“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!

Paperback release: Queen of Teeth

My debut novel, Queen of Teeth, has released in paperback from Rooster Republic Press via their imprint Strangehouse Books! Paperback available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and indie bookstores!

Follow Yaya Betancourt’s saga from her discovery of vagina dentata to being hunted by the most powerful corporation in America. Set in alternative present day Newark, New Jersey, a genetic dystopia seeks to swallow Yaya up in its new experiments, but as her condition grows tentacles, horns, and a mind of its own, we’ll see who eats and who gets eaten.

“A powerful, beautiful horror story.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“One of the best horror horror books of 2021.” – Rue Morgue

“If there’s such a thing as defiant horror, Hailey Piper’s Queen of Teeth must be its gold standard. This bold, visceral story about the right to one’s own body is equal parts heartfelt and brilliant – and most importantly, razor-sharp.”

– Nadia Bulkin, author of She Said Destroy

“Hailey Piper’s debut novel, Queen of Teeth, is a gorgeous, wonderfully weird tale that does not hesitate to take readers into a unique, magenta-colored dystopia. Not a single word is wasted. Every moment propels us along into a battle for control, a search for identity, and the need to transform into something bold and true. Piper’s wit, razor-sharp imagination, and dedication to her craft are so brilliantly centered throughout the entire book. A true becoming is a bloody, beautiful, and sinewy kind of change — arrive hungry, pick up this book, and make your world a better place.”

– Sara Tantlinger, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Devil’s Dreamland
Queen of Teeth by Hailey Piper is so fucking good, and so fucking gay, that I am absolutely in awe. Like a city-destroying monstrosity secreted within a human form, this dystopian body horror story conceals layers upon layers of romance, tragedy, guilt, and what it means to be human. I would happily be devoured by it again and again.”
– Lindsay King-Miller, author of Ask a Queer Chick

Ebook pre-order at Amazon (releases September 1, 2021)

 

“Unkindly Girls,” LOHF Awards 2020

So honored to learn that “Unkindly Girls,” my story from last year’s Worst Laid Plans anthology, has won the Ladies of Horror Fiction Award 2020 for Best Short Story. All the nominees are amazing, and I’m truly grateful for this. I owe thanks not only to LOHF, but Grindhouse Press for publishing, Sadie Hartmann for her grand introduction, and most of all the brilliant Samantha Kolesnik, not only the anthology’s editor, but producer behind the Worst Laid Plans motion picture coming from GenreBlast Films, of which “Unkindly Girls” will be a segment.

Queen of Teeth – paperback pre-order live

The pre-order for QUEEN OF TEETH in paperback is live on Amazon! Releasing on August 1st, this mix queer body horror novel has been call “a powerful, beautiful horror story” by Kirkus in a starred review and “one of the best horror books of 2021” in Rue Morgue.

Only two weeks left to pre-order!

Queen of Teeth by Hailey Piper is so fucking good, and so fucking gay, that I am absolutely in awe. Like a city-destroying monstrosity secreted within a human form, this dystopian body horror story conceals layers upon layers of romance, tragedy, guilt, and what it means to be human. I would happily be devoured by it again and again.”
– Lindsay KingMiller, author of Ask a Queer Chick

 

“Wife-Beast of Eden” in The Bad Book

New story, probably the only one for July. Bible tales retold as horror stories fill The Bad Book, edited by John F.D. Taff, with my Genesis story “Wife-Beast of Eden” tackling serpentine secrets and marital terrors.

Also, two weeks until my debut novel Queen of Teeth releases in paperback!

Announcement: Cruel Angels Past Sundown

On the short road left until my debut novel Queen of Teeth releases in paperback (August 1st!), I’m thrilled to announce the title and publisher of my upcoming 2023 novel.

Cruel Angels Past Sundown is a splatter western coming from Death’s Head Press. You can’t survive the slaughter without getting blood on your hands. More details to come, but keep an eye out in 2022.

Queen of Teeth release dates update; Pride Month stories

“… one of the best horror books of 2021.” – Rue Morgue

My debut novel from Strangehouse Books, Queen of Teeth, is closer than ever now! Limited hardcover orders carry on to the end of June, and now we have new release dates for other version.

Paperback: August 1, 2021

Ebook: September 1, 2021

Kindle pre-orders are up on Amazon! Paperback soon to come!

I’m excited for readers to meet Yaya, Doc, and Magenta all the sooner!

In the short story realm, I have two new ones out for Pride Month! The first is not horror at all, strangely enough, but a steampunk western romance flash fic, “The Heart Is a Spare Part,” which appears in Baffling Magazine #4, available right now on their Patreon and then in July on their main page.

Next, The Wicked Library has unleashed their super-stuffed Pride Month Special, with stories by many wonderful queer horror authors. My sci-fi horror tale “A Little Too Late for Little Green Men” kicks off the festivities!