Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …
Out now from author Stephanie Parent and Cemetery Gates Media, The Briars
Former ballerina Claire and dominatrix Ruby work at the Briars, a commercial dungeon in Los Angeles, which has been haunted by the benevolent spirit of its founder since her death in the 1990s. Yet with the arrival of a mysterious new submissive, the ghost’s behavior turns dangerous. As employees are injured, clients scared off, and the women’s livelihoods threatened, Ruby and Claire must work together to uncover the ghost’s sinister secrets.
Ruby and Claire enlist the help of their fellow sex workers to stop the increasingly violent ghost, and the women draw on their sisterhood as they take the offensive against their supernatural adversary. Meanwhile, the explosive chemistry between Ruby and Claire disrupts the identities both women have carefully constructed for themselves, and leads to a deep connection they will fight to preserve. As the ghost’s identity and its darkest intentions come to light, Claire, Ruby, and the other women at the Briars must access an inner strength they never imagined they possessed in order to save their dungeon, the women they love, and themselves. Available now in eBook and paperback editions, you can grab your copy here.
Coming 1 May from writer Rae Knowles and Brigids Gate Press, The Stradivarius
When a surprise inheritance and whirlwind romance offer Mae a chance to escape her repressive aunt, she’s all too eager to elope and start life anew in her childhood home. But when she and her new husband arrive, the towering Victorian sits in disrepair, and Mae learns that her father’s decade-old, unsolved murder is still a source of rumor and speculation in town.
Leading the charge to unravel the mystery surrounding her father’s death is Ollie, a vibrant genderqueer and an outsider in their hometown. Sure that solving the cold case will land them a coveted job in the police department, Ollie gains access to the Victorian by agreeing to do maintenance work on the property.
Inside, Mae is taunted by a feminine specter, soft voices from empty rooms, and distinct melodies of Lady Paola: the priceless, Stradivarius violin stolen the night of her father’s murder. Forte, mezzo-forte, the measured, andante cadence. Her hiss, her pull, her scream.
Mae fears the house is haunted by her father’s spirit, her husband believes she’s going the way of her mother–slipping into madness, but Ollie suspects something more sinister is at play. If Ollie and Mae can’t work together to uncover the Victorian’s secrets, Mae will join her mother in an institution or her father in the grave. Available for pre-order now in eBook, with a paperback edition to follow soon, you can guarantee your copy here.
Out now from writer Alex Ebenstein and Dread Stone Press, the new novella, Curse Corvus
A flock of birds fallen from the sky. A wedding dress, billowing with the specter of its deserter. On a hike that brings much more than stunning views and peace of mind, Lindsay and Val stumble on the secret to unadulterated happiness. Val is willing to pay the price. Lindsay is willing to do anything to stop her. In Curse Corvus, the fevered pursuit of happiness comes at a cost, and toxic positivity has never been more lethal. Available now in paperback and eBook editions, you can pick up your copy here.
Available 1 May from writer and poet Tiffany Michelle Brown, How To Be A Lovely Woman
A woman desperate to achieve the life she’s always dreamed of orders an AI baby online. Mounting workplace misogyny helps an introvert unlock her innate power. A woman obsessed with skincare goes to great lengths to rid her face of imperfections. A frat boy looking to score gets much more than he bargained for when a sexy coed turns the tables on him. Seeking relief from the pressures of everyday life, a woman checks into a hotel that caters to her dark predilections. Equal parts heartbreaking and grotesque, How Lovely To Be a Woman: Stories and Poems explores the everyday horrors of womanhood and delights in the monstrous ways women adapt, evolve, fight back, and survive. Available for pre-order now in eBook and paperback editions, you can guarantee your copy here.
New from writer Thomas Emson, Iron Bones
If books could kill… Rejected, reviled and ridiculed by publishers, would-be novelist Karen Davies one night excavates all of her fury and unleashes it on the page—creating a monster that proves to be a big hit with readers. But her imagination is so powerful, it appears to have conjured up her paranormal killer for real.
And soon, the supernatural psycho begins a campaign of terror and vengeance on anyone who criticizes his creator’s work. The more books Karen writes, the more bodies pile up—and the police seem incapable of solving the bloody murders and catching the unhinged avenger. Available now in eBook, you can grab your copy here.
Available now from author Sean Edward and Sley House Publishing, The Cartography Door
After a failed suicide pact with her father, Sarah is left to pick up the pieces of her fractured ego and memory. The problem is, they’re scattered between three planes; the real world, her dreams, and a place in between called ‘The Tunnels’.
Stalked relentlessly by an unseen creature and in constant battle with her own fleeting sense of reality, Sarah wanders the tunnels between worlds in search of relief. But as she travels further into the uncharted territories of the surreal, she learns that the beast may have more to do with her incomplete death than she previously understood, even worse, it can travel to places she thought were safe from its grasp.
Through a series of reflective conversations and a string of visceral hallucinations Sarah must unravel the strange story of her own death to reveal the beast’s obsession with her life–in doing so, she will learn that even your own shadow has things to hide. Available now in eBook and paperback, you can grab yours here.
New from author D. H. Gutierrez and Aklo House, Through Dry Places, a horror novelette
An old Spanish mission lies beneath the surface of a serene Texas lake, its secrets hidden for decades. The receding waters of a drought expose its ruins and it becomes the source of inspiration for Matthew, an urban explorer struggling to maintain his once-popular video channel.
Determined to make it his next big video, Matthew sets out to uncover the mystery surrounding San Lazaro. But as he delves deeper into the decrepit halls and forgotten rooms, he finds himself face-to-face with his own fears. Available now in eBook, you can grab your copy here.
Out now from writer C. M. Rosens, The Day We Ate Grandad, book three of the Pagham-on-Sea trilogy
Three possible futures. Two versions of the apocalypse. One chance to save the world. Wes Porter, a severely depressed insanity-inducing playboy, is detoxing from hallucinogens that have unlocked his ability to see versions of potential futures – and he’s just foreseen two ways the world could end. Normally, Wes would leave the hero bullshit to somebody else, but he can’t abdicate responsibility this time… not when both those apocalypses might be his fault.
With some prompting from a mythological bard-prophet who may or may not be real, and a lot of assistance from his monster-eating baby sister who desperately wants to move out of his apartment, and their soothsayer cousin who has his own demons to fight, Wes attempts to save [his] world… but have his poor decisions doomed them all? Available now in eBook and paperback editions, you can pick yours up here.
Come Hither No Malice, the new novelette by J. D. Buffington, out now
Perseus seeks to destroy the monstrous Gorgons. But not all monsters are beasts. Once a beautiful young woman—transformed after being attacked, cursed, and persecuted—Medusa presides over a haven for the abused. Their lives in each other’s hands, only patience, compassion, and their free will as mortals can break the cycle of cruelty. Available in eBook and paperback editions now, you can get yours here.
KEV HARRISON
