Pauline Yates (she/her) is the Australian author of Memories Don’t Lie; a fast-paced science fiction novel inspired by her love for dark and dangerous action and adventure. An Australian Shadows Awards finalist, her short-form horror, dark fiction, and poetry appear in publications including Black Hare Press, IFWG Publishing Australia, Redwood Press, Midnight Echo, PseudoPod, Aurealis, Tales To Terrify, Black Hart Publishing, Metaphorosis, plus others, and her AHWA winning short story, “The Best Medicine,” was translated in the Mondi Incantati series produced by Riflessi di Lunare (RiLL), Italy. She’s a member of the Australasian Horror Writers Association (AHWA), and the Horror Writers Association (HWA), and helps to judge the Australia Shadows Awards in various categories. On the social scene, she goes by @midnightmuser1 because she loves writing at midnight when her muse is the most volatile. She shares her writing space with her aged cat, who is determined to break the world’s oldest feline record, and a dog who is terrified of the cat. She enjoys taking photos of the sunrise—if she wakes up in time—and loves to encourage native wildlife and birds into her garden

Follow the Author:

FEATURED IN

MORE POSTS FROM THE AUTHOR

Aya’s Makami

by Pauline Yates Aya, the transfer student, acts nonchalant, but beneath her straight fringe, her enormous eyes glisten with new-school nerves, and she clutches a diary to her flat chest like a life support. Fool. That diary begs to be read. Especially by me. I snatch the diary from her matchstick fingers. Flipping it open, […]

Memories Don’t Lie by Pauline Yates – Launches 11th March 2023

I was a compulsive daydreamer growing up, and I turned that into a writing career. What could be better than doing the thing you love most?

Memories Don’t Lie by Pauline Yates

Sarah Wilson’s journey takes a deadly turn when she uncovers secrets about her past, hidden deep in her mother’s memories, that threaten everything Sarah wants. They could cost her everything she holds dear—and her life.

Spooned

by Pauline Yates Beechwood Psychiatric Hospital’s new nurse has a head full of ideas, like “kindness begets kindness”, that sort of shit. I play along. I stop smacking my head against the wall when she asks me, politely, mind you, to take my pills. Now she lets me eat ice cream with a spoon. I […]

Pony for Christmas

by Pauline Yates   My “ho’s” change to groans as I play the shopping mall Santa—my wife arrives with our granddaughter, Ester, and home-baked cookies for my tea break. I love Ester, but the cookies taste funny and belong in the bin. Ester clambers onto my lap. “What would you like for Christmas?” I ask. […]

First Person, Present Tense

by Pauline Yates   Eager to try the new AI Book Writer app, I download the program and enable the wireless imagination transfer function. “Welcome to Book Writer,” a computer simulated voice says. “Please imagine scenes for text conversion and click upload.” I imagine the scenes in “Murder By Moonlight”, the crime novel I started […]

The Devil’s Breath

by Pauline Yates   Tossed onto a reef by a rogue wave, our pirate ship shudders, and a sickening crunch sounds our death knell. Salt burns my lungs when I gulp water, not air, then I’m back on board with my crew, peering through fog that reeks of sulphur. “What’s that smell?” “The Devil’s breath,” […]

Drained

by Pauline Yates   Desperate to stop the zombie apocalypse, the latest plague to afflict humanity, I draw my knife across Annie’s wrist and fill a bucket with her blood. Annie sways. “Will it work?” “It better or we’re dead.” Grabbing the bucket, I open the door and throw the blood over the advancing zombies. […]

Fallen Angels

by  Pauline Yates   Mother heats the blade in the fire, but it’s the flap of monstrous wings that strikes fear into my heart. “Will it hurt?” I whisper, scrutinizing her scarred face. “Better to suffer a searing blade than endure the agony of being raped by a Fallen and bearing its unholy offspring. Did […]

Gone Fishing

by Pauline Yates   Oblivious to my predicament, Bob casts his fishing line into the marsh. “Did you hear about that dodgy cosmetics factory,” he says. “They trialled a new hair colour on flamingos, but the birds reacted to the red dye and killed everyone. Then the birds escaped, can you believe it?” “Ah, Bob?” […]

Dressed to Kill

by Pauline Yates   “Zip me up?” Macy stands with her back to me wearing a new dress. The exotic fabric gives her curves like Sandra’s. Have I cheated on my wife for so long I’ve forgotten how alluring she can be? I slide up the zipper but imagine unzipping Sandra’s dress and kissing the […]

Pauline Yates

Pauline Yates lives in Queensland, Australia and has horror and dark speculative fiction published with Black Hare Press

Twice the Pleasure

by Pauline Yates   I love how my lover slides his mouth down the woman’s neck. How he pauses near her jugular vein, warming his lips with heat from her racing heart. He nips her skin, teasing, her involuntary moan at the pleasure he inflicts sets fire to my cold heart. When he’s finished with […]

PUNK

Punk—steampunk, cyberpunk, biopunk, dieselpunk—stories where technology is the main focus.

Eldritch & Ether

Beautiful, heartfelt poetry from international poets

The Greatest Show on Earth

by Pauline Yates   Teaching a monkey how to strike a match was a clever trick. It required the use of electric shocks to his fingers, but when he lights the ring of fire for the Bengal tigers to jump through, the crowd applauds me as the greatest animal trainer in the circus’s history. However, […]

Naughty and Nice

by Pauline Yates   On Christmas morning, I wake to find a blonde and a brunette, naked as newborn babes, asleep in our bed. They fit the description written on my husband’s Christmas wish list. He wished for a threesome—without me. Wondering if Santa granted my Christmas wish, I hurry downstairs to the Christmas tree. […]

Kuntilanak

by Pauline Yates   Drunk on Samsu, I muddle the warning about a white-dressed woman with long, lank hair. Who said that? The bartender? No, a Malaysian beggar; a story for a coin, he said as I staggered home. A generous man, I obliged, and learned about the mythical Kuntilanak, a vengeful female spirit who […]

Pumpkin Head

by Pauline Yates   I’ve won ‘Best Halloween Display’ two years running, but while hanging decorations, my new neighbour distracts me. He likes my legs. I love his wide smile. Tempted, I suggest a private trick or treat before the judges arrive. Invitation accepted, he asks what tricks I know. I show him my wax […]

Dual

by Pauline Yates   Why’d you bring me home, Jimmy? Couldn’t hack a third tour of duty? The war ain’t over. You and me, we make the best team. But you’re a coward, ain’t ya, Jimmy? Shit, if it wasn’t for me, you’d be rotting in a body bag. Is this how you repay me? […]

Clean Sheet

by Pauline Yates   The Westridge football team walks the streets, searching for victims. The pre-season tradition—players can purge their sexual desires in a one-night fucking frenzy—has resulted in four consecutive premiership wins. No one reports the pack rapes, the deaths. All this town sees is the trophy. Not me. I have a different purge […]