WEIRD STORIES OF STRANGE WOMEN
by Christine Hart
GENRE: mixed speculative short story collection (SFF/mild horror)
BLURB:
Twelve stories, separated into seasons of life, are told through the perspectives of maidens, mothers, and crones. Each one shows us how a fractured reality-or a fractured mind-can warp even the most mundane of events into a bizarre tale.
From a twenty-something office worker trapped by a mountaintop cult to an unstable mother trying to resist the urge to flee to another dimension, one by one, these women step to the edge of what they know and see the impossible looking back at them.
This speculative collection meanders through genres including urban fantasy, science fiction, magic realism, steampunk, folk horror, and cosmic horror. Perfect for readers who are, themselves, strange and unusual.
EXCERPT:
From Her Lunar Bloom (Crones)
The growing moon emerged from behind a cloud. It bathed the yard in soft white light, illuminating a figure standing where the purple fern should have been. A moment later, Marie saw that the figure wasn’t a person but a small tree. It was covered in white flower buds that opened to the moon and drank in its light.
Marie’s heart pounded as she rummaged in her living room cabinet for her binoculars. Whether it was coyotes or killer plants, she wasn’t going back to the edge of the property.
She focused the binoculars on the strange shrub. The flowers were the same as she’d seen on the purple shrub, and the limbs of the figure had vines spiralling around each one.
The shrub turned to face Marie. She dropped the binoculars and gasped.
“It’s me, Marie. You don’t have to be afraid.” Rachel’s voice seemed to be in Marie’s head, despite it seemingly coming from the plant.
Marie’s wound itched. She pushed up her sleeve to scratch it. Horrified, Marie stepped back as though trying to retreat from her wrist. The marks where the plant had bitten her looked aggressively infected, deeper, weeping plasma into the fabric of her shirt.
“I just need a bit more, Marie, and then I’ll heal you. We can be together again.”
Endorphins surged through Marie’s body, followed by a pang of desire. Marie closed her eyes and felt Rachel’s lips brush her own. She felt her wife’s hands on her body, warm and tender. Marie panicked and opened her eyes to find herself alone in her living room. She sat down on the couch and gave in to the urge to lie back. An overwhelming fatigue forced her eyes closed.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Christine Hart is a writer of speculative fiction for youth and adults. She also runs an online metalsmithing shop, Hart Fabrications.
She holds a BA in English and Professional Writing, as well as current membership with the Federation of BC Writers.
Christine’s backlist includes YA, NA, and MG titles. Her debut novel, Watching July, won a gold medal from the Moonbeam Children's awards in the mature issues category.
Her first collection of adult fiction, Weird Stories of Strange Women, is coming in the summer of 2026.
She lives in Langley, BC with her husband and two children. Learn more about Christine and her work at hart-fabrications.com and christine-hart.ca.
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/christine-hart.bsky.social
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hart_fabrications/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hartfabrications
Amazon: https://www.amazon.ca/stores/author/B01BSDU214
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GIVEAWAY
Christine Hart will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
https://kingsumo.com/g/3ee6el3/weird-stories-of-strange-women
My Review - 4 of 5 stars -
This was a collection of 12 short stories of weird events and such involving women. I enjoyed all of them, though I would have preferred a little more to some of them. Some were eerie, some more paranormal, but all were entertaining. I kept reading to see how they all went.
