• North of Fear: An Anthology of Cold-Blooded Canadian Horror edited by Steve Vernon (Limited Edition)

    North of Fear Covers

    Please to announce NORTH OF FEAR: AN ANTHOLOGY OF COLD-BLOODED CANADIAN HORROR edited by Steve Vernon with my story, “Them Skeleton Trees,” is now available for pre-order! (Please see the listing here.)

    This is my first anthology where a special slipcase edition was produced. Limited quantities. Only 600 being made. Target date for release is April 2027.

    I will say it is an honor to be published by the same publisher who handles special editions for the writers I look up to like Stephen King, Joe Hill, Dean Koontz, Richard Chizmar, Bentley Little, and more!

    From Lividian Publications’s website:

    Lividian Publications is proud to announce North of Fear: An Anthology of Cold-Blooded Canadian Horror, edited by Steve Vernon, our first project produced entirely in Canada and featuring an all-star Canadian table of contents.

    Contributors include Colleen Anderson, Kelley Armstrong, Sean Costello, Charles de Lint, Terri Favro, A.P. Fuchs, Sèphera Girón, Mark Leslie, Helen Marshall, William Meikle, David Nickle, Rhonda Parrish, Douglas Smith, Steve Stred, Edo Van Belkom, and Bev Vincent.

    This special edition features exclusive wrap-around dust jacket artwork and sixteen interior illustrations by François Vaillancourt, along with our distinctive slipcase design with the custom die-cut window, making this production a true work of art.

    Retail Price: $125
    Publication Date: Spring 2027
    Page Count: 354 pages
    Status: Forthcoming: at the printer now!

    Deluxe Production Features:
    • Full-color wrap-around artwork by François Vaillancourt
    • Sixteen black and white interior illustrations by François Vaillancourt
    • Offset printed on an acid-free archival quality paper stock
    • A fine cloth binding
    • Hot foil stamping on the front cover and spine
    • Smyth-sewn to create a more durable binding
    • Twine head and tail bands
    • High-quality endpapers
    • Sewn-in satin ribbon page marker
    • Custom-made slipcase stamped with hot foil and featuring a unique die-cut window
    • Limited to 600 copies signed by Steve Vernon, François Vaillancourt, Bev Vincent, Colleen Anderson, Steve Stred, Rhonda Parrish, A.P. Fuchs, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, Edo van Belkom, David Nickle, Sèphera Girón, and Charles de Lint.

    About the Book:
    Canada is a land of deep forests, frozen lakes, lonely roads, and long winter nights. A place where the dark arrives early, the cold bites hard, and every shadow seems to have teeth.

    Edited by Steve Vernon, North of Fear features an all-Canadian lineup of authors gathered together to explore the terrors waiting beyond the porch light. These are stories of haunted places, strange encounters, buried secrets, winter dread, folklore, monsters, ghosts, and the old fears that come creeping back when the wind rises and the temperature drops.

    Bundle up and listen carefully to whatever is moving outside. There is something out there in the dark and cold. And when you travel north, fear leaves tracks in the snow…

    Table of Contents:
    “Many Worlds Are Born Tonight” by Charles de Lint
    “Absinthe & Angels” by Kelley Armstrong
    “The Songs of My People” by William Meikle
    “Nobody Here But Us Chickens” by Mark Leslie
    “It Came From The Mountains” by Rhonda Parrish
    “Dread of Winter” by Terri Favro
    “By Her Hand, She Draws You Down” by Douglas Smith
    “Writer’s Block” by Sean Costello
    “Wrath of God” by Edo Van Belkom
    “Them Skeleton Trees” by A.P. Fuchs
    “Urban Legends” by Sèphera Girón
    “Hanged If You Do” by Colleen Anderson
    “Penny Farthing Dreadful” by Steve Vernon
    “The Comic” by Steve Stred
    “The Ghostly Illumination” by David Nickle
    “The Mansion In The Woods” by Bev Vincent
    “Survival Strategies” by Helen Marshall

    For my other books and comics, please see the Book and Comic Shop on this site.

    Thanks.


  • Fredrikus No. 2 (Comic Book): Tales of an Anthropomorphic Dog in a Dystopian Sci-fi World

    Fredrikus No. 2 (Comic Book): Tales of an Anthropomorphic Dog is a Dystopian Sci-fi World

    Return to the world of Fredrikus where this anthropomorphic dog deals with loneliness, a missing button, a trip to the rabbit dentist, and other silliness that rings true to life.

    And don’t forget his kids, who are way smarter than he is!

    Collecting 28 more episodes of goofy-yet-true-to-life webcomic, Fredrikus No. 2 is a laugh and a half as it adheres to the freedom of independent art and story where he’s in charge!

    Print Comic Book Available at:

    Amazon (US)
    Amazon (CAD)
    Amazon (UK)
    Barnes and Noble

    Please go here for FREDRIKUS NO. 1


  • Fredrikus No. 1 (Comic Book): Tales of an Anthropomorphic Dog in a Dystopian Sci-fi World

    Fredrikus No. 1 (Comic Book): Tales of an Anthropomorphic Dog is a Dystopian Sci-fi World

    Fredrikus is an anthropomorphic dog living in sci-fi, rag-tag world after humans. Follow him on episodic adventures through the mundane to the silly as he tries to figure out his place in the world while maintaing work at a quarry where no one shows up yet he somehow gets paid.

    Oh, and his special lady friend lives in a bubble. An actual bubble!

    Collecting the first 30 episodes of goofy-yet-true-to-life webcomic, Fredrikus No. 1 is a gas and true testament to the freedom of independent comics where anything goes!

    Print Comic Book Available at:

    Amazon (US)
    Amazon (CAD)
    Amazon (UK)
    Barnes and Noble

    See FREDRIKUS NO. 2 here.


  • Slightly Out of Frame Podcast Interview with A.P. Fuchs

    Recently I had the honor of being a guest on the podcast SLIGHTLY OUT OF FRAME hosted by Sylvana. The episode is called “Ink, Monsters, and the Void: World Building.”

    It’s a really cool podcast with a ton of ambiance. During the show, we talked about the concept of tapping into something more intangible than the physical act of creation, including merely the standard process of conscious creation.

    I was also able to share a paranormal experience and looking evil straight in the eye.

    Click the graphic below to listen. Thanks.

    slightly out of frame podcast

    For more interviews, please go here.


  • The Miller’s Daughter: A New Adult Dark Thriller by Melinda Marshall

    The Miller's Daughter: A New Adult Dark Thriller by Melinda Marshall

    First come the tumours and then the unrelenting hunger.

    Every spring, Rachel Dunn must choose a new victim to consume so she can shed her decaying body and transform into her prey.

    For the past 130 years, she’s carefully chosen her victims—those young and unattached so she can easily slip into their lives. She’s studied Maggie for weeks, her routines and her habits. Maggie’s life will end and Rachel’s will begin.

    Again.

    But Maggie isn’t as unattached as she thought. An unexpected visit from Maggie’s ex-boyfriend thrusts Rachel into a family she didn’t know existed. She craves the belonging the family provides but her presence entangles them in her dangerous world.

    With a creature from Rachel’s past stalking her, intent on vengeance for a century-old murder, Rachel’s new family becomes the perfect weapon for the ultimate revenge.

    Available as a paperback at:

    Amazon.com
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.co.uk
    Barnes and Noble

    Available as an eBook at:

    Kindle US
    Kindle CAN
    Kindle UK
    Nook
    Drivethru Fiction

    Enjoy this New Adult Dark Thriller!

    Be sure to check out Melinda Marshall’s YA Dystopian Trilogy, ONE BRIGHT FUTURE, by going here.


  • Canister X Mailbag – Action Comics No. 1 Superman and Retro He-Man Unboxing – Jul042026

    Canister X Mailbag – Action Comics No. 1 Superman and Retro He-Man Unboxing – Jul042026

    Action Comics No 1 Superman and Retro He-Man Unboxing

    Been waiting a long while for these two for different reasons, but both came up on sale in the Infinite Shopping Cart so took advantage while the sales window was open.

    Here we have Action Comics No. 1 Superman and Retro He-Man! Too originals, so to speak, in terms of what they represent.

    Both are very cool and very fun.

    Please support both Superman and He-Man at the movies. These guys need their time to shine!

    Please subscribe to stay on top of all the latest action figure videos and shorts!

    Thank you for watching Axiom-man TV and this Superman and Retro He-Man unboxing video!

    LinkTree

    Patreon


  • Items in Progress

    Items in Progress

    writing progress

    Just a note to say things will be kicking into high gear soon, including Season Four of THE REALM OF HEROES AND MONSTERS: STORY TIME Podcast!

    We’ve got books and comics in progress so keep an eye on this blog and general social buzz for what’s coming up.

    The best way to be totally current is to subscribe for free to my newsletter, THE CANISTER X TRANSMISSION. (Plus, newsletter members always get news early before announcement anywhere else!)

    Cheers.

    • APF

  • Stratagem (One Bright Future Book Three) by Melinda Marshall: YA Dystopian

    Stratagem (One Bright Future Book Three) by Melinda Marshall: YA Dystopian

    stratagem YA dystopian book by Melinda Marshall

    Rielle is devastated to be a slave again and owned by Justin, who she thought was her friend. Under Bank Security’s constant surveillance, Rielle plots her escape. She secretly holds the key to toppling the OneEarth Bank and freeing the people they’ve enslaved, but she needs help and the only people she trusts with her secret are imprisoned over 1,000 miles away.

    Justin betrayed her and the people she cares about but trusting him may be the only way to escape Bank Security’s clutches, rescue her friends, and crush the OneEarth Bank’s nefarious plans.

    Pursued by Bank Security and with nothing left to lose, Rielle devises a desperate and risky stratagem.

    Will she succeed in destroying the OneEarth Bank or will they destroy her first?

    Available as a paperback at:

    Amazon.com
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.co.uk
    Barnes and Noble

    Available as an eBook at:

    Kindle US
    Kindle CAN
    Kindle UK
    Nook
    Drivethru Fiction

    For the first book in this YA dystopian trilogy, please see Enslavement on this site, but if you’ve already read it and its sequel, Subversion, enjoy Stratagem!


  • Subversion (One Bright Future Book Two) by Melinda Marshall: YA Dystopian

    Subversion (One Bright Future Book Two) by Melinda Marshall: YA Dystopian

    subversion YA dystopian book by Melinda Marshall

    After fleeing slavery, Rielle James burns with the desire to topple OneEarth Bank and end its enslavement of young people as Contracts. When she learns that her friend Nathan has been sold to a logging company where Contracts die or vanish without a trace, she assumes a false identity and becomes a slave again to help him escape.

    Her act of subversion uncovers the horrific truth behind the OneEarth Bank’s role in Contract disappearances and its link to a global pandemic.

    Can Rielle and Nathan escape and expose the truth before it’s too late?

    Available as a paperback at:

    Amazon.com
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.co.uk
    Barnes and Noble

    Available as an eBook at:

    Kindle US
    Kindle CAN
    Kindle UK
    Nook
    Drivethru Fiction

    For the first book in this YA dystopian trilogy, please see the Enslavement on this site, but if you’ve already read it, enjoy Subversion!


  • Enslavement (One Bright Future Book One) by Melinda Marshall: YA Dystopian

    Enslavement (One Bright Future Book One) by Melinda Marshall: YA Dystopian

    eslavement YA dystopian book by Melinda Marshall

    In the wake of global economic collapse, the OneEarth Bank promises prosperity in exchange for compliance with the commerce chip insertions. Those who refuse the chip are vilified and called Resistors.

    When Rielle James’s parents refuse to comply, government officials tear her family apart and Rielle is forced into a Community Service Contract. Officially, these contracts are portrayed as a way to rehabilitate kids from Resistor families, but in reality, it’s legalized slavery. Rielle’s contract is sold to the highest bidder-a wealthy and abusive banker.

    She quickly discovers nothing in her owner’s home is as it appears. His seemingly perfect life is a facade that hides dangerous secrets. Escape means freedom and the possibility of finding her family-if she can pull it off.

    Prison or even death await if she fails.

    Available as a paperback at:

    Amazon.com
    Amazon.ca
    Amazon.co.uk
    Barnes and Noble

    Available as an eBook at:

    Kindle US
    Kindle CAN
    Kindle UK
    Nook
    Drivethru Fiction

    For more exciting titles that draw you into reading enslavement and YA dystopian, please see the Book and Comic Shop on this site!