My name is Madison McSweeney and I’m a horror, bizarro and Weird fiction writer from Ottawa, Ontario.
My books include The Doom That Came to Mellonville (Filthy Loot), Beach Vibes (Anuci Press), The Forest Dreams with Teeth (Demain Publishing) and the poetry chapbook Fringewood (Alien Buddha Press).
My short stories have appeared in American Gothic Short Stories (Flame Tree), Zombie Punks, Fuck Off (Weirdpunk Books), Excuse Me Mag, and others. My poetry has appeared in Bywords, These Poems Are Not What They Seem (Apep Publications), and HWA Poetry Showcase Volume IX.
I primarily write occult horror with elements of folk, cosmic, and gothic horror. Cult movies and bizarro fiction were formative influences and my stories frequently incorporate surrealism, humour, and dream logic. I have a penchant for oddball characters and otherworldly entities with inscrutable motives.
Publication History:
Fiction:
Daydream Noir
- The Fulcrum (Fiction Issue; April 9/2015 – 1st place short story)
We Have Rules Here
- Dark Horizons: An Anthology of Dark Science Fiction (Elder Signs Press; Nov. 16/2016)
Oddworth’s Silent Partner
- Trembling With Fear (Horror Tree; April 23/2017)
- Trembling With Fear: Year One (Horror Tree; Oct. 11/2018)
Leader
- 365 Tomorrows (Mar. 10/2017)
The Luddid House
- Unnerving Magazine (Issue 4 – Extended Halloween Edition; Oct. 6/2017)
Behind the Music
- Women in Horror Annual, Vol. 2 (Oct. 29/2017)
The Evolution of a Conspiracy Theorist
- Deadman’s Tome: The Conspiracy Issue (Deadman’s Tome; June 1/2018)
Crop Circles
- 365 Tomorrows (July 10/2018)
The Beast and the Hummingbirds
- Rhythm & Bones Lit (Issue 1; July 15/2018)
End Times at Rock ‘n’ Roll Joey’s
- The Rock N’ Roll Horror Zine (Issue 2; Aug. 21/2018)
Beyond the Known
- Chronos: An Anthology of Time Drabbles (Shacklebound Books; Sept. 1/2018)
The Sycamore Street Clearing
- Trickster’s Treats #2: More Tales from the Pumpkin Patch (Things in the Well; Sept. 23/2018)
Ghost Towns
- Lonesome October Lit (Sept. 25/2018)
Remade
- Zombie Punks F*ck Off (Weirdpunk Books/Clash Books; Oct. 9/2018)
Tell Me Again How You Killed the Wolf
- Under the Full Moon’s Light (Owl Hollow Press; Oct. 16/2018)
The Reaper’s Escorts
- Bikers VS The Undead (Deadman’s Tome; Oct. 20/2018)
Don’t Scare Her
- Lonesome October Lit (Halloween 2018; Oct. 31/2018)
How To Carve a Jack-O-Lantern
- Trembling With Fear (Horror Tree – Halloween; Oct. 31/2018)
Dinosaur Bones
- Polar Borealis (Issue 7; Oct.-Nov./2018)
He Could Be A Psycho Killer
- Trembling With Fear (Horror Tree; Dec. 2/2018)
Dreams of Gold
- Neon Druid: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy (Mt. Misery Press; Dec. 16/2018)
The Offer
- The Wild Hunt (Theme Issue 1 – What Is On The Very Edge of the Wood?; Dec. 17/2018)
- Gardens of Enchantment: An Enchanted Gardens Anthology (Fantasia Divinity; 2019)
The Vanishing Lady
- Trembling With Fear (Horror Tree; Feb. 17/2019)
The Outsiders in the Hawthorne Tomb
- American Gothic (Flame Tree Press; May 15/2019)
Old Wives’ Tales
- Trembling With Fear (Horror Tree; May 19/2019)
The Song Inside the Star
- Weird Mask (Issue 18; May/2019)
The Lighthouse Keeper and the Hag
- Enchanted Conversation (June/2019)
The Turnip and the Trick
- Enchanted Conversation (Sept/2019)
Teen Tragedy Song
- Cabinet of Curiosities (Owl Hollow Press; Fall 2019)
‘Til Death
- Trembling With Fear (Horror Tree; Nov. 10/2019)
A Very Spaced-Out Christmas
- Mysterion (Enigmatic Mirror Press; Dec. 2019)
Home Inspection
- Trembling With Fear (Horror Tree, March 29/2020)
I Am No Threat To You
- Sci-Fi & Scary (May 10/2020)
I Just Don’t Get the Hype Over the New Star Wars Movie
- Back Patio Press; March 29/2020)
In the Death House
- Weird Mask (Issue 24; May 2020)
Folk Horror
- #FrightGirlSummer (July 2020)
For Wherever He Goes, The Crow Brings Death
- Winds of Despair: Elemental Drabbles Volume 1 (Fantasia Divinity; TBD)
Craft
- Winds of Despair: Elemental Drabbles Volume 1 (Fantasia Divinity; TBD)
Dust and Sand
- Winds of Despair: Elemental Drabbles Volume 1 (Fantasia Divinity; TBD)
Violetta
- Winds of Despair: Elemental Drabbles Volume 1 (Fantasia Divinity; TBD)
No Wind on the Moon
- Winds of Despair: Elemental Drabbles Volume 1 (Fantasia Divinity; TBD)
Dust in the Jail Cell
- On Time (Transmundane Press, 2020)
Arts and Crafts
Poetry:
Punk Poem
- The Fulcrum (Campus Creations; April 2017)
On Birds
- Bywords.ca (July 2018)
Sinkhole City
- Cockroach Conservatory (Vol. 1; July 2018)
In Defense of Horror
- Lonesome October Lit (Aug. 17/2018)
The Last Outpost
- Rhythm & Bones: Dark Marrow (Issue 1; Dec./2018)
Frankenstein’s Bride Woulda Come Crawling Back
- Pussy Magic (Hallow’s Eve 2019)
Mayfair Witch
- Pussy Magic (Hallow’s Eve 2019)
For Sale By Owner
Pet Sematary 2
survive a horror movie in five words
Cemetery Way
The Last Poem
- Twist In Time Mag (Issue 7)
Interrupted Log
- These Poems Are Not What They Seem (Apep Publications)
Seaside Resort
- Bywords (March 2020)
Holy War
The Idyllic Pre-Death of Isaac Plank
- The Haunted Dollhouse (April 22/2020)
Welcome Mat
- Pink Plastic Dollhouse
Wolf Grove Road
Professional Services:
Madison is a Political Science and Communications graduate from the University of Ottawa, with multiple years experience in research, communications, media, and promotions.
She is available for freelance writing, research, and promotional projects upon request; you can get in touch here.