Cover Reveal: The Fifth Black Beacon Book of Mystery

The case has been cracked! We've located Malgorzata Mika's cover for The Fifth Black Beacon Book of Mystery. This art is inspired by the Lena Lombardi story "Keepers Weepers", which Edward Lodi will be contributing to the anthology. Feel free to send Malgorzata a message to congratulate her on the wonderful work.

A NOTE TO AUTHORS: The submissions window will be open in January and February, so visit our submissions page and follow the guidelines carefully, and then get writing!

In the meantime, Mystery Hounds, don't forget to pre-order your Kindle copy of the fourth volume today. It will be out for Kindle and in print on the 23rd of November.

Double Trouble: Two Submissions Windows in 2026

Black Beacon Books will be open to submissions for two anthologies later this year, Lighthouses 2 and Tales from the Ruins 2, and the talented Greg Chapman will be making his mark once again by providing the cover art.

Check the submissions page for the full guidelines, and if you haven't read the first volumes, we highly recommend doing so. We'll be on the hunt for original and exciting mysteries, thrillers, and horror tales that fit the theme of each anthology. Get writing!

Index Case by Sam Dawson

Announcing a new novel! 

Black Beacon Books is thrilled to announce that we'll be publishing the latest novel by British author Sam Dawson in September. This medical thriller is a virus you definitely do want to catch! 

 

Rob is an epidemiologist, dedicated to fighting disease and all too aware that  the UK is unprepared for the deadly pandemic that's about to hit. As he plans how his family will survive, he ponders the traces of  long-dead villages and plagues past, and begins to wonder: is it time to be part of the problem, not the solution?

Cover art by the wonderful Greg Chapman

Illustrations by Sam Dawson

INDEX CASE  by Sam Dawson isn't just another novel - it's a pandemic in itself. A thoroughly-researched medical thriller, a critical analysis of public policy, a survival handbook, a guidebook to some of the historical highlights along the south coast of England, and ultimately a philosophical treatise. All of this wrapped up for the intrepid reader in one gripping novel with Rob, an epidemiologist, preparing his family for the deadly pandemic that's about to hit.

 

Cover Reveal: The Fourth Black Beacon Book of Mystery

The puzzle has been solved! We've uncovered the mysterious art by Malgorzata Mika for The Fourth Black Beacon Book of Mystery. This art is inspired by the Oscar Tremont story "The Case of the Ghost Slipper", which the editor will be contributing to the anthology. For the fifth volume, one of our contributors will have the opportunity to have his or her puzzle-solving protagonist appear on the cover. Preference will be given to a protagonist who has appeared in at least two previous volumes.

Without further ado, the cover for The Fourth Black Beacon Book of Mystery...

A NOTE TO AUTHORS: The submissions window is open until the end of February. Simply visit our submissions page and follow the guidelines carefully.

Buy the previous volumes HERE.

Cover Reveal: The Black Beacon Book of Horror 2

When Greg Chapman posted his latest cover art, we just knew we had to snap it up for The Black Beacon Book of Horror 2. Check it out! Samhain Screams (co-edited by Greg Chapman and featuring his cover art) is going to make Halloween 2025 the spookiest ever, and the diabolical plan is to give you the creeps one year later with the second volume of The Black Beacon Books of Horror.

We'll be taking submissions in November and December. More details coming soon!

 

New and Mysterious Covers by Malgorzata Mika

We're proud to present the new covers by Malgorzata Mika for the first three volumes of "The Black Beacon Books of Mystery". The covers have been updated for the Kindle versions and will be updated for the print versions in the next few days. The first two volumes are available now and the submissions window is currently open for the third volume.

Cover Reveal: The Black Beacon Book of Ghosts

Time to reveal the spooky cover for The Black Beacon Book of Ghosts! The cover for this anthology is provided by Meg Wright of Red Wallflower. We're thrilled to have this original and eye-catching cover for what will be a ghost story anthology unlike any other. 

This title will be released in the lead-up to Halloween, and as always, the Kindle pre-order deal will be available beforehand. 

Sally's in the Well - Sam Dawson
Effigy in Flagrante - Matthew R. Davis
The Spreading Rot - Leanbh Pearson
The Widow of Wood Forge - C. M. Saunders
The Ice Tigs - Rose Biggin
The Gospel of Abbott Wulfbald - Lawrence Harding
Red Dirt - Em Starr
The Yūrei of Old Stonybrook Lane - Michael Picco
Through a Looking Glass Darkly - Karen Keeley
Dead Angel Trail - Robert Allen Lupton
Where the Heart Is - Mike Adamson
Fiachra Conneally's Bargain - L. P. Ring
The Creeper - David Turnbull
Open Book - Cameron Trost
A Passage in Time - E. Michael Lewis

Fortitude and Courage: Double Cover Reveal

Adventure time! All aboard! We're thoroughly delighted to unveil Malgorzata Mika's cover art for our first releases in 2024, two action-packed steampunk romps by Karen Bayly. These books are for all the readers who love airships, steampunk science, fantastic adventure, and an unforgettable and intrepid heroine - Artemis Devereaux! That means ALL readers, right? Out February the 13th. 

Find Karen on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

Find Malgorzata on Twitter and Instagram

The Black Beacon Book of Pirate Tales

Black Beacon Books is now open to submissions for a pirate anthology! Our Patreon patrons voted for this theme during a recent poll. The usual submissions guidelines apply to this anthology, but read on for the specific details.

The Black Beacon Book of Pirate Tales

What are we looking for?

For this anthology, we're looking for pirate tales, preferably about pirates and buccaneers from the 16th to 18th centuries. Stories set in completely fictional/fantasy worlds will be considered but are likely to be a hard sell. That said, we're interested in stories belonging to various genres just so long as the central characters and setting are pirates or centred on the theme of piracy, even if the story is set in the present. For example, a ghost story featuring a legendary pirate or a mystery about a lost treasure. We're not looking for sci-fi or futuristic stories. As usual, if you have any questions, just get in touch.

The submissions window will remain open until December the 31st. Now, raise that black flag and get back to your writing desk!

Dark Reflections: Cover Reveal and TOC

Here it is! Check out Greg Chapman - Horror Author & Artist's cover for the forthcoming dark fiction collection from Paul Kane. We hope you love it as much as we do. Dark Reflections will be published in December, just in time for ghost story season. These short stories are a wink and a nod to Paul's influences, including M.R. James, Charles Dickens, William Hope Hodgson, H.P. Lovecraft, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Edgar Allan Poe. The foreword is provided by the legendary Kim Newman, Kim Newman's Anno Dracula books. So much talent in just one book! Keep looking in that mirror...

Dark Reflections

Stories Influenced by the Masters of Dark Literature

Proudly presenting the table of contents:

In Hyding (Traumas, published by Black Shuck Books, 2020)

Signals (Ghosts, Spectral Press, 2013)

Life Sentence (Albions Alpträume: Zombies Eloy Edictions, 2006)

Humbuggered (Festive Fear, Tasmaniac, 2010)

The Greatest Mystery (Gaslight Arcanum, Edge Publishing, 2011)

Dracula in Love (Dead Things Issue 5, October/December 2000)

Heartless (Original to this Collection)

Masques (Return of the Raven, Horror Bound Books, 2009)

Paw People (Original to this Collection) 

Thicker Than Water (Innsmouth Nightmares, PS Publishing, 2015)

The Grey Room (Original to this Collection)

Cover Reveal: The Black Beacon Book of Horror

Our Patreon patrons have already seen it as part of their exclusive benefits, and now it's your turn. Behold Greg Chapman's cover for our very first anthology dedicated solely to horror stories, The Black Beacon Book of Horror! Submissions close tomorrow (the 28th of February) but we already know that this book will be teeming with eerie folk horror, mind-bending cosmic terror, and creepy psychological dread. Expect more news, including the announcement of the table of contents and the anticipated publication date, to be revealed by the end of March.

Is that a shiver of excitement running down your spine...or one of terror foretold? 

Cover Reveal: The Second Black Beacon Book of Mystery

The Second Black Beacon Book of Mystery is set to be released on the 8th of July. You've already discovered the line-up comprised of both usual suspects and new villains...posted below in case you missed it. Now, it's time to reveal the cover. Without giving too much away regarding particular stories, it's safe to reveal that this second volume of what we hope will be a long-running series of mystery stories features a lot of poison! For this volume, we worked with artist Malgorzata Mika and here's the sinister art she came up with. We hope you like it! Enjoy that tea.

Alexander's Nose by Dave Duncan
Bread Pudding by Karen Keeley
Christmas Funeral Potatoes by E. E. King
Lost at Sea by F. K. Restrepo
Lurking in the Shadows by Edward Lodi
The Impossible Theft by Cameron Trost
If It's Tuesday, This Must be Murder by Josh Pachter
Justice for Jaynie by Yvonne Ventresca
Keep Your Friends Close by Maggie King
Too Many Sherlocks by Paulene Turner
Villainy in the Vertical Village by Joseph S. Walker
Screen Shot by Teel James Glenn
Spanner in the Works by Alan Barker
The Murderer's Vade Mecum by Erica Obey
There is a Tide by Elizabeth Elwood

Of course, if you haven't read the first volume yet, now's the time!

Subtropical Suspense Cover Reveal

It is with great pleasure that Black Beacon Books reveals the cover design for our inaugural anthology, Subtropical Suspense. Greg Chapman, who provided the striking cover for Kit Power's The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife, has once again done an outstanding job by creating a cover that perfectly fits the theme and feel of the anthology. Don't you agree?

The anthology will be launched at Black Cat Books (179 Latrobe Tce, Paddington, Brisbane) at 2 pm on Saturday the 19th of July. More information about the launch will be announced soon, but please put that date down in your diary this very instant.

The anthology will feature sixteen gripping tales of mystery and suspense set in Brisbane!

The impressive table of contents is as follows:

A Lasting Impression    FN Karmatz
Penelope Potter    Frank Ince
The Deluge    Gerry Huntman
Magnetic North    FN Karmatz
Scarlett Fever    Alice Godwin
Downpour    Sophie Yorkston
Missing    Kerry Lown Whalen
The Woman from the West    David Dolan
Living Statue    Barry Rosenberg
Incident in Wilston    Phil Brown
Like Me, The River    Duncan Richardson
Campus of Fear    Frank Ince
Cold Comfort    Sam Muller
The Final Cut    Linda Brucesmith
Blood on the Ice    Helen Stubbs
The Death, Rise and Deliverance of Greer Cabot    Kirk Marshall

Ebook Cover: The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife

Ladies and gentleman, welcome to 2014! Make it one of your resolutions this year to read and support quality independent fiction... not the drivel read by the unthinking ovine masses! Black Beacon Books is here to help you do just that.

Our first release this year is The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife by Kit Power. This ebook containing two stories in the suspense / crime genres will be released on the 25th of January. However, pre-orders can be placed now for just 99 cents instead of $1.99.

Today, we are proud to reveal the ebook's cover, designed by Greg Chapman. It's an eye-catching and arousing illustration, the significance of which you will discover upon reading the title story.

  

809 Jacob Street cover reveal

Marty Young's 809 Jacob Street is "a nightmare of tortured emotions and madness" and it will be unleashed this Halloween by Black Beacon Books. We are proud to present the cover of our very first publication and invite you to put your hands together for David Schembri, the creator of what I'm sure you will agree is a haunting and evocative cover design. It suits Marty's tale to a tee.

In the lead up to the Halloween release, watch out for ebook giveaways on Goodreads and don't miss your chance to meet the author and buy a pre-release print copy of the book straight out of his hot little hands in Brisbane at GenreCon and Dark Fiction Drinks, October 12 and 13.

809 Jacob Street is calling. Visit it if you dare!