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New Story Day: “Bad Doors” at Uncanny Magazine

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New Story Day: “Bad Doors” at Uncanny Magazine

John Wiswell
Feb 7, 2023
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New Story Day: “Bad Doors” at Uncanny Magazine

johnwiswell.substack.com

This newsletter got a little quiet for a month, but my keyboard stayed loud. I’ve been pounding the keys on revisions for three big projects, none of which have been announced yet. However I’m hoping at least two of them will greet your eyeballs later this very year.

But today I have something fresh to share with you: a shiny new short story!

“Bad Doors” is live now at Uncanny Magazine.

Kosmo is a simple English teacher with no interest in evil magic doors. However one day they take an interest in him. A burgundy door with a shiny black knob appears in his hallway, where no door has ever been.

Kosmo does what he thinks anybody would do: he grabs his dog, runs out of his house, and never goes back in. He thinks it’s over, but the door isn’t finished with him, as they pursue him everywhere he goes. They beckon old Kosmo.

He struggles with why they’re appearing, but refuses to ever look inside one. Everyone in his life chides him to be adventurous and not be so afraid.

However, this is 2020 and it’s the same time when everyone around him isn’t taking this “COVID thing” seriously.

How does a man dodge a supernatural evil and a pandemic at the same time?

“Bad Doors” is the story of a man who refuses to be in a Horror story. What happens to you when you refuse to answer the call of a nightmare?

“Bad Doors” is free to read right here on Uncanny Magazine’s website.

This is my fourth story publication at Uncanny, following “The Bottomless Martyr,” “That Story Isn’t The Story,” and “The Coward Who Stole God’s Name.” This one fits oddly well in that pantheon!

This story is dedicated to some beloved friends who I’ll never see again. I lost a lot in the last three years, but I miss nothing as much as them. Some of them were so excited to read this story, and it chafes terribly that they never will. May they rest in peace.

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New Story Day: “Bad Doors” at Uncanny Magazine

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4 Comments
MerW
Feb 15Liked by John Wiswell

I'm so sorry for your losses.

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Terri Jones
Feb 7Liked by John Wiswell

I identify with Kosmo SO HARD, man. SO hard. What a fantastic story.

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