It’s the time of year when the BEST OF anthologies start to roll out, and writers everywhere eagerly look forward to discovering if their stories caught the attention of the readers compiling these collections. Ellen Datlow has been editing anthologies for the last four decades, and is one of the most influential editors working in the horror genre today. My poem “Swimming with the Shark Boys” made Datlow’s long list in 2016. And last year, my story “Buring Bright” (Gorgon: Stories of Emergence, February 2019) was mentioned in the introduction of The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 12.
On November 16, Datlow releases her thirteenth foray in producing The Best Horror of the Year. And this year, TWO of my stories received shout-outs in the introduction!
The first mention is for my Snow White fairy tale retelling “Rotten” that was published in Arterial Bloom, edited by Mercedes Murdock Yardley (Crystal Lake Publishing, March 2020).
This gorgeous anthology also made it as a finalist for Superior Achievement in an Anthology at the 2021 Bram Stoker Awards.
Not bad for a story that was rejected 19 times before finding a home
Her story “An Embrace of Poisonous Intent” also received a nod. This piece was originally published in the limited edition collection Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales (Egaeus Press, December 2020).
This story was also translated in Japanese and published in Night Land Quarterly Vol. 25 (June 2021).
Carina Bissett 