novella

“The Ruins of Elfland,” Even the Worm Will Turn audiobook

My final (I’m pretty sure) short story of 2023 released today in The Seventh Terrace’s new anthology, Solstice in Purgatory, a flash fic snowstorm of winter holiday horror. My tale, “The Ruins of Elfland,” shows the secret cost of Christmas in a world going cold for the sake of toys.

Also, on Halloween the audiobook for Even the Worm Will Turn released from Tantor! Allyson Voller reprises her role as narrator from The Worm and His Kings to bring this sequel to audio, and she’ll be returning for the final book next year, Song of the Tyrant Worm.

Audio at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, LibroFM

2024 title reveals: Worm 3, new TPONG

Two pieces of exciting news!

First, the title reveal for the final book in The Worm and His Kings trilogy from Off Limits Press: Song of the Tyrant Worm is coming in spring 2024, concluding the queer cosmic horror trilogy with a mind-bending bang!

Next, my debut novella The Possession of Natalie Glasgow has been out of print for a bit, but it’s at last coming back next summer when Rooster Republic Press (publisher of Queen of Teeth) unleashes my new collection, The Ghostlands of Natalie Glasgow. Check out that beautiful cover art by Nicholas Day!

This is a little different than your usual collection. It includes the original TPONG novella, along with six new interconnected stories (one of them a novelette) involving the characters of TPONG in years-spanning encounters with hauntings, possessions, and the unexplained.

Also exciting, pre-orders are up for the hardcover, which comes in the standard hardcover (can be ordered until April 30th, 2024) and the deluxe edition, of which there will only be 30 copies. There won’t be more of these later, and they’ll ship ahead of the wider paperback and ebook releases in summer 2024. Check it out here!

Release day: Even the Worm Will Turn; announcements

Release day at last, it’s here: Even the Worm Will Turn is out today from Off Limits Press!

Four years after the events of The Worm and His Kings, Donna Ashton ekes out a life far removed from her troubled past, only to be abducted one December night by a monster in man’s skin.

Held prisoner by operatives of a clandestine research facility and drugged into a sickened state, each day brings questioning and punishment. Escape should be possible when Donna faces only mortal hands this time, but the more she sees, the worse her mind splinters with horrific understanding.

This facility has punched a hole in space and time. Within it lie secrets mankind should never know of a darkness beyond the universe, the legacy of the almighty Worm, and revelations behind Donna’s ordeal four years ago which now might get her killed.

The ebook is up on Amazon, and you can grab the paperback from Barnes and Noble, Bookshop, and Little District Books, among other indie bookstores.

And joining the release is a cool announcement: an audiobook for Even the Worm Will Turn is coming from Tantor Media in the near future! They’ll also be producing audiobooks for the third book in The Worm and His Kings series, as well as Cranberry Cove.

What’s Cranberry Cove? My just-announced supernatural crime novella releasing in early 2024 from Bad Hand Books. More details on that to come, but signed paperback pre-orders are available in limited quantity right now from the publisher.

 

Upcoming: AuthorCon 2023

AuthorCon 2023 is coming to Williamsburg, Virginia, from March 31st to April 2nd, a charity event and convention hosted by Scares That Care. I’ll be there signing books, selling books, talking horror, all kinds of cool stuff as one of the guests of honor (see the full roster over at the site, and get tickets!). Hope to see you there!

In other news, the paperback pre-order for Even the Worm Will Turn is up at Barnes & Noble. Book 2 of The Worm and His Kings series releases April 22nd from Off Limits Press!

A Light Most Hateful on Paste’s Most Anticipated

Overjoyed to see Paste has included A Light Most Hateful in its “Most Anticipated Horror Books of 2023.” From the article:

“Hailey Piper might be the reigning queen of great horror titles, and now the author of Queen of Teeth and No Gods for Drowning is back with yet another instantly compelling new book.

Set in a quiet Pennsylvania town, A Light Most Hateful follows a young runaway who must reckon with her own past even as a massive storm washes a monster into her community, enslaving the locals and leaving her fighting to survive. A great title, a great concept, and Piper’s elegant prose all in one package. Sign us up.”

This year is going to be quite a beast for the genre. I’ve read a couple of the titles here already and they’re fantastic. A Light Most Hateful releases October 10, 2023 from Titan Books.

And glancing back to last year, it’s very cool to see space horror tale Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing on The Line-Up’s “Best Horror Novellas of 2022.” From the article:

“A spectacular story that delves deep into anxiety and isolation through sublime body horror while weaving an intense mystery that crawls under your skin and into your brain.”

Upcoming: A Light Most Hateful; TPONG re-release

As things move ahead with A Light Most Hateful, I’ve added a page for it including release date and plot details. I’ll add cover art once that’s been revealed, but for now I’m happy to share the release date!

A Light Most Hateful will release on October 10, 2023 from Titan Books! Pre-order in paperback/ebook at Barnes & Noble and Amazon

I’ll share more on that, and other upcoming 2023 releases (Cruel Angels Past Sundown and Even the Worm Will Turn) once they’re public.

And one more piece of news: my first novella The Possession of Natalie Glasgow went out of print last year. I’m delighted to share its new publisher has been announced. Rooster Republic will be re-releasing this tale of possession and witchcraft in 2024, as both a limited edition hardcover and later in paperback. It was a joy to work with them on Queen of Teeth and I couldn’t be happier we’re working together again. The hardcover pre-order should be up late this year, so stay tuned!

Fangoria, TPONG, and Hideous Horrors

A couple of quick things to share!

Excited to see Fangoria reporting on A Light Most Hateful movie rights being picked up! So excited! The book releases in 2023, and I’ll keep things up to date with both novel and movie news to come.

As some might have noticed, my first novella The Possession of Natalie Glasgow is now out of print. It’s been picked up by a publisher who can hopefully be named later this year or early next year. Expect to see a new edition in 2024. In the meantime, it’s only available via the audiobook narrated by Gemma Amor + stray paperbacks in bookstores.

My The Hideous Book of Hidden Horrors story “When I Catch You” appeared in this star-studded list, “15 Of the Scariest Short Stories to Read This Halloween (And Where to Find Them)” on Paste. Check it out, and the other stories on the list!

Into the Halloween Season 2022

September’s end is upon us as we enter the Halloween season! I’ll be part of numerous upcoming events, which I’ll share about soon.  In the meantime, a few recent releases:

Last week my new novel No Gods for Drowning released from Polis Books.

But so did El Gusano y Sus Reyes, the Spanish language edition of my 2020 cosmic horror novella The Worm and His Kings. Published by Dilatando Mentes Editorial in a new hardcover volume, with art by Raúl Ruiz and a translation by Alexander Páez, I’m excited a new audience can gain access to the story of Monique’s search for Donna beneath 1990 Manhattan.

On September 25, the sapphic horror anthology Moonflowers and Nightshade released, edited by Samantha Kolesnik. My story “A Change in Universal Flavor” appears among 18 tales of queer horror, following a young woman who encounters a shift in the heavens while being blackmailed by authorities.

On September 27, Chiral Mad 5 released from Written Backward, featuring a roster of incredible authors like Stephen King, Victor LaValle, Linda Addison, Josh Malerman, and many more. My story “Sable’s Bestiary for Those Who Remain” is a help guide telling how to survive an apocalypse brought on by strange light and stranger creatures.

Lastly, in time with my recent novel release, CrimeReads was kind enough to host my article “10 Shadowy Meetings of Crime and the Occult” which delved into ten stories/books mixing crime and horror.