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

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.

Book announcement, “Life Begins at Injection” in Lost Contact

Proud to announce that my fourth novella will release from Off Limits Press! Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing will take you into the stars and through the depths of your psyche. Stay tuned for release date, cover reveal, and more info to come!

I also have a new story out, second to last of the year, and it’s a pretty special one! “Life Begins at Injection” is a prequel story to my recent novel Queen of Teeth. If you haven’t read the book yet, don’t worry, the story spoils nothing. If you have read it, you’ll get some more info on what happened 9 years previous from an important character’s point of view.

You can find the story in the last of PMMP’s Lost trilogy, Lost Contact, along with many other fantastic stories of dark sci-fi and tech.

I also appeared on Ghoulish to talk about Queen of Teeth, the short story, and women in transformation, plus a tidbit about the new upcoming novella. Check it out!

“Magic Loves the Hungry” in A Conjuring for All Seasons; Library Journal article

A new novelette emerges! Cemetery Gates Media has released A Conjuring for All Seasons, an anthology of five dark witch novelettes with an incredible table of contents. “Magic Loves the Hungry” opens the book with a story of rejection, predation, and horrors both extraordinary and very human.

I also had the honor of writing an article for Library Journal about my debut novel Queen of Teeth which released earlier this year. Hailey Piper on Combining Romance and Horror is free to read on the Library Journal website!

“The Median King” in Diabolica Americana; Chicago Public Library panel

Happy November, all! Hope you had a fantastic Halloween. I have a new story out; it released last week, but things were a bit chaotic. Find my story of curses and concrete, “The Median King,” in Diabolica Americana, a charity anthology of American horror stories.

Give it a read!

Also, I had the pleasure of joining award-winning and bestselling authors Alma Katsu and Stephen Graham Jones in a roundtable Halloween horror talk hosted by the Chicago Public Library and moderated by Becky Spratford.

You can check it out here on Youtube!

Queen of Teeth translation + new stories

Bunch of new things today, starting with the announcement that Queen of Teeth will be joining The Worm and His Kings in upcoming Spanish editions from the wonderful Dilatando Mentes Editorial. They do a beautiful job with their translations and releases, and I’m looking forward to seeing these books join their line-up.

Next, new stories! First, my tale of manipulation and monstrous love, “End-Times Magic” appears in the new Dark Dispatch: Deadly Love.

After that, I have a weird post-apocalyptic dark fantasy, “In the Land of Ash, Where the Light Is God,” appearing in 2021’s final issue of Boneyard Soup Magazine.

“Queen of the Cloven Heart” in Dark Matter Magazine; “An Invitation to Darkness” on Tales to Terrify

Happy Halloween month! It’s the best time of year for us horror lovers, a time where we can creep out of the closets and crawl up from under the beds and be absolutely obnoxious about our love for all things that go bump in the night. You know, more than usual.

I have a new story and an old story to start this October. Dark Matter Magazine is usually more leaning toward dark sci-fi, but they have a special Halloween issue out this month, and for a limited time, it’s free to read online, but you can also get a digital edition (and audio later). It’s loaded with beautiful art and horrifying stories, including my medieval vampire tale “Queen of the Cloven Heart.”

Let’s then swing it over to Tales to Terrify, where my 2019 novelette “An Invitation to Darkness” has been brought to life in audio. Heather Thomas shines from beginning to end; it’s a glorious narration, and whether you’re new to Leavenworth Manor or an old visitor, hearing it this way it’s a lovely treat.

Lastly, it’s been three years since the release of my first novella, The Possession of Natalie Glasgow!

“The Thread That Dreams Are Made Of” in What One Wouldn’t Do

Likely both the last update and last story of September 2021, I have a new strange short out in the anthology What One Wouldn’t Do, about hard choices and the people who make them. It has a wonderful TOC of amazing talent, and you can find my fantasy/crime story “The Thread That Dreams Are Made Of” inside. Take a dash of fairy tale, some mob family vengeance, and maybe a dream or two, plus a nightmare. Check it out in paperback or ebook!

“There Will Always Be Men Like Johnny” in Hymns of Abomination; Queen of Teeth on ebook

September is here, aka Halloween Month Eve, and I have a new short story out. Hymns of Abomination: Secret Songs of Leeds is a tribute anthology to Matthew Bartlett, packed with bizarre horror that squirms and writhes through the fictional region of Leeds. My murderous story “There Will Always Be Men Like Johnny” tells of half measures and full horrors. It’s a bit personal, a bit farfetched, and I’m proud to be on such an incredible TOC. The ebook is out now, with the paperback coming sometime in the future.

Check it out on Kindle!

In other news, Queen of Teeth has been available for a lovely tentacle-filled month in paperback. Well, the story’s monster has only grown her reach, as now she’s available in ebook too!