Rain Shadows: Dark Tales from Washington State by Tamara Kaye Sellman and Clay Vermulm (July, 2025) is a unique anthology of short stories.

This collection is the culmination of the twelve stories Sellman and Vermulm wrote as part of their prompt-based podcast, Beneath the Rain Shadow. The stories alternate by author and all start off with the three prompts (Pacific Northwest quirk, Washington location, and Trope) the story was written using and a map of Washington with a star in the location of where that story takes place.

The stories pair familiar tropes such as “Found Footage”, “Haunted House,” and “Science Run Amok” with fun “Pacific Northwest quirks” like “Subaru Outback,” “Rock Climbing,” and “Foraging.” The result is a collection of fantastic stories completely unique from each other.

One of my favorite stories was “The Scar” by Sellman (Pacific Northwest quirk: axe-throwing, Washington location: Lopez Island, Trope: “Slasher”). Believing there is something about her that draws the scummiest of the scummy men to her, the main character moves to a secluded house in the forest of Lopez Island with her pet pig. Here she hopes to be left alone, but unfortunately that is not in the cards. Also, bears. Sellman builds the sense of foreboding so well while tapping into some core female fears (and dark desires).

Another favorite, “Gava” by Vermulum (Pacific Northwest quirk: coffee, Washington location: Columbia River Jetty, Trope: “Shapechanger”), is an interesting twist on the selkie mythology weaving together relatable issues like an aging mother’s dementia with the more magical concept of shapeshifting.

Truly unique and wildly entertaining, Rain Shadows is a wonderful look at the spooky (if fictional) side of Washington state.

“We’re all just walking haunted houses–doomed to take people in, damage them, spit them back out until we’re leveled for something else. Plowed under for highways, stores, apartments.”
– from “Faultline” by Clay Vermulm