be collected in a year-end anthology entitled YEAR TWO: A WHISPER HOUSE PRESS ANTHOLOGY. Whisper House Press pays $30 for their permission to publish their work in both cases, exclusive until 90 days following the anthology’s book publication.
2025 Featured Authors and Their Stories
These shorts are featured in Year One: A Whisper House Press Horror anthology
CJ Erick’s stories have been published by Brilliant Flash Fiction, WMG Publishing, Camden Park Press, and others. His short fiction received a recent Pushcart nomination and inclusion in The Best Small Fictions 2023 anthology. He writes in multiple genres, publishes novels in a space fantasy series, and dabbles in poetry. He lives in the Dallas area with his wife and their rescue superhero dog Saber-Girl, calls his sourdough bread starter “Ursula” (K. Le Guin), and cooks crazy-good Cajun food for a Midwest Yankee. MFA 2022. Kenyon Review Fiction Workshop 2024.
WHISPER HEIGHTS INDEPENDENT SCHOOL PANEL (WHISP) Middle School Newsletter
by CJ Erick
Published January 1st, 2025
Jonathan Reddoch is co-owner of Collective Tales Publishing. He is a father, writer, editor, and publisher. He writes sci-fi, fantasy, romance, and especially horror. He’s a prolific flash fiction author, but also writes poetry and short stories. He has been working on his enormous sci-fi novel for over a decade and would like to finish it in this lifetime if possible. He’s from southern California, but lives in Salt Lake City. Notable works included in Deluxe Darkness, Darkness 101: Lessons Were Learned, and This Isn’t the Place. Find him on Instagram @JonathanReddochAuthor or at CTPfiction.com
Anniversary Surprise
by Jonathan Reddoch
Published February 1st, 2025
HFJ Ballard is an eclectic writer from what was once rural Utah. He is the author of the novel Monster and the creator of the comic Miles to Go. Ballard believes that there is no meaning deeper than a moment of beauty without purpose.
Rat
by HFJ Ballard
Published March 1st, 2025
Valerie Tendai Chatindo is a University of Zimbabwe biochemistry graduate, now a writer and sexual health & awareness educator. She’s a regular contributor for The Kalahari Review, Enthuse Magazine, The Diplomat Zimbabwe and EarGround. Her work has also appeared in Pink Disco Magazine, Creepy Pod, Agbowo, Omenana, Writer’s Space, and Literary Yard. Her short story “Sheba,” was shortlisted for the African Cradle African Heroines literary prize, and her work published in Povo Africa’s Nehanda Reimagined. The twenty-eight-year-old writer resides in Harare, Zimbabwe with her cat, Muffins. She runs her own Literary Platform, Shumba Literary Magazine.
This story is one of six to have been nominated by the publisher for a Pushcart Prize in 2025.
The Egg Tree
by Val Chatindo
Published April 1st, 2025
J. Neira is the child of a Mexican immigrant, who now lives a glorious hicklib life in Minnesota. They are a cozy horror author. They are a slush reader at Graveside Press, as well an author at both Graveside Press & West Avenue Publishing. They were a semi-finalist for the 2024 Iridescence Awards and are the author of Raven’s Dream.
Scarlett’s Stove
by J. Neira
Published May 1st, 2025
Jamie Janazian is a short-fiction horror writer. Her first anthology, The Woman in the Walls and Other Stories, was published in late 2024. When she is not reading or writing, Jamie enjoys spending her time hiking, hoarding tea, and crocheting.
Employee of the Year
by Jamie Janazian
Published June 1st, 2025
Paul Lonardo is a freelance writer and author with numerous titles, both fiction and nonfiction books. Paul has placed short fiction and nonfiction articles in various genre magazines and ezines. He is a contributing writer for Tales from the Moonlit Path and an active HWA member.
The Massage
by Paul Lonardo
Published July 1st, 2025
Jen Mierisch’s dream job is to write Twilight Zone episodes, but until then, she’s a website administrator by day and a writer of odd stories by night. Jen’s work can be found in The Arcanist, NoSleep Podcast, Scare Street, and numerous anthologies. Jen can be found haunting her local library near Chicago, USA. She is an active member of the Horror Writers Association.
Break Time
by Jen Mierisch
Published August 1st, 2025
Liam Hogan is an award-winning short story writer, with stories in Best of British Science Fiction and in Best of British Fantasy (NewCon Press). He volunteers at the creative writing charities Ministry of Stories, and Spark Young Writers. Sci-Fi collection: A Short History of the Future (Northodox Press). Fantasy: Happy Ending Not Guaranteed (Arachne Press). More details at happyendingnotguaranteed.blogspot.co.uk.
Life Choices
by Liam Hogan
Published September 1st, 2025
Ben Matthews is a physiotherapist who completed a Master of Writing through Swinburne University in 2021. He is a contributor to the Killer Creatures: Horror Stories with Bite Horror Anthology, Spawn 2: More Weird Tales About Pregnancy, Birth, and Babies, and a finalist in Dark Regions: Survive the Night horror writing competition. When he is not writing, he is drawing, or riding his unicycle. He lives in Perth with his amazing wife who thinks horror stories are silly. Check out his website at bjcmatthews.wixsite.com/ben-matthews-author.
This story is one of six to have been nominated by the publisher for a Pushcart Prize in 2025.
Mother Knows Best
by Ben Matthews
Published October 1st, 2025
Theodore Hill (he/him) is a writer, librarian, and queer horror who lives on the East Coast of the U.S. He spends the majority of his non-work hours maintaining his recreational spreadsheet collection and regaling his friends and loved ones with deeply worrying story pitches. He can be found online at theodorehill.weebly.com.
A Taste
by Theodore Hill
Look for it November 1st, 2025
Erin Dawkins (she/her) received her MA in English with a specialty in Creative Writing from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Her recent fiction has appeared in Wild Greens Magazine, Flash Fiction Magazine, Five Minute Lit, Half and One and forthcoming in Sky Island Journal and Still Here Magazine. She recently completed her debut literary horror novel. In 2025, she received an Author’s Fellowship from the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing.
First Kiss
by Erin Dawkins
Published December 1st, 2025
Whisper House Press released its first anthology, Costs of Living, on September 1st, 2025.
Our second anthology, Dread Mondays, released on October 25th, 2025.
And our third anthology, Year One, released on December 25th, 2025.
We’ve contracted three authors for 2026 novellas and are ISO more novellas or novelettes featuring stories of mundane horror. Submission information available here. (As of 12/25/25: We are currently closed for submissions until our next big call—for social media horror. Stay tuned!)
Whisper House Press 