You know Rudolph, Dasher and Dancer but what about St. Nicks other sidekicks? Join Toni as she talks with author Kira McKinney about some of the horrific sidekicks of St.Nick found throughout the world.
St. Nick’s Other Sidekicks
Krampus
Gryla
- Who is Gryla
- Icelandic History of Gryla and her family
- Gryla and the Icelandic Sagas
Hans Trapp
Toni Chats Horrific Horror Legends with Kira McKinney
Kira McKinney is a writer of fantasy, horror, fiction, and poetry. She loves to explore the dark, the twisted, the strange; the underbelly of what lurks in the dark. She also loves strong female protagonists and often likes to pit them against the unthinkable—even if the unthinkable is themselves. Kira has a terrible sense of humor and enjoys slime and blood. She is also a huge fan of classic and punk rock.
Kira graduated from Arizona State University in 2018 with a BA in Liberal Studies which she focused on English Lit. She graduated summa cum laude. She also earned an AA in Broadcast Communications from Pennsylvania College of Technology in 2004.
Kira self-published a memoir called Whispers Down the Hall in 2016. Her short story “The Night Shift” will appear in Marooned journal later in 2018. Kira’s horror themed poetry book Ink & Needles released in June 2018.
Horror Books Written by Women with Horrific Christmas Legends
Krampusnacht: Twelve Nights of Krampus edited by Kate Wolford
For bad children, a lump of coal from Santa is positively light punishment when Krampus is ready and waiting to beat them with a stick, wrap them in chains, and drag them down to hell–all with St. Nick’s encouragement and approval.
Krampusnacht holds within its pages twelve tales of Krampus triumphant, usurped, befriended, and much more. From evil children (and adults) who get their due, to those who pull one over on the ancient “Christmas Devil.” From historic Europe, to the North Pole, to present day American suburbia, these all new stories embark on a revitalization of the Krampus tradition.
Whether you choose to read Krampusnacht over twelve dark and scary nights or devour it in one nacht of joy and terror, these stories are sure to add chills and magic to any winter’s reading.
He Sees You When He’s Creepin’: Tales of Krampus edited by Kate Wolford
Krampus is the cloven-hoofed, curly-horned, and long-tongued dark companion of St. Nick. Sometimes a hero, sometimes a villain, within these pages, he’s always more than just a sidekick. You’ll meet manifestations of Santa’s dark servant as he goes toe-to-toe with a bratty Cinderella, a guitar-slinging girl hero, a coffee shop-owning hipster, and sometimes even St. Nick himself. Whether you want a dash of horror or a hint of joy and redemption, these 12 new tales of Krampus will help you gear up for the most “wonderful” time of the year.
Currently Reading
The Devil’s Dreamland by Sara Tantlinger
H.H. Holmes committed ghastly crimes in the late 19th century. Many of which occurred within his legendary “Murder Castle” in Chicago, Illinois. He is often considered America’s first serial killer. In her second book of poetry from Strangehouse Books, Sara Tantlinger (Love For Slaughter) takes inspiration from accounts and tales which spawned from the misdeeds of one Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes. Fact and speculation intertwine herein, just as they did during the man’s own lifetime. There’s plenty of room in the cellar for everyone in The Devil’s Dreamland.
A Collection of Nightmares by Christina Sng
Hold your screams and enter a world of seasonal creatures, dreams of bones, and confessions modeled from open eyes and endless insomnia. Christina Sng’s A Collection of Nightmares is a poetic feast of sleeplessness and shadows, an exquisite exhibition of fear and things better left unsaid. Here are ramblings at the end of the world and a path that leads to a thousand paper cuts at the hands of a skin carver. There are crawlspace whispers, and fresh sheets gently washed with sacrifice and poison, and if you’re careful in this ghost month, these poems will call upon the succubus to tend to your flesh wounds and scars.
These nightmares are sweeping fantasies that electrocute the senses as much as they dull the ache of loneliness by showing you what’s hiding under your bed, in the back of your closet, and inside your head. Sng’s poems dissect and flower, her autopsies are delicate blooms dressed with blood and syntax. Her words are charcoal and cotton, safe yet dressed in an executioner’s garb.
Dream carefully.
You’ve already made your bed.
The nightmares you have now will not be kind.
And you have no one to blame but yourself.
Recently Finished
Rebeccca by Daphne DuMaurier
The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady’s maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives–presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.
As this was a group read along I will not be posting a review on my blog but check out the week 4 read along post.
New Releases for December
Empty Graves | C L Raven | Dec. 1 |
Ashes and Entropy | Ed. Robert S. Wilson | Dec. 11 |
Kingdom of Needle and Bone | Mira Grant | Dec. 31 |
New Release for December that I am login forward to
Kingdom of Needle and Bone By Mira Grant
We live in an age of wonders.
Modern medicine has conquered or contained many of the diseases that used to carry children away before their time, reducing mortality and improving health. Vaccination and treatment are widely available, not held in reserve for the chosen few. There are still monsters left to fight, but the old ones, the simple ones, trouble us no more.
Or so we thought. For with the reduction in danger comes the erosion of memory, as pandemics fade from memory into story into fairy tale. Those old diseases can’t have been so bad, people say, or we wouldn’t be here to talk about them. They don’t matter. They’re never coming back.
How wrong we could be.
It begins with a fever. By the time the spots appear, it’s too late: Morris’s disease is loose on the world, and the bodies of the dead begin to pile high in the streets. When its terrible side consequences for the survivors become clear, something must be done, or the dying will never stop. For Dr. Isabella Gauley, whose niece was the first confirmed victim, the route forward is neither clear nor strictly ethical, but it may be the only way to save a world already in crisis. It may be the only way to atone for her part in everything that’s happened.
She will never be forgiven, not by herself, and not by anyone else. But she can, perhaps, do the right thing.
We live in an age of monsters.
LOHF News
We have finished our community wide read along of Rebecca. We all had a great time reading everyone’s comments and the wonderful pictures on Bookstagram.
The giveaway winner was Cristina Martinez from Arts and Stories !!! Congratulations!! She won a copy of our next read along book. Which brings me to our next read along. We are going to be reading Tananarive Due’s The Between in February. So keep your eyes peeled for more information and announcements.
The LOHF have also started a Woman Horror Writers Group. If you want more information or would like to join the writers group send an email over to Jen at lohfwriters@gmail.com, she can point you to the sign-up sheet and answer any questions that you may have.
The LOHF also are looking to have guest posts by Woman horror writers in the upcoming year. Please reach out to us via email at ladiesofhorrorfiction@gmail.com or lohfpod@gmail.com.
We also have a new podcast series called Stories of Horror. Each month we are going to discuss an original lady of horror fiction and share a story of theirs that is out of copyright. The stories will be split in two parts. In December Edith Wharton is the star of the show. The story I am presenting is The Lady’s Maid’s Bell. The first episode of Stories of Horror was released on the 9th so check it out. Next month I am going to be talking about Elizabeth Gaskell and her story Lois the Witch.
Horror Community News
Stephanie Wytovich, Kathe Koja and Karron Warren are guests of honor at Stokercon 2019.
Lit Reactor released the 15 most anticipated Horror Books of 2019. 4 LOFH are on the list.
-Collision Stories by J.S. Breukelaar (Feb 19th)
-The Familiars by Stacey Halls (Feb 19th)
-Inside the Asylum by Mary SnGiovanni (May 7th)
-The Toll by Cherie Priest (July 19th)
Lit Reactor’s list of the best of 2018.
If you would like to reach out to the LOHFpodcast, our email address is LOHFPod@gmail.com. We would love to hear about new releases, news in the community, and suggestions for the podcast. You can find out more about the members of the Ladies of Horror Fiction via our website at www.ladiesofhorrorfiction.com.
The music for this episode is by Nicolas Gasparini at thedarkpiano.com
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