Out Now! A Silent Dystopia: Stories Of A Quiet Apocalypse

A Silent Dystopia out now from Demain Publishing.

I’m excited yet humbled to announce the publication of A Silent Dystopia: Stories Of A Quiet Apocalypse. The book was released as an eBook on November 30, 2021. Print editions of the volume will be available in early 2022.

This being my first foray into editing a themed anthology, A Silent Dystopia was a labor of love. The project presented a few challenges. For instance, working within the confines of Dave Jeffery’s established universe of A Quiet Apocalypse would be challenge enough for one writer not living inside Dave’s brain. Overseeing ten, well, actually eleven writers when you count in Dave’s contribution, required using a new approach that I can attribute to managing multiple projects in my corporate eCommerce life. All of the stories needed to be rooted in the continuity established in the source material. A well-formed timeline spanning decades and a conceptual map defining the stories’ geographies across North America and Europe provided the necessary framework to thrive in this vivid world.

The novellas making up the A Quiet Apocalypse series and the stories in A Silent Dystopia are set in a not-too-distant future pandemic-ravaged version of our world. The original book was written long before our current day real-life pandemic and bears no resemblance. The disease meningitis unspecified, also known as MNG-U, has eradicated about 95% of the human population. The vast majority of survivors are left deafened by the virus. Those few lucky enough to retain their hearing after falling ill, or fortunate enough to have never contracted the virus, become precious commodities to the deafened. Forms of slavery and indentured servitude develop as class systems take shape. Meanwhile, those born without hearing, the culturally deaf, are blamed for MNG-U and living endangered lives.

Check out this list of contributors, each strong talents in their respective roles, with whom I am proud to share this volume.

· Raven Dane – The Invisible Girl 

· Stephanie Ellis – Babel Hour

· Kev Harrison – The Courier

· Tom Jeffery & Dave Jeffery – The First Samaritan

· A.S. MacKenzie – Shut Up, Donny

· John Palisano – The Platform

· Steve Stred – Do You Remember?

· J.A. Sullivan – Wolf Pit

· Morgan K Tanner – In the Midst of Monsters

· David Youngquist – I Live to Serve

Afterword by: Chris Kelso

Design by: Adrian Baldwin

Artwork by: Roberto Segate

Published by: DEMAIN PUBLISHING

I hope that you will support these artists by buying our book. And after you read A Silent Dystopia, give it a rating and honest review.

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Announcing: A Silent Dystopia: Stories from A Quiet Apocalypse

Here it is, my big editing project of 2020-2021 … A Silent Dystopia. A collection of ten stories set in the world of Dave Jeffery’s A Quiet Apocalypse featuring horror writers from across Europe and North America.

This project has been my passion since its inception about a year ago and has kept me quite busy through the latter half of our real-life pandemic. Working with Dean Drinkel at Demain Publishing, creator Dave Jefferey, and all of the talented writers and artists listed below has been a wonderful experience. One I hope to repeat in the not too distant future.

I give huge thanks to my wife Melissa who has endured my countless hours of reading, editing, and corresponding with authors across multiple time zones to bring this project to life. I couldn’t have done this without her loving support.

A Silent Dystopia: Stories from A Quiet Apocalypse edited by D.T. Griffith

HEaR TODaY …

The disease known as MNG-U has staked its claim on humanity and ended the world. Most of those who survive have been robbed of their hearing, deafened in this quiet apocalypse. Around the globe, people do what they can to exist in the terrifying silence, even what was once considered unthinkable. Whether in isolation or in new communities, they must persevere amidst a changed and brutal landscape disguised as a world they once knew.

Coming soon from the world of Dave Jeffery’s A QUIET APOCALYPSE come ten stories with one, ultimate vision … A Silent Dystopia.

With original fiction from:

· Raven Dane – The Invisible Girl 

· Stephanie Ellis – Babel Hour

· Kev Harrison – The Courier

· Tom Jeffery & Dave Jeffery – The First Samaritan

· A.S. MacKenzie – Shut Up, Donny

· John Palisano – The Platform

· Steve Stred – Do You Remember?

· J.A. Sullivan – Wolf Pit

· Morgan K Tanner – In the Midst of Monsters

· David Youngquist – I Live to Serve

Edited by: David T. Griffith

Foreword by: Gavin Kendall

Afterword by: Chris Kelso

Design by: Adrian Baldwin

Artwork by: Roberto Segate

Published by: DEMAIN PUBLISHING

Masks out now featuring “Blood & Gingerbread”

Masks - final coverWhat a great way to start off autumn. My latest story “Blood & Gingerbread” has just released as part of the anthology Masks from Black Shuck Books, an imprint of Great British Horror. It seems I am becoming a British author by proxy as this is my second in a series of at least four sequential books lined up with British presses.

This story was fun to write. Inspired by Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and real-world accounts of militant separatist compounds, “Blood & Gingerbread” is set in a secluded community where bizarre annual rituals keep death at bay. It explores the raw human need to control, holding domain over violence, nature, families, behavior, life, and death. What happens when that power is disrupted?

Check out the table of contents below featuring some of the great writers you’ll find in the independent horror field right now. Masks is edited by Dean M Drinkel and the cover art is by the late and great illustrator James Powell, may he rest in peace.

  • PORCELAIN  by James Everington
  • BLOOD & GINGERBREAD  by D T Griffith
  • THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND FACES  by Chris Stokes
  • VARIETY NIGHT  by Russell Proctor
  • AFTER THE END, THE BEGINNING  by Christine Morgan and Lucas Williams
  • THE MAN WHO FED THE FOXES  by Phil Sloman
  • MANY HAPPY RETURNS  by Kyle Rader
  • TRIXIE  by Christopher Beck
  • THE FACE COLLECTOR  by Stephanie Ellis
  • AN ABSENT HOST  by F A Nosić
  • THE SILENCING MACHINE  by Clockhouse London Writers
  • HIS LAST PORTRAIT  by Adrian Cole
  • THE JAR BY THE DOOR  by Icy Sedgwick

Purchasing info and other details are available on Black Shuck Book’s site: blackshuck.greatbritishhorror.com/masks.

New Anthology, New Story… The Jasper Scarab

And Death Shall Have No Dominion - frontI am excited to share more publishing news this month. My story “The Jasper Scarab” is featured in a new anthology from Lycopolis Press edited by Dean M. Drinkel titled And Death Shall Have No Dominion: Tales of the Titanic.

At the time I wrote this story I had been reading a collection of noir short stories by some respected authors of the genre. I began exploring noir themes as I developed “The Jasper Scarab,” moving on to a divergent path from my standard horror and dark fiction work. I couldn’t tell you with any certainty that the final story is indeed noir or something else, but the dark influence is most certainly there.

“The Jasper Scarab” tells the story of William Boyd, a lone childhood survivor of the Titanic disaster. An ancient Egyptian artifact that traversed the Atlantic with him appears to be the common thread in a series of tragic events involving loved ones, yet William cannot depart with the object despite his several attempts.

Book Purchase

And Death Shall Have No Dominion: Tales of the Titanic is available in paperback on Amazon in the US and UK.

Amazon US: Paperback
Amazon UK: Paperback

Masks anthology from KnighWatch unveiled

Masks cover artwork by James Powell

Masks cover artwork by James Powell

I am always excited to announce my involvement in a new book, this time for my first of hopefully many publications with the UK-based KnightWatch Press. Masks is a new anthology compiled and edited by Dean M Drinkel anticipated to release later this year.

Inspired by the great Shirley Jackson, my story “Blood, Gingerbread and Life” is set in a secluded community where bizarre annual rituals keep death at bay. It explores the raw human need to control, holding domain over violence, nature, families, behavior, life, and death. What happens when that power is disrupted?

The table of contents features a group of diverse talents, including a handful of authors with whom I’ve had the honor of sharing other anthology titles.

Many Happy Returns – Kyle Rader
Trixie – Christopher L Beck
An Absent Host – F.A. Nosić
Variety Night – Russell Proctor
The Silencing Machine – Clockhouse Writers
After The End – Christine Morgan / Lucas Williams
The Face Collector – Stephanie Ellis
The Jar By The Door – Icy Sedgwick
Porcelain – James Everington
The Man Who Fed The Foxes – Phil Sloman
The House Of A Thousand Faces – Chris Stokes
Blood, Gingerbread and Life – David T Griffith
His Last Portrait – Adrian Cole

If you are interested in reviewing Masks before publication, please send an inquiry to theresa.derwin@yahoo.co.uk.