The Connections We Keep is a collection of horror short stories by Pauline Yates.
Step into a world where the ties that bind—love, family, and memory—twist into something far more chilling, and discover what really lurks in the shadows of human connection.
This collection of short stories explores the intricate and often chilling ties that bind people together, whether through blood, love, or the strange and supernatural. Each tale in this collection delves into the darker aspects of human connection, where fear and longing intertwine.
From unsettling familial bonds to the eerie relationships people have with their memories and bodies, these stories confront the terrifying and inexplicable aspects of life.
A mother feels phantom pains as her daughter goes into labor; a dollhouse harbors sinister secrets; a dying man confronts the horrors of his last wish. In every story, the connections that once felt comforting or familiar warp into something far more unsettling.
Yet, there is beauty in these bonds—fragile and terrifying, they reveal deep truths about our humanity. This is a collection for those who find themselves drawn to the shadows, where fear is not just an emotion but a bond that ties us all together.
Winner Indies Today Awards 2026 Best Horror
Short Stories, Horror, Horror Short Story Collection
About The Author
Pauline Yates is an award-winning author from Australia.
She has a passion for crafting immersive character-driven stories in dark speculative worlds, and her work spans novels, novellas, short fiction, and poetry, often exploring themes of memory, identity, and the uncanny.
Her titles include Memories Don’t Lie (BookFest Book Awards winner), Shattered (Aurealis Awards winner), The Connections We Keep (Indies Today Awards winner), and Dream Job.
Her short fiction and poetry appear in many quality publications and anthologies, and have won or been shortlisted in their respective categories for awards including Aurealis Awards, BookFest Book Awards, Australasian Shadows Awards, American Legacy Book Awards, Indies Today Awards, and the Australian SF ‘Ditmar’Awards.
