“I’ve said before that the way to assess the health of a genre is to look at the number of excellent young writers it attracts. There is a new wave of excellent writers showing up in Horror. Kenneth W. Cain is one of these very good writers. His prose is precise, his plotting and pace move seamlessly and quickly, and his stories are compelling. Darker Days is a good example of some of his best work—highly recommended.” — Gene O’Neill, The White Plague Chronicles

“A feast for the senses no matter your tastes! Kenneth W. Cain does it again with Darker Days: A Collection of Dark Fiction.” — Rena Mason, Bram Stoker Award® winning author of The Evolutionist and East End Girls

“Darker Days, the latest collection of short stories by Kenneth W. Cain, delivers on its title’s promise. From the very first story readers are dragged into seemingly ordinary situations that serve as cover for dark secrets. Ranging from subtle horror to downright terror, from science fiction to weird fantasy, Cain demonstrates a breadth of styles that keeps you off balance as you move from one story to the next. There is something for everyone in this collection—as long as you don’t want to sleep at night!” — JG Faherty, author of The Cure, Carnival of Fear, and The Burning Time

Reviews for Darker Days:
“This collection from Crystal Lake Publishing is varied and huge.  It is ambitious to produce a single author short story collection.  Cain pulls it off with style.  His influences are apparent on every page.  When the mundane is combined with the supernatural, magic can happen, and Cain is a sorcerer.  Get this on Amazon now.” — Signal Horizon

“Kenneth Cain has the ability to bring up hard topics without driving them into the ground or beating you over the head with them.” — SciFi & Scary

“There’s a lot of interesting content in DARKER DAYS. What makes this twenty-six story collection memorable is the diversity of genres and the variety of themes.” — Pop Culture Podium

“Darker Days, by Kenneth Cain, is a great collection of tales that any fan of horror fiction would enjoy. There’s something in this book for everyone. The subject matter of the tales therein includes ghosts, cosmic horror, zombies, vampires, weird creatures, aliens, kaiju, and demons. While there were stories I enjoyed more than others, there wasn’t a single dud in this collection.” — HorrorAddicts.net

“Kenneth W. Cain is an exceptional writer. His stories never fail to provide the chills and thrills you want from a horror anthology. Highly recommended.” — Goodreads review

Now that you’ve warmed by the embers, submerse in darker days.

The author of the short story collections These Old Tales, Fresh Cut Tales, and Embers presents Darker Days: A Collection of Dark Fiction. In his youth Cain developed a sense of wonderment owed in part to TV shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, One Step Beyond and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Now Cain seeks the same dark overtones in his writing.

There’s a little something for every reader within this collection. These 26 short speculative stories arise from a void, escaping shadows that ebb and weave through minds like worms, planting the larvae that live just under the skin, thriving upon fear. These are Cain’s darker days.

In this collection, Cain features stories from the Old West, of past lives and future days, the living and the dead, new and unique monsters as well as fresh takes on those of lore. Once more he tackles themes of loss and grief and the afterlife, always exploring the greater unknown. In “The Sanguine Wars,” Cain takes us to a future where soldiers are made to endure the horrors of war. He explores the complexities of global warming and what lengths men and women alike sink to in “The Reassignment Project.” And, as often is the case, he ends on a lighter note, with “Lenny’s New Eyes” and “A Very Different Sort of Apocalypse.”

When the darkness comes, embrace it. Let it wrap you up in cold. Don’t worry, it’s not your time…yet.

Includes the following stories:

• “A Ring For His Own”
• “Heirloom”
• “Rust Colored Rain”
• “Prey”
• “Passing Time”
• “What Mama Needs”
• “My Brother Bit Your Honor Roll Student”
• “Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 1 – Henry Wentworth”
• “The Sanguine Wars”
• “The Hunted”
• “Her Living Corals”
• “Puppet Strings”
• “The Trying of Master William”
• “By The Crescent Moon”
• “Mantid”
• “The Underside of Time and Space”
• “Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 2 – Gemma Nyle”
• “The Griffon”
• “Adaptable”
• “When They Come”
• “The Reassignment Project”
• “Presage”
• “One Hopeless Night by a Clan Fire”
• “Lenny’s New Eyes”
• “Outcasts: The Sick and Dying 3 – Anna Kilpatrick”
• “A Very Different Sort of Apocalypse”

“Not a squall, not a blizzard … It’s a pulp horror AVALANCHE! That’s Kenneth W. Cain’s new collection, Embers.” — Mort Castle, Bram Stoker Award winner

Reviews for Embers:
“I think I can safely say that this collection is one of my all-time favourites.” — Confessions of a reviewer

“Cain’s characters are anything but black and white. They are as multi-faceted as any real person you know. They are presented with difficult decisions and even worse situations, and they do the best that they can. Monster and man both are tested relentlessly, Cain never taking the easy way out. Some of the stories are predominately scary, some are predominately sad. All of them will evoke a range of emotions while you read and long after you’ve finished.” — Charnel House Reviews

“Prepare for the stretching of your mind and the expansion of your imagination as Kenneth W. Cain boldly goes into unexplored territory, sometimes speculative, other times horrific, but always enlightening.” — Mallory Heart Reviews

“Some of these tales take on a poe-esque quality, while others a more Lovecraftian tone, and then we find those that bestow upon us the moral musings of Rod Serling. Yeah, these stories are good!” — Horror Novel Reviews

“If you enjoy your horror with a touch of Lovecraft, I believe you’ll appreciate this body of work from Kenneth W. Cain more than you would otherwise.” — Cemetery Dance (Frank Michaels Errington)

“The market is flooded with short story collections and I sincerely hope that Cain’s Embers finds an audience as he has a strong voice and an obvious writing ability. A really good collection overall” — The Grim Reader

“Each story is connected by a little thread to the next one. Kenneth created a web of weird, sometimes gory, sometimes psychological and always scary threads.” — Banshee Irish Horror Blog

“Embers is a collection that strolls into every corner of horror to gather bits before running them through the spin cycle, dial set to dread.” — Unnerving Magazine

“…from page 1 I enjoyed reading each and every word.” — Terror-Tree

“Books like Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark were always a fun read as a child right before bed. Cain’s Embers is like an adult version of those novels.” — The Horrific Network

“What makes his work scary is that he takes normal everyday situations with characters just like you and me and twists them into something horrific. These are tales that really could happen to anyone.” — S.J. Budd

“Overall, Embers is a well-constructed and put together collection of horror stories from Kenneth W. Cain that marks another quality release from Crystal Lake Publishing.” — A.E. Siraki

“I thought it was a great collection.” — Sci-Fi and Scary

From the author of the short story collections These Old Tales and Fresh Cut Tales comes his latest effort, Embers: A Collection of Dark Fiction. In his youth Cain developed a sense of wonderment owed in part to TV shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, One Step Beyond and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Now Cain seeks the same dark overtones in his writing. There’s a little something for every reader within this collection. These 25 short speculative stories represent the smoldering remains of a blaze, the fiery bits meant to ignite the mind with slow-burning imagery and smoky twists and turns. These are the very embers of Cain’s soul.

In this collection, Cain features stories of troubled men and women, both living and dead. Themes of loss and the afterlife take on many forms, as he explores the unknown. For instance, “The Chamber” focuses on a hardened veteran of World War II who has committed heinous crimes. He seeks only to find peace from his conscience, but sometimes that comes at a great loss. “Valerie’s Window” visits a small town amid a tragic end to humanity. Only things are not as they seem, and the more Valerie comes to know herself, the more her reality is revealed. “The Benefit of Being Weighty” has a humorous side, but the theme of this story revolves around fat shaming and the price one must pay for being so ignorant. Hopefully, these three short descriptions have increased your curiosity to read the book.

When the dark comes, light a match. Let the fire burn bright and hot. So that when it dies the embers warm you.

Includes the following stories:

• “The Chamber”
• “Valerie’s Window”
• “A Window to Dream By”
• “Each New Day Unknown”
• “Gone”
• “Under the Drift of Snow is Another World”
• “Blackbird’s Breath”
• “Desolate”
• “Lost in the Woods”
• “Final Breaths”
• “Closer”
• “Flocking Birds”
• “Pirouette”
• “To Save One Life”
• “Of Both Worlds”
• “Breathing Cave”
• “Soul Tapped”
• “The Water People”
• “Water Snake”
• “Evolved”
• “Buried Beneath the Old Chicago Swamps”
• “The Bad Men”
• “Parasite”
• “Strip Poker, Crabs, and Blue Women”
• “The Benefit of Being Weighty”

“Solid combination from a writer to watch.” — Mort Castle, Bram Stoker Award winning author of New Moon on the Water

From the author of the short story collection These Old Tales comes Fresh Cut Tales: A Collection of Dark Fiction. In his youth Cain developed a sense of wonderment owed in part to TV shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, One Step Beyond and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Now Cain seeks the same dark overtones in his writing. There’s a little something for every reader within this collection. These sixteen short speculative stories are a winding road of pain where each curve may not be seen. These are the freshest cuts from Cain’s mind.

“Enthralling, eclectic collection of unputdownable speculative fiction.” — Benjamin Kane Ethridge, Bram Stoker Award winning author of Black & Orange and Bottled Abyss

• Of Shadows – Somewhere beyond this world are places where the innocent are tested. This story is about such a place. Can Ellen escape her reality?
• Avenged – Life doesn’t matter when it comes to avenging death. Cole Stryder tries to account for the murder of his men, but matters unfold unexpectedly.
• Ordering Out – A troubled bloodsucker has difficulty obtaining sustenance.
• Perfect Little Hands – Dallas faces the truth about his relationship to his stepdaughter at her funeral.
• Inside Out – Richie Harden tells his story to a local reporter, detailing facts about a handicapped boy who isn’t as bad off as he seems.

“Expect the unexpected in this macabre and thoroughly entertaining collection.” — Mike Davis, The Lovecraft Ezine

• Shards – Gerald, a man who has long avoided children, must now face the reality of his demented nature.
• Twist of Pain – A short, troubling journey home is enough to break young Sarah.
• Old Habits – A man and wife find their marriage split by an undead situation.
• In the Shadow of the Equine – Finding themselves trapped on a scenic island with a mob of mind~controlled zealots, a man desperately tries to protect his son.
• Split Ends – A bizarre hair disease follows a woman’s family history, but can her daughter escape the infliction?

“Twisted tales that are guaranteed to keep you up at night.” — Michael McCarty, author of I Kissed a Ghoul

• Spaceship Earth – A hiking trip reveals unexplained mysteries that endanger Earth. Some places aren’t meant to be discovered.
• Warmth Within They Depths – In the vast unwater world, exploration reveals unexpected horrors.
• Never Free – Small towns fables are often shared among children, but none so harrowing as that of the Easton Park Statue.
• Ahote’s Spirit – A Native~American discovers a creature unlike any other.
• Rebirth – A scientist attempts to soothe his daughter about the loss of her mother.
• Redpath, Stu – A classic themed horror story finds Steven in an isolated diner, enjoying the company of old~timers.

Draw up the covers and turn on the lights. Prepare for a journey into the weird, wild, and creepy in this collection of dark fiction stories.

Reviews for FRESH CUT TALES:

• The Holleman Household
• Don D’Ammassa
• APB-SAL

“Cain’s unique eye for the macabre makes this collection more than worth it!” — To The Bone Reviews

2014 Nominee for Best Short Story Collection at eFestival of Words.

In his youth Cain developed a sense of wonderment owed in part to TV shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, One Step Beyond and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Now he seeks the same dark overtones in his writing. There’s a little something for every reader within this collection. These 30 short speculative stories represent a time when a discouraged Cain asked his wife what he should do with “these old tales.” Within these pages are those heartbreaks he could not escape.

• The Patrol – A soldier dreads the solitude of a foxhole when a peculiar visitor surprises him.
• Molt – While on a business trip, Kyle’s bad day leads to a poor choice.
• Satisfied – A doctor struggles with playing god.
• Gladiator David – After the zombie apocalypse our world is reborn in an old familiar place where humans celebrate their revenge.
• After the Ocolitz – A young girl discovers her father’s fate after the apocalypse.
• The Necessary Bits – Albi reminisces over his deceased love’s death.
• Nocturnal – Darkness surrounds George who must battle fear if he means to escape alive.
• An Eye Remembered – Harry suspects his boss of something terrible and decides to take matters into his own hands.
• Pieces – A quick story about drowning.
• The Lucky Shrimp – The grass is always greener, but one who plays with the fates should beware of consequences.

“Cain’s skill as a writer is his ability to take mundane things most of us would never notice and turn them into true terror.” — DarkMedia

• Empty Spaces – Dr. Donald Tomlinson helps a desperate boy reconnect to a grim past where he unwillingly killed his mother.
• Visitors – A son struggles to convey that his father must leave the nursing home, but his father has made other plans.
• Working From Home – Sometimes the worst jobs are those you do from home. Such is the case on this dark and stormy night.
• What’s This Line For? – Abel finds himself standing in line, but can’t remember why.
• The Evil Within – When the evil becomes too much, Derrick turns to his blade and seeks help at a local church.
• Meeting Roger – Roger Digsby sounds like a heck of a guy. Unfortunately, Roger’s been murdered and Nick must now interrogate the suspect.
• The Daily News – Sometimes the news isn’t what you expect. Other times it’s outright maddening.
• Moving On – A man is forced to acknowledge his past, present, and future.
• Silt – Tommy and his friends happen upon an atrocity in a local pond.
• Limbs – Neighbors squabble over the bushes that separate their properties.

“The author deftly inhabits the minds of his protagonists, turning each piece into a sharp characterization that resonates long after it’s (usually) morbid conclusion.” — Goodreads Review

• New Life – Creation has its consequences.
• Dark Reflections – Eli lost his friends, family, and others to a strange force buried in the junkyard. Now he must try to save them.
• Fragments – Caleb’s hunger outweighs all other needs. But in his pursuit he encounters someone he hadn’t expected.
• Edgar’s Church – Edgar troubled past and present is the result of witnessing his father’s death.
• Anger, Hurt, Pain – A dismal story of suicide.
• Branded – In this weird western, two men stand off, but a lot can happen while counting to ten.
• The Regrettable – An old doctor finds himself stranded in his childhood home, faced with an opportunity for redemption.
• The Way Out – A younger brother escapes his older brother’s wrath.
• Determination – Tuesday is different, but in this futuristic society, anything but different is expected.
• Harvest – Even the Amish have horror stories. Discover what this local farmer’s been up to.

Draw up the covers and turn on the lights. Prepare for a journey into the weird, wild, and creepy in this collection of dark fiction stories.

Reviews for THESE OLD TALES:

• Charnel House Reviews