Observations and Nightmares

Over the past twenty years, Jeremy Billingsley has published short stories in numerous print and online sources. His fiction reaches from his roots in the South -- having lived in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi -- to the horrors he’s imagined. His observations reflect the life of a Southerner and explore just how much the gothic has impacted his life. A sick cow and a sick grandfather place extreme expectations on a boy; a trip down a river captures the moments in a man’s life as he grows older. These stories follow the fictional Cross family over the generations they’ve lived, from South Arkansas to the Ozarks. His nightmares were born from these quiet observations and expanded into new territories. A soon-to-be stepparent contemplating the weight of their coming responsibilities sees their fortitude tested by a fast-food restaurant’s indoor labyrinthine playground; a child’s drawing summons an Ozark legend; an insurance adjuster investigates a claim of demon possession; an engaged couple is asked to sit with a sick aunt living in isolation for the holidays. These stories and more provide insight into Billingsley’s mind and reflect life in modern Arkansas, the things observed and the nightmares that disrupt sleep. This collection of short stories spans the southern gothic, life in the south across the generations, and horror stories. Each genre blends seamlessly together, based as much on real life as they are on the nightmares and the mysterious places that exist in the haints and hollers of the Ozarks. The Southern Gothic/southern life short stories center on a particular family. From South Arkansas in the 1930’s to the Ozarks and Fayetteville in the 21st Century, we see the family grow, age, learn and live in stories that will both amuse, entertain, and allow readers to contemplate modern southern life. The unrelated horror stories are a perfect treat for those who want a good scare. Drawing on Arkansas myths, legends, ghost stories, and the mind of the author, these stories aim to illuminate life in the South and showcase the uniqueness of Southern horror. When blended with themes of the Southern Gothic, these stories serve as a masterclass in modern Southern horror.