Exploring Dark Short Fiction #7: A Primer to Gemma Files

Named "One of the genre's most original and innovative voices" (L.A. Review of Books) and "An expert at terrifying prose" (LitReactor), Canadian author Gemma Files has been penning gritty and macabre fiction since 1993, earning industry awards and critical acclaim from sources such as National Public Radio, Publishers Weekly, and The National Post. Files imbues her cross-genre work with layers like dark heartbreak upon horror, built over the vignettes of life we may find ourselves in, but for one slight turn of reality.

Dark Moon Books and editor Eric J. Guignard bring you this introduction to her work, the seventh in a series of primers exploring modern masters of literary dark short fiction. Herein is a chance to discover-or learn more of-the evocative voice of Gemma Files, as beautifully illustrated by artist Michelle Prebich. 

Sometimes it pays to judge a book by its cover. For me, this is one of those times.

From the dazzling cover to the mesmerizing illustrations, and every story in between, this is a captivating read for anyone like me who relishes dark fiction.

Story notes, an interview, and a bibliography to make it easier to find the author's other works make this book a delight.

As for the stories themselves, they are filled to the brim with evocative prose and foreboding atmosphere. Because I especially love folklore my favorite tales involved werewolves, a writing exercise that accidentally creates a tulpa, and fairies that are nothing like Tinkerbell.

My thanks to Dark Moon Books

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Included within these pages are:

• Six short stories, one written exclusively for this book

• Author interview

• Biography and bibliography

• Academic commentary by Michael Arnzen, PhD (former humanities chair and professor of the year, Seton Hill University)

• … and more!

Enter this doorway to the vast and fantastic: Get to know Gemma Files.

220 pages, Paperback

Published February 4, 2025

 

Bloodstains by Gaslight Red Lagoe

It’s 1997, senior year, and aspiring astronomy student, Reese, has her eyes set on the stars. The only thing holding her back is her jealous boyfriend, Michael, whose increasingly manipulative and abusive behavior cannot be tolerated any longer. 

However, moments before Reese gathers the courage to break up with him, Michael is in a tragic accident. There are no rational explanations that can make sense of the changes Reese sees in him, but it is clear Michael is becoming something inhuman—something impossible. Intoxicated with unbridled power, he sinks his teeth into her jugular and traps Reese in a life of inescapable horror.

Bloodstains by Gaslight takes an uncomfortable look at intimate partner violence, exploring the monsters of humanity through the lens of a vampire tale.

 

The year is 1997 and high school student Reese has big plans for what she wants to do with her life. First on the list is breaking up with her abusive boyfriend, Michael. She has wanted to end the relationship for some time now, but he always manipulates her into one more chance. This time, she has had enough and no amount of pleading or threatening will make her stay. 

But then it happens. The horrible accident that nearly takes his life. She feels compelled to help him through his recovery. She worries what people will think if she turns her back on him now. His recovery is remarkably quick, and suddenly he is stronger, more aggressive, and more dangerous than before. Is there any chance for escape?

I feel like if you took away the vampires, almost every woman in the world has a story like this somewhere in her past. Reese knows she deserves to be treated better, but Michael isn't just her first love, he has been her best and only friend. It's hard to walk away from that. Especially when you have hidden the dark parts of his personality, to the point that even your own mother might not take your side.

How fitting to combine domestic violence with vampires, since abusers share many of the same traits. After all, they drain us, don't they? They drain us of energy, time, emotion, friends, trust, and sometimes blood. If we don't escape they feed off us until there is nothing left of who we used to be or who we would have been.

4 out of 5 stars

My Thanks to Brigids Gate Press for the e-ARC.

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About the author

 

Of Foster Homes and Flies by Chad Lutzke

 

Denny is a 12-year-old neglected boy who's been studying all year for the upcoming spelling bee. But when his alcoholic mother dies in her sleep, he suddenly faces foster care. To ensure he still competes in the school event, he hides his mother's death for one week so he can have a chance at something he so desperately needs. Something to be proud of. Something his dad would have been proud of: A win.

A heartfelt and tragic coming-of-age tale in the setting of a hot New Orleans summer.

I took a quick break from reading ARCs to finally crack open a book that has been waiting in my Kindle for years. If you know me, you know that's a rare occasion. I needed to pick a quick read that wouldn't let me down. I'm glad this is the one I chose.

12 year old Denny lives with his abusive, alcoholic mother. He pretty much has to fend for himself other than the occasional pop-tarts she leaves on the table for him in an unspoken acknowledgment of the guilt she feels for what she's done. Maybe that's not as much effort as she puts into the eggs she cooks for her dog but that's really not the dog's fault so Denny isn't jealous. 

In spite of his wretched home life, Denny has one thing he's looking forward to. He's been preparing for the school spelling bee and he is more than ready to win. He has spent the year regretting his decision not to enter last time and he won't let anything stop him this year. But with one week to go until the spelling bee, his mother drinks herself to death, leaving him with visions of foster homes, and being carted off to who knows where, should anyone find out. So he does what he has to in order to compete. He keeps her death a secret for the week.

This was a heartbreaking, bittersweet, coming of age tale. While Denny is in a hopeless situation, cast adrift in circumstances he will have no control over, he clings to the one thing he wants most, something to be proud of. Will he get his chance? I really wanted him to. The author has a talent for creating characters that are impossible not to connect with.

5 out of 5 stars

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The Night Crew by Brad Ricks

Vampires, vengeance, and a quest for survival—The Night Crew is a heart-pounding supernatural thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

After the brutal murder of his wife, Michael White is thrust into a world of unimaginable horrors. With no help from the local authorities, he embarks on a personal investigation that uncovers a chilling truth—vampires are real.

When he confronts his wife’s killer, he discovers the true nature of the monster who tore apart his life—a bloodthirsty vampire who has already claimed countless victims. On the brink of becoming the undead himself, Michael is saved by a team of vampire hunters known as The Night Crew. They offer him a chance at revenge and a shot at redemption.

Teaming up with these skilled hunters, Michael must navigate a dark, dangerous world filled with vampires and other supernatural creatures. But the road to vengeance is fraught with peril, and Michael’s humanity is at risk as he battles to destroy the creature that killed his wife.

Will Michael be able to seek vengeance against the vampire that shattered his life while retaining his own humanity, or will he succumb to the darkness that threatens to consume him?

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Where Stories Come Alive!

Michael White returns home from work one night to a real-life nightmare.

He sees his wife through the window lying in a pool of blood. He thinks she must have hit her head, but then he sees it. Someone feeding on her. He tries to fight it off, but its superhuman strength makes that impossible.

Wracked with grief, and harassed by a cop who wants to blame him for the murder he vows to hunt down the killer, but he is not prepared for what he finds.

This was an action-packed, suspenseful, and blood-soaked read. The fast pace and heart-pounding search for the killer had me on the edge of my seat and was equaled only by my fear of what would happen once he was found. This is a book that straddles the line between horror and action thriller while fitting snugly into both categories.

My thanks to Crystal Lake Publishing for the e-ARC.

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