Roni Stinger – Writer of strange and dark things.

New Flash Fiction on Stupefying Stories Showcase: “They Tire of Waiting” by Roni Stinger

I’m thrilled to announce the publication of “They Tire of Waiting.” This little story is a favorite of mine. Dark humor, therapy, mental health, and creativity. It’s all there, in around 400 words. Free to read online at Stupefying Stories Showcase. Click the link below or copy and paste into your browser.

https://stupefyingstories.blogspot.com/2024/03/they-tire-of-waiting-by-roni-stinger.html

“My therapist sits across the room, finger on chin, head tilted, the way she does. Brown, shoulder-length bob molded into submission by hairspray. Her office reminds me of my grandmother’s sitting-room, all pastels and flowers. A damn cuckoo clock on the wall.” Continue reading here.

2023 Year in Review

First, I’ve had the privilege of volunteering with Willamette Writers over the last few years. This year, I joined the Board of Directors and couldn’t be more proud of this wonderful organization.

In 2023 Willamette Writers held 95 workshops at local chapters and online, 90 Coffee At Your Kitchen Table meetings for conversation and connections, and 45 Write Place meetings to help writers set and meet SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Timebound) goals. All of these were free and open to the public.

Please consider helping us continue the work of helping writers find community, develop their craft, and expand their careers by donating. Check out the Facebook fundraiser https://www.facebook.com/donate/1083336493105215/ or donate through the website https://willamettewriters.org/donations/

Besides my work with Willamette Writers, I co-chaired the HWA Membership Committee until September when I stepped down to have more time for other projects. I also attended StokerCon, WW Conference, BizarroCon, Portland Book Festival, H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival online, did my first in-person reading at the Winding Paths release party, and recorded a reading of “Worm Bagging” for HPLFF.

Publications in 2023

Looking forward to 2024!

Underland Arcana Deck Three

Deck Three collects all the stories from 2023’s three issues of Underland Arcana into one beautiful book. Besides “Hand of Glory,” which is one of my favorite stories that I’ve written, there are twenty-nine other fantastic tales to enjoy.

I’ve been a fan of Underland Arcana for years before landing my story “Hand of Glory” in issue nine. I hope you’ll check out this great collection of tarot related stories.

“These are the stories we tell in the twilight. These are the ways we greet the dawn. These are the lies we tell about the monsters in our hearts. These are the ways we ward against the chill touch of despair. Cup, shield, sword, and stick: these continue to be our tools. This is the iconography of the Arcana.” – Underland Arcana Deck Three

Signed copies of Fuzzy available to ship!

I have a few extra copies of my novella, Fuzzy (Rewind or Die #34), ready to ship for $12, including media shipping to US addresses. Let me know by email or DM if you’d like one, and I’ll send a PayPal invoice.

Here’s what people are saying:

“Sharp writing, vivid visuals, strong sense of setting. This was a fun read, bringing back memories of well-cribbed paperbacks, passed around VHS tapes, and stories told in the dark.” – Erick Mertz

“Fast-paced and gory with nods to classic monster narratives and a surprising twist ending, this was such a fun read! Perfect for fans of old school VHS horror.” – Angela Sylvaine

“I have never read anything like this and I have to have more!” – Christina Pfeiffer

“I liked that Jamie was a senior citizen. The dynamic between Jamie and Aaron, her crypid obsessed coworker, played out wonderfully. The creatures were creepy, fun and oh so fuzzy.” – Suz Jay

“A freaky, unnerving, disturbing, and fast-paced book, perfect for spooky season and beyond! Definitely one for cryptid and swamp creature fans!” – Jendia Gammon

“This is a super-fun creature feature with plenty of delightful gore and some great plot developments that keep the story moving along. The monsters are quite original, so most of the characters don’t even see them coming before they’re turned into bloody mush. If you enjoy horror, this is definitely a quick, enjoyable read!” – Mark Ruvolo

Thanks for all your support!

H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival Streaming December 1-3!

You can watch all the awesome films from the comfort of your home, car, or wherever your devices go.

There will also be panel discussions, readings, and dramatic performances available to stream. One of which, will be a reading of my short story “Worm Bagging” originally published in Unnerving Magazine Issue 17.

I had fun recording this one, and hope you’ll check it out along with all the other fantastic content at the HPLFF Streaming Event

See the complete schedule, and buy your ticket here: https://watch.eventive.org/hplfilmfestival

Winding Paths from Demagogue Press Drops December 10, 2023!

I am honored and excited to announce that my fun, quirky, science fiction/fantasy story “New Orientations” is included in this amazing playable reading experience. Choose your path through a variety of stories, poems, and puzzles, and play the ancient game of UR on the cover with instructions and playing pieces included within. This is a fun and unique debut anthology from the fantasic folks at Demagogue Press. I cannot wait to see what they do next!

Winding Paths is available for preorder here. Huge thanks to editors Frances Lu Pai Ippolito and Ken Hueler for making this such an awesome experience!

If you’re in the Portland, Oregon area, join us for pizza, games, and readings at Board Bard Games on December 10th from 3-5PM PT!

Reading and Panel at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthulhuCon

I’ll be reading from FUZZY at 3:00pm Saturday, October 7th and moderating a panel on Manifesting Mythos with France Lu-Pai Ippolito, Sarah Walker, David Heath, and DB Spitzer at 12:00pm Sunday, October 8th at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and CthuluCon. Full schedule and locations here.

Too much awesomeness to include here, so check out the full website for exciting guests of honor, such as Clay Mcleod Chapman, and world premiere films, such as GODS OF THE DEEP. Guest of Honor Rebekah McKendry PhD will be there with one of my personal favorites, GLORIOUS. I’m super excited and plan to take in as many films, speakers, readings and panels as possible. Hope to see you there!

Unnerving Magazine Issue #18

Free to read at Unnerving Books! Or, buy print copies here.

This issue contains new fiction from Michael Bracken, Somer Canon, Declan Burnett, and Rowan Hodges, plus excerpts from my debut novella FUZZY (Rewind or Die #34) and other great Unnerving titles. And, don’t miss features by Mark Allan Gunnells and me.

Pick Five: Creature Features highlights a few of my favorites that helped inspire Fuzzy. Hope you enjoy the reminiscence!

The Best of Metastellar Volume Two

This anthology includes my fantasy, flash story “Six Things you can Build with a Radish when you’re One-Inch Tall”, and is now available for preorder here: https://www.amazon.com/Best-MetaStellar-Year-Two/dp/B0CDHGD9TM#books-entity-teaser

You can read my story for free on their website here: https://www.metastellar.com/fiction/flash-fiction/six-things-you-can-build-with-a-radish-when-youre-only-one-inch-tall/

However, if you want all these great flash fiction stories compiled into one amazing print or eBook volume, please order.

Challenge from Beyond and the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival: Cthulhu at Arkham World’s Fair

Thanks so much to Gwen Callahan for inviting me to take part in this year’s Challenge from Beyond round-robin style story. I had the great honor of writing with talented authors Angela Yuriko Smith, Mack W. Mani, Pauline Chow, and K.L Young. Each of us wrote a thousand words, then passed the story on to the next author. By the end, we wrote a ~5,000 word cosmic horror story. It was a blast!

If you want to read it (and trust me, you do), it’s available in a double volume book that includes winners of this year’s cosmic microfiction contest, as one of the perks in this year’s Kickstarter. Plus, there’s lots of other awesome goodies! Check it out here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hplffpdx/hp-lovecraft-film-festival-cthulhu-at-arkham-worlds-fair

And if you’re going to be at this year’s film fest, say “hello.” I’ll be there enjoying weird horror movies, panels, and readings too!