Deadlights Horror Fiction Magazine

You say that you love horror fiction? Well, here's your chance to prove it.

One thing most of us can agree on is this: There aren't enough quality markets for short horror fiction out there.

I always loved reading fiction in a magazine. Something feels so right about it. There used to be a lot more of them around. I was at Barnes and Noble recently and there were a few of the old reliable workhorses like Ellery Queen, Mystery Scene, and Analog. Not much in the way of horror out there.

There are some cool ones still around being independently distributed, and I shouldn't have to list them. But there simply are not enough of them. Not for readers, and certainly not for writers.

There are anthologies coming out all the time, which is cool. But monthly, or bi-monthly magazines? Precious few.

Sure, writers can get their short fiction out through Amazon, and get lost in the ocean of others doing the same. It's kind of hard to get the attention of readers that way.

There's a new magazine on the horizon. It's called Deadlights, and there is a Kickstarter campaign going on now to launch it. Happily it has already reached its goal, but any startup venture can use more capital.


Deadlights is the brainchild of one David M. Wilson, and I've been talking to him a bit. The guy is young, passionate, serious, and well-versed in the genre. Not just the current crop of writers who came come forth since the Millennium, but deep in the history of the field. I respect that. I respect that a hell of a lot.

Now, some of you bristle at the notion of crowdfunding, and there's nothing I can say about that. I have my own thresholds, and I understand.

However, the rules of marketing and distribution are rapidly changing. Wilson is going for an Old School zine, which is wonderful, and he is using new technology to make it happen.

I've heard people make the claim that no one should try to sell something when they don't have the capital to get it off the ground. I don't subscribe to that train of thought. In this day and age, times are tough for a lot of people, and anyone who wants to make an effort to get a fiction magazine up and running is A-OK by me.

Many of the most revered magazines in the history of the field had very modest beginnings. Cemetery Dance, The Horror Show, Whispers, they all were projects of love by people who had passion and conviction.

Will Deadlights be a long-running success? That depends upon the perseverance and dedication of David M. Wilson--and upon the lovers of horror fiction out there like you and me.

And, yes, I contributed, and I am asking you to consider doing the same. Any crowdfunding scheme is a risk, but we're talking about twelve bucks here. Isn't it worth that much to help get in on the ground floor of a new market for horror fiction?