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Untold Tales Podcast
(“Gold Digger,” podcast episode 159, April 2025)
“Gold Digger” has received yet another life as an audio podcast with Untold Tales! Check out this spooky narration!
Gold Digger : When “the other woman” is excluded from her dead lover’s will, she goes to extreme lengths to get what she believes she is owed.
Narrated by Melissa Del Toro Schaffner.
Music by Jonathan Underwood from Pixabay
Thirteen Podcast: Christmas Special
(“The Naughty List,” Christmas Special podcast episode, December 2024)
Happy holidays, everyone! Need a little xmas horror in your life? Check out Thirteen Podcast’s new Christmas Special, my short story “The Naughty List” which was originally published in Seventh Terrace’s Solstice in Purgatory anthology!
Max Blood’s Mausoleum Magazine
(“Break Into Pieces,” Issue N.003, September 2024)
Max Blood’s Mausoleum just released its Fall 2024 issue! Check out my short story “Break Into Pieces” in this issue, featuring some creepy, atmospheric horror set in Costa Rica’s historic Sanatorio Durán. Founded in 1918 as a tuberculosis sanatorium near the Irazú Volcano in Cartago, the Sanatorio Durán later served as an orphanage and a prison. Today, it’s a historical site known as one of the most haunted places in the country.
Thirteen Podcast: Patreon Exclusive
(“Shipwrecked,” patron-only podcast episode, July 2024)
Isla de Cabuya, also known as Cemetery Island, lies off the coast of Cabuya in the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. It can be reached by boat or by a sandbar connecting the island to the mainland, accessible only at low tide twice a day.
If one overstays their welcome, the rising ocean will block the only exit, leaving the interloper stranded with the island’s black vultures until the next low tide. Locals say voices can be heard coming from the island at night, calling out. The island has been used as a cemetery for centuries by the indigenous peoples of Cabuya, though legend says the first modern burial was 100 years ago when a body washed ashore too bloated and decomposed to be identified. Some say he was a shipwrecked sailor.
Bad Spirits Anthology
(“The Blue Ghost,” Clay Vermulm & Tori V. Rainn, March 2024)
A five-star Icelandic restaurant specializing in mythical creature cuisine faces devastation when the creatures being served decide to fight back. A first time home-seller attempts to put her family house on the market and move on with her life, but first has to confront the lingering spirit of her own father. A young boy discovers an angel beneath his house, only to learn that not all angels come from heaven.
A young woman brims with excitement to help raise her new niece, but soon has to confront the chilling reality that this baby may not be of this world. These are just a few of the terrifying tales featured in Bad Spirits.
This debut collection from CVF Publishing was edited by Clay Vermulm and Tori V. Rainn and seeks to explore unique supernatural horror with an emphasis towards newly emerging horror authors.
Nocturnal Transmissions Podcast
(“Gold Digger,” audio podcast, Episode 174, February 2024)
New podcast just dropped from NOCTURNAL TRANSMISSIONS! Check out the audio podcast version of my short story “Gold Digger”, originally published in print by The Seventh Terrace in their excellent Penitent’s Gold anthology!
Nocturnal Transmissions is a fortnightly podcast featuring inspired performances of short horror stories by the amazing voice artist Kristin Holland.
In this, our first episode of 2024, we’ll be seeing to what depths a person can sink in the name of love...
Solstice in Purgatory
(“The Naughty List,” The Seventh Terrace Press, November 2023)
The Winter Solstice.
It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s the most wonderful time of year.
And it’s full of terrible monsters.
Don’t act like you don’t know. You’ve heard the cracking ice, seen tracks in the snow, smelled the bloody breath, and felt the rumbling Ho-ho-ho deep in your guts.
We celebrate because we’re terrified of the dark outside our door.
Winter is an eternity, particularly in Purgatory. So, no matter which Terrace you call home, we invite you to while away the long, frozen nights with this curated collection of short tales from some of the most deliciously demented minds in horror. Some will make you laugh, some will make you shiver, and some…well, let’s just say nothing is sacred here. Enjoy, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll live to see the Equinox.
This collection features:
- Alex Benarzi (Nerium, The Lies we Tell)
- Brent Nichols (End of the Loop, Stars Like Cold Fire)
- Cam Hayden (Futility, Red Flag)
- Chris Patrick Carolan (The Nightshade Cabal)
- Chris Marrs (The Library of the Dead, A Darke Fantastique)
- Eddie Generous (Camp Summit, What Lurks Beneath, Behemoth Rising)
- Erin McDougall
- Gayleen Froese (The Dominion, The Girl Whose Luck Ran Out)
- Hailey Piper (The Worm and His Kings, A Light Most Hateful)
- J Robertson
- Jaclyn Adomeit (Nine Feet Tall, Scratch and Sniff)
- Jason Pearce
- Jim Jackson (How to Tell a Really Good Story about Absolutely Anything in 4 Easy Steps, The Philosophy of Blue)
- Julie Hiner (Final Track)
- Konn Lavery (Mental Damnation Series, Rutherford Manor Series)
- Lindsay Thomas
- RJ Joseph (Hell Hath No Sorrow Like a Woman Haunted)
- Robin van Eck (Rough)
- Shane Kroetsch (Into the Storm, Surviving the Storm, Chasing the Storm)
- Steve Stred (Mastodon, Churn the Soil)
- Susan Zhao
- Taija Morgan (Prairie Gothic, Prairie Witch)
- and of course:
- Sarah L. Pratt (Suicide Stitch, Infractus)
- Robert Bose (Fishing with the Devil)
- Rebecca Piazza (Life’s Series)
The Wordsmiths Anthology
(“Shipwrecked,” novel anthology, October 2023)
Memories are the ghosts that haunt us.
Kat should know. Twenty years have passed since a tragedy drove her away from her closest friends, a ragtag group of magic-wielding storytellers. The death of a beloved teacher draws her back to her hometown, and the Wordsmiths gather for one last round of stories. They awaken the familiar old magic, and along with it, the rules they had once broken. Their stories cannot stop.
The Wordsmiths’ reunion turns sinister when the secrets of their stories are threatened. Kat must work together with her former friends and figure out who she can trust, before tragedy strikes again.
I’m happy to announce that my never-before-released short story “Shipwrecked” has been published in Hollow Oak Press’s latest anthology THE WORDSMITHS.
This is a ghost story set on Isla Cementerio in Costa Rica, an island dedicated entirely to a graveyard and which can only be accessed at low tide—so if you’re out there too long, you’ll be trapped. I’m especially excited for this one, as I consider it a love letter to the beautiful country of Costa Rica, and I hope readers will enjoy the creepy tale. Check out this lovely publisher and their other projects over on their website.
Nocturnal Transmissions Podcast
(“The Crown,” audio podcast, Episode 163, August 2023)
“The Crown” has been adapted into podcast format this summer thanks to the lovely people at Nocturnal Transmissions!
This is a fortnightly podcast featuring masterful performances of dark tales, both old and new, by voice artist Kristin Holland. If you enjoy playful, chilling, compelling narrations of short horror stories, this is the podcast for you. You can check out and follow this spooky podcast on Apple, YouTube, or on their website.
A brilliant developer discovers that her new game tech might have some unexpected benefits for mankind …or, more specifically, herself.
After the Gloaming Podcast
(“Arsenic & Old Men,” audio podcast, Episode 7, August 2023)
Check out Episode 7 of the newly launched Horror Podcast “After the Gloaming” by the creators of The Other Stories and The Night’s End podcasts (@gloamingpod).
In the soft glow of dusk, in the moment before night falls, stories exist. Gothic tales of the macabre, where the supernatural calls home, and the shadows dance. Hold tight and don’t let go, for lost you may become, after the gloaming.
My short story “Arsenic & Old Men” was performed by Drew Sebesteny, Justin Fife, Phoenix Fire, Lauren Kong, Jerry Harris, Maddi Albregts, Lady Theta, Xander Zweig, and Alexandra Elroy. Sound production and editing by James Barnett. Theme music by Duncan Muggleton and produced by James Barnett.
Kaidankai Podcast
(“The Blue Ghost,” audio podcast, June 2023)
Furthering my burgeoning love of podcast adaptations, my short story “The Blue Ghost” has received the audio treatment this summer! This weekly podcast of fiction read out loud explores the entire world of ghosts and the supernatural. The stories are touching, scary, gruesome, funny, and heartwarming. A little something for everyone.
“The Blue Ghost” is probably one of the least graphic/gory/disturbing pieces I’ve written (edited to conform to the time period and location by my very own ninety-two-year-old grandmother who grew up in England during WWII) so this one is suitable to a broader horror-loving audience.
Check them out on Apple and their website for some more great scares or press the button below to listen to the episode.
Thirteen Podcast
(“Never Walk the Tracks at Night,” audio podcast, May 2023)
Thirteen is a monthly audio fiction anthology podcast featuring atmospheric, slow burn, spooky stories. Stories that will make you smile, break your heart, and have you wishing for a night light.
Every town has their local ghost story… You never imagine that you’ll become a part of it. Never Walk the Tracks at Night is written by Taija Morgan. Narrated by Brooke Jennett. Bailey was Kayla Temshiv, Lucy was Carlee Coulehan, MacKenzie was Abigail Blythe, Samara was Haberlin Roberts. Music, editing and sound design by Caleb Ritchie.
Find Thirteen on social media at Twitter and Instagram or on their website.
Bards & Sages Quarterly Magazine Vol.XV Issue II
(“Arsenic & Old Men,” Bards & Sages, April 2023)
For over a decade, the Bards and Sages Quarterly has been a showcase for both new and established authors to share their speculative works. The short stories presented in each issue serve as a delightful sampler of the speculative genres. Whether your preference is sword and sorcery, time-travel, space exploration, gothic horror, urban fantasy, or any of the speculative genres, you are sure to find something to love in the pages of this magazine.
Stories in this issue by Andrew Jensen, Antony Paschos, Jason Mills, Kelly Toughill, Lorna McGinnis, Luke Foster, Nestor Defino, Nicole Walsh, Patrick Honovich, Ray Daley, and Taija Morgan.
Etherea Magazine Issue #16
(“The Crown,” Etherea, 2023)
Etherea Magazine, #16. A collection of wonderful speculative fiction from authors around the globe.
She’d laughed. Marilla couldn’t recall what she’d told the man, or even his face, but she contemplated the question as she walked toward her office. She passed the marketing department’s insipid new posters—The only limit is your imagination and Be anyone you want to be, among other inaccuracies—and muttered, “Anything. I’d do almost anything.” – The Crown, by Taija Morgan
Penitent’s Gold Anthology
(“Gold Digger,” The Seventh Terrace, 2022)
Curated by Sarah L. Pratt & Robert Bose.
Greed is good. And being greedy even better. You are greedy aren’t you? Of course you are. Awash in the poetry of Avarice, your twisted soul lusts for material gain long after releasing your mortal coil. Welcome to Terrace V in the famed Purgatorio, where you’ll atone for your incorrigible greed with your fellow Penitents, languishing in sight of gold forever out of reach.
In this collection of dark needful tales, bikini clad thieves make the score of a lifetime at ravenous cost, it’s all fun and games until the Hare kills the Hound, a family bound rock star longs for life he once led, memories are worth a terrible price, and a pair of grifters plunder a haunted gold mine – among others! You can never be too rich, and Chris Marrs, Taija Morgan, Chris Patrick Carolan, Lindsay Thomas, Shane Kroetsch, Sarah L. Pratt and Robert Bose will tantalize you with promises of wealth beyond the nightmares of Avarice.
Look out for this Seventh Terrace anthology and my short story “Gold Digger” now available everywhere. Follow them on Facebook for more great content!
The Rabbit Hole V Anthology
(“The Blue Ghost,” Writers’ Co-op, 2022)
Welcome to the Rabbit Hole. On our fifth excursion into the warren of the odd, 37 authors lead us down their own little burrows of strangeness: an army of penguins, music that cures, aliens that communicate through old cartoons, images of the future that save, unwanted visions of the now, and, oh yes, it is raining lawyers. All have one thing in common, they are just…plain…weird. Weird can be funny, weird can be sad, weird can be thoughtful, weird can be mad, but the one thing in common is that weird shares experiences you have, thankfully, never had. Just be careful, all little bunnies are not nice, but they are memorable.
Stories by: Pete Barnstrom, Lori M. Myers, Richard Zaric, James Rumpel, Rhonda Eikamp, Joseph Carrabis, Leslie Muzingo, H. Donovan Lyón, GD Deckard, Lesley Bungay, S.E. Reed, Alexis Cunningham, Taija Morgan, Matt Nagin, Carl E. Reed, Stefan Markos, Anna Ross, Jon Zelazny, Marie Anderson and Tom Chmura, Richard Hough, Joseph Farley, D. A. Becher, David M. Donachie, Sally Basmajian, Bobby Rollins, Anthony Regolino, Robin Pond, Christina Hoag, John Haas, Joshua Williams, Jodi Rizzotto, Louis Evans, David Castlewitz, Tom Howard, Ira Nayman, and Tom Wolosz. Cover image adapted from an original design by Ian Bristow. A Writers’ Co-op Production.
“The Blue Ghost” was accepted into this exciting anthology, which is now available everywhere.
Prairie Witch Anthology
(“Never Walk the Tracks at Night,” Prairie Soul Press, 2022)
They thought our embers were dead and gone …
Would the contents of your bookshelf get you burned as a witch in the past? Throughout history, women accused of being witches and put to death by burning, stoning, hanging, or drowning were women who were smart, educated, healers, single, widowed, old, overly social, confident, too beautiful, too ugly, sexual, subversive, and deviant. Witches have been most often portrayed as evil, living solitary lives in the forest, eating children, and communing with the devil. But in recent years, women have been reclaiming the word “witch” to symbolize female empowerment. This excites us very much and makes us wonder what stories about witches and the Canadian Prairies could be told!
Check out this amazing anthology by Calgary publisher Prairie Soul Press. My short story “Never Walk the Tracks at Night” is included in this one, as well as a host of other terrifying tales by some of my all-time favourite local authors. Prairie Witch was also featured on Writers’ Block, the monthly book show on CJSW (UofC student radio). Listen to a five-minute excerpt from “Never Walk the Tracks at Night” here.
Tales to Terrify: Episode 548
(“Eat Your Rage,” 2022)
Have you ever written something so brain-rendingly disturbing you actually shocked the hell out of yourself? If you know me at all, that’s a pretty high bar, and it’s one I am pleased to announce I have surpassed in my short story “Eat Your Rage.”
Not only is this story the most thoroughly disturbed thing I’ve written to date, but Tales to Terrify actually read it and decided to publish it as a podcast! So when you think about it, they must be more messed-up than I am. This may be love.
Tales to Terrify is a weekly short fiction horror podcast operating since 2012. You can check them out at their website or Facebook, or listen to their podcasts on Spotify or Apple for some deliciously dark fiction.
“Eat Your Rage” is a short story turned podcast episode for your auditory-consuming pleasure (or disgust? It’s a fine line for us horror lovers, right?). If you can stomach it, you can listen right here:
Taija Morgan’s Eat Your Rage as read by Alex Weinle: 00:26:40
The night before Halloween, a dying man’s intrusive thoughts twist into disturbing compulsions as he tries to prove there’s nothing he can’t fix.
Theoretically I shouldn’t have to tell you this if you’ve read this far, but for good measure: this story is for adults only, it contains extreme horror, gore, violence, mutilation, and so on. Also some bad language. All my favourite things. If you barf, that’s on you; you’ve been warned. Bon Appétit!
But in all serious, I’m positively chuffed to hear this as a podcast! Huge thanks to Tales to Terrify and their amazing team! Please give those nice folks a follow, a ritual sacrifice, or a friendly comment.
Prairie Gothic Anthology
(“Arsenic & Old Men,” Prairie Soul Press, 2020)
Aurora Award Nominated Anthology 2021
It’s scarier when you can’t hide.
That’s the idea behind Prairie Gothic, the new anthology of psychological and supernatural horror from Prairie Soul Press. Gothic tales, set in decaying, abandoned settings and characters with dark secrets mingle on the high Canadian Prairies.
Something wicked this way comes…
Featuring the talents of: PJ Vernon, Sarah L. Johnson, Mike Thorn, Chris Patrick Carolan, Chris Marrs, Calvin D. Jim, Stacey Kondla, Marty Chan, Taija Morgan, Konn Lavery, Jim Jackson, Robert Bose, Rhonda Parrish, and Elizabeth Whitton.
In Places Between Anthology
(“The Crown,” Robyn Herrington Memorial Short Story Anthology, 2019)
The very best short fiction of When Words Collide. A short story anthology contest.
Opal Writers’ Magazine
(Non-Fiction Writing Craft Articles)
Opal Writers‘ Magazine is published by Opal Publishing in Calgary, Alberta and distributed monthly by e-mail to subscribers. Opal is for authors by authors.
I acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Je remercie le Conseil des arts du Canada pour son soutien.
#BringingTheArtsToLife #LArtAuCoeurDeNosVies
@CanadaCouncil
Taija Morgan - Horror Author & Professional Editor 