Over the last few months I have been working on a secret project and I am super excited to announce the pre-order on that project is now live! Click the link below, watch the video, and support the project if you can!
The Anatomy of Fear explores the borders between fear and fantasy through fiction. Penned by 12 independent authors, this anthology brings together different thoughts, experiences, and perspectives to answer one question. What do we fear, and why do we fear it? Featuring a collection of unique stories, each featuring or inspired by a different part of the human anatomy, The Anatomy of Fear fuses horror, dark fantasy, grimdark, modern, and gothic influences.
Edited by Sarah Chorn, The Anatomy of Fear features stories by Krystle Matar, Sean Crow, Tim Hardie, Zamil Akhtar, Bjorn Larssen, LL MacRae, BA Bellec, Lee C Conley, Trudie Skies, Jacob Sannox, HL Tinsley, and Ryan Howse.
The Authors
Krystle Matar
Krystle Matar has been writing for a long time, but things got serious when Tashué Blackwood walked into her life, an amber-eyed whirlwind. Her debut, Legacy of the Brightwash, is a SPFBO Finalist, an r/Fantasy nominee for Best Debut and Best Indie.When she isn’t arguing with Tashué or any of his friends, she parents full time. She has a lot of children, too many hobbies, and one very excellent husband.She is currently working on lots of stories set in the Dominion, is 1/4 of the Swords & Corsets Podcast, and is probably obsessively rewatching BBC’s Ripper Street. László’s story continues in Legacy of Brick & Bone, the sequel to Brightwash, forthcoming April 25 2023.
Sean Crow
Sean works as a Special Education teacher in a correctional facility in Oregon where he also instructs Language Arts and Social Studies to young men working on a second chance at life. He is the father of three beautiful children and husband to a woman who, for whatever reason, puts up with his crazy ideas. Sean is the author of the Valhalla Steel series which combines sci-fi with mythology. Books one and two – Valhalla Steel and Quenched in Blood – are both available now. He has also penned heroic fantasy novels Godless Lands and Wrath of a Hungry God.
Tim Hardie
Tim Hardie is based in the UK and is the author of The Brotherhood of the Eagle dark epic fantasy series. The first instalment, Hall of Bones, was a finalist in the seventh annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off. Grimdark legend Mark Lawrence stated publicly it was a book he hadn’t read yet, something Tim will dine out on for years to come. His other fantasy novels in the Brotherhood series are Sundered Souls and Lost Gods. A standalone novel, A Quiet Vengeance, set in the same world, will be released in 2023. The Anatomy of Fear is his first foray into the world of horror
Zamil Akhtar
When Zamil was fourteen, he moved from the dry, dune-spotted Arabian peninsula to the hilly, arctic wasteland that is Western Massachusetts. He despises the cold, isn’t very fond of the sun, and prefers spending all day indoors mashing the keyboard in the hopes something great will come of it. When not dreaming up dark and fantastical journeys, he enjoys binging horror movies, wasting precious time arguing about international relations on Reddit, and occasionally traveling somewhere exotic. He currently lives in Dubai with his loving wife and his badly-behaved pet rabbit. He is the author of Gunmetal Gods and Lightblade.
Bjorn Larssen
Bjorn Larssen is an award-winning author of historical fiction and fantasy, dark and funny in varying proportions. His writing has been described as ‘dark’, ‘literary’, ‘cinematic’, ‘hilarious’, and ‘there were points where I was having to read between a small gap in my fingers.’ Bjorn has previously worked as a graphic designer, a model, a bartender, and a blacksmith (not all at once). He lives in Almere, The Netherlands, with his husband, and has only seen an elf once. So far.
LL MacRae
Lauren is a fantasy author of character-driven stories and epic adventure. Her books usually contain dragons, bucket-loads of magic, and are typically fun and hopeful. She lives in a tiny village in the English countryside, has a degree in Psychology, and was a professional copywriter before going full-time as an author—swapping corporate copy for magic and dragons! Her novel, The Iron Crown, was a finalist in SPFBO7.
BA Bellec
Bryan “B.A.” Bellec’s debut novel, Someone’s Story, won the Reader Views Reviewer’s Choice Literary Award for 2021 Young Adult Book of the Year (and other honors) with its endearing, soulful take on teen mental health. For his second novel, Bellec changed it up and wrote Pulse, a dystopian sci-fi horror thriller that went on to be a Horror Finalist in the IAN (Independent Author Network) Book of the Year contest. Bellec was also awarded a Digital Originals grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to make music. Both of Bellec’s novels feature musicians and he takes it one step further by actually producing songs inspired by his books! You can find those songs on his YouTube channel.
Lee C Conley
Lee is a musician and horror writer in Lincolnshire, UK. He lives with his wife and daughters in the historic cathedral city of Lincoln. Having taught guitar for over 20 years, and armed with a new degree in creative writing, he now turns his hand to writing speculative fiction and dark fantasy horror. He is a practitioner and instructor of historic martial arts and swordsmanship, and is also one of the founders of Bard of the Isles literary magazine. Currently working on his debut fantasy series The Dead Sagas, which includes the novels A Ritual of Bone, A Ritual of Flesh, and A Ritual of Blood, Lee is also often to be found generally writing dark SFF and horror fiction.
Trudie Skies
Trudie Skies has been living inside fantasy worlds ever since they discovered books, and they refuse to return to reality. Within Trudie’s daydreams you’ll find SPFBO and BBNYA finalist The Thirteenth Hour, a gaslamp fantasy described as obnoxiously British and best read with a cup of tea.When not conjuring new worlds, Trudie spends their free time exploring the realms of indie books and video games, staring at clouds, and chasing after their troublesome dogs.
Jacob Sannox
Jacob Sannox is the author of The Dark Oak Chronicles, a dark epic fantasy trilogy, and The Return of King Arthur, an Arthurian fantasy trilogy, set during various historical time periods and in the present day. The first book of each trilogy reached the semi-finals in Mark Lawrence’s SPFBO competition. Jacob loves watching the Red Sox, playing Dungeons & Dragons, playing acoustic guitar, listening to country music and, of course, reading and writing. He lives with his partner, their three teenagers and two rabbits, who run the house.
HL Tinsley
HL Tinsley is an author of Fantasy, Gothic Horror and Grimdark fiction, as well as being a full-time professional copywriter and blogger. She has published articles in the UK, Cyprus, Scotland, the US, and Australia covering everything geek-chic from board games to movie releases. Her debut novel ‘We Men of Ash and Shadow’ was an SPBFO 7 finalist. The second installment in the Vanguard Chronicles series ‘The Hand that Casts the Bone’ was released on April 21st 2022.
Ryan Howse
Ryan Howse is the author of the steampunk train heist, The Steel Discord, and noir sequel, The Alchemy Dirge, and horror-fantasy Red in Tooth and Claw. He lives in Saskatchewan, Canada, with his wife, children, and cats.
Supporting The Anatomy of Fear
Backing this project will help bring the Anatomy of Fear to life. As creatives, we believe in paying fair compensation to the artists that brought this collection together. Each author will be paid a small nominal fee for their work from the funds raised, while our artists, editor, and anyone else involved in the production of this book will be paid standard industry rates. Our goal is to release The Anatomy of Fear in October/November 2023 in e-book and paperback, with the potential to expand this into audio and hardback. Any kickstarter funds raised will be used to produce, market, and deliver the book into the hands of our readers worldwide. We also plan to produce additional exclusive Anatomy of Fear artwork and bonus goodies.
B.A. Bellec 