It’s just the sound of The Midnight Vault II opening in front of you. At last! It’s time to get your physical copy to experience these stories like never before.

Shane Bzdok’s beautifully-designed cover encases the 22 chosen stories from last year’s storytelling event.

Purchase your copy here starting today and get lost in the fantasy, sci-fi, horror, thriller, and allegory storytelling that authors from Substack have unlocked in The Might Vault II.

Indulge in stories by Author Michele Bardsley, Shane Bzdok, Phillip Carter, J. Curtis, Erica Drayton, Andy Futuro, Larry Hogue, Kelsey Howard Writing, Tell Me a Mystery, Garen Glazier, Edward.Marlo.Ruiz, Sean Thomas McDonnell, Layne Mercer, Ian Patterson, Bryan Pirolli, S.E. Reid, Bridget Riley, DJ Stapleton, Sandolore Sykes, Jason Thompson, EJ Trask, and Ben Wakeman.

The anthology also features a dedicated appendix with every author who contributed to the Substack event. We truly wish we could have included them all.

As an added bonus, you can pair this brand new anthology with its predecessor, The Midnight Vault, also in hardback with a brilliant, reimagined cover.

We are so thankful for your patience while we selected, edited, designed, and produced this anthology. It all began in fall of 2025 with an open call on Substack for authors to share their work. Nearly 100 stories went live in November 2025, leading to an arduous selection process during the first two months of 2026. By March, we began editing and designing the physical book, with review copies arriving in hand by May.

We are equally grateful to Blackwing, Gotham Coffee Roasters, and Lulu for joining us as official event sponsors this year.

And now, June 1, 2026 is here and (as promised) it’s your turn to be a part of the journey. Get your copy, share a photo when it arrives, and most importantly enjoy this collaborative passion project by Substack’s fiction community.

Purchase Here

There’s nothing quite like working on something you love. Even better when you get the delight of sharing the final piece, butterflies included, with the world.

This year, The Midnight Vault was about reimagining how a collaborative effort could be, starting with our open invitation. We were overwhelmed when nearly one hundred writers joined in. Those stories, and the writers who crafted them, showed all of us that great fiction is alive and well.

What could we do but, again, try to up the ante with the final book?

Shane Bzdok strikes again. We are overflowing with gratitude to have his expertise design every feature of the hardcover that will house this year’s publication, The Midnight Vault II.

Step Inside the Vault II

Equally as important as what’s on the front of the book is what’s inside. It’s time to announce the lineup of authors and stories to be included! The hardcover book will feature 22 stories across fantasy, sci-fi, horror, thriller, and allegory.

Inside TMV II

We’re thrilled to announce the authors in The Midnight Vault II – in alphabetical order:

Michele Bardsley: Sympathy from a Devil

Shane Bzdok: Trompe L’oeil

Phillip Carter: Full Spectrum

J Curtis: The Gospel According to Us

Erica Drayton: M.I.R.A.

Andy Futuro: Achievement Unlocked

Garen Glazier: For a Muse of Fire

Larry Hogue: NPCs

Kelsey Howard: Biscuit

Anne Kimbrough: 3 Curses

Edward Marlo Ruiz: The Long Way to Hell

Sean Thomas McDonnell: Birds of a Feather

Layne Mercer: The Billiardist

Ian Patterson: Manufactured Absence

Bryan Pirolli: Opposite Attraction

S.E. Reid: A Perfect Guest

Bridget Riley: Ophidia

DJ Stapleton: The Whistleback

Sandolore Sykes: Shell

Jason Thompson: Evenwicht

EJ Trask: No Promise But Enlightenment

Ben Wakeman: Fall Back

The foreword has been written by Alex Poirier, VP of Blackwing.

While we’re at it…

From the outset, we knew that bringing a new volume to life would be special — what we dreamed of, though, was a matched set. So we did just that by revisiting the original Midnight Vault in a way that only Shane could.

These two volumes are so beautifully crafted they’ll take your breath away.

Dive into the original Midnight Vault stories enveloped by these brand new cover designs, acting as a unified tour de force on bookshelves.

With only a few final details left to do, we cannot wait to share both of these incredible books with the world.

Follow the authors:

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The inaugural Editors’ Choice award goes to the top story from a selection narrowed down by the organizers. Trust us… it wasn’t easy.

The stories were scrutinized by our incredible judges , , and . We asked them to rate each story on craft, emotional resonance, originality, and overall impact.

And, wow, the scores were tight. No, really.

But the winner is…

’s Manufactured Absence. Timely, well-crafted, and an overall favorite. Well done!

They don't all have to be good

Manufactured Absence

Manufactured Absence…

Read more

7 months ago · 66 likes · 60 comments · Ian Patterson

The editors raved about Ian’s story, which won them over with its style and substance. They had plenty of positive things to say:

Congrats to Ian on bringing a fantastic story to the collection!

Runners-Up

The four other finalist stories were equally worthy of the Editors’ Choice and deserve their moment in the sun:

• ’s For a Muse of Fire was another favorite for the editors. Kristen lauded it, saying, “Definitely a great build up to the end and I loved the imagery.” S.E. Reid said it was “very satisfying — love a chilling comeuppance!”

• ’s The Billiardist was what Emil called “a high concept literary crossover” while Kristen said she fell for Layne’s writing style. S.E. Reid called it, “a personal favorite; seriously creative and really chilling.”

• ’ Out of Your Shell was “just so creepy and beautiful. A really damning piece about technology,” according to Kristen. Emil said, “The command of voice, tone, and subtext is enough to let you know exactly where you are and what’s going on and why without holding the reader’s hand.” S.E. Reid added, “Beautiful prose — an idea I recognize, but compellingly rendered.“

• ’s Fall Back struck a cord with all the editors as well. S.E. Reid said the story was “so touching, and a beautiful reminder of how fleeting our lives really are.” Emil admitted, “This is the only story I’ve read from the Midnight Vault to make me cry.”

Big Thanks

We are ever grateful for our editors, Emil Ottoman, SE Reid, and Kristen Weber and to all the authors for creating such imaginative worlds with words.

Look, you’re all winners to us. And isn’t the real award the fact that we got to read so much boundary-breaking fiction?

But some of your stories left us thinking too long about the wrong things. Others kept our hearts pounding past the last line. Still others refused to leave.

You gotta celebrate that sort of stuff, right?

Here are the winners of the three TMV II Chamber Awards:

Crowd Pleaser

The Crowd Pleaser award goes to an author with some of the highest engagement and thoughtful comments. This year, the award goes to Andy Futuro’s Achievement Unlocked.

Most Diabolical Debut

The Most Diabolical Debut celebrates a first-time entrant who wowed us with an impactful story and beautiful prose. Congrats to Judith Ashcroft’s Unsavory Person.

Could Have Been An Episode

The Could Have Been an Episode award goes to a story that may very well have been a Twilight Zone episode. This year, it’s Kelsey Howard’s Biscuit.

We are forever grateful to our sponsors, especially Blackwing and Gotham Roasters, for providing the prizes we’ll be sending to these winners. Check out their stories and congratulate the authors on a story well told.

M.P. Fitzgerald made his Midnight Vault debut this year with his story “Speak No Evil.” Get to know the author behind the story.

TMV: Go on then. What inspired this story for The Midnight Vault II?

FITZGERALD: The Twilight Zone episodes “The Obsolete Man” and “Eye of the Beholder.” There is a line in the latter, “The State is not God,” that became my leading horse when drafting. The bit about fruity acetone breath when someone wastes away is true.

TMV: What struck you most about this event, or what’s a major takeaway you had?

FITZGERALD: I loved the sense of community and cooperation in The Midnight Vault. Outside of workshops, authors are usually solitary in their creation. Writers shared drafts, helped create graphics, and were generally just very positive with moral support. It made the launch really feel like a group effort.

TMV: Did the The Midnight Vault II change your writing style at all?

FITZGERALD: No, but it did allow me to mimic one of my favorite voices of all time: Rod Serling.

TMV: What was one of your favorite lines from another Midnight Vault story?

FITZGERALD: “Green memories swelled little circles on his shoulders, so he would scratch them. He would scratch the memories off like a dog with mange. And on that day every green memory bled red.” This was from Pablo Báez’s “The Windchime on the Lintel”. The prose is poetic but not obtuse, and the imagery stabbed my heart.

Follow M.P. Fitzgerald’s Substack and see what stories crop up next:

Graphomania with M.P. Fitzgerald

The circus is here, and you forgot to lock your door: M.P. Fitzgerald writes dark-humored sci-fi for dream criminals.

Haly, the Moonlight Bard brought “No Returns, No Refunds, No Regrets” to The Midnight Vault for its second edition. Get to know this first-time contributor and what drove her to participate.

TMV: Let’s spill the tea first. What inspired this story for The Midnight Vault II?

HALY: It’s a piece of background, a flashback really. The twins are the main character in another, longer project that I’m working on with a few other writers from the community, including Pablo Baez! I’ve got another piece of their past in mind, but Emil said it was too bloody for this collection so we’ll see it somewhere else in the future.

TMV: Did the The Midnight Vault II change your writing style at all?

HALY: I took the opportunity as a chance to really test myself, to step outside of my normal comfort zone as a writer, to push into a voice that’s not usually my own, in a style that’s much more controlled my usual transgressive degeneracy and horrornoir. (NO SWEARS?! How did *I* write a story with no swears?! Oh. Wait. It’s for Emma!).

TMV: What did you love most about contributing to The Midnight Vault?

HALY: Participating in this year’s event is a dream come true for me. I’ve loved Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone for as long as I can remember. Looking back at last year’s run-up, I was both excited for the prospect of such a massive indie project being successful, and wildly disappointed that I hadn’t been a more active part of the community sooner (in time to be invited to participate). This year’s open call for submissions was irresistible. Absolute catnip to me.

TMV: What was one of your favorite lines from another Midnight Vault story?

HALY: It’s from Anne K’s “Three Curses”: "A glint I’d never seen reflected in Avery’s eyes. He picked up the wicked pen. The one with a razor edge. Channary nodded, as if they’d formed a silent pact.”

That’s as close as I can get to the end without spoiling it. I read this one live with @VinnyReads, and the ending was a great twist and so much fun!!!

Follow Haly, the Moonlight Bard’s Substack for more fiction and short stories:

Fictations by Moonlight

Dangerous art. Fiction. Non-fiction. Auto-fiction.

By Haly, the Moonlight Bard ✒️

Alex S. Garcia made his Midnight Vault debut this year with his story “The Sudden Sound of Silence.” Take a peek behind the scenes to learn a little bit more about this seasoned writer and first-time contributor to the collection.

TMV: What inspired his story? Was any of it true?

GARCIA: I wanted to do something with clocks. That was the initial spark. I’m not sure why, but as soon as I thought about the Twilight Zone I thought about a clock, everything else followed from that. As for what detail is true, sadly, there ARE people like Marsha in the world, though I didn’t model her after any specific individual.

TMV: What is your biggest takeaway from contributing to this story event this year?

GARCIA: There is strength in numbers. Not that that's anything new, but it's interesting to see it in action.

TMV: What story stood out to you this year so far? Any favorite quotes?

GARCIA: The one that impressed me most so far was Sean Thomas McDonnel’s “Birds of a Feather”:

We sang songs and told stories; their stories were bland, unlived-in musings recanted in stone—stilted reporting of things they’d seen or heard—and mine, a vibrant garden—wild and thorny and mud-splattered and blooming and heady—as animated and living as a cloud or an oak; the contrast dampened my spirits; my hopes of returning to innocence began to wilt.

TMV: What did you love most about contributing to The Midnight Vault?

GARCIA: It gave me the opportunity to write a story I might not have written otherwise. I’ve always loved the Twilight Zone, and it already influenced *some* of my stories, but this took me a step deeper within.

Follow Alex to stay on top of his upcoming stories:

The Xen'in Universe

Free monthly Science-Fiction and Fantasy stories, and a bit about my writing process. Come and see!

By Alex S. Garcia

Welcome, newcomers and veterans alike!

If you’re not familiar with The Midnight Vault event or the previous book, go take a look. We’ll wait, it’s worth it.

The Midnight Vault II

What you saw over the last week–how could you miss all those restacks?–was a literary megaton blast of incredible stories by writers young and old from all over the world.1 Then, immediately, an outpouring of love for independent fiction authors—which is ultimately the point.

But every explosion has its unseen mechanics…

Running an event like this might seem like herding housecats2. Fortunately, we came armed with a spreadsheet, a deadline, and some lessons from last year’s mayhem, which kept things at least mildly under control.

And once the dust started to settle, something fun happened: the data started talking back. The writers of The Midnight Vault II—without meaning to—handed us some delightful morsels to chew on.

A Thundering Crash

Let’s start with some basics. Last year we invited 34 creators, and 31 said yes—a wild 91% conversion rate. We were stunned. Who gets numbers like that? (hint: we do?)

So when we opened the doors to everyone this year, we braced for maybe 30 or 40 brave souls. Instead, 98 writers came barreling in, blowing past expectations with a 216% jump. Happily wrong doesn’t even begin to cover it.

As would say: Oof.

Genres

Or as we like to call this chart, “What stories keep writers awake at night.”

Horror came out swinging at 30.61%, which honestly tracks—nothing motivates a writer quite like letting something unspeakable skitter around in the dark. Sci-Fi held a strong second at 19.39%, followed closely by Satire & allegory and Suspense & Thriller duking it out in the mid-teens.

Then there’s the grab-bag at the bottom: Sci-Fi Horror, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, and a tiny sliver of Fantasy Horror—each one a little gremlin refusing to be left out.

If you ever wondered what a genre pie looks like when nearly a hundred creatives all shout, “I’ve got something weird,” this is it…

D-D-Deadlines

Look, I get it—we’re all stretched thin, juggling life, work, and whatever strange, sputtering engine powers our creativity. Sometimes the muse shows up instantly. Sometimes she leaves you standing at a bus stop after midnight, wondering if she’s ever coming back.

So yes, we expected a slow burn of submissions.

What we didn’t expect was the tidal wave at the end. The last five days look less like a gentle uptick and more like someone hit the “oh no, that’s due?” button.

Side note: I think our editors, , and might be finally caught up on sleep.

Maybe it took a while for word to get around. Maybe everyone collectively remembered the deadline at the same time. Or maybe writers really do work best with a little fire licking at their heels.

Whatever the reason, the chart doesn’t lie: procrastination is our shared love language.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting—in the tick-tock of submissions.

Sci-Fi showed up like the dependable friend who texts you back right away. Satire & Allegory kept pace too, dropping stories at a calm, almost civilized rhythm.

Horror, though? Very different energy. That heatmap looks like every Horror writer bolted upright at 3 a.m., convinced something was chasing them through the woods, and realized the only way out was to finally finish their draft. Maybe a collective flop sweat of productivity?3

Whatever nightmare fuel powered them, it clearly worked.

Under the Stats

Events like this—perhaps book sales too—spread because the numbers give them wings. Here are a few details that might surprise you:

• Restacks ARE the engine. Stories with around 10 restacks consistently jumped into the 300–700 view range.

• Engagement was unusually high. Many posts pulled 8–14% like rates, well above what fiction usually sees.

• Comments spread because the community showed up. Writers read each other, responded, and kept the momentum going.

• And the middle held strong. Most stories landed between 200 and 700 views, creating an event that felt active across the board, not just at the top.

Maybe the most telling stat about the mythology of Substack and story length is this: in our dataset there’s zero correlation between word count and views. Long pieces didn’t sink, short pieces didn’t magically rise—visibility came from restacks and community, not length.

Naming Conventions

Okay, that’s all the big data stuff. The rest here is about the strange, little patterns we found by standing back, squinting and twisting our heads just so.

Hyper-specificity

Titles that feel like using a magnifying glass with Google Maps.

• The Lobby

• NE Failing St & 42nd Ave

• Le Sauna 3

• The Dead Malls of America

• The Gap
  

Prepositional Dread

“Noun + Preposition + Noun.” A trusty construction that implies something is a bit off somewhere.

• Sympathy from a Devil

• The Windchime on the Lintel

• Monsters of Antiquity

• Birds of a Feather

• Edge of Nowhere
  

Minimalism-in-action

Titles that slap you across the face, give zero context, and dare you to open the story anyway.

• Fit — also qualifies as shortest title.

• Ruins

• Biscuit

• Ghosted

• Ethical

• Insatiable

• Ophidia

• Cassandra

• Blackbird
  

When What?

Titles that hinge on a specific moment in time. Apparently the universe loves a countdown as much as writers do.

• When the Levee Breaks

• When the Bus Broke Down

• When the Rooster Crows

• When The Demons Stole My Baby

Finally — The award for longest title goes to: The Agony & the Ecstasy of Still Life

The End

So, what did all this number-crunching, heatmap-staring, and title-taxonomy reveal?

That nearly a hundred writers can unintentionally create a perfect portrait of creative chaos. It’s messy, charming, and somehow still incredibly organized—like a symphony composed by housecats who eventually remember the deadline.

And honestly? We wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Midnight Vault has always been a community experiment: what happens when writers choose to lift each other instead of compete? This gift guide is one way we try to give back.

Every purchase goes directly to an author who’s building their work from scratch —often alone, often late at night, always with heart.

Synthetic Magic

Synthetic Magic is the first volume of The Bloodless Affairs series, featuring a diverse ensemble of characters in a world that blends old magic and new technology seamlessly.
Get the book

Hallway

WARNING: When you enter the Hallway, you will not leave unchanged.
Get the book

Shattered

When fourteen-year-old Tessa Wright’s idyllic life is shattered by a tragic accident that kills her family and forces her to leave the Wilds, she struggles with grief, mysterious memories, and navigating her new life.
Get the book

Elements of Mind: The Complete Quartet

A metaphysical fantasy romp through the stacks of the library… and beyond.
Get the book

To the Moon, Darkly

Casey says: An enigmatic sea you’ll drown in and soon realize you don’t really need to swim.
Get the book

The Spider

Meet Daniel Muldoon as he undertakes his first occult detective case for the Liverpool City Police.
says: Atmospheric, Victorian horror with memorable characters and fantastic scares.
Get the book

Everlife

A magician, an alien mask, thousands of gods… what could possibly go wrong?
Get the book

Bell Hammers

After a faulty oil derrick ruins his town’s aquifer, a carpenter takes on an oil company using more and more elaborate practical jokes.
Get the book

Bella and the Coyhooties: Half Hoot, Half Howl, All Heart

Under a desert moon, Bella meets the magical Coyhooties—creatures who teach her to listen to the world in a whole new way.
Get the book

The Harvey Girl: Fool’s Treasure

A missing father, a hidden treasure and one fearless New York debutant turned Harvey Girl in 1891.
Get the book

Dreadful Penny

Penny Lee, professional honeytrap, finds herself the target–of the Russian mob.
Get the book

Hurricane After Dark Vol. 1

The entire Hurricane After Dark backlist in one lovingly-designed hardcover.
Get the book

Defiance Til Death

For history/politics junkies.
Get the book

The People In The Box

Turns out, a third of the people in this world aren’t conscious - imagine what that knowledge would do to America in 2025. Expertly written literary speculative fiction.
Get the book

The Memory Of My Shadow

says: I can’t stop thinking about this book… it feels too close.
Get the book

An Orb Over the Strawberry Moon and Other Sci-Fi Tales

A killer asteroid hurtling towards earth. A telekinetic prodigy facing down the KGB. A swarm of robotic dogs threatening a family farm. Welcome to An Orb Over The Strawberry Moon, a collection of eleven science fiction short stories launching you on a journey beyond the stars.
Get the book

Magnitude

A First Contact technothriller where the bad guys will stop at nothing to prevent the recording from getting out.
Get the book

TWELVE RESIDENTS DREAMING

12 of the best short stories I’ve ever written.
Get the book

Tiny Worlds | Volume 2

says: A mind-expanding, perception-shifting collection written by a master storyteller.
Get the book

The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows

The history of animation on television, from A to Z.
Get the book

Give Us This Day

, et. al.
17 Substack authors answer the question: What if Thanksgiving but mostly horror and very little turkey?
Get the book

Everyone Vanishes Eventually

says: Everyone Vanishes Eventually is a collection of six unsettling short stories where the familiar slips into something darker
Get the book

Welcome to the Godmachine

A Sucker Punch of Gore and Neomythology.
Get the book

Swells Over Still Waters

Heartwarming fantasy without magic or romance.
Get the book

Sci-Fi

Beyond the ordinary-looking horizon lies a landscape stitched together by logic, wonder and the occasional glitch in the fabric.

Here, tomorrow arrives early, and it brought questions no one remembers asking.

Mind the edges — they tend to flicker.

• All That We See or Seem by

• The Eternal Base by

• Out of Balance by

• In the Quiet Night by (sci-fi horror)

• Sad Clown by

• The Spinner Rack by

• Troubleshooter by &

• Leadership Development Program by (sci-fi horror)

• Last Call by

• Out of Your Shell by

• SoulSync, Inc. by

• Edge of Nowhere by

• Power Cut by (sci-fi horror)

• Seeing the Invisible Woman by (sci-fi horror)

• NPCs by

• Achievement Unlocked by

• File an Extension by

• The First Ghosts on the Moon by (sci-fi horror)

• A Matter of Hygiene by

• When the Rooster Crows by

• M.I.R.A. by (sci-fi horror)

• The Last Day by

• Well-Loved by

• Fall Back by

• Full Spectrum by

  

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Suspense & Thriller

There’s a tension in the air tonight; the kind that hums just under the floorboards. In this neighborhood, answers hide, motives twist, and every open door feels a little too open.

Keep your wits. You’ll need them.

• Population: Stable by

• Trompe L’oeil by

• The Dead Malls of America by

• No Returns. No Refunds. No Regrets. by

• A Loss of Summers by

• The Domineer by

• A Perfect Guest by

• Ophidia by

• Clean Whistles by

• Blackbird by

• 3 Curses by

• A Pulled Thread by

• The Traveler by

• The Unlikely Wing by

• Cassandra by

• Biscuit by

• The Lobby by

• The Wager by

Subscribe now

Satire & Allegory

Not every mirror shows your face. Some reflect the world as it is, others the world as we deserve it —sharpened, slanted and wearing a crooked grin.

Prepare for a tour through a land where absurdity veils the real truth.

• Vergel Carlton, Alchemist by

• The Gospel According To Us by

• The Gap by

• Speak No Evil by

• Original Thoughts by

• Alone Together by

• The Billiardist by

• Manufactured Absence by

• Opposite Attraction by

• Try, Try Again by

• Lonesome End by

• The Shiver Dispatch by

• Night Shift by

• Everything Is Wrong by

• Counting Coup by

• Amusing Elwood by

• Fit by (magical realism)

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The Midnight Vault is a place that refuses to live in a single shape. If you’re new here, take a look at the history of the event and the stories that preceded it.

In The Midnight Vault the strange, the sharp, the wondrous and the terrifying share the same liminal space.

Enter carefully. You’ll leave changed.

Fantasy

• Waiting for the End by (fantasy horror)

• The Final Cairn by

• Birds of a feather by

• Kitsune Udon by (dark fantasy)

• W29 by

• The Sudden Sound of Silence by

• The Ferryman by

• House & Home by

Horror

• The Girl and the Origami Cat by

• Being Nice to Jesse by

• Sunday Supervisor by

• Hell’s Mirror by

• Insatiable by

• “No Son Of Mine” by

• The Last Word by

• When the Levee Breaks by

• When the Bus Broke Down by

• The Whistleback by

• For a Muse of Fire by

• Ethical by

• The Agony & the Ecstasy of Still Life by

• NE Failing St & 42nd Ave by

• Divided Minds by

• No Promise But Enlightenment by

• It’s Never Aliens by

• Red Shoes by

• Sol Invictus by

• Sympathy from a Devil by

• The Windchime on the Lintel by (literary horror)

• Ruins by

• Monsters of Antiquity by

• The Long Way to Hell: Round-Trip by

• The Digital Reflection by

• Le Sauna 3 by

• Ghosted by

• Which one of you Was It? by

• When The Demons Stole My Baby by (Horror Poetry)

• Unsavory Person by (speculative)

• Sad Clown by

Satire / Allegory

• Vergel Carlton, Alchemist by

• The Gospel According To Us by

• The Gap by

• Speak No Evil by

• Original Thoughts by

• Alone Together by

• The Billiardist by

• Manufactured Absence by

• Opposite Attraction by

• Try, Try Again by

• Lonesome End by

• The Shiver Dispatch by

• Night Shift by

• Everything Is Wrong by

• Counting Coup by

• Amusing Elwood by

• Fit by (magical realism)

Sci-Fi

• All That We See or Seem by

• The Eternal Base by

• Out of Balance by

• In the Quiet Night by (sci-fi horror)

• The Spinner Rack by

• Troubleshooter by &

• Leadership Development Program by (sci-fi horror)

• Last Call by

• Out of Your Shell by

• SoulSync, Inc. by

• Edge of Nowhere by

• Power Cut by (sci-fi horror)

• Seeing the Invisible Woman by (sci-fi horror)

• NPCs by

• Achievement Unlocked by

• File an Extension by

• The First Ghosts on the Moon by (sci-fi horror)

• A Matter of Hygiene by

• When the Rooster Crows by

• M.I.R.A. by (sci-fi horror)

• The Last Day by

• Well-Loved by

• Fall Back by

• Full Spectrum by

Suspense / Thriller

• Population: Stable by

• Trompe L’oeil by

• The Dead Malls of America by

• No Returns. No Refunds. No Regrets. by

• A Loss of Summers by

• The Domineer by

• A Perfect Guest by

• Ophidia by

• Clean Whistles by

• Blackbird by

• 3 Curses by

• A Pulled Thread by

• The Traveler by

• The Unlikely Wing by

• Cassandra by

• Biscuit by

• The Lobby by

• The Wager by

Download the reading checklist to keep track of every story you’ve enjoyed.

Tmvii Reading Checklist

212KB ∙ PDF file

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Horror

Tonight we visit the rooms we avoid in daylight —the ones where the familiar turns traitor. Every shadow around here has a pulse, and every quiet moment is only waiting for its cue.

Enter if you must. Exit if you can.

• The Girl and the Origami Cat by

• Being Nice to Jesse by

• Sunday Supervisor by

• Hell’s Mirror by

• Insatiable by

• “No Son Of Mine” by

• The Last Word by

• When the Levee Breaks by

• When the Bus Broke Down by

• The Whistleback by

• For a Muse of Fire by

• Ethical by

• The Agony & the Ecstasy of Still Life by

• NE Failing St & 42nd Ave by

• Divided Minds by

• No Promise But Enlightenment by

• It’s Never Aliens by

• Red Shoes by

• Sol Invictus by

• Sympathy from a Devil by

• The Windchime on the Lintel by (literary horror)

• Ruins by

• Monsters of Antiquity by

• The Long Way to Hell: Round-Trip by

• The Digital Reflection by

• Le Sauna 3 by

• Ghosted by

• Which one of you Was It? by

• When The Demons Stole My Baby by (Horror Poetry)

• Unsavory Person by (speculative)

• Sad Clown by

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Fantasy

Step across a line you didn’t know was there, into places that were never on any map. Here, reality is only a suggestion, and the oldest truths are written by things with no need for ink.

Walk lightly, wonder may have teeth.

• Waiting for the End by (fantasy horror)

• The Final Cairn by

• Birds of a feather by

• Kitsune Udon by (dark fantasy)

• W29 by

• The Sudden Sound of Silence by

• The Ferryman by

• House & Home by

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As much as the three of us hustle behind the curtain, none of this happens without you—the readers and writers who show up with wild ideas and the grit to shape them into stories. You’re the engine here.

And right alongside you are our sponsors, who believe in what this community is building. They’re about to see just how inventive you all are (no pressure… but the clock is ticking). In their own way, they’re helping carry this shared story forward—one more reminder that this whole thing works because we’re doing it together.

So here’s your next move—pick your own adventure and check out our sponsors. Show them some love, explore what they’re building, and snag the discounts they’ve lined up for you.

Lulu — creators of a path for independent authors and self-publishing

Use MIDNIGHTVAULT10 at checkout for 10% off anything in the Lulu Bookstore.

And writers, if you’re prepping a new book, we’d love for you to use our referral link when you set up an account. That’ll let Lulu know we’re bringing great people to the platform.

Blackwing — reminding us to “touch paper” (because grass is overrated) with one of their gorgeous sets of pencils and notebooks.

Get a 10% discount on Blackwing products by using our special code at checkout: MIDNIGHTVAULT10. Excludes Audition Pack and Subscriptions. One use per customer.

Gotham Coffee Roasters – because that cup next to your keyboard isn’t going to fill itself with the midnight fuel you’ll need to get your story edited on time.

Support a local coffee shop and try something new, the Gotham team is offering a 12% discount any order within the U.S. Use the code MIDNIGHTGOTHAM12. The code expires Dec 5 at 11:59PM, before midnight…

These brands partnered with us for a reason—they get what we’re doing here and want to be part of it all. Now tap into their offers, show them some love, and help us charge into the final week before our stories rise out of The Midnight Vault II…

We can’t keep it under wraps any longer…

We are incredibly excited to be partnering with Lulu as the exclusive print partner for this year’s Midnight Vault II anthology.

Founded in 2002, Lulu empowers over 2.6 million authors and creators globally by offering accessible self-publishing tools and innovative print-on-demand solutions. Specializing in high-quality book production and direct sales technology, Lulu helps creators grow their brand and audience.

As a certified B Corp, Lulu is committed to sustainability and social impact, providing print-on-demand for authors, publishers, and content creators to share their stories and monetize their passions worldwide.

If you’re new to self-publishing or want to take a deeper dive into some best practices, check out all the resources Lulu has to offer like, Lulu University and the Publish & Prosper Podcast.

Over the next few months we’ll be working with the Lulu team on something special for The Midnight Vault II anthology — but that’s a detail for a later date.

The important thing to know is this: Lulu has been deeply supportive of this effort—they recognize how self-published authors are charting their own path beyond traditional publishing, and they’re committed to helping that momentum grow.

And, because we all think supporting independent authors is the right thing to do, use MIDNIGHTVAULT10 at checkout for 10% off anything in the Lulu Bookstore. Fill up your TBR list today.

Authors: If you’re prepping a new book, we’d love for you to use our referral link when you set up an account. That’ll let Lulu know we’re bringing great people to the platform.

Be sure to follow Lulu on Instagram to see what the brand’s all about.

We asked authors from The Midnight Vault to share a bit about their journey toward midnight. Jason Thompson shares some inspiration in today’s Author Q&A.

TMV: Summarize your Substack (for those who don’t know):

THOMPSON: Writing about music as a form of therapy.

TMV. What sparked your Midnight Vault story idea last year?

THOMPSON: A lifelong fascination with radio transmissions, and my daughter, who’s on the autism spectrum.

TMV: Why are you participating in The Midnight Vault II?

THOMPSON: This concept is outside my wheelhouse, so to speak, so I want to stretch and grow as a writer, and maybe scare the hell out of some people while I do it. I grew up Hitchcock, The Outer Limits, and The Twilight Zone, so this on-going project feels ideal for expressing my gratitude.

TMV: What fuels your artistic process?

THOMPSON: A ceaseless hunt to find the right combination of words that approximate how I feel about the music I write about. And bourbon.

TMV: What movie would you love to remake with a Twilight Zone-esque twist?

THOMPSON: We start with the end of David Fincher’s Se7en. Close up to what’s in the box, and of course, we see Det. Mills’ wife’s head. The eyes open, and blink at Morgan Freeman’s character. And we’re off.

TMV: Can you finish this sentence for our readers? “If you’re hesitating to submit a story to the Midnight Vault II...”

THOMPSON: …reach deep down and write bravely about what shocks your system and terrifies you when you’re alone. Then those anxieties lose their teeth and can’t hurt you. Let those demons run and tire themselves out, then you can choke them to death.

Go on and subscribe Jason Thompson, but be sure not to get too distracted jus yet. You all still need to submit your stories to The Midnight Vault II, right?

Ear Candy Update

Connecting emotion and memory with every song that’s left a mark on me.

By Jason Thompson

We asked authors from The Midnight Vault to share a bit about their journey toward midnight. A.P. Murphy shares some inspiration in today’s Author Q&A.

TMV: Summarize your Substack in two sentences (for those who don’t know):

MURPHY: “There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportion.” Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam. The weird is the twisty path to the straight line of understanding.

TMV: What sparked your Midnight Vault story idea last year?

MURPHY: I was inspired by the thought that so many mystery stories relate to the “mystery box” while the real intrigue is actually what happens around it. The story revolves around this notion: there’s a deep dark secret in our shared history which isn’t even a secret, just something already known that we simply prefer not to consider. Meanwhile we prefer to focus on mysterious and alluring hidden things which aren’t even there.

TMV: Why are you participating in The Midnight Vault II?

MURPHY: I love the challenge of crafting a story to a predetermined structure which is all about finding the freedom to work within certain narrative and genre constraints. Since most of what I do is completely unconstrained, it’s a welcome change.

TMV: What fuels your artistic process?

MURPHY: I challenge myself to surprise, delight and/or disturb myself. I hope my readers come to feel the same way, but that’s a secondary effect to that primary effect of self-revelation.

TMV: What movie would you love to remake with a Twilight Zone-esque twist?

MURPHY: I would like a mashup of a heist movie like The Italian Job or Ocean’s Eleven with a wild sci-fi concept like that in Kiss Me Deadly (there’s that mystery box again). The gang of thieves make an elaborate plot to steal a valuable item in a sealed case, and at least half of the movie is light-hearted action-comedy as they penetrate the vault etc.

TMV: Can you finish this sentence for our readers? “If you’re hesitating to submit a story to the Midnight Vault II...”

MURPHY: ...don’t let anything discourage you from cracking away it it. Remember that there are dozens of friendly fellow authors to give you advice, encouragement and feedback. Watch a few episodes of Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, X-Files, Christopher Lee’s Theatre Macabre or Roald Dahl’s Tales of the Unexpected and let your imagination take it from there.

Check more from A.P. Murphy as you prepare your short story for The Midnight Vault II.

The Strangeness Kit

‘There is no exquisite beauty without some strangeness in the proportion.’ -------- Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam

By A.P. Murphy