Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. ~Arthur Ashe
Sounds like a great place to start this newsletter...
Welcome (or welcome back) to the P.M. Raymond Newsletter!
Did you miss me? I haven’t done one of these since Fall 2024. Now that I’m testing out Substack, it seems like a good time to restart and get you caught up on new releases, new book, short story, and film reviews, and generally share the chaos.
Let’s get started!
UPCOMING RELEASE
My debut Southern Gothic noir horror collection of interconnected short stories - THINGS ARE AS THEY SHOULD BE…and other words to die for - will be released in 2026 from Uncomfortably Dark Horror!!!
This has been a three-year journey writing and compiling short stories. Within these pages are selections that have been a Sisters in Crime Eleanor Taylor Bland award winner, a Killer Shorts Screenplay finalist and semifinalist, and Horror2Comic semifinalist. And the entire collection was a Claymore Award finalist for best short story anthology/collection.
This collection can be summed up as …
An exploration of greed, vengeance, and generational trauma in tales that center Louisiana and its rich history of the wicked, the haunted, and the unforgiven who refuse to rest.
Rest assured, you can feel very comfortable snatching this one up when pre-orders open. Details coming soon.
REVIEWS
The Key To Unlocking African Spiritual Beliefs…Sort Of
My editorial, "Deconstructing How ‘The Skeleton Key’ Depicts African Spiritual Beliefs (and 3 Films That Do It Better)" is up and running at Dread Central!
This topic has been on my mind for a while. Like since 2005! I truly love this movie that showcases my beloved Louisiana but…African spiritual beliefs have been used as shorthand for 'good' vs 'evil' in horror for far too long, and Dread Central offered me the opportunity to speak about it.
'The Skeleton Key' is great but there are three films - 'Eve's Bayou', 'Daughters of the Dust', and 'His House' (all by black filmmakers) that give African spiritual beliefs the space and nuance they deserve.
Read it in all its glory here.
Killer Shorts Reviews
In the mood for bite sized horror short films or short stories? For your amusement below are the following cinematic and literary hot takes from me at the Killer Shorts website. I release new content every month.
“The Fisherman’s Wife” - The Hunger For Connection…and Food Takes a Grim Turn
“Model Citizen” – Obsession Spirals Out Of Control
“Hide Your Crazy” – Can Love Conquer All?
“Easy Peasy” – A Hitman With A Jealous Streak And A Devious Plan
“369 Gates of Hell” – The Weight Of Trauma As A Burden And A Liberator
“Detox” – Time Away From Your Phone Could Have Dire Consequences
INTERVIEW
I had great fun with author Tara Laskowski’s blog series - What Scares You? Find my musings on eating octopus and the Rougarou here. And please check out Tara’s thriller/suspense books especially THE WEEKEND RETREAT.
AWARDS
Short story, “Things Are as They Should Be”, was a semifinalist in the 2025 Horror2Comic competition with an opportunity to be made into a comic or graphic novel and developed for TV or Film. Although it did not proceed to the finals, it was great fun participating.
Short stories, “Don’t Drink the Water” and “Things Are as They Should Be” (also a 2024 Finalist), were blessed enough to make it to the semifinalists in the 2025 Killer Shorts Screenplay competition with an opportunity to get in front of industry heavyweights. Alas, their journeys have ended but I love this competition and it is a joy to participate in it. I’ve met so many wonderful writers through it.
Many congratulations to all the Finalists!
BEFORE YOU GO…
SMALL FAVOR…🙏🏽…Please don't hoard this Substack!!!! Share the signup link with friends and family, horror hounds and crime buffs!