Chasing Moonflowers: A Gothic Historical Fantasy
Pauline Chow
ISBN 978-1-964733-03-6
Author statement: “I wrote Chasing Moonflowers to bridge worlds: the eldritch horror of Lovecraft and the ancient, precolonial lore of Hong Kong’s gods. As a daughter of immigrants, I wanted to explore a heritage often obscured by imperialism, weaving it into a gothic mystery where the true horror isn’t a monster, but a stolen history. This is a ‘coming of power’ story where my heroine must embrace the gray areas of her legacy. I wrote the book to subvert the common tropes of self-sacrifice for female heroines and using colonialism more than a backdrop for scary monsters.”
The Dream Mirrors: A Metaphysical Mystery of Magick
Megan Mary
ASIN B0FB11Z3LS
Author statement: “In The Dream Mirrors, there are two pivotal scenes. One is a fire. The second is a supernatural attack at the mysterious Skye manor, which causes all the mirrors in the bedroom hallway to shatter. In the early hours of a mid-January morning, I was working on the book. The planets of Mars, Venus, and Saturn aligned in the sky over our house. A portable battery caught fire in our bathroom, which not only destroyed the vanity, but also shattered the mirrors. It was only through my husband’s quick thinking, the protection of our spirit guides, and the synchronistic alignment of all planets that The Dream Mirrors was published, and our house and cats were saved.”
The Flowers I Deserve
Tamara Jerée
ASIN B0FMNMWNNR
Author statement: “The title for The Flowers I Deserve came to me early in the drafting process and guided the narrator’s character arc. One of the main thematic elements is the tension between the narrator’s desire for validation and society’s belief that her unique immunity is proof that she’s connected to evil forces. Her lesbian awakening begins with a dream, just as mine did, and the women of the castle become her shadow guides as she navigates death, grief, and desire in true gothic fashion.”
Hell’s Island
William Hardy
ISBN 978-1649-795-601
Author statement: “After many visits to the
South Carolina coastal sea islands, I became familiar with the Gullah Geechee customs and beliefs which inspired me to write Hell’s Island and the Gullah Gravestones series. I like to write about ordinary people who experience a frightening, unbelievable supernatural event while employing subplots to give mystery and suspense to the horror. My writing technique is simple: I let storymaking ideas come into my head before falling asleep at night, and after many nights and enough ideas, I write the book”
Inferno’s Silence
Rainer Meri
ISBN 978-1-0682964-0-6
Author statement: “The idea for the book grew from a mix of my fascination with the history of Eastern Europe and the region’s present reality, aiming to convey both people’s frustration and their apathy towards corrupt governments. In many ways, I explored these themes through the lens of horror, letting oppression become a monstrous presence, authority fester like a rotting corpse, and the silence of the powerless echo louder than any scream in the dark.”
Itchiwan
J.J. Cunis
ASIN B09S1YJRCH
Author statement: “In 1968, four 13-year-old boys of diverse racial backgrounds—two Wampanoag twins,
Amos and Vern; an Irish Catholic kid from Southie, Timmy (middle-
class summer cottage people); and a WASP, Brett—meet on Cape Cod and form an unlikely bond that lasts a lifetime. In the summer of 1968, the boys are inseparable. They do things, which lead them to try other things, and as a result find something, which ultimately leaves them having opened Pandora’s box, a box which will take them
24 years and two lifetimes to close... or so they think.”
Killer Personality
Steven Fisher
ASIN B0FKVQBTQV
Author statement: “A young man named Kevin meets lovely Olivia in a bar—a random event, or so he thinks. They fall in love. But she turns out to be someone different than he thought, someone lethal. He goes on the road seeking to find out her true identity. It leads him down a trail of Olivia’s past, where bodies have a way of resurfacing. By day, I am a mild-mannered CEO of a global electronics company. I tend to write in the mornings and really enjoy the balance between my business career and my writing career.”
The Malevolent
P.F. Roquelaure
ISBN 978-1-5092-6156-7
Author statement: “In 1983, Griffin Andrew Meade moves to Bartholomew Bay, settling into Antioch, the ancestral mansion of the wealthy Bartholomew family. Unbeknownst to him, he soon discovers it is haunted by a restless spirit. I have been fascinated with gothic horror since I was young but was dismayed that there was sparse LGBTQ+ representation in the genre, so I have committed that all my speculative fiction novels have LGBTQ+ protagonists and themes.”
Midnight of the Soul: The Hours between Dreams & Death
Nicholas J. Nawroth
ISBN 978-1-956850-27-7
Author statement: “Drawing from my lifelong fascination with mythology and dreams, Midnight of the Soul follows Anna, a young spellcaster with amnesia, as she journeys through dreamlike realms inspired by Egyptian mythology. Guided by supernatural beings and encountering the spirits of
her lost family members, she uncovers her true identity and magical heritage. Anna’s quest culminates in a confrontation with
a powerful dark force, as she battles to
save herself and confront the mysteries of her past.”
Red-Eyed Flight
William Mierzejewski
ISBN 978-1-5457-6317-9
Author statement: “Two years have passed since Liam and Boo’s first encounter with the beast in Iron River, Michigan. A year later, they were lucky to survive the ghastly and elaborate trap that awaited them inside the ruinous hallways of the Elk’s Estate in Pennsylvania. After nothing but horrible experiences over the past two consecutive summers, the family decides to spend their entire vacation close to home. Summer in their hometown of Chicago is going well, until something evil descends into their backyard. This time, Liam and Boo will discover their hidden family legacy. Most importantly, they will learn that the last line of defense is self-defense.”
Scare Record
Michael James Rogers Jr.
ISBN 978-1-64378-976-7
Author statement: “It started with the need
of a new monster. I rediscovered the image of an ad for a vintage haunted house sound effects record. That’s when I came across the Gayle House Haunting. I felt there would be a large following from vintage horror and comic book collectors who only needed to be reminded of its existence. I watched the story unfold in my head as I drove across the United States. I immediately started writing when I stopped for my ten-hour breaks. I began seeing the story in my head reveal itself like l was taking dictation. It seemed to be writing itself!”
Terror in Tuscany
Kirsten Pistorius
ASIN B0FH4RV3MJ
Author statement: “Terror in Tuscany: The Crimson Vines was inspired by my love for the Tuscan landscape—its vineyards, rustic villas, and ancient legends. I felt the beauty of the region held a haunting undercurrent, as if every stone wall had a story to tell. That tension between breathtaking charm and whispered danger became the heart of my novel.”
A Time of Blood and Dying
Paul Lonardo
ASIN B0FP3C59K2
Author statement: “A Time of Blood and Dying
is a collection of 22 all-new dark fantasy and horror short stories, many of which have appeared in various horror magazines and ezines this year. Once a seed for a story gets in my
brain, it starts to germinate and the writing process begins. If this nascent idea for a story is not cultivated,
it will wither on the creative vine and die. Whether you call it a muse, an inner voice, or some other mysterious force whispering in a writer’s ear, wherever inspiration comes from, it cannot be denied. Maybe all people hear these whisperings, but a writer cannot simply dismiss them.”
The Wretched and Undone
J. E. Weiner
ISBN 978-1-963452-10-5
Author statement: “There was one story that surfaced from multiple sources that inspired The Wretched and Undone. Several witnesses described strange encounters with a mysterious woman in white on an old cattle ranch near Bandera, Texas. She would often come to call, drifting across the fields and hills or silently imploring sleepy guests for help, terrifying one and all. I soon learned that this woman, the likely victim of a murder-suicide at the turn of the 20th century, was no stranger to the ranch or the residents of Bandera. Who was she? What brought her to this desolate scrap of land? And why won’t she leave? Cue my decision to write this book: this is a story worth telling.”
Young Adult
Below the Surface
Andrea Beck
ASIN B0FRVW85KZ
Author statement: “My debut YA novel, Below the Surface, had been residing in my head for over a decade before I finally found the time, in an empty-nest home, to transfer it onto paper. Years earlier, I found myself, a west coast Canadian, residing in a quaint, midwest American suburb when a teenage boy suddenly went missing. The local community rallied together to find him, but as the days passed, I began to feel increasingly estranged as an outsider. I wondered what it might be like to be both a newcomer and a classmate to this boy: Would suspicions, judgments, even accusations arise? These dark questions propelled my story.”
The Little Things that Kill: A Teen Friendship Afterlife Apology Tour
Annie Fox
ASIN B0DDM7WP1Q
Author statement: “A teenage drama queen who finds herself in an afterlife realm must piece together the mystery of what happened to her—from beyond the grave. With three first-person narrators (all unreliable), I gave myself a massive challenge with this novel. One that took years to complete. Would I construct the plot that way again? Definitely. Each character has her own closely guarded secrets and needs her own voice.”
Never Have I Ever
Harker Jones
ASIN B0DL4JBVHV
Author statement: “Trust no one. Because it could be anyone. When eight teenagers in a small Michigan town start receiving texts urging them to play Never Have I Ever, they find themselves caught up in a deadly game of secrets, repentance, and retribution that may be connected to a girl who disappeared the year before. I first wrote Never Have I Ever when I was 17 and living on a dirt road in Michigan. I had just graduated high school and had been writing since I was 13. Bored, I decided to jump in with a horror story that takes place in my hometown.”
