Skelly’s Square by Stephen Black

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They want him to save the world. But, first, he must save himself. Kirkwood Scott is having a bad day. Languishing in a dead end job and recently dumped by his girlfriend he struggles with a crippling form of OCD which manifests itself in the form of Colonel Augustus Skelly, a phantom voice from Kirkwood’s childhood who controls his every waking moment via a series of tortuous routines, ‘The 49’. Kirkwood has little to look forward to, bar a weekend of drunken oblivion in Belfast with his equally deadbeat friends. All that changes when he meets Meredith Starc, a young homeless woman struggling to survive on the streets and come to terms with her own troubled past. Kirkwood realises Meredith may hold the answer to him finally being free of his mental demons. But what if Skelly is more than just a voice? Kirkwood and Meredith join forces to unearth a supernatural battle raging on the city’s back streets between ancient forces of good or evil, the outcome of which will decide the fate of the planet. Between them, they hold the key to saving mankind from a new Dark Age but can they survive long enough to do so as Skelly unleashes a legion of vicious ghost soldiers upon the unsuspecting city? ‘The Kirkwood Scott Chronicles: Skelly’s Square’ is a fast paced and darkly humorous supernatural fantasy guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

The Famine Witch by Stephen Black

Belfast, 1847. They would come to call it Black ‘47. A town on the brink, ravaged by the Great Hunger sweeping across the island of Ireland. A town living in fear as a crazed killer stalks the streets at night, butchering young women. They call him Bloody Hands. Amidst the chaos, nineteen-year-old Maggie Malone and her young brother, Jinks, fight to survive each day. But there is worse to come when a mysterious ship limps into port, having miraculously emerged from a savage storm. A ship carrying death itself, summoned by a malevolent force that has haunted the mountain overlooking Belfast for centuries, hellbent on devastation and ruin. They call her The Black Lady. Maggie and Jinks become unwitting pawns as Bloody Hands and The Black Lady take their ancient feud to new levels of barbarism, threatening the future of Belfast and its hapless population. Can Maggie unlock the dormant power within her and save Belfast from toppling into the abyss? Can she transform into the savior that the people so desperately need? Can she become The Famine Witch?

Haunted: A Crow Showcase by Brad Acevedo, Damon Barret Roe, William Bartlett, Stephen Black, Spyder Collins, A.L. Garcia, Rebecca Jones-Howe, J.S. Larmore, Lucas Mann, David Middleham, Tiffany Putenis, Mary Rajotte, Melanie Whitlock, K.R. Wieland, Sophie Brookes, Marie Casey and more

We all have ghosts... Fifteen authors, twelve poets, one theme: haunted. A sometimes thrilling, sometimes poignant, always dreadful showcase of Quill & Crow Publishing House’s beloved authors. Tour haunted houses and shadowy realms, witness dark rituals and baneful magic, and meet wicked spirits and mysterious creatures as each writer displays their very best version of what it means to be haunted.

Grimm & Dread: A Crow's Twist on Classic Tales by Lucas Mann, Mary Rajotte, Zeena Mubarak, Stephen Black, Ryan Brinson, Elou Carroll, Adam Faderewski, Sabrina Howard, Beatrice Hadwin, Brad Acevedo, J.S. Larmore, and Victoria Audley

Is it possible to make Grimms’ Fairy Tales, the gruesome collection that shaped our storytelling, even more dreadful? Leave it to Quill & Crow Publishing House to try! Included in this anthology are twelve deconstructed tales with “A Crow's Twist.” Some are dark and some are meaningful, but all of them will make you reconsider the classic stories in a brand new way.