Folklore and Flesh

Folklore and Flesh is a visceral debut collection operating at the intersection of two foundational anxieties: the terror of the isolated environment and the fear of the body betraying itself. This is Folk Body Horror: a fusion of ancient cultural dread and grotesque physical transformation. These tales explore the uncanny territory where myth ceases to be a story and becomes a biological instruction manual for corruption. "Folklore has always warned us about the costs of breaking taboos. I wanted to ask: what if that cost wasn't just death but becoming something horrifyingly new?" says author Willy Martinez.The collection's overarching threat is the idea that tradition is not merely a custom, but a transmissible affliction-a contagion woven into the very fabric of the landscape. Characters are isolated in shadowed places where the natural world refuses to obey human rules. Here, ancient rituals are the mechanism of painful, unavoidable physical change. The curse for breaking a taboo is not death but a slow, excruciating process of becoming a creature you no longer recognize. "This collection dissects how cultural isolation and ancestral secrets literally rewrite the biological codes of the human form, from the rural shrines of the Bone Orchard to the digital feed of a beauty influencer's viral decay. The terror is biological; the threat is internal."Goodreads ReviewsExceptional!"A dark, haunting blend of folklore and body horror. Each story is sharp, atmospheric, and unforgettable. Martinez delivers tension, originality, and imagery that stays with you long after you finish."- Anna BriggsHighly recommend!"A haunting and poetic dive into body horror and ancestral myth that lingers like a fever dream."- Krista ReadsFive stars!"Folklore and Flesh is a chilling blend of myth and modern horror. W. J. Martinez delivers stories that crawl under the skin, haunted forests, digital nightmares, and body-twisting transformations that linger long after you're done reading. Gripping, eerie, and beautifully unsettling, this collection is perfect for anyone who loves folklore with a razor edge."- Sam Ladell