As I mentioned earlier this year, thanks to your support here on Patreon I was finally able to make the time in my schedule to edit a themed horror anthology I’ve wanted to work on for many years now. This project is still officially UNANNOUNCED, so please don’t share this information or the image below anywhere:
Above is the cover artwork from Vincent Chong for the Limited Edition of MIDNIGHT UNDER THE BIG TOP, which will be published in early 2020 if all goes well. Everything in the art was inspired by stories in the book. (A scanned image at reduced resolution doesn’t really give you the full experience of this artwork, either — just wait until you see it on a 7 X 10 hardcover book!)
We’re getting closer to the official announcement, so here is my ROUGH DRAFT of the sales copy, along with the working Table of Contents, all of which is subject to change:
Midnight Under the Big Top: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Magic
edited by Brian James Freeman
About the Book:
If you’re a fan of the recent hit musical movie The Greatest Showman, we can safely say Midnight Under the Big Top is really, really, really… not for you… unless, that is, you wondered what would happen if one of the tigers ate the bearded lady while leading the other animals in a violent revolution against the circus… in that case, this book is exactly for someone like you!
Featuring the world’s grandest tales of murder, madness, and magic set in and around the circus by renowned authors such as Stephen King, Joe Hill, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, Neil Gaiman, Kelley Armstrong, Robert McCammon, Tananarive Due, Lisa Morton, Heather Graham, Richard Chizmar, Billy Chizmar, Amanda C. Davis, Nayad Monroe, Jeff Strand, Amanda Downum, and Dominick Cancilla!
Includes the World’s First-Ever Poetry Intermission featuring written works of art by Norman Prentiss, G.O. Clark, Marge Simon, Bruce Boston, Robert Payne Cabeen, David E. Cowen, Alessandro Manzetti, Christina Sng, Stephanie M. Wytovich, K.A. Opperman, and Ashley Dioses!
For the grand finale, read with your own unbelieving eyes as Josh Malerman, author of the New York Timesbestseller Bird Box,introduces you to Dandelion Andrews, a very unusual man who hasn’t seen daylight in three months because he’s digging a hole destined to become a most unusual carnival house of horrors!
These death-defying tales aren’t for the faint of heart, but they are perfect for the long lost child hiding deep inside of you who always instinctively understood you should never trust a circus clown!
Table of Contents:
ACT ONE:
“The Night of the Tiger” by Stephen King
“Twittering from the Circus of the Dead” by Joe Hill
“The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch” by Neil Gaiman
“The Girl in the Carnival Gown” by Kelley Armstrong
“The Great White Way” by Robert McCammon
“Herd Immunity” by Tananarive Due
“Pickled Punks and the Summer of Love” by Lisa Morton
“Courting the Queen of Sheba” by Amanda C. Davis
“The Circus Reborn” by Nayad Monroe
Title To Be Announced by Michael Koryta
“The Black Ferris” by Ray Bradbury
POETRY INTERMISSION FEATURING:
Norman Prentiss
G.O. Clark
Marge Simon
Bruce Boston
Robert Payne Cabeen
David E. Cowen
Alessandro Manzetti
Christina Sng
Stephanie M. Wytovich
K.A. Opperman
Ashley Dioses
ACT TWO:
“Buried Talents” by Richard Matheson
“The Carnival” by Richard Chizmar
“Mr. Bones’ Wild Ride” by Billy Chizmar
“Fair Treats” by Jeff Strand
“Smoke & Mirrors” by Amanda Downum
“Laughable” by Dominick Cancilla
Title To Be Announced by Heather Graham
THE GRAND FINALE:
Dandy, a brand new short novel by Josh Malerman