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roberthelfst.bsky.social
Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
@roberthelfst.bsky.social
270 followers 510 following 210 posts
Cosmic & literary horror enthusiast | Fraidy Cat Press editor | Absolutely no AI | Words in Chthonic Matter Quarterly, Saros SF, X-Ray Lit & more. https://linktr.ee/roberthelfst
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roberthelfst.bsky.social
Robert Helfst is doing the best he can @roberthelfst.bsky.social · Apr 27
I love publishing new #cosmic #horror in @fraidycatpress.bsky.social. But I’d love to pay authors better, and I can’t do it alone.

Consider subscribing. It’s the best way to help bring more great cosmic #horrorlit to the world (and read great stuff too!)

fraidycatpress.com/product/fcq2...
Fraidy Cat Quarterly 2025 Subscription - Fraidy Cat Press
Subscribe to FCQ's 2025 lineup of indie cosmic horror and save 25%! Get each new volume as they're released and enjoy new indie horror every season of the year! Shipping is included in the listed pric...
fraidycatpress.com
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
seantcollins.com
I'm hardly the first person to note this, but it's enormously instructive that our President and his followers saw the message "THE ONLY THING MORE POWERFUL THAN HATE IS LOVE" and understood it, correctly, as an attack on them
milleryoho.bsky.social Miller @milleryoho.bsky.social · 2d
What a moment.
Shot from the stands of the Bad Bunny halftime show.
February 9, 2026 at 2:11 AM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
xhappyccino.bsky.social
amber glenn even putting her skates on the ice when people from her own country hate her and wish death and harm on her is strength most of us could never dream of. respect her or shut the entire fuck up. #MilanoCortina2026
February 8, 2026 at 8:53 PM
roberthelfst.bsky.social
Recent Jeopardy contestant shared that she sings “Defying Gravity” and other show tunes while riding roller coasters to overcome her fear, thereby ensuring that NOBODY has a good time on the roller coaster.

Supervillain behavior.
February 3, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
bleakhousing.bsky.social
February 3, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
michaelboulerice.com
Nothing like a thank-you-for-your-kind-messages post from a disgraced piece of shit with the comments turned off to make you say OH YEAH BABY COMEBACK TOUR IS GOING GREAT
A screencap from Neil Gaiman's post on Instagram with the comments button missing. I guess we're happy enough with the imaginary outpouring of support that we don't need to hear from the public
February 2, 2026 at 8:02 PM
roberthelfst.bsky.social
Neil Gaiman's writing meant a lot to me as a young man. His stories helped me through very rough times.

I tossed out every book of his I owned when the news broke. Without hesitation. Don't allow this self-rehabilitation tour to take.

Block him. Make him one of the most-blocked accounts here.
February 2, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
mcflycahill90.bsky.social
ICYMI, Gai*man is slinking out of the shadows and posting again, trying to scuttle his way back into the public's good graces.

Please take care of yourselves, believe women, believe survivors, and fuck that guy.
February 2, 2026 at 7:03 PM
roberthelfst.bsky.social
Really looking forward to reading great words and admiring great artwork when we open!
January 31, 2026 at 4:31 PM
roberthelfst.bsky.social
I love every volume we publish, but this is seriously one of my favorites, stuffed chock-full with stories of all-consuming and righteous anger.

Don't miss out!

#rage #horror #book
January 31, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
fraidycatpress.bsky.social
We're incredibly proud to have published this absolute banger of a story in FCQ Volume 7! Congrats to @corriehaldane.bsky.social on the very well-deserved recognition and thank you to @tenebrouspress.bsky.social for highlighting excellent work in the weird horror indie community!
January 31, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
alanbaxter.bsky.social
every time
The story in my head: pic of a beautiful sleek horse. My first draft: pic of a short plump shaggy pony.
January 30, 2026 at 12:06 PM
roberthelfst.bsky.social
Finished edits on and submitted my first new story of 2026 today. Fingers crossed on this one!
January 8, 2026 at 4:10 AM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
bitterkarella.bsky.social
A friend pointed out to me that content warnings in horror books can actually help heighten tension, ala Hitchcock's "bomb under the table" theory of suspense. I have to say, that is not something I ever considered!
January 5, 2026 at 8:19 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
itsabbyyep.bsky.social
Escalate any disagreement by saying “here we go” whenever someone starts talking
December 13, 2023 at 2:45 PM
roberthelfst.bsky.social
I almost missed sharing this: my latest short story “Flashlight Tag” is available today in Chthonic Matter Quarterly #12! Get your copy direct or from Amazon (but preferably direct!)

Very proud to appear in another project from CM Muller!

chthonicmatter.wordpress.com

#indie #horrorlit #shortstory
December 22, 2025 at 3:48 AM
roberthelfst.bsky.social
I was sad to find @houseofgamut.bsky.social left out of the Annual Best Horror of the Year summation (though ultimately understandable since we lost that publication last year).

While I am exceedingly proud of my story, here's a thread of great (and free!) Gamut fiction you should read:
December 19, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
riseupcomus.bsky.social
I have said before and will say again that it is such a loss that we no longer get covers of this caliber for fantasy books.

This art is by Jean-Léon Huens. These covers are for the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. They lit my imagination on fire as a kid.
Young man in a red tunic bearing a sword surrounded by armed glassy-eyed monsters A red robed horseman with a skull face and stag's antlers rides through the forest, the horse rearing back, a shaft of light falling onto the scene A red haired woman in a red dress and a boy in a blue doublet stand in front of a huge black cauldron. In the foreground, three cackling hags. A boy in a blue tunic with a dagger tries to get a sword away from a giant orange cat
November 25, 2025 at 1:02 PM
roberthelfst.bsky.social
Stoked for this one! You’d be crazy to miss out on it!
dimshores.bsky.social Dim Shores @dimshores.bsky.social · Nov 18
Dim Shores is proud to present THE MAIDENS OF MIDNIGHT AND OTHER LOST MEDIA, a short story collection by Rhiannon Rasmussen, hauntingly illustrated by Lucia Retamales.

12 dark tales and 13 illustrations. 168 pages. Limited to 150 copies.

Coming December 2025, Pre-order now! bit.ly/3XyScs6
A graphic advertising the new book THE MAIDENS OF MIDNIGHT AND OTHER LOST MEDIA. The book is displayed on the left, with the following text on the right: Dim Shores presents: One novella and eleven short stories of lo-fi horror in an illustrated collection. Snapshots of life through distorted lenses. PREORDER NOW, December 8 2025.
November 19, 2025 at 2:16 AM
roberthelfst.bsky.social
Trying to make sense of the last 12 months to figure out when the hell I lost all of my free time for creativity.
November 18, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
abastedo-writing.bsky.social
Howdy folks!

Just as a little heads up, my story Devouring a Perfect Circle will be appearing in volume 8, and the folks at Fraidy Cat have been amazing to work with!

Just think of it! A part of me to stick somewhere in your house to haunt you.
💙📚🪐
#horrorlit #horror #writingcommunity
November 2, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
abastedo-writing.bsky.social
Ahhh! This is the one!
#writingcommunity #horrorlit
fraidycatpress.bsky.social Fraidy Cat Press @fraidycatpress.bsky.social · Nov 2
FCQ8 is our gnaw-themed issue and features excellent writing from:

@jacobstevenmohr.bsky.social (with an original novelette)
Art by Valerie Marshall
Jasmine Harrell
@therrien.bsky.social
Tremain Xenos
@abastedo-writing.bsky.social
@breathinghead.bsky.social
@jfennellauthor.bsky.social
November 2, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
fraidycatpress.bsky.social
You can pick up Volume 7 from us directly here: fraidycatpress.com/product/frai...

It's also available wherever books are sold, but buying direct helps us the most!

#indie #horror #shortstories #cosmic #scifihorror #rage #wrath
Fraidy Cat Quarterly: Volume 7 (includes ebook) - Fraidy Cat Press
Fraidy Cat Press is proud to present Fraidy Cat Quarterly Volume 7, our newest collection of indie weird and cosmic horror. Our seventh volume features tales of fiery rage, wrath, and all-consuming ru...
fraidycatpress.com
November 2, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
fraidycatpress.bsky.social
FCQ7 is our rage-themed volume and features excellent writing by:
@kayv.bsky.social
@nicholeon.bsky.social
C.O. Davidson
@abigailkemske.bsky.social
@alexhoeft.bsky.social
C. Lenz
@corriehaldane.bsky.social
@jdlskie.bsky.social
@nicowritesbooks.bsky.social
Myra Stephenson
Rachel Desiree Felix
November 2, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
fraidycatpress.bsky.social
Good news! We have FCQ Volume 7 and 8 available for preorder now! There's even a discounted bundle!

FCQ 7&8 Bundle: fraidycatpress.com/product/fcq-...

FCQ 7: fraidycatpress.com/product/frai...

FCQ 8: fraidycatpress.com/product/frai...

#indiehorror #newrelease #cosmichorror #rage #gnaw
FCQ 7 & 8 Bundle - Fraidy Cat Press
Bundle and save! Get FCQ 7 & FCQ8 at a fraction of the list price. eBook will be emailed to you once available.
fraidycatpress.com
November 2, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Reposted by Robert Helfst is doing the best he can
fraidycatpress.bsky.social
FCQ8 is our gnaw-themed issue and features excellent writing from:

@jacobstevenmohr.bsky.social (with an original novelette)
Art by Valerie Marshall
Jasmine Harrell
@therrien.bsky.social
Tremain Xenos
@abastedo-writing.bsky.social
@breathinghead.bsky.social
@jfennellauthor.bsky.social
November 2, 2025 at 7:46 PM