Interview with Desiree Horton, author of the horror short story collection, Tell Me How It Ends
Meet the author of a terrifying short story collection
Most people don’t want to know how stories end, but the prolific writer and author of several books, Desiree Horton, is not afraid of knowing how a story ends! Especially if it’s a horror story that will frighten and horrify readers. Which is exactly what the stories in Tell Me How It Ends will do. If you enjoy reading horror and especially enjoy horror short stories, check out this book and you will not be disappointed! Desiree took some time to answer questions about her book and what inspired her to write some of the stories.
1. What is your background as a writer?
I don’t have any formal writing education, aside from generic schooling, but I have been an avid reader ever since I figured out how to do it. I wrote a YA fantasy novel that was pretty terrible about 15 years ago, and got pretty down about how I wasn’t good enough because that one manuscript sucked. I set it all aside for a decade, and then one day, when I was discussing it with my husband, he said very casually, “Why don’t you just write a horror story? That’s what you love anyway, why are you messing around with YA or fantasy?”
And so I did. I set a goal of getting one short story finished, then getting one short story published. Then once I had achieved that, I set the goal of one novel finished, then published. After that, the only thing stopping me was me, so I just kept going.
2. When did you start writing horror and what was it about writing horror that appealed to you?
I didn’t start writing horror until a few years ago, but I’ve been an enthusiastic partaker of the subject since I was a small child. It was how I bonded with my mother over cheesy 80’s horror movies, it was my favorite kind of books, and to this day, if my family gives me the choice, I will always pick a horror movie. They are comforting to me because they show you the worst things that can happen to people; after that, your own problems don’t always seem so bad. I love a mystery, and writing horror gives me the chance to create infinite mysteries - I can never get bored!
3. I notice you have written a novella and a novel but you are quite the prolific short story writer. Which do you prefer to write and why?
I think that when I hit the stage in my longer projects where I hate my novel and everything I’ve written, and I’m ready to throw it in the trash, the best thing I can do is take a break and try writing a short story. They are great for keeping my brain unburdened with ideas, they are short and pack a punch, and they give me some clarity about other projects as I work on them. I enjoy writing them now almost more than novels because you can leave it as a cliffhanger, and people get less upset. Also, you give the readers more room to use their own imagination for things. I think short stories deserve way more praise!
4. Where have you had some of your short stories published?
I’ve been in anthologies with Anatolian Press, Baynam Books Press, Wicked Shadows press, Twisted Dreams Press, Undertaker Books, ROF Publishing, and I think Cat Eye Press. I love anthologies, so I never turn down an opportunity if one presents itself. It’s also a great way to form connections within the community. I’ve also curated two of my own, and am so proud of the authors and their stories!
5. I loved your book, Tell Me How It Ends. Where did you get the idea for it?
I had a really neat cover from Grim Poppy Designs that I wrote a short story for, and I wanted to collect my first round of short stories into one place. The title was a reference to a conversation I had with a friend about my penchant for cliffhangers, which most of the stories are, and so I thought it was a fun acknowledgment of refusal to write an ending that didn’t leave more questions. It also displays the progression of my short story writing. The first story in the book is the very first one I ever wrote, and you can see the difference in how I started versus where I sort of settled with them.
6. The title story of Tell Me How It Ends is very unusual. What inspired you to write this story?
I wanted to write a story where it sort of had a happy ending, and where the main character could dictate what happened to an extent. I don’t often include children in stories, but when I do, I like to give them a choice in what happens. It was sort of like a horror bedtime story, something I would have told my children to go to sleep.
7. How do you respond to readers who feel that children should not be in horror stories, let alone be victims of violence in horror? This occurs in some of the stories in your book, so I feel it is an important topic to discuss.
I can completely understand why people think that, and sometimes I agree. But I also think every child experiences loss and fear and things like that, and that shouldn’t be ignored. Children are a pivotal part of storytelling because they feel things more simply and directly than adults do, and don’t always react how we think they should. Those situations are great for showing us truths about ourselves we may not normally see.
8. I thought that the story “Nocturnal Sport Convention” was very interesting. The idea of “nocturnal sports” really tickles the imagination. What inspired you to write such a story?
I used to work the night shift waitressing at a Denny’s that was near a small convention center. I would get the strangest customers very late from conventions that I had no idea were happening. I thought it was a fun play on things that happen in the dark. Vampires? Serial Killers? The not-so-pleasant things we do in the dark that we don’t want people to see? Nocturnal sports!
9. The story “Family is Forever” really made me think about how some people can have an unhealthy response to grief and loss. Do you feel that this story sort of hit home on that idea? What compelled you to write on this topic?
This story came from a conversation I had with my youngest child about fun ways to display our dead, as we have numerous family members’ ashes residing in our home currently. She mentioned it would be fun to have me taxidermied after I passed, and set up like one of those singing fish that you can karaoke with, and I thought that was a brilliant, if not morbid, way to honor the dead. We’ve had a lot of deaths in the family recently, so my kids are very aware and can have a bit of a sense of humor about it. Humor is a great coping mechanism. I also think that the story reflects on some very unhealthy ways of coping with grief and loss. Rosie was a bit of a reverse Dr. Frankenstein in that sense.
10. Where can readers learn more about you and your work online?
Instagram at @horrortonwritesabook or here.
Or the author page on Amazon has most of them as well!
ABOUT DESIREE:
Desiree is a horror author and enthusiast. She can be found at home in the Pacific Northwest with her two dogs, two kids, and
one husband. Her work can be found in numerous spooky anthologies, and she has three full-length novels out on Amazon
now. You can find her working on her latest story in her not-yet-haunted house, much to her eternal disappointment.
What’s New This Week
Ellie Potts hosted me on her blog, Tea and Ink, where I got to share about my vampire horror novella, Curse of the Blood Witch, and share an excerpt from the book! You can read it all here.
Book Reviews
I recently reviewed the collection of horror stories Frame Story by Domenic Migliore at Reader Views
I recently reviewed the novel There Will Be Other Summers by Tegan Anderson at Reader Views
I recently reviewed the horror short story collection Tell Me How It Ends by Desiree Horton at Dawn Reviews Books
I recently reviewed the anthology Horton’s Halloween Hauntings: 14 Tales of Halloween at Dawn Reviews Books
What’s New at SPARREW?
The SPARREW Newsletter now has its own website! Yay!
You can read all about this here.
And check out the September issue at the new site here!
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS!
Week of Terrors Anthology series
Twisted Dreams Press is now accepting submissions for a new anthology series! It is seven books with ten stories in each book.
The first anthology will be published in June. The others will follow in the subsequent months. Submissions of stories for all anthologies opens the beginning of April.
Open until each anthology has ten stories. We will announce when an anthology is no longer accepting submissions.
Series Name: A Week of Terrors!
Here are the themes:
Monster Monday: Creature Horror Stories
Terrifying Tuesday: Evil Clowns
Werewolf Wednesday
Thriller Thursday: Zombies
Frightening Friday: Mix of horror subgenres: psychological horror, eco-horror, cyberpunk horror, erotic horror, etc.
Slasher Saturday: Slasher horror
Spooky Sunday: Ghost stories
Payment: One print and digital copy.
Submit your stories today!
Length: 3K-10K words
Reprints welcome! Simultaneous submissions welcome but please let us know if your story is accepted elsewhere.
Email your stories as a Word .doc or .docx file. Google Docs are okay as long as you grant Dawn permission for access.
No PDF submissions, please.
Stories written with AI will NOT be accepted!
When you submit your story, please put the following in the subject line:
Submission: WOT Anthology, (Title), (Day of the week your story is for)
Please include in your email if the story is a reprint as well as your bio.
Please send your stories to Dawn at submissions@twisteddreamspress.com
We look forward to reading your story!
Friday the 13th Summer Camp Horror Anthology
It’s that time of year again! Time for writers everywhere to start writing some summer camp horror!
At Twisted Dreams Press, however, we horror fanatics just can’t get enough of Friday the 13th!
We are announcing a call for summer camp horror stories that take place on a Friday the 13th for our anthology: Friday the 13th Summer Camp Horror! This anthology is scheduled for publication on Friday, March 13, 2026!
Start submitting your summer camp horror stories now!
The deadline is December 5, 2025. Which gives you plenty of time to cook up a story that will knock our socks off!
Check out the graphic above to get the deets! Send us your Friday the 13th summer camp horror stories to get in on this!
NOTE: A tie-in to the movie is not required. No fan fiction, please.
BONUS CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Untrue
The Suburban Review
“How far can we stretch the truth? The Suburban Review is putting up a front for issue #40: UNTRUE.
In a time of fake news and counterfeits, scammers and artificial intelligence, tell us how you’re sifting through the layers of conceit. Send us your most suspicious stories, fallacious arguments, and prose that teeters between fact and fiction.
What have you been covering up? Which appearances are deceiving? Is there something that rings false? We’re itching for unreliable characters, fabricated worlds, and deceptive turns of phrase. Is it time to come clean, or will you be keeping up the poker face? Trick us with your best fibs—we dare you.”
Original work only. One submission per person in only one category (fiction, poetry, nonfiction, comics and art). Simultaneous submissions allowed. Writers previously published in this publication must wait one year to submit again.
Length and Payment:
Poetry:
“Suite of three poems—no more than that! (payment $550)
One poem over 30 lines (payment $375)
One poem under 30 lines (payment $300)”
Fiction:
“2000-2500 words—no more than that! (payment $450)
1000-2000 words (payment $375)
500-1000 words (payment $300)”
Creative Nonfiction:
“1250-2000 words—no more than that! (payment $400)”
Comics and Art:
“2 page comic B&W or Colour (payment $300)
1 page illustration B&W or Colour (payment $200)
1 page cover art (payment $300)”
Deadline: October 26, 2025
Humans From Earth!!
Daft Notions
Theme: “SF/Horror, stories in which humans are a source of genuine horror/terror to extraterrestrials (aliens).”
They prefer original stories but you can query if you want to submit a reprint. No simultaneous submissions and no AI stories. No role-reversal or comedic stories. Payment made through PayPal.
“Stories must involve aliens and humans/aspects of human existence, and aim to be genuinely unsettling to the (human) reader despite revolving around aliens fearing humans; thus alien characters must be relatable to readers, even if depicted as unsympathetic and/or inhuman.
Human characters should not feature supernatural characteristics (lycanthropy, vampirism, etc). Stories featuring human ghosts (supernatural, technological, or other), or in which aliens believe humans to be supernatural, will be considered.
Stories can be set anywhere or anywhen, and may utilise any subgenre or trope of science fiction and horror (again, barring ‘supernatural humans’), so long as the central theme of the anthology is the focus.”
Length: 3K-7K words (Query for longer works)
Payment: “Payment: $100 AUD for original stories between 3K-5K words; $150 AUD for original stories between 5K-7K words (stories longer than 7K words will receive the maximum payment of $150 AUD). $50 AUD for reprints.”
Deadline: October 31, 2025
Corkscrew Willow
Phylum Press
“Corkscrew Willow comes from the family of Magnoliophyta, or more commonly known as “flowering plants.” They bear both flowers and fruits. Corkscrew Willow is a species of Willow Tree most noted for its twists and turns, which can most notably be seen after leaf fall.
At Phylum Press, the Corkscrew Willow symbolizes twists, turns, and anything unexpected that may fall into our laps. Embrace the new, plant the seed, care for it, then see what happens!”
They are open to submissions of fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry and art. Original work only. Simultaneous submissions allowed.
Length:
“Fiction/Creative Non-Fiction: up to 5,000 words
Poetry: up to five pages”
Payment: $10
Deadline: October 31, 2025
Professor Feiff’s Trans-Dimensional Travelogue
Jay Henge Publishing
“Pack your bags and fasten your seatbelts—Professor Feiff is curating an extraordinary holiday guide like no other! We’re seeking speculative fiction tales that explore the idea of travel and vacations to places tantalizingly close to our own reality, yet thrillingly removed.
Whether it’s a weekend getaway to a parallel dimension, a guided tour through time itself, or a quiet retreat to a world hiding just beyond the veil of perception, your story should evoke the wonder, curiosity, and occasional peril of holidays beyond the mundane. Send us your (SFF+) tickets to astonishing locales!”
They want speculative fiction. Reprints welcome. Simultaneous and multiple submissions accepted.
Length: “Story lengths should be anywhere from flash-length to about 12k words, but we have at times made exceptions.”
Payment: “Payment for accepted stories will be $5 USD per 1000 words for all current anthologies. Payments occur via PayPal, so please have a PayPal account into which we can pay you. We will also provide you with a digital copy (epub and pdf) of the finished manuscript. (Paperback and hard cover editions will be available via Amazon.)”
Deadline: October 31, 2025
Arc Poetry
“Arc accepts unsolicited submissions of previously unpublished poetry in English, or translations of poetry into English, on any subject and in any form. For spoken word pieces, poetry uploaded to a submitter’s personal channel or social media account is eligible for submission.
Arc is currently accepting general poetry submissions. General submissions received between September 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025, will be considered for the Summer 2026 issue.
Arc publishes reviews, interviews, and articles on poetry and poetry-related subjects. Please query first as Arc seldom considers unsolicited prose manuscripts; submit pitches or ideas, including a brief description and an estimate of anticipated length, along with samples of previously published work.”
Length:
“Submissions must not exceed three poems or 360 lines of poetry. Only three poems per poet will be considered each calendar year.”
Payment:
“$50 per page for poetry or prose (including feature-length reviews) published in the magazine.
$50 per print-page-equivalent for poetry or prose on the website.”
Deadline: December 31, 2025
This Week’s Book Promo
There was another book birthday this week!
My collection of 30 flash horror stories, 30 Flash Horror Stories, has been out for two years! The stories in this book can be read at any time of the year, but it’s a good book of stories to pick up to read during spooky season, as there are some Halloween stories included.
If you enjoy reading short horror stories or if you’re looking for a quick read, check out 30 Flash Horror Stories for some stories that will send shivers down your spine!
Excerpt from 30 Flash Horror Stories
Copyright © 2023 by Dawn Colclasure
“Finding a Body”
One thing my best friend Drew and I shared was a curiosity for dead bodies. Real ones. Anytime Drew and I were out and there was a police cruiser parked somewhere, he’d say, “I bet they found a body.”
One time, he was right.
It was at a neighborhood park. Yellow tape cleared off the area and there were cops, detectives and other people spread out.
We hid in the nearby bushes, so we got a good view of it: A lady with long black hair. Her body was blue and bloated. They must have found her in the lake.
A dead body! I’d never seen a real one before. “The skin is mushy,” I said.
“Look how pieces of the arm are missing,” Drew said, pointing. “Like fish ate it.”
“Hey! You kids!”
We turned to see a police officer towering over us.
“Get out of here!” he barked.
We jumped to our feet and ran away.
“That was so cool!” Drew enthused, as we walked down the street.
“I know, right!” I answered, grinning. “It looked even better than in the movies.”
“We’re still on for tonight, right?” Drew asked.
I grinned. “Of course! I’ve got my Batman costume. You have the Robin costume?”
Drew stopped. “I was going to be Batman.”
I stopped a couple of steps ahead of him, looking back. “What? No. I was going to be Batman.”
“You were Batman last year,” Drew reminded, folding his arms over his chest. “It’s my turn.”
“Hey, kids.”
We turned to look at a guy wearing torn bloody clothes and dirty hair grinning at us with stained teeth. “You wanna see some bodies?”
Drew and I exchanged excited looks.
“Hell yes!” Drew answered.
He waved us on to follow and we did. We went to what must have been his house, which had all these cool Halloween decorations out front. “It must be a haunt attraction,” Drew whispered to me. We went in.
Inside the house, there was a musty smell, but we still followed the guy to a room. He opened the door and we went in.
We looked around the room as we entered. The walls were covered with blood and there were three human bodies
scattered on the floor.
“Cool!” I cried, looking at the butchered bodies. One of them, a man, was without a head. There were two teen girls with throats slit and cuts all over them.
Drew, however, was not impressed. “Oh, come on,” he whined, as though he was an expert. “These are obviously fake bodies.”
“They’re still cool Halloween decorations, though,” I pointed out.
“They’re not decorations,” the stranger said, picking up a large machete with blood on it. “They’re real.”
He turned to smile at us. “And now you get to join them.”
We screamed and ran out of the room then out of the house. After we got to my house, Drew and I decided that we never wanted to see anymore real dead bodies ever again.
Thanks for reading! See you next weekend!