writer. storyteller. magic-maker.
c. c. rayne
author of speculative, strange, and horror-filled fiction.
ABOUT C. C.
c. c. rayne is an author of all things weird, wonderful, and queer. rayne's works play in speculative spaces, and explore themes of monstrosity, identity, grief, obsession, and rage. rayne's tales often take curious and unconventional formats, such as letters, transcripts, and interactive questionnaires.rayne's writing has been nominated for a variety of awards in recent years. these include the Pushcart Prize (Estranged), Best Microfiction of 2023 (Held Barely At Bay) and Best of the Net 2024 (A Traveler's Guide to the Octagon).please feel free to scroll down to find examples and further listing of rayne's work, as well as a contact form for any professional inquiries.
The Suture Cycle
a sci-fi survival novelette
A nameless protagonist explores planets, collects dead bodies, and grows increasingly more suspicious of the motives of their maker, the genius inventor and brusque space pilot Vitch. As danger mounts, our protagonist must be willing to sacrifice and remake themselves - even though it may come at the cost of their own humanity. Published by dogleech books, 2025.
cover art by dre levant, 2025
Estranged
horror, 3.4K
Everett returns home from a worldwide voyage to find his long-lost sibling has left him a strangely vicious letter. A blood-soaked queer revenge fantasy in epistolary form.
Published in The Deeps issue 2, 2023.
Side Flash
FANTASY, >1K
When Alten's boyfriend vanishes, he'll stop at nothing short of witchcraft and weathervanes to bring him back. A gently magical tale of loss and love. Published in The Razor, 2023.
It Takes A Village
Horror, 3K
Patrick's parents search the strange town of Mahogany, in hopes of uncovering where he might have gone. An eerie, off-kilter piece of found fiction told through signs and sidequests. Published in Gone Lawn issue 54, 2024.
Two Transformations
FANTASY/HORROR, >1K
A duet of flash fiction pieces about gender, ritual, demonic possession, and Halloween costumes. Published in HADHAVEHAS, 2023.
OTHER Fiction / Short Stories
| Title | Publication | Keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Like The Rain That Floods The Fields | FEY: Butch Fairy Zine | eldritch bargains |
| END IN BLOODSHED | moth eaten mag issue ii | vampire lovers |
| Navigator | JAKE | sentient cars |
| Dr. Frankenstein Dabbles In Self-Discovery | TRANS RITES | gender envy |
| Held Barely At Bay | Icebreakers Lit | flesh house |
| A Traveler's Guide to the Octagon | underscore_magazine | steampunk satire |
| Our Yellowed Bones | Fish Gather to Listen | queer mermaids |
| For Specters and Spirits | Sublunary Review | ghost circus |
| How to Bury Your Body in Ten Easy Steps | Bowery Gothic | guilty secrets |
| Shovel Talk | Crow & Cross Keys | teenage rituals |
| Days of Creation | Wyldblood Press | surreal mythos |
| The Morning Demon | Tales from the Moonlit Path | dreamlike possession |
| The House Without Its Ghosts | Grim & Gilded | haunted renovations |
SEX / LOVE / MOVIES
The blurred lines of intimacy past and present; the mundanity and magic of the movie theater. Published in miniskirt magazine, 2024.
Bird For A Blood-Filled Mouth
An aching, gory poem about autonomy and hunger. Published in Strange Horizons, 2024.
prayer for spinsters
A eulogy and a celebration; a skeleton and a gravestone; a circle of the self. Published in Stone Circle Review, 2024.
OTHER POETRY
| Title | Publication | Keywords |
|---|---|---|
| a chain across the lips | Litmora Mag | breathless metal |
| Mrs. Taffety Politely Answers The Door | Heartlines Spec | motherly grief |
| The Cartography of Bodies | engendered* | trans-formation |
| lessons you'll learn from 12-22 | Snowflake Magazine | bittersweet joy |
| text messages from Persephone's burner phone | Aothen Magazine | distant friends |
| Set A Phone Reminder That You Will Die | Sage Cigarettes | short mortality |
| the rot, and whatnot | The Dread Machine | creeping mold |
| Narcissus In The Drag Show Dressing Room | Demons & Death Drops | fearsome mirrors |
| here, on the beach | moth eaten mag | apocalyptic tides |
| Two Poems | word west revue | sandswept myths |
| fallen far | Rough Cut Press | sight unseen |
| a message to our happy emotions | moth eaten mag | turbulent mind |
| Why We Killed The Creature | Eye to the Telescope | mob mentality |
| Letter to Every Star and Constellation | Spiritus Mundi | astronomical hope |
| Adam Discovers Humanity's Future Home | Soft Star Magazine | space for joy |