or those who aren't familiar with the term Croatoan, it plays a part in one of the most perplexing and unsettling mysteries of our country's early history: the lost colony of Roanoke Island.

After establishing a colony of settlers off the coast of North Carolina, providential governor John White left for England to gather much-needed supplies. Returning in 1590, much later than he had intended, he arrived at the settlement to find all of its inhabitants gone... as though they had vanished without a trace. The only clue that was found was the word Croatoan carved into a tree.

Even now, hundreds of years later, the origin and meaning of that strange word still conjures unsettling thoughts of the Lost Colony of Roanoke and sends a chill through the bones.

We picked Croatoan because of its bizarre history. It is a word that has become synonymous with mystery and the horror of the unexplained. The variety of dark fiction that Croatoan Publishing will offer will reflect the same feeling of horror and dread that White and his crew must have felt when they returned to Roanoke Island and found that all 117 colonists---men, women, and children---had vanished into thin air.

Croatoan Publishing is devoted to the well-established small press author, as well as those writing for the commercial mass market.
However, there will be times, as you will see in 2008, when we will invite one or more aspiring writers to join the Croatoan family.

Sadly, Croatoan Publishing is currently an "invitation only" publishing house. This enables the team to work, one-on-one, with the authors involved. We've assembled a respectable team of freelancers who will give the fans and writers the very best in any project.

Please be sure to listen to an excerpt of Ronald Kelly's novel, " Undertaker's Moon", read by audiobook narration master, Wayne June. Wayne has provided narration for such works as "Jurassic Park", H.P. Lovecraft's "The Dunwich Horror" and "The Call of Cthulhu", and " Ripper", just to name a few. Be sure to visit Wayne's site for more information.

Enjoy your stay.

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