GENRE: mixed speculative short story collection (SFF/mild horror)
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BLURB
Twelve stories, separated into seasons of life, are told through the perspectives of maidens, mothers, and crones. Each one shows us how a fractured reality-or a fractured mind-can warp even the most mundane of events into a bizarre tale.
From a twenty-something office worker trapped by a mountaintop cult to an unstable mother trying to resist the urge to flee to another dimension, one by one, these women step to the edge of what they know and see the impossible looking back at them.
This speculative collection meanders through genres including urban fantasy, science fiction, magic realism, steampunk, folk horror, and cosmic horror. Perfect for readers who are, themselves, strange and unusual.
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EXCERPTS
From The Crystal Miners (Maidens)
Paige glanced around, searching for watchful eyes. She was close to a wall, so she backed herself into it and pulled herself to standing, using the dewy rock for support.
A crunch echoed as she stepped forward. She froze and looked down to see what she had crushed with her foot. Crystal growths sprouted from the ground. A flash of rainbow caught Paige’s eye, and she bent down to examine the gems. It was the same green crystal used to make the effigies back in the village. The oil slick sheen on the raw stone played an optical trick in the low light, seeming to move like liquid on the surface of the crystals. She twisted to touch the material with a bound hand.
Paige could have sworn her skin absorbed something. Her waking vision dissolved into an image of an alien-pink sky over green, rocky terrain. A guttural voice uttered one of the strange words from the distant chant. She dropped the crystal, breaking free from her reverie as she stumbled along the cave wall.
Her eyes adjusted again to the low light. She could now see a stone altar in front of the group. An unconscious Randy lay atop it, his hands and feet bound. He appeared unharmed, except for the fact that he was tied to a slab.
Paige briefly speculated as to which of the figures was the infamous Mildred before shaking herself more awake. Mildred didn’t matter. The meaning of the chant didn’t matter.
Murmuring from the penitent crowd, rising in volume as something inhumanly tall approached the altar, stepping out from the shadows. The dark figure had impossible features, Paige noted. Horns topped its silhouette above a pair of beady, glowing eyes. Tentacles wiggled where its mouth should be, silencing the crowd.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links
Christine Hart is a writer of speculative fiction for youth and adults. She also runs an online metalsmithing shop, Hart Fabrications.
She holds a BA in English and Professional Writing, as well as current membership with the Federation of BC Writers.
Christine’s backlist includes YA, NA, and MG titles. Her debut novel, Watching July, won a gold medal from the Moonbeam Children’s awards in the mature issues category.
Her first collection of adult fiction, Weird Stories of Strange Women, is coming in the summer of 2026.
She lives in Langley, BC with her husband and two children. Learn more about Christine and her work at hart-fabrications.com and christine-hart.ca.
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Christine Hart will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
Enter here to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card
I was lucky to read an advanced copy of this.
World of Stories 