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Three Uncommon Cursed Objects That Would Make Good Stories

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 23:07:19 GMT

Three Uncommon Cursed Objects That Would Make Good Stories

Cursed objects are often the basis for scary stories. As with the haunted house trope, it’s creepy to think objects and places in our daily lives might have a sinister side. Common cursed objects include jewels, chairs, stolen artifacts, and representations of people: paintings, dolls, and statues. But here are three lesser-known cursed objects that might make a good story.

The Chained Oak

Alton, Staffordshire, England is home to a very large oak with chains wrapped around it. It’s possible this was done in the 1800s to help preserve the gorgeous tree, but the legend, as usual, is much more interesting. Supposedly, it’s not the tree itself which is cursed, but the local Earl of Shrewsbury, who failed to give assistance to an elderly woman he met one day. In anger, she told the earl that every time a branch fell from the tree, someone in his family would die. Hence, the chains.

The Curse upon Senicianus

How about an actual written curse from Roman Britain? Rib 306 details the theft of a ring by a man named Senicianus. The inscription curses anyone named Senicianus until the ring is returned (which seems a bit broad, to be honest). We have no idea if the ring ever made a reappearance.

The Haunted Ledger

In the 1980s, demolition work in Brighton revealed a jeweler’s shop ledger dating to 1915, stored inside a wall. The man who found the ledger took it home, but his family soon reportedly experienced creepy events like images of people appearing in a rug. (How’s that for unusual?) The ledger was eventually donated to Preston Manor, a haunted house and museum. The ledger itself appears to be a completely normal record of sales, so it’s unclear why it would be cursed—which is probably even creepier.

If we can take any lessons from these three objects, they would be: don’t be rude to the elderly, don’t steal rings, and don’t…sell jewelry in 1915. Which is all pretty easy to do! Happy writing!

You can also read about some unusual vampires, rare cryptids, strange werewolves, and weird ghosts which might make good characters, and haunted places that might make good settings.

This article was first published on my writing blog

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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How to Publish a Short Story

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 22:28:54 GMT

ALT

How to Publish a Short Story

Looking to get published? There are three new articles on my website about selling short stories, based on my experiences with publishing. In other words, it's a whole bunch of stuff I didn’t know when I started. It’s been an enjoyable journey for me – and if I can do it, so can you!

Part 1: Calls for Submissions

So you’ve written a story you’d like to sell. That’s awesome! Let’s take a look at who’s buying.

Part 2: Submitting Your Story

You’ve found a publication you like, and you’re ready to submit your story. Don’t worry if you’re terrified, that’s completely normal (sorry). Here are some easy steps to follow.

Part 3: Rejections and Acceptances

You found a call, submitted a story, and now you’ve heard back! Let’s look at the final steps.

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Deathbed Visions

Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:55:14 GMT

ALT

Want to write a horror or crime story? There are 3 posts on my Weird Wednesday blog about deathbed visions, with writing prompts!

Crisis Apparitions

The story goes like this: when someone is in a moment of crisis, whether it be death, near-death, or just a time of great anxiety, they can project an image of themselves to a loved one. The image can speak or be silent. It can look ghostly—someone floating above the floor, shining with radiance, or resting in a coffin—or it can seem exactly like a real person visiting. Many times crisis apparitions are comforting: a beloved family member coming to say a last goodbye.

The Third Man Phenomenon

The “third man" is the phenomenon where people in life-threatening or highly stressful situations sense another person (of whatever gender) with them. The solo hiker has a companion, or the group of four becomes five, of which most or all report seeing the extra person.

andA Peak in Darien

People who are dying or who have gone through near-death experiences (NDE’s) often report deathbed visions, in which they see apparitions of family members or friends who have passed on. A “Peak in Darien” experience refers specifically to seeing the apparition of someone who has died, but whose death is unknown to the experiencer. It describes gazing into the afterlife and inexplicably seeing someone that you believe to still be alive, only to find out later that the person has indeed died.

A “Peak” writing prompt:

Rumors of my demise. Obviously, the fact that someone has died but that no one knows about it yet would be very unsettling. It might be the case that the news has been kept from the person on their deathbed because it would upset them and they are already in poor health. Or it could be the case that no one in the room knows of the death because it hasn’t been announced yet, and thus everyone is distressed later when they find out. You could have a group of characters off doing something dangerous, like mountain climbing, and at the news that one of them has died, their friends and family must attempt to rescue the rest.

Check out the posts for more prompts!

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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The Gytrash: World's Scariest Cow

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 23:12:35 GMT

The Gytrash: World’s Scariest Cow

Welcome! Today on the blog we’re walking down a lonely country road, looking for a cow whose appearance foretells death. Which is about as weird as anything we do around here.

So say you’re a ways down that country road. It’s late, and the sun’s going down. Your home’s not too far away, but you’re surrounded by trees, so it’s hard to see too far ahead. Then a little distance off, you spy a cow. Of course, cows are common enough in the country. It probably just wandered away from its field. So you decide to be a good neighbor and return it. But the closer you get to the cow, the more something feels…off. As if the cow is friendly, but maybe you don’t want it to be.

Then the cow heads off the road, wandering into the trees, and you have a decision to make: do you follow it, or not?

So what the heck is a Gytrash? Well, that depends on its whims, presumably. It’s alternatively called a Guytrash or Guytresh, where “trash” comes from “thurse,” meaning “goblin” in Middle English. So it’s some sort of spirit or creature that dwells in Northern England and appears as various large domestic mammals: a horse, mule, cow, or dog. But the point is, it’s not a horse, mule, cow or dog. It’s a supernatural shapeshifter. Sometimes that’s kind of obvious, because the animal will be black with glowing red eyes, something it has in common with hell hounds.

And if you thought that was creepy, the Gytrash also occasionally appears in human form…sometimes as a shrunken figure without a head. So what’s it doing there on that lonely road?

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

What if you’d like to convince someone else to follow the Gytrash? Say your character’s got an enemy in their village, somebody who drives them nuts on a daily basis. So they start to wonder whether death-by-Gytrash could be considered murder. How would they set somebody up to follow the creepy horse into the woods? Maybe they could tell them a valuable horse ran away to some lonely stretch of forest, offer a reward, and hope for the best. Or maybe your character could try to cast a spell to summon a Gytrash to their enemy’s daily walking path. If it worked, it might just be the perfect crime.

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DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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The World’s Weirdest Good-Luck Charms: Dirt, Flies, and the Hangman’s Rope

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:40:34 GMT

Hey, y’all, it’s Weird Wednesday! Where on some Wednesdays, I blog about weird stuff and give writing prompts.

Today: The World’s Weirdest Good-Luck Charms: Dirt, Flies, and the Hangman’s Rope

Welcome to Weird Wednesday! Today we’re brimming with good fortune and ready to talk about those wonderful things that bring luck. For example…dirt.

Believe it or not, superstition says the luck of a household is contained in the dirt on its floor. So if you sweep that dirt over the threshold and out the door, the luck will go with it. But have no fear if you like clean floors: if you sweep inward and then carry the dirt out, it’s okay. One assumes vacuums must also get around the rules.

How about having a fly in the house? Flies are not usually welcome visitors, but in winter, the last fly in the house after the rest have died is said to be very lucky—which means you shouldn’t get out your flyswatter. I guess that is lucky for the fly.

And heading into gruesome good luck charms, we come to the hangman’s rope.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Dirt cheap. Imagine a dystopian capitalist society with a market for aesthetically appropriate good luck charms: in this case, dirt from the houses of the more fortunate. Of course, there would be the usual amount of fraud in such a market, but could someone scrape out (pun intended) a living this way, selling literal crumbs from a table? And is the dirt actually lucky?

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Megaldon: Monster Shark

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:32:47 GMT

This week in 1875, the HMS Challenger drew up some of the most famous Megalodon teeth in the world from a sea floor 2.7 miles down.

These teeth formed the basis of a now-discredited theory that Megalodon populated the world’s oceans as recently as 11,000 years ago.

Check out my Weird Wednesday blog post on this monstrous fish for some creature feature writing prompts, such as:

The haunted sea. If you can have ghost ships sailing around— The Flying Dutchman or any historical wreck— then why not ghost sharks? Sidebar: there are three generally recognized types of hauntings, two of which might be relevant here: the first is a residual haunting— think DVD of the dead— spirits that have no intellectual presence, but simply appear over and over, like a recording. Often, they reenact their last movements and death. So there might be a massive, millions-of-years-old whale-megalodon battle playing out at the surface of the water. (Perhaps, like the Dutchman, seeing this ghostly struggle could be a bad omen.) The other kind of haunting that might apply here is intelligent: this is where you would get a ghost who likes to push people down the stairs, or a long-dead megalodon who’d still very much like to eat you and your boat. (In case anyone is wondering, the third type of haunting is a poltergeist.)

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Why You Shouldn’t Mass Submit Your Writing

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 20:50:05 GMT

Why You Shouldn’t Mass Submit Your Writing

Say you’ve got a story or book about a haunted house inhabited by 27 lazy demon cats. Say it’s a good piece, and you have high hopes for it. So you do what seems like a really smart thing: find a whole list of agents or presses who are looking for fiction. You make sure not to leave anybody out, and of course, you don’t worry about word count or any other submission guidelines—after all, you want to have as many people as possible look at your demon cats! Then all you have to do is write a single cover or query letter, and hit send. And look at that, you’re done already! Why don’t more writers mass submit?

I’ll tell you why.

It’s largely useless.

Yes, there are definitely people looking for haunted house pieces in your specific word count. But not everybody in publishing works with horror, let alone the supernatural subgenre in 50k books or 5k stories. Now, you may think that just because someone’s website doesn’t say they don’t want your type of story doesn’t mean they actually don’t. Maybe they’ll read your piece and love it! So why leave them out? Dream big!

Here’s the issue: ‘Maybe they’ll read your piece’. Unfortunately, they won’t. Because this editor or agent has an inbox full of the romcom novels or 1000-word sci-fi stories they asked for. So they’ll take one look at your email, see horror or 6,000 words, and delete it. Your demon cats are not getting read.

You have to remember, these folks are getting paid to work with romcoms or flash sci-fi. That’s their job. If you got off-topic work emails that had nothing to do with your job, would you take the time to read and consider them?

So a huge number of those emails you just sent were useless. You’re trying to sell snow boots on a tropical island. You’re wasting your time and theirs. But you might think, so what? Surely some of the people I emailed do want to read about demon cats in my word count. And you’d be right.

But unfortunately, you’ve now made a big mistake with those folks too.

It’s a bad first impression.

Say your boss gives you a project and a choice of two coworkers. Both are nice people, but one takes the time to read the specs of the project so she can make helpful contributions. The other doesn’t have a good grasp of the project and thinks it’s not worth her time to figure that out. Which person do you want to work with?

When an editor or agent reads a submission email, what they’re really doing is auditioning a coworker. Remember, they’re going to have to work with this writer over weeks or months while they bring the project to completion. And you’ve just written them an email that says “Dear Agent/Editor” and is so generalized that it’s obvious you have no idea where you’ve sent your piece. It’s clearly a mass submission. You don’t know this agent or publisher at all and evidently, you don’t really care. That is not a good look.

If at this point you’re starting to regret mass submitting, there is more bad news, unfortunately:

You can’t fix it.

Because you’ve already emailed everybody you can think of. Which means if you find of a way to improve your query letter, there’s nowhere left to send the better version. And it gets worse than that.

Say an agent’s submission guidelines say “Please address me with my first and last name.” But you already sent them an email that reads “Dear Editor/Agent.” Say a magazine asks that stories be sent as rtf files, but your email already went out with a pdf or docx.

Say you have a personal tidbit to share with someone you’re emailing: you met them at a conference, you loved their client’s book or a story from their magazine, or you recognized some cute quote on their website as coming from a fandom you share. But you didn’t tell them.

The time to figure these things out is before you send the email. If you find out later, it’s too late.

Mass submitting may seem like a really easy way to get published. But publishing is unfortunately a slow process involving a lot more than just writing a good story. It’s safe to say no writer likes carefully researching an agent or publisher’s website as much as they like writing the story in the first place. But you’ve got to do both.

Thanks for reading!

This article was first published on my writing blog

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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3 Rare Cryptids That Would Make Good Characters

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:24:17 GMT

Three Rare Cryptids That Would Make Good Characters

A cryptid is an animal rumored to exist, but unproven: think Bigfoot or Nessie. It’s hard to know what people are actually seeing when they report cryptid sightings. Common explanations are a misidentified real animal or animals (for example, Bigfoot might be a bear on its hind legs, or a sea serpent a pod of dolphins swimming in a line); an out of place animal (the big cat in the woods may have escaped from a private zoo); or an animal that was thought to be extinct, but still exists. Or they might be seeing something completely new.

Cryptids are a favorite subject for writers, but the most popular ones can feel overused. So here are three lesser-known cryptids that might make good characters.

In the same vein (haha), check out some unusual vampires and weird ghosts

The Dobhar-chú

This massive Irish cryptid is said to be a 15-foot-long mix of a dog and an otter or a dog and a fish, and lives in freshwater lakes. Legend has it the Dobhar-chú killed a woman named Grace Connolly on the shores of Glenade Lough in 1722, after which her husband killed the Dobhar-chú and its mate. There is said to be a carving of the Dobhar-chú on Connolly’s weathered headstone.

Quickfoot

Quickfoot, or the Silver Man, is an ape- or bear-like creature first reported by 3 boys in Devon, England, in 1978, who said it had glowing green eyes. And yep, it runs really quick. Here’s a video from a man who saw it dash across the road in Scotland in 1995.

Read about a green-eyed ghost from the US Civil War and get writing prompts!

The Beast of Busco

This Beast is a massive turtle in a lake in Churubusco, Indiana, with a shell the size of a dining table. It was first reported in 1898, and seen again in the same lake in 1948. Despite heavy media interest, no one ever managed to prove the turtle exists, but he’s so beloved he has his own yearly festival.

Thanks for reading! Good luck writing a legend of your own!

Check out more creature feature posts with writing prompts

This article was first published on my writing blog

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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The Ghost Before the Storm: South Carolina's Gray Man

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 23:41:50 GMT

This week in 1822, a hurricane hit South Carolina, and gave rise to a legend: the ghostly Gray Man.

The story goes like this: a young man was traveling from Charleston, South Carolina, to meet his fiancée on Pawley’s Island. Unfortunately, his horse stumbled in a marsh and threw him, and he drowned in the muddy water. But after his death, the young man’s fiancée saw him once again: on the beach (or, according to some accounts, in a dream), where he warned her about an approaching storm.

Taking the warning seriously, the young woman fled the area with her family. Soon after, Pawley’s Island was struck by a terrible hurricane which left intact only the home of the poor grieving woman. And now, legend says, every time the circumstances are repeated—every time a hurricane is due—the ghost of the drowned man appears on the shore in gray clothing, still seeking reunion with his lost love. His appearance is a warning of an approaching hurricane, but also brings protection: those who see him will find their homes spared by the storm.

So how much of the story is true? Well, the storm part is easy to verify: there were six Atlantic hurricanes in 1822, the third of which caused major damage and loss of life in South Carolina. This was before hurricanes were given people’s names, so it’s just called “The Carolina Hurricane of 1822.”

But what of the ghost?

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Hurricane hunters. You could write a ghost hunter/storm chaser mashup about internet personalities chasing the Gray Man. After all, it’s hard to anticipate the appearance of a guy like Mothman, who shows up before random catastrophes. But we have plenty of advanced notice for hurricanes. So how about an uneasy alliance between adrenaline junkies wanting to experience a hurricane and ghost hunters who’d like to document a reliable paranormal occurrence? What happens if they find the Gray Man? Is he what they’re expecting? Can they manage to get proof before the storm hits? Does the Gray Man’s protective influence work if you seek him out on purpose?

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Roopkund: Skeleton Lake

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:38:11 GMT

It’s trekking season at the Himalayan lake Roopkund, aka Skeleton Lake. Sometime in the past 1200 years or so, several hundred people have died at the isolated, high-altitude lake. How do we know? They’re still there.

Roopkund is famous for having shores littered with the scattered bones of at least 300 people. At first, people wondered if the skeletons might belong to a doomed army marching through the mountains, but the remains include women and children, and few weapons. It’s also unlikely that the lake was used as a graveyard, as there aren’t many elderly people, and the bones show no sign of an epidemic disease that could have wiped out hundreds at once. Instead, the clothing and artifacts found with the bones suggest they belong to pilgrims on a holy voyage, and indeed, Roopkund is near several Hindu pilgrimage sites.

But how did they all die? Oddly enough, some of the bones show signs of blunt trauma. And there is a local legend that tells of a large party of pilgrims who angered the goddess Nanda Devi, who punished them with a hailstorm. Hail is common in the area, so it makes perfect sense: the legend is preserving a real weather event that killed hundreds.

Except recent DNA analysis and other scientific studies suggest something far stranger.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Visitors from another realm. Just when you think you understand what happened in the past, a new find changes everything. It’s especially unsettling when the evidence consists of human remains. You could write just that kind of mystery about our planet or a fantasy world, where scientists discover foreign travelers in a strange place, or evidence of ancient contact between two peoples long before they were thought to have met. Explanations could include voyages of exploration or just people getting lost, or less realistic ideas like teleportation, tunnels through the center of the earth, alien abductions that return people in the wrong place, or magic.

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Old Green Eyes: the US Civil War's Strangest Ghost

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:57:48 GMT

On this day in 1863, the US Civil War’s Battle of Chickamauga began. The two-day battle had nearly 35,000 casualties—the second-highest in the US Civil War, after Gettysburg. The Confederacy won the battle, but ultimately lost the war.

If ghosts are created by trauma and tragedy, then battlefields would make for heavy hauntings. Civil War battlefields are no exception—Chickamauga’s got the usual phantom sounds of canons and fighting, ghostly lanterns of grieving family members come to find their dead soldiers, and even a White Lady searching for her lover. But then there’s one guy that just doesn’t fit.

Old Green Eyes is pretty much just that—green eyes, floating in the woods. Sometimes he’s got a body, and sometimes that body is human-like, but most of the time, he’s just a pair of glowing eyes. And nobody seems to know what the guy is doing there. What on earth does he have to do with the Battle of Chickamauga? Or anything else?

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some ghostly writing prompts, such as:

Something’s missing. Obviously, the most common theory for Old Green Eyes is that he actually is a soldier from Chickamauga, whose body was buried without its head, and thus the head is still wandering about looking for its should-be grave. That doesn’t explain the glowing green eyes, of course—but you as a writer could. Maybe the soldier had strangely piercing—almost glowing—green eyes in life. Or maybe the soldier’s death wasn’t from the battle at all, but at the hands of a supernatural creature or curse, meaning he left no ordinary ghost.

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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The Legend of the Ferocious Gold-Digging Ants

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 21:06:53 GMT

Hey, y’all, it’s Weird Wednesday! Where on some Wednesdays, I blog about weird stuff and give writing prompts.

Today: The Legend of the Ferocious Gold-Digging Ants

Welcome on this Weird Wednesday! Today we’re following an old Roman legend of mysterious insects who unearth gold—but watch out, they’re fierce in defending it! Sound fun? Then let’s take our chances and see if we get rich.

The Roman historian Herodotus is one source of the legend, which was widespread in the ancient world. In Herodotus’s Histories, published around 440 BC, he tells of strange creatures in the Indian parts of Persia, what today is Pakistan. These animals were smaller than a dog, but larger than a fox, furry, and lived in tunnels beneath the ground in an area saturated with gold dust. When the creatures dug their burrows, gold dust was scattered across the surface. Humans had to be careful in collecting this gold, though, because the large, furry ants would chase them away with great violence.

Now, in this day and age, we are well aware that no such “ants” exist. Ants do not have fur, they are not larger than foxes, and they don’t dig up gold (although occasionally termites do). So is this just another ancient legend? Or could the story describe a real creature?

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Miner’s best friend. Humans often use animals for assistance, including horses, oxen, dogs, and bees. You could write a story where humans breed a type of ant which can mine gold in other biomes—maybe even on other planets. Do the ants still have to live in a large social grouping or can you just have one or two? Do they remain violent and dangerous or are they domesticated? Are they cute enough to keep as pets?

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Advice for Writers from Editor Atlin Merrick

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 21:18:18 GMT

Advice for Writers from Editor Atlin Merrick

I’ve got a guest blogger this month: my friend, the wonderful Atlin Merrick of Improbable Press. She’s a writer and editor whose passion is amplifying the voices of the underheard. I asked her for her top three pieces of advice for writers. What follows is her own words:

As an editor for over twenty years, the first wee bit of advice I’d love to give writers is easy peasy lemon squeezy:

Write no matter what.

If you love the story, write the story. Is it the hot topic at book stores right now? Doesn’t matter.

No one predicts what’s suddenly the zeitgeist. Who saw Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid being as big as it became? Is your story niche? Doesn’t matter. Solar Bones by Mike McCormack is a prize-winning novel written as one single sentence.

The point is, popularity is unpredictable but your passion is irreplaceable. If you love your story, write your story. Say what you want to say, the way you want to say it, and finish writing it. Be proud then done because you’ve done the hardest part: waded through self-doubt and time crunches and let your passion carry you to a completed work. It’s the only thing a writer really controls, so please write.

When you’re done send the work out, and know that now you don’t control everything.

It’s fine if you want to control the process, that’s what self-publishing is for and plenty of people go that route. I’m an editor for traditional publishers though, so I can talk to you about that.

Traditional publishing is where the press does all the work after they accept your story. They edit it, proofread it, design the cover, promote it, and get the book printed and into the hands of readers. And you pay for none of that. During that process you do take part. All edits have to be agreed on by both the publisher and writer. Often a press will ask you how you envision the cover, but since they’re paying for the artwork the final call is theirs. You’re collaborators now.

Ask questions, ask questions, and none are dumb times infinity forever.

You can’t know what you don’t know. When you approach a publisher with your story, always, always read their submission guidelines first, and if you have a question, email them for clarity, they get questions all the time. They also receive books they’d never publish because people ignored the guidelines. No one wins there, so always read the submission guidelines first.

Once your novel or short story is accepted, ask questions then too. Whether about the contract, edits, promotion – ask! And unless you want a real short career, be polite please, because this is your workplace now and tantrums help no one. Yes, some writers throw them and life becomes difficult difficult lemon difficult for everyone; often those writers are newbies because it’s from anxiety and confusion that people lash out.

Write for the love of it, for the joy your characters bring you, and you’ll find others who are carried away by that passion. Good luck!

–Thanks very much to Atlin for stepping in for me this month! You can find @atlinmerrick on Bluesky or reach her at atlinmerrick@improbablepress.com

This article was first published on my writing blog

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Murder “Victims” Still Alive: The Campden Wonder and Other Miscarriages of Justice

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 21:54:03 GMT

Hey, y’all, it’s Weird Wednesday! Where on some Wednesdays, I blog about weird stuff and give writing prompts.

Today: Murder “Victims” Still Alive: The Campden Wonder and Other Miscarriages of Justice

Welcome to Weird Wednesday! Today we’re taking a look at some solved murder cases that were anything but: in fact, the dearly deceased weren’t even dead.

Possibly the most famous no-body murder conviction where the “body” turned up very much alive took place in Chipping Campden, England, in 1660. William Harrison, age 70, disappeared on a walk to a neighboring town. His bloody shirt was found on his route, but there was no sign of the man. Some time later, Harrison’s servant, John Perry, confessed to murdering Harrison, and implicated his own mother and brother in the crime. Despite Joan and Richard Perry protesting their innocence and John recanting his story, the three were convicted…and executed in 1661.

And then in 1662, to everyone’s shock, William Harrison showed up in England again, very much not dead. He gave a wild story of having been attacked and enslaved before eventually escaping, which may or may not have been true. It’s also not known why John Perry confessed to a murder that clearly had not happened, but at his execution, he claimed to have been insane at the time of confession. In any case, officials now were faced with one not-dead man and three-should-not-be-dead people. The whole awful affair is known as The Campden Wonder.

But this is not the only case where someone has been convicted of murdering a person who later turned up alive and well.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Strange bedfellows. Perhaps the evidence in a missing persons case points to murder, but the families of the accused and the “victim” both believe otherwise. The families might have been friends before all this, or enemies, or strangers. Would they even team up to find the truth? What happens between the families after it turns out no murder took place?

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Three Haunted Places that Would Make Good Settings

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 20:19:21 GMT

Three Haunted Places that Would Make Good Settings

In speculative writing, spooky places are often their own characters. Humans love scary stories so much that real-life locations all over the world are rumored to be haunted. So if you’re looking to write a ghost story, here are a few lesser-known real-life haunted locales that would make good settings.

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Heceta Head Lighthouse (shown above) near Florence, Oregon, is a working lighthouse and an opulent bed-and-breakfast. It’s said to be haunted by a spirit named Rue, who lost a daughter on the grounds. If you’re looking for a haunted place that’s cheerful and welcoming to the living—lending itself to tales of friendly ghosts, like Rue, or horrifying stories that hit you unexpectedly—it’s hard to go wrong with a living landmark and symbol of safety.

Dead Woman’s Crossing

Dead Woman’s Crossing, Oklahoma is a concrete bridge over Deer Creek in an unincorporated community in Oklahoma, also called Dead Woman’s Crossing. In 1905, a woman named Katy DeWitt James was found shot to death in the creek, near the bridge, which at the time was made of wood. Fortunately, Katy’s baby daughter turned up unharmed. The murder is unsolved, but witnesses said Katy entered the Deer Creek area with a woman named Fannie Norton, who then returned alone. The name of the place alone is spooky enough, but a lonesome concrete bridge in the country encapsulates the horror inherent to isolated places.

Landmark Inn

Landmark Inn, in Marquette, Michigan is a restored 1930’s hotel. Any such place is likely to give rise to ghost stories, but the Landmark, on the shores of Lake Superior, has a very unusual ghost. She likes to fill beds with metal screws—insert your own joke here—which might make you think she was a carpenter in life, but no, she was a librarian. Her oddities elevate the usual haunted hotel with a kind of whimsy that would make for a good story.

The world is full of spooky places and speculative stories just waiting to be told. You can also check out some unusual vampires, rare cryptids, weird ghosts, and strange werewolves that might make good characters.

This article was first published on my writing blog

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Borley Rectory: Haunting or Hoax?

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 19:20:20 GMT

This week in 1900, the ghost of a nun was first seen at Borley Rectory in Essex, England.

Borley Rectory’s claim to fame is a years-long investigation by professional parapsychologists: the Society for Psychical Research. The SPR, which still exists, performs scientific studies of paranormal phenomena. The family living in the rectory was also put in contact with another paranormal researcher, who would give Borley Rectory its fame: Harry Price. Price, among other things, was an expert in sleight of hand and conjuring. How coincidental that when Price showed up, Borley Rectory went wild.

Haunted or hoax? Visit the blog for the whole story and some ghostly writing prompts, such as:

Pious fraud. Pious fraud is when a believer in a paranormal phenomenon is engaged in faking that phenomenon. The classic example is that of a church with a weeping statue of a saint: a certain congregant truly believes the statue miraculously weeps, but when observers come to test it, the statue remains dry. The believer is thus tempted to fake the crying, just this once, if it’s necessary to make others believe. So in a haunted house, this would be someone who believes there is a ghost, but fakes the haunting when the researchers are around, in order to prove what they think is the truth. As author, you get to decide: is there a ghost or not? If there is, why does the ghost not perform for the researchers? If not, what (or who) convinced your pious fraudster so completely?

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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50 Berkeley Square: The Scariest House in London

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:35:16 GMT

This month in 1803 a man named Thomas Myers was born. His uneasy nocturnal habits would give rise to the story that 50 Berkeley Square in Mayfair, London, was haunted.

But Myers is not the only thing said to be in that house.

Read the whole story on my blog and get some ghostly writing prompts, such as:

Hold my beer. It’s funny how when you say things like “Nobody can spend a night in this house,” you get a long line of brave idiots volunteering to do exactly that. (There is a related trope, where they absolutely do not volunteer, such as in the story The Vampire and St. Michael, which I found when researching my post on vampires being compelled to count objects.) There are various possible motivations for a character willing to spend the night in a haunted house. It could be money or treasure (as in the movie House on Haunted Hill), bragging rights, an attempt to “cleanse” the house, overconfidence, or curiosity. The idea that someone can go from normality to complete terror in a very short amount of time is desperately fascinating. Some people are willing to risk death to find out what it is.

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Superstition and the Sea

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:22:54 GMT

Superstition and the Sea

July is National Learn to Sail month! Why not start by reading up on some weird sailing superstitions? For example:

Daring Death: Flowers, coffins, and ministers

Why have everything you need to host a funeral on your ship if you don’t want a funeral on your ship? Duh. For the same reason, a ship’s bell sounding on its own or even a wine glass ringing are unlucky because they sound like church bells. A possibly related superstition warns against bringing black suitcases on board, and some sailors expand this to all luggage. It might be that black bags look like body bags, but nobody’s really sure on the origin of this one.

Visit my blog for more sea superstitions and some watery writing prompts, such as:

Love wins. Ministers and flowers don’t only mean funerals. So what if you had a ship’s captain who noticed too late that some idiot brought on board the rose his sweetheart gave him, and some other sailor happens to have a degree in divinity. You can throw the rose overboard, but sailors, not so much. (At least, you’re not supposed to.) Could a ship beat its bad luck by instead using the rose and minister to stage a wedding? Sailors’ superstitions are clear about forbidding women on board, for various reasons, including misogyny and also misogyny. But maybe a couple of mates might not mind being…mates? At least long enough to go through the ceremony and cancel the bad luck. Fake marriage trope, anyone?

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Vanished in Mid Air: D.B. Cooper

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 15:54:02 GMT

Hey, y’all, it’s Weird Wednesday! Where on some Wednesdays, I blog about weird stuff and give writing prompts.

Today: Vanished in Mid Air: D. B. Cooper

Welcome on this Weird Wednesday! Today we’re going to take off in a plane, but land without one…somewhere over the vast Pacific Northwest. Sound fun? Then put those tray tables up, because we’re heading out.

It’s a strange phenomenon to have a person who’s famous for being unidentified. Everybody knows who they are, precisely because nobody knows who they are. “Dan Cooper” is one of those people. The name was an alias, and was further misreported by the press as D. B. Cooper. So who was he? Well, let’s take a look.

On Nov 24, 1971, the day before Thanksgiving, a man boarded Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 for a short hop between Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA. This man, holding a ticket under the name “Dan Cooper,” passed a flight attendant a note saying he had a bomb, and asking for what today would be $1.6 million and four parachutes. (Why four? Possibly Cooper wanted to be sure he was given working parachutes, by insinuating he was going to take a hostage with him—a main and a backup parachute for each of them.)

Cooper proved a gentleman highjacker: when the plane landed in Seattle, and the $200,000 ransom was paid, Cooper let the passengers go. He then asked the flight crew to take him to Mexico City. But partway through that second flight, after ordering all crew to the cockpit, Cooper opened a door and extended an airstair.

Around 8 p.m., in the dark of night, Cooper parachuted out somewhere over Washington, with the vast Pacific Northwest forest below him. And from there, he vanished.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Murder most foul. What if D. B. Cooper vanished because he was murdered? Say he landed safely and started making his way out of the forest with the money. Maybe he had an accomplice who was hungry for the cash. Maybe he randomly met someone who noticed he was carrying $200,000 in a bag. Or maybe the killer didn’t even know about the money—the PNW has its share of serial killers who pick up hitchhikers on the road. You could write a story where the hijacker’s luck only holds out long enough for him to put his feet on the ground—after that, he’s in more danger than he was jumping out of the plane.

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Omens of Death: From Broken Clocks to Butterflies

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 18:05:04 GMT

Omens of Death: From Broken Clocks to Butterflies

On this day in 1822, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley died. A few weeks earlier, he reported he’d seen an omen of his own death: his doppelganger, or double. Strangely enough, the double was seen by someone else as well.

People like to know what’s coming, even (especially) if it’s bad. It’s said no one wants to know the hour of their death, but if that were true, we wouldn’t have a whole list of death omens. Traditionally, signs of impending doom are found in two places: the natural and the supernatural. So come have a seat by the fire, and let’s hope we don’t cast headless shadows. (No, really.)

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some ominous writing prompts, such as:

And then there were none. How about this for a mystery? A family has received death omens, but they don’t know who they’re for. Maybe they’re having a family reunion, so there were about 10 people in the room when they heard the death knocks, eight when a bird flew into the house, and twelve when Grandma Janine dropped the scissors and the blade stuck into the floor. So it’s a process of elimination. And what if Aunt Grizelda with her fortune is one of the possibilities? Might someone want to bump her off and say it was meant to be?

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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A Spreadsheet for Querying a Novel

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 16:50:35 GMT

A free, downloadable spreadsheet for querying a novel

I’ve spent a year in the query trenches for a queer romance novel, and I’ve learned so much about querying! So here is the fruit of my labor: a spreadsheet for querying authors.

From Manuscript Wishlist to comps to how many agents you can query from a single agency.

Happy writing and good luck!

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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Where to Find Out About Writing Scams

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:25:55 GMT

Where to Find Out About Writing Scams

Writing is a highly emotional process, and publishing perhaps even more so. Whether writers are looking to self-publish or sell to a press, it’s not surprising we get taken in by scammers promising to help us achieve our dreams. Scammers may try to sell marketing or other services that supposedly get an author noticed by big names in the business, or just impersonate a real press or agent.

But we can fight back by educating ourselves. Here are a few places to check before logging into your Paypal.

Writer Beware

The best authority on writing scams. Check out the Writer Beware website , Facebook page, and the Bluesky feed of Writer Beware co-founder Victoria Strauss for up-to-date info on scams and other literary news.

Writers Weekly

A List of Publishers That ALL Authors Should AVOID AT ALL COSTS! Good advice and a constantly updated list by Angela Hoy. Recommended by Writer Beware.

Alliance of Independent Authors

Best and Worst Self-Publishing Services
A searchable list with ratings and concerns noted. Recommended by Writer Beware.

Authors Guild

Publishing Scam Alerts Another well-updated list.

r/writers You can check for posts on scams or ask a question of your own.

Scammers are very good at what they do. As writers, we owe it to ourselves and our work to be suspicious (especially of unsolicited emails) and to do our research before sending anyone money for anything.

Good luck out there!

Also check out resources for finding scammers among small publishers.

This article was first published on my writing blog

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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The Ghost Before the Storm: South Carolina's Gray Man

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:53:12 GMT

Hey, y’all, it’s Weird Wednesday! Where on some Wednesdays, I blog about weird stuff and give writing prompts.

Today: The Ghost Before the Storm: South Carolina’s Gray Man

Welcome to Weird Wednesday! Today we’re strolling the stormy coast of South Carolina, looking for a ghostly man in gray.

Pawleys Island, South Carolina is a barrier island housing a small town, in an area of the US often struck by hurricanes. However, it’s also said to be visited by something else.

The story goes like this: in 1822, a young man was traveling from Charleston, South Carolina, to meet his fiancée on Pawley’s Island. Unfortunately, his horse stumbled in a marsh and threw him, and he drowned in the muddy water. But after his death, the young man’s fiancée saw him once again: on the beach (or, according to some accounts, in a dream), where he warned her about an approaching storm.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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The Villisca Axe Murders: 1912 Tragedy

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:22:59 GMT

On this day in 1912, eight people were murdered with an axe in their home in Villisca, Iowa. Josiah Moore and his wife Sarah, along with their four children and two neighbor children, were killed in their beds by a person who has never been identified. And I mean never—the internet doesn’t even have a favorite suspect.

I used to live in Iowa, and I have actually been to the “Villisca Axe Murder House,” now a museum and historical site, and a frequent host to ghost tours. Visitors are free to leave their mark on the rafters in the barn, writing messages which range from the usual names and dates to oddly creepy warnings like “Don’t stand on your head in the kids’ room.” On my visit I was struck by how little has changed, though Iowa has traveled more than a century into the future: at the end of our tour, we were discussing suspects and expressing sympathy for the victims, exactly as people have been doing outside that house for over 100 years.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some creepy writing prompts, such as:

Midwestern serial. My personal favorite Villisca suspect is a serial killer riding the rails, as posited in the book The Man From the Train by Bill James and Rachel McCarthy James. This is because there were a lot of similar axe murders at the time, all over the country, and even internationally. You could write a story about several killers with the same M.O., or one really prolific murderer who likes to travel. On the paranormal side, you could have someone killing in a pattern to cast a spell or harness a demon. You could even have a ghost train that carries your phantom killer on a never-ending mission.

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DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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The Wild Hunt

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 17:47:10 GMT

On this day in 1948, songwriter Stan Jones released Ghost Riders in the Sky, which tells a version of the Wild Hunt legend.

As the riders loped on by him

He heard one call his name

‘If you wanna save your soul

From hell a-riding on our range

Then, cowboy, change your ways today

Or with us you will ride

Trying to catch the devil’s herd

Across these endless skies

A mighty hunter and a pack of dogs, horses, or other beasts racing across the horizon, making a terrible noise as they rush above you! What could it mean? Well, that depends on who you are.

First, let’s say you might be—well, someone who’d end up on Santa’s naughty list. For you, the Wild Hunt can be more than a vision. It’s interactive! We’re talking Ghost Riders in the Sky here, aka Jacob Marley as a cowboy. This type of Wild Hunt is a warning from beyond.

Check out my Weird Wednesday blog post on the Wild Hunt for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Doomed riders. You could focus on the sadder figures— the poor souls (literally) who are already in the hunt for eternity. Sometimes these people committed the usual infractions: murder, theft, or just too much drinking. But other times, these folks have done a Very Specific Thing they may have be warned not to do, like hunting on the sabbath, or some other odd thing like don’t get off your horse until your dog jumps down. Fairies (and the devil) love this sort of warning! You can make it as absurd as you want, that’s the point. And if your character fails in this one strange thing, they can be doomed to the hunt forever.

DannyeChase.com ~ AO3 ~ Linktree ~ The Vampire Haven erotic romance series ~ Weird Wednesday writing prompts blog ~ Resources for Writers

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dannye_chase

Three Uncommon Cursed Objects That Would Make Good Stories

Three Uncommon Cursed Objects That Would Make Good Stories

The Chained Oak

The Curse upon Senicianus

The Haunted Ledger

How to Publish a Short Story

How to Publish a Short Story

Deathbed Visions

Want to write a horror or crime story? There are 3 posts on my Weird Wednesday blog about deathbed visions, with writing prompts!

Check out the posts for more prompts!

The Gytrash: World's Scariest Cow

The Gytrash: World’s Scariest Cow

Welcome! Today on the blog we’re walking down a lonely country road, looking for a cow whose appearance foretells death. Which is about as weird as anything we do around here.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

The World’s Weirdest Good-Luck Charms: Dirt, Flies, and the Hangman’s Rope

Hey, y’all, it’s Weird Wednesday! Where on some Wednesdays, I blog about weird stuff and give writing prompts.

Today: The World’s Weirdest Good-Luck Charms: Dirt, Flies, and the Hangman’s Rope

Welcome to Weird Wednesday! Today we’re brimming with good fortune and ready to talk about those wonderful things that bring luck. For example…dirt.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Megaldon: Monster Shark

This week in 1875, the HMS Challenger drew up some of the most famous Megalodon teeth in the world from a sea floor 2.7 miles down.

Check out my Weird Wednesday blog post on this monstrous fish for some creature feature writing prompts, such as:

Why You Shouldn’t Mass Submit Your Writing

Why You Shouldn’t Mass Submit Your Writing

It’s largely useless.

It’s a bad first impression.

You can’t fix it.

3 Rare Cryptids That Would Make Good Characters

Three Rare Cryptids That Would Make Good Characters

The Dobhar-chú

Quickfoot

The Beast of Busco

The Ghost Before the Storm: South Carolina's Gray Man

This week in 1822, a hurricane hit South Carolina, and gave rise to a legend: the ghostly Gray Man.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Roopkund: Skeleton Lake

It’s trekking season at the Himalayan lake Roopkund, aka Skeleton Lake. Sometime in the past 1200 years or so, several hundred people have died at the isolated, high-altitude lake. How do we know? They’re still there.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Old Green Eyes: the US Civil War's Strangest Ghost

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some ghostly writing prompts, such as:

The Legend of the Ferocious Gold-Digging Ants

Hey, y’all, it’s Weird Wednesday! Where on some Wednesdays, I blog about weird stuff and give writing prompts.

Today: The Legend of the Ferocious Gold-Digging Ants

Welcome on this Weird Wednesday! Today we’re following an old Roman legend of mysterious insects who unearth gold—but watch out, they’re fierce in defending it! Sound fun? Then let’s take our chances and see if we get rich.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Advice for Writers from Editor Atlin Merrick

Advice for Writers from Editor Atlin Merrick

Write no matter what.

When you’re done send the work out, and know that now you don’t control everything.

Ask questions, ask questions, and none are dumb times infinity forever.

Murder “Victims” Still Alive: The Campden Wonder and Other Miscarriages of Justice

Hey, y’all, it’s Weird Wednesday! Where on some Wednesdays, I blog about weird stuff and give writing prompts.

Today: Murder “Victims” Still Alive: The Campden Wonder and Other Miscarriages of Justice

Welcome to Weird Wednesday! Today we’re taking a look at some solved murder cases that were anything but: in fact, the dearly deceased weren’t even dead.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Three Haunted Places that Would Make Good Settings

Three Haunted Places that Would Make Good Settings

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Dead Woman’s Crossing

Landmark Inn

Borley Rectory: Haunting or Hoax?

This week in 1900, the ghost of a nun was first seen at Borley Rectory in Essex, England.

Haunted or hoax? Visit the blog for the whole story and some ghostly writing prompts, such as:

50 Berkeley Square: The Scariest House in London

Read the whole story on my blog and get some ghostly writing prompts, such as:

Superstition and the Sea

Superstition and the Sea

Visit my blog for more sea superstitions and some watery writing prompts, such as:

Vanished in Mid Air: D.B. Cooper

Today: Vanished in Mid Air: D. B. Cooper

Welcome on this Weird Wednesday! Today we’re going to take off in a plane, but land without one…somewhere over the vast Pacific Northwest. Sound fun? Then put those tray tables up, because we’re heading out.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some writing prompts, such as:

Omens of Death: From Broken Clocks to Butterflies

Omens of Death: From Broken Clocks to ButterfliesOn this day in 1822, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley died. A few weeks earlier, he reported he’d seen an omen of his own death: his doppelganger, or double. Strangely enough, the double was seen by someone else as well.

Check out the blog post for the whole story and some ominous writing prompts, such as:

A Spreadsheet for Querying a Novel

A free, downloadable spreadsheet for querying a novel

Where to Find Out About Writing Scams

Where to Find Out About Writing Scams

Omens of Death: From Broken Clocks to Butterflies

On this day in 1822, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley died. A few weeks earlier, he reported he’d seen an omen of his own death: his doppelganger, or double. Strangely enough, the double was seen by someone else as well.