Show Navigation

[Updates from The Writer's Desk]

Free Reads for Halloween

Tuesday, October 26th, 2021 | by Michelle

To celebrate our most beloved time of year, When the Dead Books is offering four of our top-selling ebook titles as free reads for Halloween. No matter your spooky interest, you’re bound to find your dark tastes satiated within these pages. Mark your calendar and on October 31st, follow the links below the books or check our social media for these awesome freebies! Thank you for reading with us!

Old Farmhouses of the North

Old Farmhouses of the North ebook cover

Beyond the borders of a barely civilized and struggling population, the barren fields of the North stretch into oblivion. Old, abandoned farmhouses, crumbling in a million tiny ways, stand on silent watch over the emptiness.

Old Farmhouses of the North features ten tales of quiet, literary horror exploring the predators and plagues of the human condition. Called “darkly poetic”, “haunting”, “emotionally crushing”, “enthralling”, and “stellar” by readers.

Spend a dark night in a pumpkin patch in Noche Oscura, search for a different kind of buried treasure with Butcher and Shaw, expect the unexpected in What to Expect When You’re Expecting, enter if you dare The Bug House…all of this and more from the bleak, yet beautiful landscape of Michelle von Eschen’s mind.

This short story collection is full of originality, isolation, desperation, body horror and that creepiness that gets under your skin. I chose to read 1 story per day because I literally had a book hangover after each story – I wanted to sit with each story and think about it and let the creep just settle right in. The writing in this book is amazing, and every story was perfect in characters, pacing and plot. If you like quiet, original, thought provoking horror that crawls right under your skin, then go and grab this book today! I will be buying the rest of the author’s works on my next book buying spree.


This is hands down the best book I have read this year and it is now firmly wedged in all time favourite horror books, right beside House of Leaves.

– Sarah Dykes of sarahsspookyreads on Instagram

Get it for free on Halloween here


Mistakes I Made During the Zombie Apocalypse

Mistakes I Made During the Zombie Apocalypse ebook

In an undead world, death is only one mistake away.

How does one survive the zombie apocalypse? 17-year-old Ian Ward couldn’t tell you because he is dying in one. From a closet in a second floor bedroom of an abandoned house, he recounts his tale of “survival” in a backwards journey through the choices that put him there.

When the world ends, Mistakes I Made During the Zombie Apocalypse is the anti-survival guide that just might keep you alive.

“MIMDtZA is one of those Russian dolls, with a clever character piece inside a high school drama inside a zombie apocalypse.”

Peter Clines, Author of The Fold, the Ex-Heroes Series, and 14

Get it for free on Halloween here


When You Find Out What You’re Made Of

When You Find Out What You're Made Of ebook cover

What lurks beneath your skin…and your psyche? Thirteen individuals learn terrifying truths about themselves or others in this macabre offering from award-winning author Michelle von Eschen. From werewolves, sea zombies, and giant, sentient tapeworms, to a strange case of pyrophobia, and a mother’s front row seat to a child-stealing pandemic, this collection runs the gamut of odd to horrific. Take a look inside, but remember: It’s not always pretty when you find out what you’re made of.

“Wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the stories in, “When You Find Out What You’re Made Of” — Your prose is so damn good! Heartfelt, intelligent, darkly poetic, and beautifully figurative while also being economical. Not only was I entertained, I felt educated while absorbing your style and sense of craft. Great stuff! I look forward to reading more of your work in the near future.”

Tylor James, author of Matters Most Macabre

Get it for free on Halloween here


Last Night While You Were Sleeping

Displacement, replacement, injection, rejection, the best and the worst birthdays ever, vengeful spirits, disgruntled bridge trolls, a semi-sappy Satan, Bloody Mary as you’ve never seen her, Bigfoot, a suburban brush with the undead, rainbows you don’t want to find the end of, and more.

This collection includes mostly dark and sometimes humorous poetry, flash fiction, and short stories from the mind of Michelle Kilmer, including ‘Mirielle’, a finalist in the Crypticon 2014 Writing Contest.

“This book was one messed up, dark, awesome read. A great book for horror lovers looking for something different.”

– FangFreakinTastic Melanie reviewing on Amazon

Get it for free on Halloween here



Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,



Back to Updates Home

[All Persons Fictitious]

These stories, characters, and plot lines are the creation and property of Michelle Butcher. Any similarity to persons alive, dead, or undead is purely coincidental.

Back to top

© 2012-2024 When the Dead Books. All rights reserved.