Tara Benham

Welcome to the Carnivale Mystique, where the bizarre, the horrifying, and the beautiful live and perform, side by side. Sink your teeth into seven stories of horror, mystery, suspense, and the paranormal. Watch your step, though, else you become part of the act:

Wishful Thinking by P.M. Hernandez—Stuck in his family’s failing trapeze act with no future in sight, Bruno Fanucci wishes for a different life. Too bad he doesn’t have the guts to do something about it. Resigned to working at the dilapidated Carnivale Mystique, Bruno’s world is turned upside down by the chance to have whatever his heart desires. However, visitors to the carnival should remember…be careful what you wish for.

Adalia by Tara Benham—The carnival provides the perfect opportunity for Adalia to share secrets long kept. However, after a visit to the fortune teller and an ill-fated Tunnel of Love ride, Adalia learns more about herself than she expected. Now, she must figure out how to deal with consequences set in motion by a visit to Carnival Mystique.

Smoke and Mirrors by Kimberly Khadoo—After years of living in foster care followed by a stint as a clown in a traveling carnival, Samuel has come home to Devil’s Well and the people he loves. Will this be his last stop on the carnival circuit or will it be his last stop...ever?

The Devil’s Well by Mindy Sue—Life on the road is taxing, and never knowing where your next meal will come from can be overwhelming. When a run-down hitchhiker comes upon a sleepy town, the excitement of the Carnivale Mystique becomes a dangerous obsession. Take a dip in the Devil's Well…hope you can hold your breath!

M’Alice Manor by S.E. Summa—Mary Alice, haunted ride owner and wax sculptress, discovers she can provide an invaluable service for the carnival—body disposal. As M'Alice Manor’s new figures stun visitors with grotesque realism, her mind is lost to rage and the need to exact revenge against the sword swallower. Her father taught her to always look death in the eye.

The Monsters We Know by Amy Fortenberry—Emmy Reeves hates carnivals, but the Carnivale Mystique has something she needs—the Magnificent Madame DuVernay, Purveyor of Fortunes and Foreteller of Futures—her grandmother. Emmy inherited her grandmother’s ability to foretell death, and she needs help to come to terms with this frightening talent. What she doesn’t know is that there are darker abilities in her veins, and that the monsters we know are always worse than the ones we merely fear.

The Caged Bird by Meg Farrell—When Coen took a roustabout job with the Carnivale Mystique, he expected to work hard, make enough money to survive, and maintain his anonymity. He got so much more when he found the love of his life in the beautiful and mysterious Lyra. She’s the Caged Bird…and now he knows why she sings.