Fans of 2018’s Gothic Tales of Haunted Love have something to look forward to this month. Thanks to editor Sam Beiko and publisher Renegade Arts Entertainment, the follow-up entitled Gothic Tales of Haunted Futures is getting ready to hit store shelves in mid-October after successfully being funded on Kickstarter. The book includes entries by creators Trina Robbins, Letty Wilson, Cait Zellers, Matt McGrath, Joyce Chau, Leonie O’Moore, Skylar Patridge, Lyndon Radchenka, and many more.

When asked why anthologies, particularly genre anthologies such as this, are so appealing, Beiko said:

 “For me, I personally love seeing the rich range of stories that emerge from a simple given theme. There’s so much room to play and create, and it continues to prove that there are infinite stories waiting to be told, and in an anthology, you get to enjoy several at once. During the pitch phase, we definitely got some repeating story concepts, but what continues to interest me about an anthology is that each creator’s individual perspective transforms a story entirely. An anthology is also a unique opportunity to expose a reader to a wide variety of art and writing styles, as well as creators, all in a one-stop-shop environment.

I feel so lucky to have worked on what ended up as a 34-person project! That’s a lot of authors and artists and colourists and letterers all in one place; you really don’t realize how many folks it takes to build an anthology, even when it’s based on a single-sentence concept like Gothic Romance Meets Sci-Fi. This truly was a massive group effort, and I’m so excited to show the world what we’ve made together.”

When compared to the first installment of the “Gothic” series, the editor explained:

Gothic Tales of Haunted Futures
Sam Beiko

“Gothic Futures continues to play with the foundational theme of ‘love outside of the mortal coil,’ with a healthy dose of ghosts, apparitions, monsters, and the living people who haunt each other for the sake of love (or something more sinister). My goal with this follow-up volume was to increase the offerings from LGBTQ2IA+ creators and their stories, as well as focus on creatures from a wide scope of cultures and global perspectives. The settings are also much broader and span wider centuries–we find ourselves millennia in the future, light years away from Earth on space stations, lightning-collection stations on Jupiter, explorations of the Moon and planets yet discovered, or else deep beneath our own oceans, as well as hidden places after the world as we know it has gone away. Ghosts aren’t tied down like the living are, and they can follow us through time and space and into the future–something we can at least rely on when the future always seems too uncertain.”

Will there be more anthologies to look forward to?

“I’d definitely like to do maybe one more installment in the Gothic Tales series, and then maybe call it wrapped, though there’s currently no concrete plan either way. It will be a challenge to top Gothic Romance and sci-fi, though…Gothic romance and only monsters/demons from universal folklore? Gothic romance and global warming? Classic Gothic Romance only? It’ll be tough to narrow down, but it has been a really fun series theme to explore.”

Ahead of the release, The Beat received a preview story from the book. Take a look at “Sunken Scream” by O’Moore, Patridge, and Radchenka. Head to Renegade Arts Entertainment’s website for updates on the upcoming release of Gothic Tales of Haunted Futures this month.