From the mind of award-winning author and editor Michael Bailey comes INKBLOTS AND BLOOD SPOTS, a painfully beautiful collection of short stories and poetry that reaches deep into the imagination, breaking hearts and boundaries along the way... In a lyrical and uninterrupted dance, Bailey entwines evocative literary short fiction with rhythmic poetry and comes full circle in one seamless collection. His stellar performance is accompanied by the stunning artwork of Daniele Serra, winner of the British Fantasy Award, and an Introduction by the legendary Douglas E. Winter. Stories include the Bram Stoker nominated "Fireman / Primal Tongue," which also received an Honorable Mention for Year's Best Horror; "Dandelion Clocks," a haunting, melodic tribute to the tragedy of 9/11; "I Wanted Black," where a young boy's birthday is anything but cause to celebrate; "Mum," a tale of two sisters unfolding like the bandages on their mother's badly burned body... Take a surreal stroll through a carnival in "Underwater Ferris Wheel," where the biggest attraction may be your last ride; witness a pregnant woman's harrowing encounter with soul-stealing faerie in "Not the Child"; and find out why it gets cold in a little girl's room at night when she sees "A Light in the Closet."

Author Biography

Michael Bailey is the multi-award-winning author of the novels PALINDROME HANNAH and PHOENIX ROSE and the short story and poetry collection SCALES AND PETALS. He is also the editor of PELLUCID LUNACY, CHIRAL MAD 1 and 2, QUALIA NOUS, and THE LIBRARY OF THE DEAD, forthcoming in early 2015 from his publishing company, Written Backwards. Michael's nonlinear fiction and poetry can be found in anthologies and magazines around the world, including the US, the UK, Australia, Sweden and South Africa. In 2013 he was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for his Bradbury-inspired "Fireman / Primal Tongue." He is currently working on a series of illustrated novellas and collaborative projects from some of the best in the business. Daniele Serra, winner of the British Fantasy Award, works as an illustrator and comic artist. His work can be found in Europe, Australia, the United States, and Japan in publications from DC Comics, Image Comics, Cemetery Dance, Weird Tales magazine, PS Publishing, and more. He was born and lives in Italy.