Charlotte Emma Gledson has only been writing short stories seriously for seven months, though she has a collection of poetry based on her life experiences called "Turbulent Emotions". Four short stories and three of her poems have been published in the acclaimed "Darkened Horizons" horror anthologies. Other works have been published in the Word Weavers horror anthology “Requiem for the Damned” and “The World of Myth” e-zine. Other poems have been published in the Word Weavers “Reverence of Rune – A collection of Verse”.

Residing in the coastal town of Gosport UK, she currently divides her time as a busy Mum to four gregarious children, eighteen ventriloquist dummies, and a  scruffy mutt called Reg, whilst writing a supernatural/dark novel entitled “Bluebells For My Baby.”

Other works in progress include the Edward Ballister Project. A new initiative where a collaboration of esteemed and up and coming authors write a single chapter each, in order to create the ultimate horror novel.

Charlotte’s short story The Boys Night Out will be published in the upcoming premiere issue of The Ashen Eye. Here’s a brief excerpt:

Finally, huddled against a damp wall under a viaduct, a victim was found. Debris and neglect engulfed the figure. A roaring train whistled overhead, drowning any evidence of the approaching men.

Abruptly, Greg kicked the man forcefully on the back of his knees, watching him buckle. Max swiftly turned around to see if anyone was near. Satisfied, he stamped on the man’s knee, cracking the patella with a harsh snap under his Gucci heel.

Don’t forget to visit Charlotte’s website or MySpace page.

A former laboratory technician turned home educator, Richard H. Fay now spends his days juggling various writing and art projects. He resides in Upstate New York with his wife, daughter, two cats, and a rather confused shepherd-chow mix. History, myth, legend, folklore, and personal experiences with the uncanny and bizarre all serve as inspiration for Richard’s creative endeavors. Many of the fruits of his labor have appeared in various e-zines and print magazines, including “Niteblade”, “Hungur”, “The Fifth Di…”, and “Champagne Shivers”.

The premiere issue of The Ashen Eye will feature some of Richard’s poetry. As an introduction to his work, here is another one of his poems titled The Phantom Dimension.

Other examples of his artwork and writing can be seen at his web site, Azure Lion Productions.

“Hey man, look, you know I’m asking out of concern. How are the new meds working?”

John would deal with Nick’s transgression in time; what mattered now were prime numbers, three’s, and some finger clicks. Sarah as well, the issue of her in general would be addressed soon. He gave it, at the most, another day or two. John walked over to the sink and washed his hands. The itching of his balls was almost unbearable. A small price to pay, in another day or two it will all be over.

You have just read an excerpt from the disturbing short story Patience, written by Ben Eads. The full story is scheduled to appear in the first issue of The Ashen Eye.

Ben Eads lives in Florida and works in the Information Technology field. Aside from reading and writing dark fiction, he enjoys martial arts, philosophy, and finding the secrets to the universe.

He started his own podcast, called “The Dark Fiction Spotlight”, which focuses on up and coming writers and the presses that publish them. Its goal is to spread the word to as many people as possible.

Ben’s work has recently appeared in “Black Petals”, issue #43, and the March/May issue of “NVH Magazine”.

Don’t forget to visit Ben’s MySpace page, home of “The Dark Fiction Spotlight”, and add him as a friend.

Jim Kelley is a full-time carpenter in the great state of Ohio, where he co-owns a small exterior deck & siding company. He’s a former semi-pro football player for the Columbus Sharks, Swarm, and Phantoms, and is happily married. Jim shares his house with his wife, six cats, and a hyper rot/beagle mix dog.

His short story, titled Sex and Rot in the Afterlife, will appear in the first issue of The Ashen Eye. The following is a short excerpt taken from it:

On a stack of elbow macaroni boxes, I saw Tina laying on her back. Her blouse was open and her milky white breasts almost glowed in the dimness. Her skirt—the denim number she teased me with earlier—was hiked up around her thighs. Worst of all, her knees draped across someone’s shoulders, and her hands pulled feverishly at the somebody’s hair.

Evan would rip me limb from limb if I attacked him.

Some of Jim Kelley’s short stories have appeared in “+The Horror Library+” and “The World of Myth” ezines under the pen name Kelly James. Also, he’s the book review columnist for The World of Myth.

To visit Jim Kelley’s MySpace page, please click here.

Poet Greg Schwartz fixes copiers by day and writes horror by night. His poetry has appeared in publications such as Talebones, Black Petals, The Magazine of Speculative Poetry, and Tales of the Talisman. A chapbook of his horror poetry, titled “Bits and Pieces”, was released last summer by Spec House of Poetry. Whenever he has the time, Greg reviews books and magazines for Whispers of Wickedness, and he’s also the staff cartoonist for Shadow Poetry’s SP Quill Magazine.

One of Greg’s works will be featured in upcoming premiere issue of The Ashen Eye. To provide you with a taste of his work beforehand, here’s a poem titled Bats.

Lorne Dixon lives and writes somewhere off an Exit of Route 78 in residential New Jersey. He grew up on a diet of yellow-spined paperbacks, black and white monster movies, and the thunder lizard backbeat of rock n’ roll.

The following is an excerpt from Lorne’s short story titled King James Version (Abridged), which is scheduled to be published in the upcoming issue of The Ashen Eye.

Lucy The Waitress looked up from the game of solitaire spread out on the table closest to the bar. She pulled her cigarette out of her mouth and blew out a plume of thick smoke. She stared at Matthias, transfixed.

It only took a quick motion. Both collar bones crushed inwards, fragmenting and cutting through flesh and muscle until they met in her throat, cutting off her oxygen supply. Easy work for two strong thumbs. She spun off the table, trying to gasp, hands wrapped around her neck, failing to pry her bones out of her throat.

Lorne’s short fiction has appeared, or is scheduled to appear, in, “+The Horror Library+ Volume 2” (Cutting Block Press), “Bad-Ass Faeries” (Marietta), “The Book Of Dark Wisdom” Magazine (2008, Elder Signs), “Strange Stories Of Sand And Sea” (2008, Fine Tooth Press), “Traps” (2008, DarkHart Press), “Lilith Unbound” (2008, Popcorn Press), “Dark Distortions” (2008, Scotopia), “Bound For Evil: Curious Tales Of Books Gone Bad” (2008, Dead Letters Press), “Tales Of Moreauvia” Magazine, “Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad” (2008, Marietta), and “Darkness On The Edge: Dark Stories Inspired By The Music Of Bruce Springsteen” (early 2009, PS Press UK).

Visit Lorne Dixon’s blog

He swept a hand over the roof of his car. It looked like finely ground particles of rust in the palm of his hand. Wasn’t the surface of Mars supposed to be covered in stuff like this? He stared at the particles, fascinated. How could it have been carried on the wind when there hadn’t been so much as a light breeze for the best part of a week? And yet it was everywhere; hair, clothes, roofs, drifting in through open windows; this strange phenomenon had become quite a talking point in Billy’s Bar. Jack made a fist, and then unclenched it. The sand left a russet stain on the palm of his hand.

Then the strangest thing happened. The particles seemed to dissolve, as though seeping into the pores of his skin. In seconds the sand had gone; even the red stain, which had marked the palm of his hand, had vanished.

What you’ve just read is an excerpt from Dave Price’s short story titled A Town Built on Dreams, which you will be able to find in the first issue of The Ashen Eye. David Price is an ex coal miner who started writing for the small press in 1995. Since then he’s had over 70 stories published in such diverse magazines as “Not One of Us”, “Nasty Piece of Work”, “Kimota”, “Shadow Writers”, and “Dream Zone”.

Between 1997 and 1999 David Price was the editor of dark fiction magazine “Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque”. In 2001 a collection of his stories, titled “Evil Eye”, was published by BJM Press (now Rainfall Books)

Click here to visit David Price’s website.

Our next contributor is fiction author David Byron. David has had numerous short stories accepted for publication in magazines such as Dark Recesses Press and Fantastic Horror. He is also the author of the book “Lucid Nightmares” and the moderator of NVH magazine {New Voices in Horror}. His short story titled Petrifaction will be published in the first issue of The Ashen Eye. The following is an excerpt from that story:

“These are fabulous!” Alicia said. She turned toward Henry and asked, “May I touch them?”

“What the…” Jake didn’t even have time to finish his sentence before the succinylcholine chloride took effect. Both of the kids lay on the floor, eyes open. This was one of Henry’s favorite parts of the process.

To order a copy of David’s book, “Lucid Nightmares”, please click here.

Our next fiction contributor is named Troy Barnes. Troy lives in a small coastal town called Penguin, in Tasmania, Australia. He is 35 years of age, married, and writes at night while working a full time job, managing a retail hardware store, during the day. One of his short stories, titled Family Matters, has been accepted for publication in The Ashen Eye’s premiere issue. Here’s a short excerpt to whet your appetites:

When Dean woke up he wasn’t really sure why. Sometimes you just have a feeling that you shouldn’t be sleeping. A subconscious thought that tells you something is happening. Jimmy was standing silently near the end of the bed.

She shot her head around in a speeding blur and stared directly into her husband’s eyes. He took a step backwards as his mouth dropped with a terrifying rupture of reality. She had a look if intense insanity in her bloodshot eyes. Her mouth, overcome with swollen teeth, was covered in red and black clotted blood, and her skin was pale and void of life. Dark stains were scattered around where her bare body was kneeling.

Troy’s debut novel, called "Deadlight", was released in March 2007, and has since been read all around Australia, and also in the USA, Denmark, Japan and Switzerland. He has been lucky enough, through sheer determination, to personally pass on copies to actor Eric Bana, and Leigh Whannell - From the Saw movies. His short story "Blender" soon followed and was included in the horror anthology, Concrete Blood, released in the USA. After this came "Alley Kat", included in Darkened Horizons Issue 2, and "The Diary of Norman Dicker" in the invitation only, Darkened Horizons - Halloween Edition.

Troy’s second novel, “Monochromacy”, will be released mid 2008.

To find more information or to order a copy of “Deadlight”, please visit Troy Barnes’ MySpace page or his official website, www.troy-barnes.com.

The third officially confirmed contributor to The Ashen Eye is multi-talented poet, horror fiction writer and musician Alexis Child.

Alexis Child hails from Toronto, Canada; horror in its purest form. She works at a Call Crisis Center befriending demons of the mind that roam freely amongst her writings and lives with a Calico-cat child sleuthing all that goes bump in the night.

She has been kind enough to allow us to feature one of her blood-chilling poems to introduce you to her work. Another one of her poems will be featured in the premiere issue of The Ashen Eye.

Alexis Child’s poetry and fiction have been featured in numerous online and print publications, including Sinfully Twisted Magazine, Black Petals, Tales of the Talisman and Whispers of Wickedness (featuring an interview with the writer). Her first collection of poetry, titled “Devil in the Clock”, is now available in e-book from Purpleverse Publishing. Book in print coming soon.

To visit her website please click here.