I’ll start with a confession. Leigh Parrish isn’t my real name. However, it is the name I’d like to have associated with my fiction writing career. Or lack thereof. The beauty of a pseudonym is that it allows me to write what I love without having to worry about a real-world backlash if I offend someone. My goal isn’t to be offensive, to be clear, but honest writing can sometimes be taken that way. My goal is to create nuanced, thought-provoking stories that are both bittersweet and deeply unsettling. Basically, I write the kinds of stories I want to read.
So, what is Halcyon Horror?
This Substack combines two of my favorite genres: historical fiction and psychological horror. I aim to be a quality over quantity writer. While I may only put out a new short story every couple of months, I do my best to ensure that they’re well-researched and carefully edited. My style is somewhat sparse and minimalist, but I actually take a lot of inspiration from early 20th century horror writers such as Arthur Machen, M. R. James, and (of course) H.P. Lovecraft. If you prefer horror that’s implied more than described in gory detail, this is probably the Substack for you!
If you’d like to get a better sense of what my stories are like, here are a couple of short pieces I’ve written:
Please note that I don’t use content warnings. They often ruin the surprise, and that’s half the point of a horror story.