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An eBook exclusive re-release of Sam Stall's Suburban Legends came out October 1st! So through the month of October, we're sharing excerpts from the collection of spooky stories. Because Halloween! 

They told you the suburbs were a great place to live. They said nothing bad could ever happen here. But they were wrong.

This collection of terrifying true stories exposes the dark side of life in the ’burbs—from corpses buried in backyards and ghosts lurking in fast food restaurants to UFOs, vanishing persons, bizarre apparitions, and worse. 

So lock your doors, dim the lights, and prepare to stay up all night with this creepy collection of true tales. We promise you’ll never look at white picket fences the same way again!

Read an excerpt below (The Prime-Time Poltergeist), and pick it up for $3.99 via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or the iBookstore this month! 

SUBURBAN LEGENDS by Sam Stall ($3.99)

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / IBOOKSTORE / KOBO

Many of us are familiar with H. P. Lovecraft’s infamous literary abhorrence of nature: the cosmic entity known to many as Cthulhu. A behemoth cursed with a writhing mass of facial tentacles and wings upon its colossal back, this Eldritch abomination first emerged to haunt the modern man in Lovecraft’s short story, “The Call of Cthulhu.”

Though slumbering deep beneath the Pacific Ocean within the cursed city of R’lyeh, this creature has slithered his way into popular culture through countless retellings, imagery, and iconography.

Perhaps the most terrifying manifestation of this pitiless monstrosity comes to us in its most unassuming form: something I like to call The Cult of Cutethulhu. Fuzzy, cuddly, and adorably practical, the snuggly visage of Cthulhu will find his way into your heart… And then devour you from within.

Take a look at some of the most spine-chilling artifacts that have infiltrated our hearts and souls:

Plush Cthulhu: Start indoctrinating your offspring with Eldritch abominations from an early age!

Hello Cthulhu: Cthulhu and Hello Kitty are the perfect duo to take over and consume the world: who could say no to those adorably kawaii proportions?

Knit Cthulhu: Promoting arts and crafts from Hell! Bonus: Knitting needles double as weaponry upon completion of your woolen horror.

Cthulhu Slippers: These slippers are guaranteed to comfortably lead you to your doom.

Cthulhu Mittens: Keep the blood of your enemies off your hands with these adorkable mittens!

Cthulhu Earrings: These atrociously precious accessories might whisper Eldritch incantations into your ears, consuming what is left of your sanity and self-awareness.

Cthulhu Purse: The perfect storage unit for your knives, scimitars, throwing stars, brass knuckles, bullwhip, etc. Extra pocket for hand sanitizer and a bleach pen (getting those ichor and blood stains out can be so tricky!).

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Julia McCarthy has been known to atomically assemble into a girl with a face and hair when in the presence of other beings. When not corporeally hampered, she enjoys reading, writing, editing, and producing educational software for children’s publishing. She hopes to move to the sovereign island country of Niue to spend her autumn days using Pokemon-themed currency and taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi.

Yesterday was the birthday of H.P. Lovecraft, creator of beloved weird tales like The Call of Cthulhu and At The Mountains of Madness, and namesake of our Lovecraft Middle School series.

Humans are interesting animals. Creativity seeps through our veins. I’m not entirely sure who came up with the following creatures, but it must have taken some incredibly unique (and perhaps problematic) imagination to bring these things into being.

A horse with a horn. A woman’s body with a fish tail. A bird that turns to ash, but never dies.

Mythical creatures are fascinating, so its no wonder they inhabit the many fantasy stories we all love and cherish. Here are five of our favorites.