WE MAKE THINGS THAT ARE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL see our stories The Phantom – July 22-27, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Popeye – July 22– July 27, 2024 Gothic Creations has Southern licensed this product through King Features. Read More The Phantom – July 15-20, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Popeye – July 15 – 20, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More The Phantom – July 8-13, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Popeye – July 8 – 13, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More University of Oklahoma Officially Joins The SEC by Jon Benton Photo by Alex Batchelor on Unsplash It has been a very long wait for all of the athletic teams at OU and the day has finally arrived on the OU campus in Norman, Oklahoma. OU has finally become a member of the... Read More The Book Launch: However Small and Hidden by Alan Caldwell I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to the 200 or so amazing people who attended my book launch party today. I love you all! Apologies for not getting pictures of everyone—if you have any, please post them... Read More The Phantom – July 1-6, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Popeye – July 1 – 6, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More The Phantom – June 24-29, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Popeye – June 24-29, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More The University of Oklahoma Women’s Softball Team Completed the Four-Peat By Jon Benton Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash In any sport winning back-to-back championships is one of the most difficult things to accomplish. In Women’s college softball, this has been done more often than you might think. However, to take it to the next... Read More The Phantom – June 17-22, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Popeye – June 17-22, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More The Phantom – June 10-15, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Popeye – June 10-15, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Vince McMahon and the WWE by Jon Benton Photo by Claudia Raya on Unsplash Vince McMahon, the former owner and CEO of WWE has had a tumultuous time with sexual allegations and monetary payoffs as of late, enough now that the Department of Justice is involved in investigating him essentially... Read More The Phantom – June 3- 8, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Popeye – June 3 – 8, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Walking the Talk — 100% By Dan Klefstad Every day I tell my fellow authors to partner-up with independent bookstores. After all, indie shops are more likely to stock books by indie authors, especially local ones. Then I realized my actions undermined my words. Let me explain.... Read More The Phantom – May 27 -June 1, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Popeye – May 27 – June 1, 2024 Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More SGC Writer Alan Caldwell has been Published: However Small and Hidden Support your local authors!! In Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau wrote that he required that every writer offer, “a simple and sincere account of his own life, and not merely what he has heard of other men’s.” However Small and Hidden does just... Read More The Nameless Girl by Whitney McShan When I reflect and examine my life up until the events which I will detail here, I have great difficulty relating to the girl who I once was. I feel as though I am straining to make whole a... Read More Fullerville: On the Path to Helping Veterans Fullerville is the brainchild of Kevin King, whose dream has been to establish a nonprofit organization to help homeless veterans get the services they have earned serving our country, by providing housing, transportation, and other assistance. The organization will... Read More The History Behind The Breakers by Deneen Azzolino – Part Two One of the best things to do when you’re visiting Newport Rhode Island is to visit The Newport Mansions. It’s by far one of the most amazing sights to see. I have been there quite a few times and... Read More The Breakers by Deneen Azzolino – Part One Part One: Newport Rhode Island happens to be one of my favorite go to places to visit. It’s about a hour away from my home so when I want a quick break from everyday life. That wonderful salt air... Read More Get to know our Artist: Donald Talonen I was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, and raised in Holland, Michigan. I have a positive attitude towards life, and I always try to learn something new every day. This mindset has allowed me to experience many interesting things... Read More Super-Heroes in Allegan at Tardy’s Underground By Donald Talonen Tardy’s Underground Comics & Collectibles is the perfect place for you if you’re a fan of new and classic comics or a toy collector looking for rare toys. With experienced staff and a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, you’ll feel... Read More Authors: Let high tops & hotels unlock your brand By Dan Klefstad Marketing expert Seth Godin got me thinking about the difference between logo vs. brand. Most of us understand a logo as an identifier, like McDonald’s golden arches. You see it and know what they sell. Branding, on the other... Read More Southern Gothic Creations: Dan Klefstad: So, You want to be published? (Video) This episode of Southern Gothic Creations (SGC) focuses on Dan Klefstad and his new book, DIY Book Promo. Dan talks to SGC hosts, Joseph St John and Deneen Azzolino about the process needed to get your book out to... Read More Indie Bookshops Matter — Let’s do the Numbers by Dan Klefstad Independent Book Store Day will soon mark its 11th anniversary — when’s the last time you shopped indie? Many readers count themselves as supporters but still buy books from national chains or Amazon. Hey, I get it: Large corporations... Read More Classic Poetry: O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won, The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel,... Read More Get to know our Artist: Meg Sanger Meg Sanger – Midwest hopeful writer with Chicago roots turned happy West Michigander near Lake Michigan in the same perfect tourist town where she grew up spending perfect summers with her grandparents. Married, proud mother of three children who... Read More Fair-haired Boys Of Innocence By Joseph St. John Photo by Gaurav Gupta on Unsplash Fair-haired boys running through the summer afternoon laugh at the whirlwind as it topspins and tumbles to the ground. Men and boys alike stare as the days of glories past tremble and renew.... Read More Life’s Little Inconveniences by Deneen Azzolino Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash One thing I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older (I’ll be fifty eight this year) I’ve noticed I have a harder and harder time dealing with what life throws at me. You know all... Read More Going South by Bella Azzolino Everyone always says they love to travel. Who wouldn’t love to travel? I’m sure everyone would be traveling all the time, if they had the money. For me, traveling halfway across the country to see my best friend was... Read More The Sorrow Equation by Meg Sanger Photo by Noel Nichols on Unsplash Many of us, if not all, have experienced pain. I am not referencing the type of feeling that is mildly annoying or bothersome though. Some of us have felt a deep ache for... Read More Get to know our Artist: Pam Martin-Lawrence A lover of sandstone and chocolate, Pam lives on a small island off the south coast of England with a collection of local fossils, assorted book-boyfriends and a long-suffering partner. She is currently querying her debut novel while working... Read More Get to know our Artist: R. I. Károly R. I. Károly is a Hungarian author currently based in Germany. She lives with her loving husband and small son, fostering a shared passion for stories. Inspired by a lifelong love of books, she began writing during her teenage years,... Read More Announcement: The Phantom is here daily!!!! SGC now has the Phantom Monday – Saturday! Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Get to know our Artist: Thomas Shaner Thomas Shaner is a Writer, Artist, Stand-up Comedian and disability rights advocates from Cape Girardeau, Mo. This is his first horror story published. He is the author/ illustrator of a children’s book called The Adventures of Pizza Dog, coming soon... Read More The Newest Popeye is Edgy! Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Since December 2023, SGC has been featuring the newest daily Popeye cartoons. I have been a Popeye fan for as long as I can remember and I have a... Read More Get to know our Artist: Jon Benton Jon Is a 58-year-old US Navy veteran living in Oklahoma, OK for the past 30 years. He is married to his high school sweetheart and they have three adult children. He is heavily into politics, the Detroit Lions, and... Read More Get to know our Artist: Bryant Poss As an undergrad, Bryant worked as a correctional officer for four years. He transitioned directly into education where he taught high school English Language Arts for fifteen years. He has been a media specialist for the past seven, and he blends... Read More Get to know our Artist: Dan Klefstad Dan Klefstad is a longtime radio host and newscaster. His latest book, DIY Book Promo, helps his fellow authors find readers without spending money. It’s based on lessons from the previous campaign for his novel, Fiona’s Guardians, plus his broadcasting career. Dan... Read More Get to know our Artist: Bryan Law Greetings Southern Gothic Creation Community, My name is Bryan Law. Some of you may remember me as an SEC Football and NASCAR sports writer for Real Media several years ago. I also wrote for the now defunct Boneheadpicks.com for... Read More Get to know our Artist: Alan Caldwell Alan Caldwell is a retired veteran teacher, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and, most recently, a writer. In only two years, his work has been featured more than fifty times in literary journals and magazines. Two of his short... Read More Get to know our Artist: Deneen Azzolino Hi, I’m Deneen Azzolino, I started writing at the advice of my uncle Joseph St. John to help deal with the loss of my son Matthew. Once I started writing the words started pouring out of my body and... Read More Dark Angels by Joseph B. St. John Image by 3530416 from Pixabay “$12.50 a day. First day in advance.” His voice was thick, southern and coarse. He pushed a registration card across the counter with one puffy hand. The girl from New York City signed the name, Marie Martin... Read More Fellow writers, this book is for you By Dan Klefstad Ready to announce your forthcoming book? Congratulations! Now brace yourself for an onslaught of emails offering help with promotion — for a fee. Just this morning I got one offering three packages ranging from $29 for their basic service to $69... Read More Commander of His Fate by Joseph B. St. John Image by Marc Pascual from Pixabay The year 2090- Biff Treadwell is a soldier in the American North Army. In the course of his many battles, he became a transparent soldier, always there at the beginning and end but... Read More 2024 Clash At The Coliseum by Bryan Law Image by 12019 from Pixabay With the 2023 SEC Football season over, it is finally time to switch gears so to speak to the NASCAR Cup Series. What has most likely become a fan favorite the last couple of... Read More Ms. Schilinger by Alan Caldwell Image by naeim a from Pixabay My Papa told me that coons were bad to have rabies, or hydeephobia, because they was always fighting over whatever they were eating and spreading it by biting each other. Papa said that... Read More Classic Poetry: Christabel by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleridge is the premier poet-critic of modern English tradition, distinguished for the scope and influence of his thinking about literature as much as for his innovative verse. Active in the wake of the French Revolution as a... Read More Popeye Turns 95 in January!! Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More Captain Marvel Adventures #29 Captain Marvel Adventures #29 – November 1943 See original here. Read More Classic Poetry: When I Was One-and-Twenty by A. E. Housman When I was one-and-twenty I heard a wise man say, “Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away; Give pearls away and rubies But keep your fancy free.” But I was one-and-twenty, ... Read More December By Alan Caldwell The Heflin general store sold fine calico fabric, peppermint candy, oranges, and Barlow pocket knives. These goods would make a fine Christmas for Zachariah’s family. Dawn was just breaking. Heflin was a three hour mule ride from Macedonia, so... Read More Plastic Man 2 – August 1944 From Plastic Man 2 – August 1944 See original comic here. Read More Bowl Skipping Has To Stop by Bryan Law Picture by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay For the last several years there have been hundreds of underclassmen from college football leaving early for the NFL Draft, which I do not have a problem with. My main problem is how... Read More Florida State, I’m On Your Side by Bryan Law Image by Ernie A. Stephens from Pixabay While the media has turned their attention to another controversial matter in the NFL, it’s no surprise that the riot seems to continue in Tallahassee after the CFP snub. As I said... Read More Popeye is Back!!! Popeye is Back!!! Look for it daily! Southern Gothic Creations has licensed this product through King Features. Read More You Wanted CFP Chaos? Thank Alabama by Bryan Law Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay Before the 12 team expansion next season, there had to be total chaos with the old 4 team system. If you wanted chaos whether or not you liked the SEC, you can thank... Read More Stepping on the Next Stone by Deneen Azzolino As it comes upon the tenth year anniversary of my son Matthew’s passing, I’ve given myself a challenge. It’s a very hard one but it’s a challenge I had to do. Matthew’s birthday is right at the end of... Read More Elko Brings Different Mindset To A&M By Bryan Law Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay It goes without saying that the higher ups at Texas A&M have learned their lesson the hard way. Signing Jimbo Fisher to a 10 year, $95 million contract that cost them $77 million just... Read More “DIY Book Promo” Scales Up for the Convention Hall by Dan Klefstad Recently, I read a book by a friend who attended one of my sessions called, “DIY Book Promo: How to Get Your Book into Readers’ Hands Without Spending Money.” I was looking for new examples deserving all-out promotion and... Read More What Jeff Lebby Will Bring To Mississippi State by Bryan Law Image by Emmanouel from Pixabay As usual, you may go ahead and throw my theories out. Most of the time they’re never right anyway. Neither Jimbo Fisher or Dan Mullen will be taking over at Mississippi State. Mullen is... Read More Who is the best OC in the SEC? by Bryan Law Image by Mathias Eriksson from Pixabay The list of fifteen semifinalists for the Broyles Award was released on Monday, three of those from the SEC. It’s not too surprising, they are all offensive coordinators (OCs) and should gain some... Read More All True Detective Cases 2 – April 1954 From All True Detective Cases 2 – April 1954 – “Pretty Boy” Floyd; The Baby-Faced Killer True Crime has always been with us. See original comic here: Read More The Future of Mississippi State Football: Jimbo Or Mullen? You Decide by Bryan Law This is by far the most bizarre turn of events in SEC history, if not the entire college football history. Jimbo Fisher was fired by Texas A&M on Sunday and now the higher ups must pay him over $70... Read More Greetings Southern Gothic Creation Community by Bryan Law Greetings Southern Gothic Creation Community, My name is Bryan Law. Some of you may remember me as an SEC Football and NASCAR sports writer for Real Media several years ago. I also wrote for the now defunct Boneheadpicks.com for... Read More Re: Your Intern Who Rejected My Book: Satire by Dan Klefstad Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay Dear Publisher, Many thanks for responding to my manuscript query. Even though it took 11 months, two weeks, and three days for your reply to arrive, I’m grateful that your college intern took... Read More Consecrated Ground by Bryant Poss Image by Brigitte Werner from Pixabay A large Coca-Cola from the Tastee Freeze sat on top of the game, and it was sweating a stream of water onto the control panel. I gripped the red ball of the joystick, flicking it back... Read More Intersect by Joseph B. St. John Image by Marisa Sias from Pixabay Intersect Close your eyes and think. Think of what gave you the greatest pleasure. The touch of a man or woman? The smile of a child? The excitement of money? Something bought or... Read More Misty Hills by Joseph B. St. John Image by Suhas Rawool from Pixabay A fire once burned brightly like a beacon in the night. A nova of a super joy cut the lunar satellite. Up upon the misty hills ten thousands eyes did shine. Looking... Read More Softer by Alan Caldwell Jim Maun’s voice became softer, slowly, incrementally, imperceptibly at first as if he were turning away as he spoke. One wet afternoon in late March, Jim returned home from his office, and as he recounted his day to his... Read More Firecracker by Bryant Poss Image by KoLa Entertaiments from Pixabay It was too cold to be walking barefoot in the creek, but children tend not to concern themselves with the weather like old folks. They also maintain some nescience to the pain and... Read More Anse By Alan Caldwell Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay The last time I saw my uncle Anse before all this happened, he showed me a finger, not his finger mind you, but the severed finger of some poor bastard that owed him fifty... Read More The Angler by Alan Caldwell Image by andreas160578 from Pixabay Almost daily, after all the corn was all laid-by and left to fend for itself in the sweltering South Georgia sun, Hugh took his boy, his only boy, Earnest, fishing. Earnest didn’t love fishing... Read More The Concerto by Thomas Shaner Thomas Shaner (Pictured Above) Devil’s Grove. Maine. August 22. 9:00am. Present day. On the street corner, he fumbled with the strings of his instrument, quickly adjusting it to his version of Wagner’s violin concerto. The way it had... Read More PERFECT DAY By Pam Martin-Lawrence Image by F. Muhammad from Pixabay Wake up, sleepyhead.” His soft voice tickles my ear as he hugs me hello. My favourite wake-up call, and he knows it. His arms warm and hard-muscled wrap even more tightly around me. He drags his... Read More When You Just Learn to Deal with Pain by Deneen Azzolino Image by Gan Telya from Pixabay As a kid growing up I’ve always had those body aches and pains. My mom always said, “they’re just growing pains” and I would just go along with it. As a teenager my knees would give... Read More Never Meet Your Idol? By Deneen Azzolino Photo by Deneen Azzolino I’ve always heard the saying “Never meet your idol. They might not be what you expect.” I always wondered what would happen if I did. Would they let me down and be total jerks, and... Read More Whimper By Alan Caldwell PublicDomainImages by Pixabay A typical 12 gauge quail-load shotgun shell contains around, or slightly more than, 400 #8 tiny, lead, spheres or pellets. I know this cause I’ve cut them open and counted. Four hundred tiny pellets gives you... Read More NASCAR Season By Jon Benton Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay Now that we have made it halfway through the NASCAR 2023 season, let us take a look at how it has gone so far. Out of 18 points-earning races, there have been 12 different winners, including Shane... Read More An Immovable Object by Bryant Poss He could smell the bleach on the wind as soon as the door opened. Whole place stank of cleanliness. Stepping out onto the sun-faded asphalt, he turned to see if she had anything to say, but she just looked... Read More Not Dead Enough by Dan Klefstad Image by Khusen Rustamov from Pixabay I make a point of not interrupting someone’s meals, especially the vampire I protect. Why she won’t respect my dinner time, I’ll never know. Tonight, her text arrives just as I’m putting last... Read More Viburnum by Alan Caldwell Image by Alicja from Pixabay I have a story I want to show you. It won’t take too long to read, a few minutes at most. It’s a story about trains, coins, Coke bottles, firefighters and hidden treasures. It’s... Read More 80s music and a whole lotta black: my meeting with The Louisville Revenant Appreciation Society By Dan Klefstad The atmosphere was what you’d expect: muted lighting, clothes the color of a moonless night, and cocktails with fog rising from each glass. One pleasant surprise was a low fi recording of Siouxsie & the Banshees that I’d swear... Read More 3 in a row for Oklahoma Softball why are they so dominant? by Jon Benton By Jon Benton Image by Cheryl Holt from Pixabay A couple of days ago, the University of Oklahoma Women’s Softball team became only the second team in NCAA DIVI Women’s College Softball to back to win back to back Women’s... Read More Visit Our History In August 2021, I had the opportunity to visit the Virginia War Museum in Newport News, VA. Founded in 1923 by the Braxton-Perkins Post #25 of the American Legion Museum, it was established as a World War I (WW1)... Read More DOLLS by Ron Parlato Amanda Leigh, like most little girls, liked to play with Barbie dolls. She liked to dress them, comb their hair, and strut them around in their high heels. “Barbie sends the wrong message,” said a feminist critic. “She symbolizes... Read More Jela by Alan Caldwell Image by Md Abu Musa from Pixabay Jela walked between the railroad tracks. He inhaled the amalgamated scent of the creosote and the chilled mid-December rain. He timed and measured his pace so as to avoid the shifting, and... Read More The Moon’s Crimson Valleys by R. I. Károly Image by kie-ker from Pixabay Clara used to say the weirdest things. To any other, they would seem silly, outlandish even. But to Bill, they always seemed special. To him, she was perfection. He saw her stand out from... Read More Dog Walker by Alan Caldwell Image by Dann Aragrim from Pixabay I saw her walking her dog every morning, at, or near, the corner of Elm and Main; every morning, come snow, come rain, come heat, etcetera. She invariably wore dark blue factory pants... Read More Walking by Alan Caldwell Image by Brent Connelly from Pixabay Yeah, I have owned cars, trucks, ATVs, bicycles, boats. You name it. Hell, I even had a damn horse when I was a kid, at least my grandpa said it was my horse.... Read More Campus Cop by Marc Huckless (The Video) From My Great Friend, Marc Huckless!!! I encourage everyone to pre-order Marc’s new book! Campus Cop – This story is about a police sergeant’s experience of being a law enforcement officer and supervisor at a large state urban university... Read More Campus Cop by Marc Huckless From My Great Friend, Marc Huckless!!! I encourage everyone to pre-order Marc’s new book! Campus Cop – This story is about a police sergeant’s experience of being a law enforcement officer and supervisor at a large state urban university... Read More SGC Entertainment A True Crime Site
