From Villa Appalaccia to 2 Witches

Last week, our good friends Bob & Yvonne invited Brugger and me to accompany them to Villa Appalaccia Winery on Saturday for a day of wining and dining; it goes without saying we were not wont to refuse. Villa Appalaccia, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Floyd County, has long been one of our favorite destinations for spirits and good times. Brugger and I typically visit in the fall, just before Halloween, but we've been known to head that way whenever the mood takes us. It sure took us this weekend.

 

We rode up with Bob & Yvonne early afternoon on Saturday and, once at the winery, met their friends, David & Mary, who are originally from Venezuela. Kimberly and I had made their acquaintance at a couple of other gatherings at Bob & Yvonne's, and we were pleased to see them again. Nice folks, and during one of the hired musician's breaks, Mary stole the stage, grabbed a guitar, and went to town. Fun. We ordered a few of Villa Appalaccia's excellent paninis for lunch and accompanied them with a variety of wines. Good, good stuff all around.

 

We headed back toward Martinsville late in the afternoon and stopped at Lovers' Leap, probably the most famous and scenic overlook in the state. Over the years, I have visited there countless times (one year, in fact, Brugger stumbled into some bear shit there), and the view is still incredible; however, recently, construction to widen US Highway 58 in that area has utterly destroyed the surrounding scenery. Distressingly, much of the devastation has nothing to do with the road itself but the horrific greed of the logging companies, who have deforested countless acres along the highway. It's an infuriating disgrace, and as far as I'm concerned, the motherfuckers responsible ought to be flayed alive.

Good times at Villa Appalaccia. Old Dude, Ms. B., Bob, Yvonne, David, Mary

L: Stella Trudel, the contracted performer; R: Mary, rocking out during Stella's break

A view from Lovers' Leap

On cheerier subjects, on Sunday, Kimberly held one of her regular arts & crafts group gatherings at our place, and friend Terry came along with his wife, Beth, so that he could accompany me (just for the hell off it) to a geocaching event at 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Company in Danville. Some years ago, Brugger and I frequented 2 Witches, but now, it's been quite a few years since we haunted their halls. Both  Terry and I, like most of our geocaching friends, opted for the beer. It turned out to be a large and enjoyable event. Several cachers of my acquaintance whom I've not seen for many years showed up, so in some ways, it felt like a most welcome reunion.

 

In the coming week, both Brugger and I have a lot of work to keep us busy, though not necessarily out of trouble. Whether in or out of it, I'll probably write about it. So, until then, peace out.

Tom (Skyhawk63); Audra (Homestyle, our hostess); Ken & Jennifer (the Alethiometrists)

Tom (Skyhawk63), Audra (Homestyle), Lynn (Spring1), Tom (Night-Hawk), young feller (Hoagland Hunter)

Grounded

When Ms. Brugger was in Michigan on her most recent parent-maintenance visit, they lost internet at their house for several days, so she began going to Live Oak Coffeehouse (which we both frequent when we're there) to do her work. Then, kind of on a lark, she decided it might be "fun" to take her work with her to The Ground Floor, here in Uptown Martinsville. Well, we both love the coffee and vittles at The Ground Floor, so we figured why not both of us? And sure enough. It's a great atmosphere, and sometimes a change of scenery enhances the creativity. Quite by accident, as I was archiving some of my short fiction, I discovered that the MS Word file of one of my old stories — "The Herald at Midnight" from 1991 — was mysteriously truncated. The last 500 words or so were just plain gone, from both the original file and its backup. So, I decided to take the opportunity to clean up the manuscript, and when we got home, I manually transcribed the missing portion from my physical copy of The Last Trumpet. It wasn't really what I had anticipated having to do, but I'm glad I made the discovery and was able to make the necessary repairs.

 

Anyhoo, our little outing proved so positive that I think we'll be doing it again on a more regular basis. You just never know what sort of things might happen.

 

As you can see in the photo above, Ms. B. is starting to feel over-caffeinated, while the old dude is so far from even reaching caffeinated that it's kind of painful.

 

Till again. 

New Freebie: "Epiphany: A Flying Tiger's Story"

I've put up a new freebie on my website — "Epiphany: A Flying Tiger's Story," a tale of cosmic horror set in the Pacific during WWII. This one originally appeared in the Dark Tales anthology Dead But Dreaming in 2001. (There are also several other stories on the site you may check out if you wish.) Available as a PDF or ePub file.

 

This story is a companion piece to another WII story, titled "The Children of Burma," which originally appeared in The Spook magazine, also in 2001. I have made it available as a freebie in the past, and I'll no doubt do so again in the upcoming days.

If you enjoy these tales, please let me know. Use the "Contact Me" link at my website — The Realm of Stephen Mark Rainey (www.stephenmarkrainey.com).

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Grab "Epiphany: A Flying Tiger's Story" here

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Mark's Mythosphere

During the forty-some years I've been writing and publishing fiction, I have developed what amounts to a unique mythos, largely consistent with (if not necessarily part of) H.P. Lovecraft's so-called "Cthulhu Mythos." Like many writers from my generation—not to mention generations before and after—I came up as a fan of Lovecraft's works and many of my earliest stories qualified as little more than pastiches. None of them were publishable, but I consider them valuable practice runs for the works that would come after.

I've been asked on more than one occasion if I've made a definitive list of my stories and novels that fit into what I call the "Mythosphere," and the answer is no—until now! While some of my works definitely meet its (rather loose) criteria, others are harder to categorize; many might be called outliers, in that they share some common elements with my more overt Lovecraftian tales but don't fit neatly into any particular niche.

 

So, what is this Mythosphere? One of my earliest stories, titled "Threnody," latched onto the concept of sound—specifically music—as a means of bridging dimensions, inspired largely by HPL's "The Music of Erich Zann." In this story, I introduced a "music grimoire" titled The Spheres Beyond Sound, authored by one Maurice Zann. This volume served as a backdrop for a number of my early tales, and even some of my later ones. I never explored the character of Maurice Zann beyond describing him as an unspecified relative of HPL's character and stating that he vanished while experimenting with the musical formulae he devised.

 

The name Maurice Zann had what I'd call rather odd roots. When I was a youngster, I had a record album called A Child's Introduction to Music, and it was produced/narrated by one Maurice Zam. However, because this name was printed in a flowing script on the album cover, for many years, I read his name as "Zann." Thus was born Erich Zann's lesser-known relative.

 

I've written many stories over the years specifically for Lovecraftian/Cthulhu Mythos publications, though my preference has always been to shy away from specific Lovecraftian entities/settings/characters whenever possible. In any event, these overt Cthulhu Mythos stories comprise the earliest building blocks of my personal Mythosphere. As I continued to create fiction, I developed a few settings and characters that have appeared in numerous works. With my long history in the Piedmont and Appalachian regions of Virginia, I naturally gravitated toward them as atmospheric settings. The fictional Sylvan County and town of Aiken Mill are loosely based on the Martinsville/Henry County area where I grew up (and to which I've retired). Beckham College is based on Ferrum College in nearby Franklin County (Benjamin Beckham was Ferrum's first president). Barren Creek is based on Henry, Virginia, located between here and Ferrum. Also, since I lived in Chicago for several years, it has served as the setting of numerous stories and books.

 

In short, those works that I include in the Mythosphere are always rooted in cosmic horror to some degree or another, and most of them fit neatly into a fictional history of the regions in which they're set, occasionally with shared characters. One example of an outlier might be my second novel, The Lebo Coven (1994), which is set in Aiken Mill, though I consider it more an occult-based mystery than a true example of cosmic horror. The town sheriff in this novel is named George Parrott; in my recent novel, The House at Black Tooth Pond (2025), which is a distinct blend of folk and cosmic horror, the sheriff is Bryce Parrott, George's son (and he also appears in my new sequel to The House at Black Tooth Pond, titled Broken Barriers, to be released later this year by Crossroad Press/Macabre Ink).

 

And so, with no further ado, I will present here my list of stories and novels that I consider bona fide entries in Mark's Mythosphere. The year shown is when the works were written, and the bulleted entries denote the places/years of publication. Make of this what you will.

Mark's Mythosphere:
1985

“Smiert Galgalith”
   • The Haunted Journal (magazine, 1987)

“The Grey House” (short story)

   • Crypt of Cthulhu (magazine, 1992)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000)

1986
“The Arms of Doom” (short story)
   • Deathrealm (magazine, 1987)

1987
“Threnody” (short story)
   • Deathrealm (magazine, 1987)
   • The New Lovecraft Circle (anthology; published under the title "The Spheres Beyond
         Sound"; Fedogan & Bremer, 1996)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000)
   • Fugue Devil Resurgence (collection; Black Raven Books, 2022; reissued by Damned
         Rodan Publishing, 2026)

“The Red Depths” (short story)
   • Revelations From Yuggoth (magazine, 1987)

“The Spheres Beyond Sound” (short story)
   • Tales of Lovecraftian Horror (magazine, 1987)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000)

“Rapture in Black” (short story)
   • Crypt of Cthulhu (magazine,1987)
   • The Innsmouth Cycle (anthology; Chaosium, 1998)
   • Other Gods (collection; Dark Regions Press, 2008)

1988
“God of Byzantium” (short story)
   • Aberations (magazine, 1991)

“Symphonia Maledictus” (short story)
   • Dagger of the Mind (magazine, 1990)

“Chameleon” (short story)
   • Eldritch Tales (magazine, 1990)

1989
“Spiritual Radio” (short story)
   • Chills (magazine, 1992)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000)

“Misfits” (short story)
   • Midnight Zoo (magazine, 1991)
   • Quick Chills (anthology; Scream Factory Books, 1992)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000)

“The Last Trumpet” (short story)
   • Limited Infinity (magazine, 1991)

“Return of the Navigator” (short story)
   • Fugue Devil & Other Weird Horrors (collection; Macabre Ink, 1992)

1990
“Fugue Devil” (novelette)
   • Fugue Devil & Other Weird Horrors (collection; Macabre Ink, 1992)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000)
   • Other Gods (collection; Dark Regions Press, 2008)
   • Fugue Devil Resurgence (collection; Black Raven Books, 2022; reissued by Damned
         Rodan Publishing, 2026)

1991
“The Last Show at Verdi’s Supper Club” (short story)
   • After Hours (magazine, 1992)
   • Song of Cthulhu (anthology; Chaosium, 2001)

“The Herald at Midnight” (short story)
   • Not One of Us (magazine, 1992)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000)

1992
Balak (novel)
   • Wildside Press (paperback/ebook, 2000)
   • Crossroad Press/Macabre Ink (audiobook, 2010)
   • Crossroad Press/Macabre Ink (revised edition; paperback/ebook, 2026)

1993
“Stalker of the Wild Wind” (short story)
   • Terminal Fright (magazine, 1993)
   • The Ithaqua Cycle (anthology; Chaosium, 1999)
   • Legends of the Night (collection; Wildside Press, 2001)

“Sabbath of the Black Goat” (short story)
   • The Shub-Niggurath Cycle (anthology; Chaosium, 1994)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000)

1994
The Lebo Coven (novel)
   • Thomson Gale/Five Star Books (hardback, 2004)
   • Crossroad Press/Macabre Ink (paperback/ebook/audiobook, 2010)

“S” (short story)
   • The Azathoth Cycle (anthology; published under the title “The Pit of Shoggoths,”
         Chaosium, 1996)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000)

1995
“To Be as They” (short story)
   • Miskatonic University (anthology; DAW, 1996)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000

“The Devil’s Eye” (short story)
   • Midnight Shambler (magazine, 1997)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000)
   • Other Gods (collection; Dark Regions Press, 2008)
   • Fugue Devil Resurgence (collection; Black Raven Books, 2022; reissued by Damned
         Rodan Publishing, 2026)

1996
“Shudder Wyrm” (short story)
   • Singers of Strange Songs (anthology; Chaosium,1997)

“The Fire Dogs of Balustrade” (short story)
   • New Mythos Legends (anthology; Marietta Publishing, 1999)
   • The Last Trumpet (collection; Wildside Press, 2000)
   • Other Gods (collection; Dark Regions Press, 2008)

1997
“Orchestra” (short story)
   • October Dreams (anthology; CD Books, 2000)
   • Legends of the Night (collection; Wildside Press, 2001)

“Pachacutec” (short story)
   • Deathrealm (magazine 1997)

1999
“The Children of Burma” (short story)
   • The Spook (magazine, 2001)
   • Legends of the Night (collection; Wildside Press, 2001)

2001
“Epiphany: A Flying Tiger’s Story” (short story)
   • Dead But Dreaming (anthology; DarkTales Books, 2001)
   • Dark Homage (series; Delirium Books, 2004)
   • Other Gods (collection; Dark Regions Press, 2008)

2002
Blue Devil Island (novel)
   • Thomson Gale/Five Star Books (hardback, 2007)
   • Marietta Press (paperback, 2012)
   • Crossroad Press/Macabre Ink (paperback/ebook/audiobook, 2015)

2003
“The Violet Princess” (short story)
   • Eldritch Blue (anthology; Lindisfarne Press, 2004)
   • Other Gods (collection; Dark Regions Press, 2008)

2004
“The Transformer of Worlds” (short story)
   • Daikaiju (anthology; Agog Press, 2005)
   • Other Gods (collection; Dark Regions Press, 2008)

2005
“Other Gods” (short story)
   • Cemetery Dance (magazine, 2006)
   • Other Gods (collection; Dark Regions, 2008)

2006
“Contact” (short story, with John Pelan)
   • Black Wings of Cthulhu IV (anthology; PS Publishing, 2016)

“The Ghost Lens” (short story)
   • Horrors Beyond II (anthology; Elder Signs Press, 2007)
   • The Gaki & Other Hungry Spirits (collection; Dark Regions Press, 2011)

“Messages From a Dark Deity” (short story)
   • Return of the Old Ones (anthology; Dark Regions Press, 2016)
   • Fugue Devil Resurgence (collection; Black Raven Books, 2022; reissued by Damned
         Rodan Publishing, 2026)

2007
“Signals” (short story)
   • High Seas Cthulhu (anthology; Elder Signs Press, 2007)
   • Other Gods (collection; Dark Regions Press, 2008)

“Abroyel” (short story)
   • The Gaki & Other Hungry Spirits (collection; Dark Regions Press, 2011)

2010
“Beneath the Pier” (short story)
   • Lovecraft eZine (webzine, 2013)

“The Warlords of Leng” (short story)
   • Secret Asia’s Blackest Heart (anthology; Timaios Press, 2021)

“The End of Henry Switch Road” (short story)
   • Dark Discoveries (magazine, 2012)

2011
“The Danforth Project” (short story)
   • The Mountains of Madness (anthology; Celaeno Press, 2015)

“The Gods of Moab” (novelette)
   • Damned Rodan Publishing (ebook, 2012; paperback, 2024)

“Ecstasy of the Gold” (short story)
   • Lovecraft eZine (webzine, 2012)

2013
“The Game Changers” (short story)
   • World War Cthulhu (anthology; Dark Regions Press, 2014)

“When Jarly Calls” (short story)
   • Fugue Devil Resurgence (collection; Black Raven Books, 2022; reissued by Damned
         Rodan Publishing, 2026)

2014
“Masque of the Queen” (short story)
   • In the Court of the Yellow King (anthology, Celaeno Press, 2014)
   • Fugue Devil Resurgence (collection; Black Raven Books, 2022; reissued by Damned
         Rodan Publishing, 2026)

“Short Wave” (short story)
   • The Summer of Lovecraft (anthology; Chaosium, 2019)
   • Fugue Devil Resurgence (collection; Black Raven Books, 2022; reissued by Damned
         Rodan Publishing, 2026)

2016
“The Diaries of Henry P. Linklatter” (short story)
   • Through a Mythos Darkly (anthology; PS Publishing, 2017)

2017
“The Veil of Dreams” (short story)
   • Tails of Terror (anthology; Golden Goblin Press, 2018)

“Clicks” (short story)
   • Tales From Arkham Sanitarium (anthology; Dark Regions Press, 2022)

2018
“Pons Devana” (short story)
   • Fugue Devil Resurgence (collection; Black Raven Books, 2022; reissued by Damned
         Rodan Publishing, 2026)

2022
“Nimbus” (short story)
   • The Weird Cat (anthology; WordCrafts Press, 2023)

2023
“The House at Black Tooth Pond” (short story)
   • Shunned Houses (anthology; WordCrafts Press, 2024)

2024
The House at Black Tooth Pond (novel)
  • Crossroad Press/Macabre Ink (paperback/ebook/audiobook, 2025)

“Throatwarbler Meets the Vampire” (short story)
   • Eldritch Force (anthology; Weird House Publishing, publication TBA)

“Foragers” (short story)
   • Witches and Witchcraft (anthology; Hippocampus Press, 2025)

2025
“Trial Phase” (short story)
  • Shoggoths (anthology; Crossroad Press, publication TBA)

2026
Broken Barriers (novel)
   • Crossroad Press/Macabre Ink (publication TBA)

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An Appalachian Sojourn

A short while back, I did a little scheming with our frequent travel partners, Terry & Beth, because Ms. B. has been going through a lot of stress, mainly from dealing with her parents' declining health, and we felt it was high time we helped her unwind with a wining, dining, and sightseeing trip together. We wanted something short of exotic (read not overly expensive) but a bit out of the ordinary. So, we opted for a three-day trip to the mountains of North Carolina — an apt destination because, in August, at Necronomicon Providence, I'm going to be on the Appalachian Horror panel. What better than spending a few days in the heart of legend-haunted Appalachia?

Thursday, June 4, 2026
Brugger and I hit the road about 9:30 a.m. Three hours and a couple of pee and geocache stops later, we met Terry and Beth in Blowing Rock, NC, at a cool little bistro called Storie Street Grille & Sidecar Bar, which was the first place that struck our fancy. Excellent food and drink, and it was great to gather with our good friends again. I decided to go marginally healthy and get a spicy lentil burger. I did have fries. These were fantastic.

 

Afterward, we checked into our lodgings, about ten miles out of Blowing Rock — the cabin you see in the photo above. A fine place indeed, with all the amenities and some lovely views. 

 

Beth's number one priority was to visit the Beacon Heights Trail, close to the town of Linville, about twenty miles west of Blowing Rock. She and Terry had visited it a few years ago and loved the incredible mountain scenery. So, off we went. Once there, it was a short hike to the top of the ridge, which is a huge, open quartzite surface that offers an unbroken view of the world, primarily eastward. As is our custom, once settled at the top of of the world, we broke out the spirits and toasted our friendship. We spent the better part of the afternoon taking it all in, and, eventually, made our way back to Blowing Rock, with most of daylight now behind us. Here, we found a decent dinner at Town Tavern, which we'd noticed earlier in the day. They had live music—agreeable, classic Americana—and some of the best damned chicken tenders I've ever tasted. And the Aperol Spritz took me straight back to Italy. All in all, a lovely day.

For the evening, we hung out at our place, enjoyed a little wine, and had some great conversation. This is what I call the best kind of therapy.

Old Dude and Ms B geocaching in Blowing Rock

Wine on the rocks

This Earth is NOT flat

Friday, June 5, 2026
There was a geocache about a mile from our lodgings, so first thing this morning, I set out after it on foot, and I've gotta tell you, the road from our place up to the main road is steeper than steep. This made for one hell of a strenuous trek. Once at ground zero, I had to scramble up, over, and around some boulders and otherwise rugged terrain, but in the end, I found the cache. Victory!

Today's group destination was Linville Gorge, which I'd visited many years ago with an old friend. There are several overlooks around the gorge, and we hoofed it to all of them. The farther up we went, the more spectacular the views. At the highest of the overlooks, we tore into our little cache of snackies, including our wine for toasting. From here, we saw a little bear cub hanging out in a tree a short distance down the mountainside, which was pretty neat, although we really hoped Mama Bear wouldn't come wandering our way because, at the overlook, escape routes were... shall we say... limited. (When I say limited, I mean going over the edge of the cliff....)

As it turned out, we had no bear worries and eventually made our way back down to the parking area. By now, it was mid-afternoon, and since the trail snackies were not exactly filling, we were all famished. Not far away, we found a little place called The Famous Rockhouse, a quaint, southern-style diner, where the prices are right and they make a very fine cheeseburger.

Not far away lay Linville Falls Winery, so we decided to haul ourselves over to it and sample their wares. It's a lovely location, and there was a good crowd on hand, with a band performing music. Now, I really hate to up and say it when a lovely place has terrible wine, so today, the less said about the wine, the better.

Our home-away-from-home featured a game room in the basement, with an arcade-style video game console featuring Pac-Man and Galaga, which were kinda fun to revisit. And there was a foosball table, which provided much entertainment. Back in college, I played a lot of foosball, especially with one of my roommates, and back then, I was pretty damn good at it.

 

That was a very long time ago. This time around, I scored more points for my opponents than for myself.

 

And then that was all she wrote. Nighty-night.

Miscreants on the rocks...again

L: Brugger on a precarious perch. R: She put some pointers on her photo to make sure you see where the bear is.

"What the hell is that? What the HELL is that? Hey, kid, don't put your lips on that thing! What the HELL is that?"

A view of the Linville River down in the gorge

Winery antics. No, I did not clock Ms. B. a good one in the jaw. She had a problematic filling at the dentist the other day, which left her beauty...marred. You should have seen the dentist afterward!

Winding down in the aftermath

Saturday, June 6, 2026
After loading up this morning, we checked out of our place and headed into Blowing Rock, where we planned to meet Terry & Beth's son Bryon and his wife, Mary at 1:00 p.m. for lunch. Since we had a couple of hours, I went geocaching, Terry went in search of coffee, and Brugger and Beth went shopping. Once I completed the caching activities, I rendezvoused with Terry for more coffee. Eventually, our group reunited, and we met Bryon and Mary at The Speckled Trout Restaurant. Now, this was a lunch. Excellent drinks (Bloody Marys for some of us), and delicious vittles (I had smoked trout with hoppin' john).

Mayview Lake, taken while out geocaching

At last, it was time for goodbyes, and Brugger and I hit the road for Martinsville. We arrived back right at 6:00 p.m. All in all, I'd say this proved to be a superlative weekend with good friends, with beaucoup laughs, chats, refreshments, and more. I'm quite sure we'll be doing this kind of thing again, and hopefully sooner than later.

So, bye-bye for now.

BALAK (Revised Edition) Ebook Now Available

The ebook of the new, revised edition of Balak is now available from Crossroad Press/Macabre Ink; the paperback will be released very shortly.

"This revised edition of Stephen Mark Rainey’s first novel, Balak (originally written in 1992), offers a cleaner version of the text and includes some alterations to unify it with numerous other works that define the author’s unique, four-decade-old mythos."

About Balak...

Two years ago, Claire Challis’s four-year-old son disappeared without a trace. Now, on a cold winter morning, a neighbor’s child vanishes outside her apartment. The subsequent police investigation turns up no clues.

Claire encounters a strange priest. An ancient church that seems to be the site of unspeakable rituals. A shadowy figure that seems to appear and disappear at will. And now, Claire finds herself at the center of a web of intrigue—and in fear for her life. Still, she is determined to learn the truth behind the abductions and learn once and for all the fate of her missing son.

As she delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, Claire realizes that her quest may lead her not to the truth she seeks, but to a place of madness, horror, and agony beyond her wildest imaginings.

Cover art by M. Wayne Miller.

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Order Balak from Amazon.com

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