“When I Catch You” in Hideous Horrors; “A Soliloquy of Tongues” for Shakespeare Unleashed

Posted on 2022-06-23 by Hailey Piper novelette short story

Late into June, I have two new stories out!

The first is a new novelette, “When I Catch You,” about a woman being followed, the ghost of an ex-lover, and the mystery of eyes in the dark. You can find it alongside stories by over a dozen incredible authors in The Hideous Book of Hidden Horrors, the first publication of Bad Hand Books. Check it out at Barnes & Noble.

I’m also appearing in the new Crystal Lake Publishing anthology Shakespeare Unleashed. The book itself won’t be out until 2023, but my Hamlet-inspired short story has been put up online for free as a teaser. Check out “A Soliloquy of Tongues” here.

Queen of Teeth audio news; LOHF Awards

Things have been true chaos of late, between novel edits and short story work and the world, so I’m a little behind on site news. Here’s a wonderful piece: after many, many requests, my Bram Stoker Award-winning novel Queen of Teeth will finally be coming to audio! Expect a production and release from Tantor Audio in the future, with the sci-fi horror romance vagina monster story of Yaya, Doc, and Magenta nipping at your ears.

In more recent news, I’m honored to see Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy nominated for the Ladies of Horror Fiction Award for Best Collection 2021 and Queen of Teeth nominated for the Ladies of Horror Fiction Award for Best Debut 2021, in both cases alongside stunning company.

Audiobook: Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing; Tor Nightfire article

Posted on 2022-05-23 by Hailey Piper Announcement article novel novella queen of teeth your mind is a terrible thing

Narrated by Laura Lockwood

It’s early, but the audiobook for my new space horror novella Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing is out! Find it on Libro.FM + Audible + other sites! Laura Lockwood gives a stellar narration following the plight of Alto, Esme, and Zelany against the horrors on the M.G. Yellowjacket.

Proud to share that I’m not represented by Lane Heymont of The Tobias Literary Agency. I’m excited for what lies ahead!

Also, since I won a Stoker and lost a bet with my wife, I had to make a deleted scene from Queen of Teeth public. Thankfully Tor Nightfire was happy to host, so check out Yaya Betancourt Dreams of Teeth (Or, How to Kill a Toothy Darling).

Bram Stoker Award for Queen of Teeth

Posted on 2022-05-16 by Hailey Piper award novel queen of teeth short story

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.

Release day: Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing

Posted on 2022-05-07 by Hailey Piper novella your mind is a terrible thing

Release day, at last!

From Off Limits Press, publisher of The Worm and His Kings, my fourth novella heads to space in Your Mind Is a Terrible Thing and it’s out today with brilliant cover art by A.A. Medina!

Communications specialist Alto’s shift aboard the starship M.G. Yellowjacket turns hellish after waking from a tryst to learn every crewmate has vanished. Worse, a sinister presence has crawled aboard the ship. It’s violent, destructive, and it can reach into your thoughts to make you see and feel what it wants.

Anxiety-ridden Alto might be the least-qualified person to face a creature that can hack minds like computers. Only a perilous journey to the ship’s bridge can reunite comms specialist with crew and give them a chance to call for help.

But the intruder only scratches the surface of this crisis, and discovering the truth will bring Alto face to face against a nightmare beyond flesh and thought.

“Hailey Piper boards a starship where the most terrifying part of the voyage isn’t the cargo hold full of corpses, the tentacled creatures that stalk the pod bays, or their mysterious, otherworldly master, but the depths of the human psyche. An intriguing blend of b-movie scifi and incisive, soul-baring reflection.” – Adam Cesare, author of Video Night and Clown in a Cornfield

Paperback available now from Barnes & Noble and paperback and ebook on Amazon.

“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.

No Gods for Drowning cover reveal

Posted on 2022-03-09 by Hailey Piper no gods for drowning novel

This week LGBTQreads kindly revealed the cover art to my upcoming horror noir dark fantasy novel No Gods for Drowning, and they included a little from me talking about the book too!

This elegant artwork is by Mimi Bark, bearing the nine-pointed star of Logoi the Many-Headed.

No Gods for Drowning is my longest novel to date, a morally gray story of killers and detectives, of sea monsters and blood gods, and I can’t wait to share with you.

Paperback preorders are up on Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Amazon, Target and eventually ebook and the like too!

No Gods for Drowning releases from Polis Books on September 20, 2022.

Hailey Piper