Showing results by author "Staci Layne Wilson" in All Categories

Christopher Webb, the Amazing Spider-Mage, brings his exotic arachnid performers aboard the 1940s-themed Pacific Dream cruise for what should be a week of elegant entertainment. But beneath his stage confidence lies a secret terror—one that makes his career choice both ironic and perilous. When Christopher catches the eye of Cleo Laveau, the ship’s mysterious psychic medium, their attraction ignites something unexpected. Cleo’s theatrical mysticism hides genuine power, and a moment of jealous rage unleashes forces neither of them understands.

When a movie crew abandoned thirty-seven crab-eating macaques in the Florida Everglades decades ago, the local residents of Cypress Grove thought they’d gained harmless tourist attractions. They were wrong. Dr. McKenna Dubrow, the town’s veterinarian, discovers the horrifying truth when the macaques begin exhibiting unprecedented intelligence—using tools, coordinating attacks, and leaving behind cryptic symbols that suggest something far more sinister than natural evolution.

Rock & Roll Nightmares, Volume 1 scratched the sinister surface with tales of the 27 Club, rock ‘n’ roll suicides, plane crashes, curses, and more. Now the award-winning series continues with concert mayhem, a look at the “baby groupie” trend of the 1970s, Satanic panic, horrific home invasions, musicians who’ve died on stage, rockers who lived on borrowed time, gun-toting music producers, deadly DJs, and much more.

Los Angeles and Lucifer are a lot alike. They both seduce and lure with promises of wealth, fame, beauty, or love. But those promises are often empty; and even when they’re not, there’s a price to pay.

Riff Savage is a former heavy metal bassist and horror video icon whose idea of a peaceful retirement involves memoir-writing, sipping mocktails, and absolutely no crowd-surfing or demon-dodging. But when his legion of loyal—and somewhat unstable—superfans catch wind of his retreat from the limelight, they devise a sinister plot to ensure Riff’s swan song is anything but peaceful.

Keepsakes is a creepy novella conceived as an interlocking triptych of tales focusing on the collectors of evil items. "Mood Ring" is the story of a young woman and her obsession with an ancient amber adornment that once belonged to Lizzie Borden. "Death-Sized" shows what happens when a little voodoo doll comes to life and has big, bad plans. "Misfortune Cookie" takes a bite out of a certain dental assistant whose fascination with collecting baby teeth leads him to dark, mysterious places.

Get ready for a wild ride through an alternate universe of music in Rock & Roll Nightmares: Parallel Lines. These short stories, written by award-winning and bestselling authors, cover everything from hilarious antics to deep reflections, all set in a music world that's not quite what you remember. What ties them together? Each tale takes a real rock star's story and spins it in a whole new direction.

Tune in, turn on, and drop in to the rock 'n' roll rabbit hole! Along Comes Scary is set in an alternate spooky ’60s where vampires play screaming guitars, hell-bound hotrodders start a new trend on AM radio, and there are groupies who will do anything for a piece of their favorite band. Stories include "Papa’s Got a Brand-New Body Bag", "Hell-A Woman", and "She’s Got a Ticket to Die".

Take a chill pill, get ready to catch boogie fever, and turn it up to 11! Do You Fear Like We Do is set in an alternate scary ’70s where "disco inferno" isn’t just a song tile, an FM radio DJ who works the graveyard shift finds out what "catch you on the flipside" really means, and a rock band faces death flying the not-so-friendly skies. Stories include "Tiny Danger", "Comfortably Dumb", and "While My Guitar Gently Reaps".

Ashara Konrad, rock music photojournalist and vampire, has a secret. One she hasn’t spoken of in over a century. Now, that secret has come back from the grave, hell-bent on destroying the most promising musicians of the age in service to an old voodoo curse. If Ashara hadn’t seen her vampire twin, Zariaz, dismembered and scattered after going on a killing spree, targeting musicians a century earlier, she would think Zariaz was behind the slaughter, looking to fulfill her 1000-musician curse.

For years, timid Cary toiled away in a cold cubicle. He had dreams, but not the courage to pursue them. That is, until he lost his job and found his fortune in a most unexpected way. Now love, money, and fame come to Cory all too easily. But someone is out for blood. When unspeakable horrors and death start to befall everyone around Cary, everything slips from his grasp. His girlfriend, his fame, and finally...his sanity. All gone. Cary does everything he must do in order to uncover the truth about the murder that led to his great fortune.

The endless lives of a Hollywood vampire couple, Ashara and Liam, are turned upside down when their daughter is kidnapped, and they are forced into a world of danger and deceit, where long-dormant family secrets begin to wake. Their search takes them from London to LA and Las Vegas, where they meet mysterious and strange supernatural creatures who may not be what they seem.

Kurt Cobain. GG Allin. Wendy O. Williams. Duane Allman. Travis Barker. Jimmy Page. Janis Joplin. Ozzy Osbourne. Chrissie Hynde. Dee Dee Ramone. Chris Cornell. Marc Bolan. Tommy Lee. Amy Winehouse. Jimi Hendrix. What do these artists all have in common? They’re rowdy rock stars whose over-the-top lifestyles spun out of control, landing them deep in Rock & Roll Nightmare territory. Rock & Roll Nightmares: True Stories, Volume 1 is a meticulously-researched, up-to-date, entertaining, and shocking book that rounds up the tragic tales from the 1960s to the present day.

Hosted by Staci Layne Wilson and based on the Rock & Roll Nightmares horror and true crime book series, this irreverent podcast on rock, punk, grunge, etc., features interviews with musicians, writers, photographers, artists, and filmmakers. It's only rock & roll, but we like it!

Gory Days: Break out the keytar, throw your horn-hands, and get ready to rock down to electric avenue! Gory Days is set in an alternate evil ’80s where androids take the stage, a washed-up rock star discovers the secret to time travel, and an aspiring musician puts her demo tape into the wrong hands. Stories include Don’t Stand So Close to Meat", "Hip to Be Scared", and "Dead Over Heels.

Want sex, drugs, and rock and roll? It’s all here. But what is so moving about Staci Layne Wilson’s unconventional coming-of-age story is that in spite of her rocky childhood, she describes her parents with deep affection, generosity, and pride. Hers is a story of triumph over a legacy of alcoholism, suicide, and Hollywood burnout, but more than that, it’s a tender, gripping tale of unconditional love (with a healthy dose of humor). Despite the downsides, her upbringing gave her the powerful determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

Look to the shadowy corridor between chart-topping hits and the cryptic tales that lurk behind them in “Rock & Roll Nightmares: Blood On The Tracks.” This electrifying true crime tome peels back the curtain on the eerie nexus of melody and morbidity, guiding you through a chilling journey where the anthems of the airwaves meet their macabre muses.

Welcome to "Cabaret of the Dead," where Hollywood's hottest burlesque dancers face their most terrifying audience yet—zombies! After a freak storm unleashes chaos, headliner Bettie and her fellow performers must battle for their lives against their transformed clientele. This isn't just another night at the Fetish Factory—it's survival of the foxiest!

Welcome to the ultimate backstage pass to the afterlife, where the music never stops and the encores are eternal. In this collection of spectral true tales, we'll journey from smoke-filled recording studios to haunted hotel rooms, chasing the ghosts of rock & roll royalty who refuse to let a little thing like death keep them from the spotlight. These aren't your grandmother's ghost stories—unless, of course, your gran was a groupie for The Doors.