Daylight Dims: Volume One is the debut of an annual horror anthology edited by Kristopher Mallory and J. W. Zulauf: thirteen handpicked, illustrated tales, released for Halloween 2013.
In brief: a collection of literary short stories with horror themes and undertones.
Description: Darkness descends when Daylight Dims. This debut horror anthology features thirteen stories that cross the genres of surreal horror, dark fantasy, and heart pounding dread, and it is guaranteed to twist your perception. From the common, comfortable tropes to the more taboo, these handpicked tales have a literary aspect designed to showcase what horror can be.
The name came first. In 2006, while listening to Tool’s 10,000 Days, editor Kristopher Mallory heard the phrase “daylight dims” in the title track and thought it would make a great title for a horror book.
The idea stayed with him until late 2012, when J. W. Zulauf came on board and the two shaped it into a Halloween-themed, literary horror anthology built to showcase great writing and storytelling.
The open call went out in December 2012, and submissions through Submittable closed on July 30, 2013. Writers from around the world sent in 196 stories, and the final thirteen were announced around August 1, 2013. Each story was then paired with an artist chosen for what they could bring out in it.
For the audio edition, Daylight Dims partnered with Craig Groshek, audio producer and founder of Chilling Tales for Dark Nights, who brought every story to life as a fully produced narration.
Studio photos of the original hardback. Click a photo to open it at print resolution.
Kristopher Mallory has no interest in kung fu or underwater basket weaving, but he does enjoy throwing out the occasional random non-sequitur. Outside of writing, Kris was fortunate to travel the world while serving as an aircrew member in the Air Force. His main focus is doing all he can for Daylight Dims to succeed.
J. W. Zulauf wears many hats while walking the streets of the writing world. He started with a focus on the short story, first winning the Marjorie Flack Award for Fiction, then became one of the editors of Daylight Dims, which has grown into an annual anthology. He now works as an author with Evolved Publishing, creating the children’s series The Balderdash Saga, beginning with The Underground Princess.
Every contributor is listed on the Team page.
Readers funded a second volume on Kickstarter in the spring of 2014, and Daylight Dims: Volume Two followed on October 1, 2014, with thirteen new stories and two from the editors. See the Volume Two press kit.
For interviews or anything else, write to us through the Keep in Touch form and the editors will get back to you. All images on this page are free to use in coverage of Daylight Dims.
Darkness descends again. Daylight Dims: Volume Two brings thirteen new stories from new authors and artists, plus two bonus tales from the editors. Funded by readers on Kickstarter, it was released on October 1, 2014.
In brief: the second annual Daylight Dims anthology of literary horror, bigger and better than the first.
Description: Daylight Dims Volume Two features thirteen stories that cross the genres of surreal horror, dark fantasy, and heart pounding dread. This annual horror anthology is guaranteed to twist your perception of horror. From the common, comfortable tropes to the more taboo, these handpicked tales have a literary aspect designed to showcase what true horror can be. New authors and artists have joined the team, and this edition includes two bonus stories from the editors.
Volume Two was crowdfunded on Kickstarter. The campaign ran from April 1 to May 1, 2014, and 32 backers pledged $1,485 against a $1,475 goal to bring the second volume to life.
The dust jacket and cover art, by Luke Spooner. More of the book’s illustrations are in the Volume Two art gallery.
Kristopher Mallory and J. W. Zulauf edited both volumes, and each wrote one of Volume Two’s bonus stories: “Gillian” and “Special Delivery”. Their bios are in the Volume One press kit.
For interviews or anything else, write to us through the Keep in Touch form and the editors will get back to you. All images on this page are free to use in coverage of Daylight Dims.