short story

Bram Stoker Award for Queen of Teeth

So something pretty cool happened this weekend:

At StokerCon 2022, members of the Horror Writers Association honored myself and Queen of Teeth with the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. 2021 was an incredible year for horror, easy to tell both by the ballot and outside it, and every novel nominated beside this one was an outstanding piece of horror. I’m honored to have stood with them and to have received this beautiful award, and I’m grateful to every reader who’s let this weird love story wind its tentacles around them. Thank you.

I can confirm at last that the award is not made of chocolate.

I also have a new story out as of last week, “In Thrall to This Good Earth,” part of the absolutely gorgeous Howls from the Dark Ages anthology of medieval horror. It’s a stellar table of contents and I’m joyful to be part of it.

“Small Handiwork” on The Grey Rooms

Posted on 2022-05-06 by Hailey Piper audio podcast short story

Two audio stories out today! My short WWII story “Small Handiwork” appears on The Grey Rooms with a marvelous adaptation and cast production.

Over at Dark Matter Magazine, the audio production for my 2021 coming-of-age sci-fi horror story “The House of Shapes” is available, and in celebration of tomorrow’s release of Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing, it’s free until May 15, so grab it up!

New stories, end of April

Posted on 2022-04-30 by Hailey Piper reprint short story

April is about over, and I have two new stories out (plus a reprint releasing tomorrow).

“Pleasant Guests With Better Games” marks my fourth appearance in the pages of Planet Scumm, this time Planet Scumm #13. Modern holiday meets ancient folklore in this tale of family and vengeance.

In the new Brigid’s Gate anthology Musings of the Muses, my 80th published short story appears on a glorious list of authors. “One Thousand Nights for Beloved Medusa” is a queer turn on the Medusa story, where myth clashes with the future.

Lastly, “Why We Keep Exploding” appears in Your Body Is Not Your Body, an all-trans horror anthology to benefit trans kids in Texas. Get amazing horror and help a good cause.

Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing releases in just a week! It’s up for pre-order at Barnes & Noble and Amazon. Ready your brains, and keep watching the skies!

April News

Posted on 2022-04-11 by Hailey Piper convention movie novelette

A little bit of news! A few days ago I appeared at AuthorCon, a new branch of Scares That Care, where I had the fortune of being a guest of honor alongside authors like Mary SanGiovanni, S.A. Cosby, Wrath James White, Josh Malerman, Grady Hendrix, C.V. Hunt, and more! It was my first public signing, first in-person reading, first in-personal, and it was all wonderful! Everyone was kind and patient, and it was just a lovely time all around. I also had a very cool sign designed by Cassie of Let’s Get Galactic:

In sadder news, due to production circumstances, “Unkindly Girls” will no longer be adapted as part of the film version of Worst Laid Plans. I wish everyone working on the movie the best. Film rights have been returned to me, so maybe “Unkindly Girls” will see the screen someday down a different avenue.

Lastly, I’ve signed with Death’s Head Press to publish three upcoming chapbooks! More details to come when available, but prepare for an ill-fated trio of queer horror and weird crime. On the Splatter Western, Death’s Head Press is all set to publish my third novel Cruel Angels Past Sundown in early 2023.

Lots of good thing to come!

“We Frolic Within the Leviathan’s Heart” in The Book of Queer Saints; “Anything to End the Loneliness” in The Wicked Library

Posted on 2022-03-30 by Hailey Piper novelette podcast short story

I have two new stories out to close up March!

First up, the much-anticipated release of The Book of Queer Saints! All queer creators, all stories of queer villains. My tale “We Frolic Within the Leviathan’s Heart” opens the book with a bit of seaside horromance and monsters, followed by 12 more lush stories to sink your teeth into.

Over at The Wicked Library, I have a new novelette out in the world! “Anything to End the Loneliness” is a story of longing and isolation, plus crawling things. This is my fourth published novelette, and I’m excited to share this deep story with listeners. Check it out on The Wicked Library site or on your favorite podcast app.

That will draw Women in Horror Month 2022 to a close, but remember to read women year round! More stories to come in April.

Stoker Award nominations, “Parasites of Silver and Gold” in Cosmic Horror Monthly

Posted on 2022-02-23 by Hailey Piper award novel novelette queen of teeth short story

I’m proud to share that my debut novel Queen of Teeth and my 2021 novelette “Recitation of the First Feeding” have each been nominated for a Bram Stoker Award, in the categories First Novel and Long Fiction respectively!

Honored to appear with these incredible talents on the final ballot, and grateful to all my readers! I’m so very fortunate.

Also, there’s a new story out in the latest issue of Cosmic Horror Monthly! I’m so honored to be featured, with the stellar cover art pertaining to my post-apocalyptic cosmic horror tale, “Parasites of Silver and Gold.”

You can check it out from here!

“Blame, Pain, and Selfishness” in A Woman Built by a Man

Posted on 2022-02-17 by Hailey Piper article collection no gods for drowning novel short story unfortunate elements of my anatomy

First story of 2022! This one appears in the new Cemetery Gates Media anthology A Woman Built by a Man. My story “Blame, Pain, and Selfishness” involves a fictional woman in a book written by a man, and how she’s unwilling to stay glued to the page. Check it out!

In other news, while the cover art is still forthcoming, paperback pre-orders are up for my late year noir/horror/dark fantasy novel No Gods for Drowning over at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop.org.

It releases September 20, 2022 from Polis Books!

Also check out this group interview with myself, Eve Harms, and Gretchen Felker-Martin with Lovecraft Arts & Sciences, Queer Art & Conventional Discomfort.

Lastly, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy made an appearance on Tor Nightfire’s Best Horror Short Story Collections and Anthologies 2021 list among a stunning lineup of titles, with shout-outs to “Demons of Particular Taste” and “Aggressive Mimicry.”

Queen of Teeth and “Recitation of the First Feeding” make the Stoker Preliminary Ballot

Posted on 2022-01-23 by Hailey Piper award novel novelette queen of teeth short story

I’m thrilled to share that my novel Queen of Teeth and “Recitation of the First Feeding” (from my collection Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy) have appeared on this year’s Bram Stoker Award Preliminary Ballot! Queen of Teeth appears in the Superior Achievement in a First Novel category, while “Recitation of the First Feeding” appears as a novelette in the Superior Achievement in Long Fiction category.

They appear with a feast of talents in every category, and I’m so proud to be among them. Voting will begin shortly to see which works make the final ballot and become Stoker nominees, but there’s more work to do between now and then, and a cool announcement to come this week. Keep an eye out!

Click here to read the full preliminary ballot!

“Feast for Small Pieces” on Pseudopod, TPONG audio update, 2021 lists

Posted on 2021-12-31 by Hailey Piper article audio audiobook flash fiction novella short story the possession of natalie glasgow

Last story of the year, and it’s about a favorite for many: “Feast for Small Pieces” opens my short story collection Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, and also opens the final 2021 episode of Pseudopod, Flash on the Borderlands LIX, which features four horrific flash fics for your listening pleasure.

In further audio news: previously available exclusively to Audible, The Possession of Natalie Glasgow audiobook, narrated by the brilliant Gemma Amor, is now available at a wide selection of online retailers, including Libro.FM!

In other news, Queen of Teeth had the good fortune to appear on a couple more end-of-year lists, and I’m immensely grateful:

– Kirkus Best Indie Books of 2021

– Autostraddle Best Queer Books of 2021

– The Lineup, 2021 Horror Book Highlights

Also, Book Riot recommended Unfortunately Elements of My Anatomy in their article Short Stories for Dark Nights.

That will do it for 2021. Thank you for all your support, and Happy New Year!

“The Unpleasant State of Beginning” in Vastarien; 2021 lists; 2022 upcoming

Posted on 2021-12-11 by Hailey Piper article novel novella short story

December is an appropriately cold time to bring my final short story of the year. “The Unpleasant State of Beginning” is only the first story in an incredible table of contents for Vastarien, Volume 4, Issue 2. After a young woman learns a recent murder victim bears her exact likeness, she journeys north searching for answers, into a cold forgotten past. Right now Grimscribe Press is offering digital copies as pay what you can, so check it out: Vastarien volume 4, issue 2

My short story collection, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy from The Seventh Terrace, recently appeared on the New York Public Library’s 2021 list of 100 Best Books for Adults.

Also, my first novel, Queen of Teeth from Rooster Republic, appeared on Library Journal’s list of Best Horror of 2021, one of ten superb horror books to release this year.

Finally, with the year soon coming to a close, I wanted to share some of what’s coming in 2022. I can’t say all the short stories, as some haven’t had their TOCs announced yet:

“An Engine of Pain” in Tales from Between (February 2022)

“We Frolic Within the Leviathan’s Heart” in The Book of Queer Saints (February 2022)

“Blame, Pain, and Selfishness” in A Woman Built by a Man (2022)

“Anything to End the Loneliness” on The Wicked Library (2022) (a new novelette!)

“Pleasant Guests with Better Games” in Planet Scumm #13 (Spring 2022)

“Sable’s Bestiary for Those Who Remain” in Chiral Mad 5 (2022)

“The Turning” in Other Terrors (July 2022)

And more to come. As for books, while no concrete release dates have been announced (updates will sprinkle in as we do release dates and cover reveals), here’s a general look at what’s next:

Quarter 1, 2022: Cruel Angels Past Sundown, a Splatter Western novel from Death’s Head Press

Also Quarter 1, 2022: The Worm and His Kings Spanish edition will release from Dilatando Mentes

Quarter 2, 2022: Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing, a space horror novella from Off Limits Press

Quarter 4, 2022: No Gods for Drowning, a horror/noir mystery/dark fantasy novel from Polis Books

That should do it for 2021. It’s been an incredible year, and I’m grateful for everything that’s come, and everything still to come. Thank you for reading.