Creepy/Cozy #3

Shining lights—or are they glowing eyes!

A.C. Cargill, Author

Dec 16, 2024

Our neighbor just took away the pumpkins and put up shining lights, but he can’t fool us. The Grinch knows very well where he is welcome. BwahaHOHOHO!

More postings have arisen to tease you away from the holiday hustle and bustle, and I have collected them here just to be contrary (well, no, for your enjoyment).

A Batch for Your Perusal

If I missed your stories, poems, podcasts, comics, videos, artwork, etc., then tag me (

A.C. Cargill, Author

) in a Note linking to your item. The genre doesn’t matter—sci-fi, romance, horror, mystery, etc. Gotta help each other get seen, especially during a time of year when people are doing so much rushing around.

posts this take on those Muppets having a whack at Dickens’ rather odd tale, featuring three ghosts:

TV's Moral Philosophy

The Muppet Christmas Carol and Perfecting a Classic

Very little about Christmas is perfect…

4 months ago · 11 likes · Andrew Heard

And he goes over one of my fave holiday movies here, again featuring those ghosts:

TV's Moral Philosophy

Scrooged and Modernizing a Classic

Author’s Note: If you’d like to have a little extra Christmas cheer, check out the Christmas Issue of Buckethead that got released today…

4 months ago · 7 likes · 2 comments · Andrew Heard

George Saunders

’ Story Club takes another approach to that tale:

Story Club with George Saunders

A Christmas Carol

(See how I did that? Invoked the spirit of Dickens right there in the subtitle…

4 months ago · 137 likes · 101 comments · George Saunders

wraps up 2024 here:

Down the Rabbit Hole

Determined to not end the year with another issue, I locked myself away at home. One warm afternoon, I ventured into the backyard, slipped on rocks, and bruised my ribs…

4 months ago · 1 like · 2 comments · H. R. Sinclair

Joseph L. Wiess

brings some spirituality to the season:

Crann na beatha

Happy HolyDays and a Great New Year

With Christmas fast approaching, I wanted to give you guys a heads-up about my schedule for the next two weeks and what I plan to do after the new year…

4 months ago · 5 likes · Joseph L. Wiess

shares some holiday activities:

The Eclectic Reader

Holiday greetings from maternity leave

Hello from my cozy newborn bubble! That sounds lovely and stress-free, doesn’t it? In reality, I am stressed. We have a lot going on, and I will share a more thorough update along with more newsletters in 2025 (I hope!). I miss writing here, and I miss you all—so for today, here’s a brief peek into my holiday prep including delicious baked goods, carefu…

4 months ago · 4 likes · Chelsey Feder

presents the first of her two stories for the season:

Tales at Twilight

After Lucy died, he drove himself home. The nurse offered to call him a taxi, but what was the point? He would have to collect the car tomorrow, and Lucy always said, if anything happened to her, he should wear his big boy pants and carry on. Not that they were expecting anything to happen. She was only forty-four and as fit as a thirty-year-old. If she…

4 months ago · 7 likes · 7 comments · FranB

presents more of his serialized Yule tale:

Fragments from...R.L. Glover

Yule, Ohio (Now-Before)

Blake, Rhea, and Liv…who they are now…but before returning to Yule…

5 months ago · 3 likes · Richard Glover

The Twelve Days of Christmas are getting a unique treatment (I missed #11, and the rest will come in the days ahead):

does #10:

Twelve Days of Christmas—Dark Tidings is a Substack special holiday event. Each day beginning Friday the 13th, we’ll count down to Christmas Eve with a dark tale featuring one of the gifts from the classic Christmas carol. A guide to all the stories can be found…

4 months ago · 30 likes · 23 comments · Honeygloom

does #12:

Ferns of Columbo

Twelve Days of Christmas—Dark Tidings is a Substack special holiday event. Each day beginning Friday the 13th, we’ll count down to Christmas Eve with a dark tale featuring one of the gifts from the classic carol. A guide to all the stories can be found…

4 months ago · 56 likes · 46 comments · Jon T

Grace Anderson-Author

presents a Christmas horror story:

Grace’s Spook Show

The Sugar Plum Fairy

It was Christmas Eve when Natalie was taken…

4 months ago · 4 likes · 2 comments · Grace Anderson-Author

talks of purpose and presence:

Redefine the New Year with Purpose and Joy

Redefine the New Year with Purpose and Joy…

5 months ago · 7 likes · 8 comments · Lori K

pens a poem for the season:

A Journey of Words

In a land far away where the cold wind blows lies an empty sleigh and an elf with a red nose. That magical night will be upon us soon when he takes flight by the light of the moon. A man works hard all year so the kids can have toys. He wants to bring cheer to the good girls and boys. He doesn't sleep much, keeps his eyes o…

4 months ago · 18 likes · 18 comments · Rod Bluhm

The Man Behind the Screen

pens a dark, romantic poem:

Tales of Calamity and Triumph

Yearnings of the Wintry Soul

This one’s a bit experimental where my continuing fiction trades with Kathrine Elaine are concerned. As you can see, instead of a traditional piece of fiction I’ve been challenged to write a dark love poem with the constraints of, and I quote, “No humour, no smut, just your heart bleeding in rhyme…

4 months ago · 17 likes · 17 comments · The Man Behind the Screen

And for you coloring book fans, keep you eye out for

’s new series, featuring her inimitable style:

Magical Manifestations Productions: Stories, Art, & Podcasts

Happy Hygge Time: Simple Coloring for all Ages

I am planning on making a series of coloring books. Think big, bold, relaxing. I would like to have print books available soon, but I’m arguing with Amazon about my first coloring book, but if you like to color digitally or print your own pages, here it is, ready for your entertainment…

4 months ago · 21 likes · 2 comments · Jenna B. Neece

—————————

Thanks for reading. And please consider becoming a subscriber (paid or otherwise) to any of the fine Substacks above.

And yes, I want to bring my books (so far) to your attention. Hope you don’t mind.

My four books (so far) from Wordwooze Publishing:

NEW! The Greeting Card Girl’s Christmas – a sweet romance novel for the holiday season.
Wind Down the Chimney and Other Eerie Tales – my first book of eerie short stories (ebook, paperback, audio).
The Stardust Alliance and More – my second book of eerie stories with a touch of Sci-Fi (ebook, paperback, audio).
The Wiccan Tales – a novel and a real Halloween treat.

(All human written. I even designed the covers.)

See them all here:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Apple Books | Kobo | Thalia (German) ebook & print | Smashwords | Angus & Robertson: | Mondadori (Italian) | Vivlio (French/English) | Fable

Audio versions available for Wind Down the Chimney, The Stardust Alliance, and The Wiccan Tales.

Discussion about this post

Chris J. Franklin

A great selection! I've been putting up quite a few Christmas things myself this past week, so I'll definitely get you tagged... 🎄😎🎄

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2 replies by A.C. Cargill, Author and others

Thanks.

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