(Mike Davis here. My apologies for the mistake; this “What I’m Reading” post comes from Tim Waggoner.)

We’re back! Each Tuesday, a member of the horror community shares what they are reading with us! This week, it’s Tim Waggoner. He writes:

Lately I’ve been reading Jay Wilburn’s short story collection Beautiful Darkness, which came out in October 2023. Jay died in 2022, at the far-too-young age of 48, but he left behind some wonderful fiction for us to read. The stories in Beautiful Darkness are wicked little gems of horror that pack a lot of punch into their short length, and they’re a testament to Jay’s mastery of the form.

Beautiful Darkness by Jay Wilburn: Kindle (only $1.99), print

Ranging from heart-wrenching and thought-provoking, to haunting and horrifying, to humorous and violent, life and death intertwine in the tales of arctic isolation, apocalypse, Southern Grindhouse, and more. An incredible author and man, Jay Wilburn’s words and stories remain a powerful reminder of his prowess as a storyteller and an example of superb literary skill.

Review by Tim Waggoner, author of Let Me Tell You a Story, which focuses on the art of writing horror fiction.