My Cemetery Friends Invites Readers Into a Living Museum of Memory and Compassion
Los Angeles, California Jan 28, 2026 (Issuewire.com) - My Cemetery Friends: A Garden of Encounters at Mount Saint Mary in Queens, New York by Vincent J. Tomeo is a contemplative and deeply human work that transforms a cemetery into a vibrant landscape of connection, reflection, and life. Through a series of encounters set along the pathways of Mount Saint Mary Cemetery, the chapbook honors the bonds that unite families, friends, veterans, and strangers across generations.
Rather than focusing on loss alone, My Cemetery Friends presents the cemetery as a living museum where stories converge. The work explores how chance meetings and shared histories create a six degrees of separation effect, revealing how one encounter can lead to another, and how compassion bridges time, memory, and identity. Tomeos prose and poetry celebrate nature, humanity, and the overlooked lives that quietly shape collective history.
The book pays special tribute to the military, the forgotten, and the unnamed, offering reverence without sentimentality. Each encounter serves as an invitation to pause, observe, and rediscover meaning in places often passed by without notice. The result is a poetic and reflective journey that affirms peace, empathy, and the enduring presence of those who came before.
Vincent J. Tomeo is a widely published poet, archivist, historian, and community activist. He taught American history in New York City public schools for 36 years and has volunteered at the 9/11 Tribute Center Museum at Ground Zero. His literary work has appeared in major publications, including The New York Times, and he has received more than 100 awards for his poetry and contributions to literature. His poem A View from a Tower in Calabria, Italy was sculpted into marble in Italy, marking a rare international honor.
My Cemetery Friends: A Garden of Encounters at Mount Saint Mary in Queens, New York has been archived in Vatican City and has received multiple literary seals, including recognition from Pacific Book Review, Hollywood Book Reviews, and the U.S. Review of Books. The book stands as a lasting testament to memory, compassion, and the quiet conversations that continue to shape the human experience.
Acclaimed horror novelist and U.S. Army veteran Vanessa M. Chattman returns with a chilling new supernatural tale that promises to haunt readers long after the final page. Her latest novel, BENEATH THE OAK, delivers a gripping blend of psychological terror, hidden family secrets, and ghostly suspensecementing Vanessa M. Chattmans reputation as one of the most compelling voices in modern horror.
Set in the quiet isolation of rural America, BENEATH THE OAK follows Alyssa Ward, a grieving woman forced to confront the shadows of her past when she returns to her childhood home after her mothers sudden death. What she expects to be a simple homecoming becomes a descent into a generational nightmare. The massive oak tree looming behind the houseonce a symbol of comfortnow pulses with an eerie, oppressive presence. At night, whispers seep from its roots, and ghostly silhouettes gather beneath its branches, watching, waiting.
As Alyssa sorts through her mothers belongings, she discovers a series of journals revealing a dark family curse tied to the ancient tree. For generations, the Ward family has been tormented by a spirit bound to the oakone that selects a single family member to keep beneath its roots. When Alyssa begins experiencing visions of a young girl calling her name, begging for release, she realizes the curse is awakening once more.
The deeper Alyssa digs into her familys past, the more the veil between the living and the dead unravels. The spirit beneath the oak soon reveals its true identitysomeone Alyssa once knew, someone she unknowingly abandoned. To break the curse, Alyssa must confront buried memories, longforgotten guilt, and a supernatural force determined to claim her as its next offering. The battle becomes not only for her life, but for her soul.
Vanessa M. Chattmans signature styleatmospheric, emotionally charged, and rooted in psychological horrorshines throughout BENEATH THE OAK. Known for her ability to blend haunting imagery with human vulnerability, Chattman crafts a narrative that is both terrifying and profoundly intimate. Her exploration of grief, memory, and generational trauma elevates the novel beyond traditional horror, offering readers a story that is as thoughtprovoking as it is chilling.
With a growing body of acclaimed work spanning supernatural fiction, psychological thrillers, and cinematic screenplays, Vanessa M. Chattman continues to push the boundaries of the genre. BENEATH THE OAK stands as one of her most powerful works to datea haunting reminder that the past never truly stays buried, and some spirits refuse to be forgotten.
BENEATH THE OAK is now available through major retailers and online platforms. Readers seeking a gripping, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant supernatural horror experience will find themselves captivatedand hauntedby Vanessa M. Chattmans latest masterpiece.
