100 Nightmares is a collection of 100 horror stories, each written in exactly 100 words, and accompanied by over 50 illustrations. Inside, you’ll find monsters—both imagined and real. There are vengeful specters, characters with impaired psyches, dark fairy tales and stories and illustrations inspired by bizarre creatures of Japanese folklore.

Tell us more.
100 Nightmares is a very special collection. It’s my baby… my labor of love… my humble offering to the horror genre. While working on the project, I made sure that no two stories were alike and that each tale was meticulously crafted– each word carefully chosen.

But why such short stories?
I’ve always been a lover of micro-fiction because it challenges writers to pay attention to every tiny detail and to make every single word count. Deciding to write all 100 stories in 100 words rather than turning them to longer pieces enabled me to express as much story and emotion using as few words as possible. It is my hope that readers will see and appreciate the efforts put into this collection.

And it’s more than just horror, right?
You’ll find a little bit of everything– fairy tales and mythology, dystopian fiction, stories with dark humor, paranormal tales and bizarro fiction.

I like blending various themes and elements… I believe in taking risks and doing whatever makes a story more interesting and entertaining. And I don’t believe that there could ever be a limit to the horror genre.

Who’ll we meet in this collection?
You’ll definitely encounter a good mix of odd characters inside 100 Nightmares… There are monsters and spirits who dwell inside your toilet bowl, twins inside a mother’s uterus, a tortured fairy, a serial killer with serious mommy issues, the Kuchisake-onna (Slit-Mouthed Woman) and Hansel and Gretel– so unlike the two innocent kids from the classic children’s tale.

I love it when characters seem to take on a life of their own… that’s when the plot becomes unpredictable… to the point that I surprise even myself.

Tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m an eclectic eccentric… a certified book addict, a shopaholic, a chocoholic, a beach bum, a foodie and an insomniac. I adore weirdness. When I’m passionate about something, it consumes me. Fiction is my first love. I read and write almost anything from romance and erotica to horror and dark fantasy. My works have been published in various publications but 100 Nightmares is my first solo project.

Do you have a website?
Do check out my blog http://theeclecticeccentricshopaholic.wordpress.com/ where I post stories, photos, and other stuff.

What about social media?
Follow me on Twitter at @kzmorano and like my Facebook page for updates on my published works.

What’s next?
I used to post an erotic fantasy series on my blog. The story gained quite an audience so I’m thinking of revisiting the project. Meanwhile, I have several stories in various upcoming horror and non-horror anthologies.

We’d love it if we could end with a story from the collection.

Evolution
She ran towards me… strong, swift, monstrous… a half-human with a head of a boar’s.

Her mouth was agape, baring gnarled, razor-sharp fangs… red tongue flickering like fire, dribbling disgustingly… luminous eyes flashing malevolently…

“Murdering pigs!” she half-roared, half-squealed. I flinched at the irony of her words as I fired. The bullet created a scarlet emblem on her corpulent stomach, mutant blood—hers and her unborn’s– splattering the Mexican border.

The rest of the semi-animals cowered, not daring to cross the line separating predators from prey.

I wondered how long before they realize that they’re stronger and swiftly outnumbering us.