Cover art for Toe Tags designed by Joshua Day and William Pauley III
Toe Tags was the first collaboration between authors Brian Barnett and William Pauley III. It was an anthology comprised of 17 authors and 21 short stories.
The anthology was unique in a way. All the authors were hand-picked by the editors and each of the short stories had corresponding artwork created by Joshua Day and William Pauley III.
Description[]
According to the description on the back of the book:
Toe Tags is... A living mouth discovered on an otherwise dead body/ A demonic stripper/ Tattoos that suddenly solidify and separate from their owner's skin/ A creature that dares you to leave your home/ The complicated process of turning into a zombie/ A tasty new snack made from mysterious meat/ Discovering an anatomically-correct doll who helps a man pursue his musical career/ A succubus/ A spirit who anxiously awaits its return to our world to revisit a long lost love/ Spirit people who occupy our bodies after we die/ Hunting demonic creatures in a post-apocalyptic world/ A tour of Hell through a door discovered in Amsterdam/ Hunting explosive zombies with your insane uncle/ Following along during a police chase as they try and capture a serial killer/ The terrifying truth about homeless people/ Vampires vs. zombies vs. humans.
List of Stories[]
- The Things That Left Their Skin by William Pauley III
- Grief by T.J. McIntyre
- Sins of the Flesh by Nathan Rosen
- Mysterio and Galatea by Michael A. Kechula
- The Tourist Trap by Oonah V Joslin
- The Lesser of Two Evils by Robert C. Eccles
- L'esprit de la Table by Nathan Rosen
- The Shed by Joshua Day
- The Sleepwalking Corpse by Jimmy Calabrese
- The New Girl by L.B. Goddard
- My Little Brother Turns Nine by Nathan Rosen
- Skyline by Brett Saunders
- The Mouth of Babes by Angel Zapata
- Skin (The Nayjeed) by Lori Titus
- Abracadabra by Nathan Rosen
- The Farm by Stephanie Barnett
- Maniac by Chad Case
- The Unclean by Graeme Reynolds
- In the Woods by Nathan Rosen
- Replaced by Joshua Scribner
- Agoraphobia by Brian Barnett
Praise[]
- From author Jodi MacArthur: Toe Tags is a cascade of dark horror, a fabulous collection that will leave your soul tainted… and wanting more. I give this anthology five stars for unique voices and truly horrifying stories.
- From "Holly" of frightcatalog.com:“Toe Tags,” Edited by Brian Barnett and William Pauley III: I picked up this collection of short stories because one of the authors, Jimmy Calabrese, contributor of “The Sleepwalking Corpse,” is a member of one of my very favorite bands, Calabrese. Zombies, vampires, demons, scary tattoos, dolls–this creepy collection has it all. Well worth the $18.00 for the book, or download it in PDF form for $10.
- From Robert Walter of Sonar 4 Landing Dock Reviews: Toe Tags is an anthology containing 21 stories written by 17 authors. The hook for this anthology is that the authors are known for flash and short stories, but agreed to do something longer for this anthology. Many of the authors’ names will be familiar to those of us that have been reading contemporary horror for awhile. Authors like L.B. Goddard and Lori Titus jump out of this list along with the new authors such as Stephanie Barnett and Chad Case. Add to this the artwork for each story by Joshua Day, Melanie Pauley and William Pauley III and you have an attractive well rounded anthology. The stories of this anthology run the full range, and beyond, of the horror genre: a run- down carnival, a succubus, beyond lifelike tattoos, hunting explosive zombies with your insane uncle, vampires vs. zombies vs. humans and an anatomically-correct doll are some examples. I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun by going into too much detail on the stories, but this is one of the better anthologies I have read lately. The accompanying artwork really does complement and add a feel to the book that would otherwise not be there. If you enjoy your horror fresh and new this is a book for you. Complete list of authors contained in the anthology: Brian Barnett, Stephanie Barnett, Jimmy Calabrese, Chad Case, Joshua Day, Robert C. Eccles, L.B. Goddard, Oonah V Joslin, Michael A. Kechula, T.J. McIntyre, William Pauley III, Graeme Reynolds, Nathan Rosen, Brett Saunders, Joshua Scribner, Lori Titus and Angel Zapata.
Awards[]
Preditors and Editors Top 10
- Toe Tags finished third overall among all other anthologies entered in the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll in 2009.