Wishing you Happy Holidays and a peaceful Winter Solstice! I've been such a busy bee this season, and the latter half of this year has brought along some incredible personal and professional developments and opportunities that I'm so excited about and grateful for. As we wind down for another long winter here in Chicago, I'm looking forward to 2026 and all the future holds!
I'll be stepping back from this Newsletter format while continuing to share my writing, projects, and important announcements. As always, you can find my Contact and Subscribe form on my sidebar, so please subscribe by email and write to me any time! And if you love what you read here, you can support me and my free content and storytelling programs through my Virtual Tip Jar. Thank you and Happy Hauntings!
~AmeliaExplore More...
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| My Uncle Bernie has sent me more than 30 ghost stories in the form of hand-written letters. |
One wonders if I got my interest in the supernatural, well, naturally, and if I share a common thread with family members who possess a notable openness to the spirit world. Researching their experiences has helped me learn a lot about their non-paranormal past—details about childhoods, homes, relationships, upbringings, hardships, and life experiences that I wouldn't have uncovered otherwise. I encourage you this winter to ask for a good ghost story around the proverbial fire or offer up some of your own.
Amelia's Spooky Story Bootique Comes to PARAFlixx!
Featured Book: The House of Mr. Cackle: A Rough Cut Short Story
"The House of Mr. Cackle: A Rough Cut Short Story," 2025
$10.00 Paperback on Amazon
$5.00 Kindle
Kindle #1 Best Seller in: 45-Minute Teen & Young Adult Short Reads
Amazon and Kindle Best Seller in: Movie Adaptations; Science Fiction TV, Film & Video Game Adaptations; 45-Minute Literature & Fiction Short Reads; 45-Minute Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Short Reads; 45-Minute Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Reads
Rough Cut is a stylish, twisted, and deeply personal love letter to Halloween, horror fandom, and the slasher genre—told through a perspective horror fans haven't seen before. At its center are Tiffany, a one-of-a-kind final girl, and Mr. Cackle, a villain we believe is destined to become the next horror icon. This short story, "The House of Mr. Cackle," reveals how they first met on Halloween night many years ago, offering only a glimpse into their universe—a chilling taste of what's still to come in the feature film Rough Cut.
Based on the feature screenplay Rough Cut, written and directed by Mitchell V. Slan, this short story adaptation is written by Amelia Cotter, with illustrations by Nathan Morse.
"I am so happy to add this book to my collection! This original horror story introduces the shocking history between Tiff and Mr. Cackle. I can't wait to see the film Rough Cut."
–Trent Hyche, horror influencer and reviewer
Featured Item: Pathways Notecards (Set of Five)
Pathways Notecards (Set of Five) … $10.00
Each attractively packaged notecard set comes with five unique notecards, one of each design pictured. Notecards are blank inside.
About: Our beautiful Pathways Notecards feature the fine art photography of Jonathan Montgomery Pollock and highlight floral or plant portraits symbolic of life's journeys. Designs include: forgotten bouquet at Rosehill Cemetery Mausoleum in Chicago; autumn path at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, Illinois; white lily in Chinatown, Chicago; electric glow buds in Chicago; and prairie path near Horseshoe Mound Preserve in Galena, Illinois.
Upcoming Appearances
February 22, 2026 at 9 p.m. | 8 p.m. CST
Days of the Dead Chicago at Marriott Chicago O’Hare
March 6-8, 2026
Obscura Paracon 2026 at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois
March 21-22, 2026
June 13, 2026
MASS ParaCon at Taunton Conference Center in Taunton, Massachusetts
October 2-4, 2026
Days of the Dead Chicago at Marriott Chicago O’Hare
November 20-22, 2026
Coming to PARAFlixx in 2026!
Coming to PARAFlixx in 2026!
