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The Fright Stuff

Belief, Grief, and The Shadow Glass: An Interview with Author Josh Winning

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

This week I had the absolute joy of of interviewing author Josh Winning, whose forthcoming novel The Shadow Glass (out March 22) is an 80’s fantasy nostalgia dream full of horror and magic that – as someone practically raised on 80’s fantasy films – has stolen my whole heart. I finished that book with so many (admittedly nerdy and obsessive) questions, and I can’t thank Josh Winning enough for indulging me by answering some of them.

The Shadow Glass is about a man who grew up in the shadow of his father’s fame – and infamy – trying to come to terms with the legacy he’s inherited now that his father is dead. But when the characters from his father’s movie suddenly come to life, Jack finds himself in the middle of an impossible battle to save an imaginary world, before both it and his own world are consumed by darkness.

Inside The Shadow Glass

Belief is a key element in a lot of fantasy fiction, and a recurring theme in a lot of the 80’s fantasy films that clearly inspired The Shadow Glass. But even though belief is also a central and critical theme in the book, Jack starts out the story as a sort of non-believer. Or, maybe more accurately, an ex-dreamer who has forgotten how to believe. Why was that journey for Jack – the journey to believe again – the story that you choose to tell?

JW: I think you hit the nail on the head there – Jack has forgotten how to dream. He’s become so cynical and jaded, he lacks any vision whatsoever. It’s crippled him. The idea of belief resonated with me because I think belief and love are interlinked. If you really believe in something — whether it’s a cause, or a TV show, or a certain philosophy — you probably love it, too. You become a fan. And that love is unifying.

There’s no love in Jack’s life, for himself or anybody else. It could be because he doesn’t believe in anything. He has no line in the sand. Nothing to champion and hold aloft as something that defines him. Basically, he has to commit to something, anything, in order to come back to life.

One final thought on that: I think belief is such an adult “problem” – as one character says in the book, when we grow up, we forget how to believe without question. We demand proof and explanation. I think there’s real power in being able to suspend our disbelief, or to believe in something without question. It’s what makes books, movies and TV shows so compelling — they force us to believe!

And of course, The Shadow Glass isn’t just about Jack’s childhood fantasy world coming to life, it’s about all the other people whose lives The Shadow Glass touched. Fandom plays an important role in The Shadow Glass. We’re told that the movie was a critical flop, yet it was the influence and persistence of its small but devoted fanbase that kept the film’s memory alive and raised it to cult status. We also see the dark side of fandom – I mean one of our main villains is basically the epitome of a gatekeeping fandom troll. How did the culture around fandoms and fantasy fans give part of your inspiration for the novel?

JW: It’s funny, I never intended to write about fandom, but fandom has become so huge in the past few decades, mostly thanks to the internet, that it’s sort of omnipresent. It filtered into my writing without me necessarily being aware of it. I think I was interested in exploring just HOW people express their love for the thing they’re a fan of, and how that expression could be interpreted as positive or negative. How it can unite or divide.

In the book, Toby represents the positive side of fandom, while Wesley Cutter represents the (ahem) less positive side. They’re basically there to show Jack the two paths open to him, and the real battle is in him figuring out which to choose: embrace The Shadow Glass or destroy it?

Speaking of people: Bob, Jack’s father is a very complicated, very human character who, despite having died before the story began, is an omnipresent figure in The Shadow Glass. He’s the one who gave Jack the world of Iri when Jack was just a baby and introduced him to magic and the power of belief, but at the same time, he’s the one who darkened Jack’s perception of the world and is, in a way, the reason that Jack stopped believing. So Jack’s grief seems to be as much about the loss of that version of himself as it is about the loss of his father. What made you gravitate towards grief as a theme in The Shadow Glass?

JW: A lot of my writing tends to revolve around grief, I guess because I lost my mom when I was 21, so I know the ripple effects grief can have. And it never goes away. It’s a part of you forever, which is probably why I find it endlessly fascinating.

It’s, sadly, something we’ll all experience at some point in our lives, and we all react to it differently. In a sense, Jack has been grieving his whole life (for reasons that become clear in the book), but he only confronts grief head-on when his father dies. I think grief is one of the biggest catalysts for change. It certainly changed me.

Let’s talk about horror! This is a horror newsletter, after all, and horror is most definitely a component of The Shadow Glass. That scene at the convention? That was horrifying! I’m still cringing. Which of course means I really relished every gruesome little moment. And obviously, given how dark some of those 80’s fantasy films were (I’m looking at you NeverEnding Story, with your Swamp of Sadness), horror is just a natural fit for this story. Was it that history of dark elements in fantasy what made you lean into horror with The Shadow Glass?

JW: For starters, thank you! I hoped that convention scene would pack a gory punch. Also, I love horror! I’m naturally drawn to it and I love coming up with monsters and scary set-pieces.

Luckily, like you said, the genre of The Shadow Glass lends itself completely to darkness — films like The NeverEnding Story and The Dark Crystal never skimped on the scares, and that’s precisely why we love them. There’s REAL peril, IMPOSSIBLE stakes, MASSIVE danger. The really fun part of writing The Shadow Glass was coming up with ways that that type of horror could play out in an “adult” version of those supposedly child-friendly 80s flicks.

Stepping away from The Shadow Glass for a moment, there’s been a lot of talk lately about what kids should and shouldn’t read. And while right now the target is LGBTQ+ stories, there are also a lot of “concerned” adults who believe that kids should be “protected” from stories that they deem inappropriately scary or violent. But a lot of the 80’s fantasy films that inspired The Shadow Glass, beloved films that many of us grew up with, are, as I said, very dark and even frightening. Do you think encountering these darker narratives as a child helped shape you as a writer of dark fiction? And what do you think the importance is, if any, of letting kids have access to dark or “scary” stories?

JW: Those films were 100% my gateway drug to horror. Whenever I think about how fantastically dark they are, I remember Jim Henson saying that he didn’t think children should feel completely safe 100% of the time. I sort of agree. Those movies provided a safe space for us to explore unsettling ideas and situations, where we could experience real peril without having to actually live it.

I don’t have kids so I can’t say who should or shouldn’t be “protected” from dark stories, all I know is that I WAS that kid who watched The Dark Crystal on repeat and I turned out OK!

And to return to your first observation, I think LGBTQ+ rep is SO important in fiction for all ages – I searched for it desperately as a kid and I’m STILL searching now. It’s great that we’re seeing more representation, but the balance is still far from redressed, especially with the persistent hysteria of thinking like, “What if reading gay material turns my teenager gay?!” Look, they’re either gay or they aren’t. It really is as simple as that.

Pop Quiz Finale!

The Shadow Glass is clearly a love letter to 80’s fantasy movies, so which one is your favorite? Your go-to, must-have, desert island pick?

JW: That’s so harrrrrd! For a long time it was Labyrinth, but recently The NeverEnding Story has overtaken it. It has it all — including an absolutely audacious final act that shatters the fourth wall and invites us as viewers into the story. It’s basically a perfect movie.

What fictional world would you let yourself be pulled into/bring to life if you had the chance?

JW: Realistically, Thra is probably a bit scary for me, so maybe Fraggle Rock or that cloud city where the Care Bears live.

Who is your favorite fantasy villain?

JW: The Goblin King in Labyrinth. He has so much going for him! The hair! The voice! The junk! And ‘As The World Falls Down’ is an absolute masterpiece of a song.

How about your favorite 80’s fantasy soundtrack? (The synth-ier the better)

JW: Hands down The NeverEnding Story. So synth, so evocative, so chilling. And the theme tune still slays. But the Willow score is also hugely underrated, I really recommend seeking that one out, too.

Who are you must-read horror authors that Fright Stuff’s reader’s should go check out?

JW: Adam Cesare is a genius (if you haven’t read Clown in a Cornfield, get on it!), and I love Kat Ellis’ YA horror novels, particularly Wicked Little Deeds (Burden Falls in the US). Plus obviously no shelf is complete without Paul Tremblay, Grady Hendrix, and Stephen Graham Jones.

How about the best dark fiction book you’ve read so far in 2022?

JW: All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes is a masterpiece in drip-feed terror. I’m still kind of not OK, three months after finishing it…


This was such a fun newsletter to work on, I hope it brings you some joy as well! The Shadow Glass will be available at your favorite book retailer tomorrow, March 22nd, so if we’ve whet your appetite don’t forget to order your copy!

Fresh From the Skeleton’s Mouth

Over at Book Riot we’ve got horror novels where the supernatural takes a back seat, and 10 horror novels set underground.

Neon Hemlock Press has announced their 2022 Novella Series! And as always it looks beyond amazing.


As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm (https://twitter.com/JtheBookworm), where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.

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The Fright Stuff

A Magnificently Macabre March

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

If you can believe it, it’s March already! We’re officially in the third month of this year of exciting dark fiction, and I can’t wait to share with you the titles I’ve picked out for this month’s new releases list. As always, this is only a small selection of titles being published this month, but every one of these books is a title I’ve either read and adored, or am highly anticipating!

Also, fun fact: all five of these books are queer reads! Not intentional, but it did work out nicely.

Cover of The Book of Living Secrets by Madeleine Roux

The Book of Living Secrets by Madeleine Roux (March 8)

The first of our March releases is a book that I had the opportunity to read back in February, so I can tell you with complete honestly that I loved this weird, creepy, queer Lovecraft-inspired YA horror. Adelle and Connie are best friends and co-super fans of an obscure gothic romance novel called Moira. So much so that, when offered the opportunity to be transported into the novel and experience the world of Moira for themselves, they decide to take the chance. But inside the pages of Moira, things have gone terribly wrong. Instead of a lush Gothic setting, dripping with romance and velvet, the two girls find themselves surrounded by horrors, entangled with the book’s characters in a desperate bid to save the World of Moira and themselves.

Cover of The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning

The Shadow Glass by Josh Winning (March 22)

I finished The Shadow Glass a few days ago and I’m still riding that sweet sweet emotional high. If you are a fan of 80’s fantasy films (think The Dark Crystal, The Neverending Story, Willow, etc.) you’re going to love The Shadow Glass. Yes it’s probably a bit more fantasy than horror, but it’s dark and delightfully gory. There were times I definitely was like “oooooh that’s not right”, which is always a good sign. It’s a fondly nostalgic riff on a familiar story, exploring the necessity of growing up in a world that isn’t kind to dreamers. It’s about grief, and loss, forgiveness and finding yourself – and I know that sounds a bit heavy but I promise there’s also plenty of killer puppets and humor to keep the story balanced. Jack grew up enraptured by his father Bob Corman’s critical flop turned cult puppet fantasy film: The Shadow Glass. Estranged from his father, it’s only after Bob’s death that Jack, reluctantly, returns to his strange, mouldering childhood home and the memories he buried there. When the creatures that populated his father’s film and Jack’s childhood adventures suddenly come to life and insist that they need Jack’s help in saving their world, he finds himself catapulted into an impossible adventure to save both the fictional world of Iri and the modern world from certain destruction.

Cover of The City of Dusk by Tara Sim

The City of Dusk by Tara Sim (March 22)

Okay, so like The Shadow Glass, The City of Dusk leans more on the dark fantasy side of things than the horror side of things. But you know I can’t say no to creepy bone magic. I’m weak for a hint of necromancy. I see bones, my brain says “horror”. Thrown in some vengeful gods, some body horror, and honestly I’m not going to scrutinize the genre lines too closely. Be forewarned, The City of Dusk is definitely a work of epic fantasy, and there is going to be a lot going on in this first book of the trilogy. Lots of realms (four technically) lots of divinely gifted heirs (also four, actually) and a whole lot of uneasy teamwork trust as they join together to keep their kingdom from being consumed by war. Add into that mess the fact that each heir is also tied to the god of their realm, and attempting to save a world the gods have abandoned is tantamount to apostasy, and it seems unlikely things will end well for our would-be apostates. But the grim portents are half the fun, right?

Cover of Survive the Dome by Kosoko Jackson

Survive the Dome by Kosoko Jackson (March 29)

Survive the Dome is a sci-fi thriller with a healthy dose of dark dystopia thrown in for good measure. It’s about a young, aspiring journalist, Jamal Lawson, who travels to Baltimore to document a protest against police brutality. But before the protest can begin, the city is encased in something that authorities are calling the Dome: a brutal countermeasure meant to suppress civil unrest, basically forcing the entire city into lockdown under police control. As the lockdown drags on, and tensions inside the dome rise, Jamal finds himself making unlikely allies with a secretive hacker and an AWOL military recruit in a bid to bring down the corrupt forces controlling Baltimore and free the city.

Cover of My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham

My Dearest Darkest by Kayla Cottingham (March 29)

It’s never easy to be the new student, but when you’re recovering from a near-death experience that orphaned you just months before, transferring to an ultra-competitive boarding school on an isolated island can make adjusting even more of a challenge. Finch Chamberlin has been through something unspeakable. Unknowable. As in she literally doesn’t know why she’s not dead like her parents, or what the terrible, ancient being was that kept her alive. But ever since waking up, she’s been drawn to Ulalume Academy. There she meets Selena St. Clair, who feels drawn to Finch even though she doesn’t quite trust her. But no matter Selena’s suspicions, when the two girls and their group of friends accidentally raise a horrible monster whose existence threatens not just their lives but the safety of the whole island, Finch and Selena must work together to defeat the creature before it’s too late.

Fresh From the Skeleton’s Mouth

As always, this is only a brief selection of all the amazing horror titles being released this month! So for additional recommendations, be sure to check out Tor Nightfire’s list of all the horror books they’re excited out for in 2022.

Have you checked out the amazing line-up that Erin A. Craig has put together for her Spooky Spring Salon? This is going to be so awesome! Be sure to click play on the trailer for a full list of dates and contributors.


As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.

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The Fright Stuff

Exclusive Cover Reveal and Excerpt: Eric LaRocca’s Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

This week I’m pushing back my usual first Monday of the month new releases newsletter to bring you something really exciting!

By now you’ve probably heard about, and might have had the chance to read, Eric LaRocca’s amazing horror novella Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. It went viral on social media, was a #1 bestseller in LGBTQ+ Horror Fiction on Amazon, and is now a finalist on the 2021 Bram Stoker Awards ballot for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction.

Well Titan Books has a really exciting announcement: They’re going to be releasing a GORGEOUS new hardcover edition of of LaRocca’s novella on September 6th! Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes will also include two other never-before-published stories: “The Enchantment” and “You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over” alongside the titular novella, and I get to have the very great pleasure of sharing the stunning new cover with all of you today, right here on The Fright Stuff!

Drum roll please!

cover of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca
Cover image provided courtesy of Titan Books

Voila! It’s so gorgeous, I can’t even stand it. I’m absolutely obsessed with the reds.

For those who haven’t made the acquaintance of LaRocca’s novella yet, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke is about the dark, obsessive, sadomasochistic relationship that develops between two young women who meet in an internet chatroom in the early 2000’s. It’s incredibly disturbing in the way that only the best horror can be. It’s also crushingly beautiful at times, which actually manages to make the story even more upsetting and unnerving.

Originally published by indie press Weirdpunk Books, LaRocca’s novella began making the social media rounds and garnering praise from all corners of the horror community for it’s unsettling but unforgettable quality. Now it’s violent beauty is being honored in this breathtaking hardcover collection, one of a two book deal with Titan that also includes a forthcoming premium edition of LaRocca’s collection The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales (2023).

And I’ve got one more treat for you all, thanks to the fab folks over at Titan: an excerpt from the never-before-published story “The Enchantment”! A little something to whet your appetite as we wait out the endless months until September 6th.

From “The Enchantment”

Olive watches as car headlights shimmer through the foyer window, the white light bleeding across the marble floor.

“Shh. He’s coming,” she says.

“Are you ready—?” her husband, James, replies as he ducks behind the foyer’s walnut credenza.

Olive’s ears pin at the noise of car keys jingling, footsteps approaching.

The door unlocks, swinging open to reveal the pockmarked face of a young teenage boy. He shivers, a gust of snow clinging to him as he removes his knitted hat. His hands frisk the wall for the light-switch.

As soon as his fingers find it: lights on.

Olive and James leap out from hiding, shouting in unison, “Surprise!”

Milo lurches back, clutching his backpack.

“Happy Birthday, Milo,” they cheer.

Olive watches her son’s face thaw with a half-hearted smile as he realizes, slowly letting his guard down. She sees his eyes glance up at the giant banner pinned above the entryway – “Happy 16th Birthday, Milo” written in exquisite cursive lettering.

With open arms, Olive approaches her teenage son and swaddles him as if he were a mere child.

“Happy Birthday, dear,” she says. “We love you.”

She senses her son reluctantly lean into the hug, his arms remaining at his side. It wasn’t much, but she couldn’t ask for anything more.

Or perhaps she could.

Quickly thinking, she snatches a green party hat from the nearby table and straps it to her son’s head.

As always, James interferes, ushering Olive aside and passing Milo a small box wrapped in a bright red bow.

“Happy Birthday, son,” he says. “You didn’t think we’d forget about you, did you—?”

Milo stammers, unsure. “I don’t—I didn’t think I’d see you here.”

Milo’s unsureness pains Olive. How could he possibly think his own parents would forget him? Before she can intercede, James pats Milo on the shoulder in the way that all fathers seem to patronize their sons.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he says.

Without another moment of hesitation, Olive swipes the gift from Milo.

“Why don’t we leave the presents for later, dear?” she suggests. “We can have cake first.”

She pulls the mittens from his hands, guiding him further into the house as if he were a mere visitor.

“He’s probably full, Olive,” James says. “Let the boy open his gift.”

As she pulls her son by the hand, she does a quick double take. There’s something wrong.

“What’s this—?” she asks, pulling her son’s hand closer to her face for proper inspection.

She opens his fist, revealing his palm desecrated with a giant black circle as if drawn with permanent marker.

“You’re still doing this?” she asks. “Milo. We talked about this.”

Before she can chastise him any further, Milo slips out of his mother’s grasp and recoils.

“You said he wasn’t doing that anymore,” James says, always eager to argue.

“I thought he wasn’t. I’ve hidden all the markers from him.”

“You don’t think he can find a permanent marker at school?”

“They’re supposed to be watching him,” Olive reminds her husband.

“What sixteen-year-old needs someone to be watching him regularly?”

As they bicker, Milo begins to sneak out of the entryway and away from earshot. Out of the corner of her eye, Olive watches her son as he creeps off. As he ducks into the nearby dining room, he passes a giant oil painting mounted on the wall detailing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

She watches him for a moment, bewildered, as his eyes seem to linger on the nails driven into Christ’s hands and the blood weeping there.

He gazes at the portrait longingly as if it were the first time that he were seeing it, as if it were truly a sight to behold, as if he would give anything to endure such wondrous suffering.

Fresh From the Skeleton’s Mouth

Over on the Nightfire blog, author Christopher Golden has curated a list of 13 classic works of isolation horror that you won’t want to miss.

Catriona Ward (The Last House on Needless Street) spoke with The Guardian about her upcoming horror novel Sundial, and the transformative experience of horror.

Stephen King has announced that his next book will focus on Holly Gibney, a character originally featured in King’s Mr. Mercedes.


As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.

Categories
The Fright Stuff

Deadly Poisons and Deadlier Secrets

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

I freely admit that I have a slight obsession with poisons. Specifically poisonous plants. Aside from often being beautiful, I just find them fascinating. Their historical uses, the thin line between a useful compound and a deadly one, one part of a plant can be completely benign while another part of the same plant could kill you in the space of a few heartbeats. Like I said: fascinating! So, obviously, Kalynn Bayron’s This Poison Heart was high on my to-buy list when it was published back in June of 2021. Not only is that cover unbelievably gorgeous, but the synopsis promised a dilapidated country estate, dark secrets, familial curses, and garden full of deadly poisonous plants. And wow did Bayron deliver.

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Briseis is a girl with a gift that at times seems more like a curse. Though her ability to take a plant from seed to full flower with a single touch is a boon for her mothers’ florist shop, the way that every plant Briseis passes tries to uproot itself just to get close to her makes it hard to be out in public. And her abilities frighten those close to her, making friends hard to hold on to. So how, when even her mothers seem nervous about her powers, can Briseis ever explain the other part of her gift? The dark and fascinating ability she can’t help but explore: her strange affinity for and immunity to even the most deadly of poisonous plants.

When a woman claiming to be her Aunt dies and Briseis is suddenly willed the woman’s massive estate in rural New York, it seems too good to be true. Not only will it solve the financial problems plaguing her family, the vast fields and woods around the estate will finally give Briseis a chance to stretch her powers. And maybe even find out how she came by her extraordinary gift. But this unexpected gift comes with dangerous strings attached.

I was never able to predict this book, not for one second. Bayron kept me on my toes the whole time and yet I never felt that as a reader I was being thrown twists just for the sake of unpredictability. Every inch of This Poison Heart’s intricate plot is immaculately laid out; all the pieces to the puzzle there just waiting for Briseis (and the reader) to unlock the secret of who she is and where she comes from. Thank the book gods, however, that the sequel comes out later this year, because that ending had me stressed out. If you’re someone who doesn’t like being left hanging, book two, This Wicked Fate, will be out in June, so you might want to wait and read them both at the same time.

Me, I’ll just re-read and cry my same tears.

I loved Bayron’s inclusion of Greek mythology in her world building. I should have expected it, given Briseis first name and the eventual reveal of her biological family’s surname, but it still took me pleasantly by surprise that it became such a large part of the plot. And though it shouldn’t need pointing out, I also want to express my appreciation for how casually queer This Poison Heart was. Briseis’ two mothers – Thandie and Angie – are amazing. Aside from being the epitome of marriage goals, they’re also a prominent part of Briseis’ journey. A journey which includes Briseis falling for the mysterious Marie – who knows more than she admits about Briseis’ biological family and their secrets – without her sexuality itself having to be part of the plot. She likes Marie, and that’s just a fact. Queer people just are, without anyone having to have a coming out character arc. It’s nice, and frankly Briseis has enough to deal with as it is, what with a dangerous group of unknowns determined to use her in their hunt for a fabled elixir of immortality.

Whether you’re a poisonous plant nerd, a fan of Greek mythology, a lover of cozy apothecary horror (the cozy is more early on, before things get seriously creepy), or looking for more queer fantasy horror by Black women to add to your reading list, I cannot recommend This Poison Heart enough. It’s thrilling, funny, heartfelt, dark, and beautiful.

Fresh From the Skeleton’s Mouth

The amazing folks at Ladies of Horror Fiction have put together a list spotlighting horror novels and novellas written by Black women to celebrate Black History Month.

Speaking of Ladies of Horror Fiction, they’ve announced that the book for their March 2022 read-a-long is going to be S.A. Barnes’ Dead Silence! So if you’ve been meaning to read it (and you should, it’s terrifying!), consider joining in on the fun. Be sure sure to check out their announcement post for participation information.

The final ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards has been announced! Congratulations to all the nominees! And hey, if you’re looking for a guide to some must-read horror from 2021, the ballot makes a great reading list!

Orbit Books announced that they’re going to be publishing S.T. Gibson’s gorgeous A Dowry of Blood in hardcover this October! I honestly don’t know that I’ve stopped screaming yet. I don’t usually buy multiple editions of a book but I’m going to have to make an exception!

Autostraddle published their interview with Gretchen Felker-Martin about her new book Manhunt, Martyrdom, and the Unimportance of Being Valid. This is your reminder to pick-up a copy of Manhunt if you haven’t yet! Believe me, you don’t want to miss this one.

By the way, there’s still time to check out our limited edition Wordle-inspired merchandise!


As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.

Categories
The Fright Stuff

It’s a Bloodbath, Baby

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

In hindsight, I should have used this topic for the Valentine’s Day Fright Stuff. I mean, what’s more romantic than an extremely attractive woman who may or may not be a vampire but is definitely bathing in the blood of young women and probably seducing them as well? I don’t know what is, but Báthory-inspired horror just makes me think of Valentine’s Day!

As a life-long vampire fan, I have a soft spot in my heart for stories inspired by the dark history of the “Blood Countess.” But let’s be fair here for a second: like most powerful but maligned women in history, much of the gruesome legend that surrounds Elizabeth Báthory is now thought to be little more than slander by her enemies. Just as her crimes were most likely a front used to strip her of her influence and independence. There’s a lack of eye witness evidence that would be alarming by modern standards, and it’s no coincidence either that one of the aspects of Báthory’s punishment for the alleged murders was the removal of all the extremely valuable holdings she gained control of following her husband’s death. (Can’t have that, now can we.)

There aren’t a ton of resources I could find about Báthory that seem at least plausibly credible – one of the downsides of having your legacy defamed by history, apparently, is that your story attracts a lot of oddity and not a lot of scholarly attention. There seem to be a few history books out there that might be worth tracking down, but really it’s slim pickings. This lack of options will also be made apparent later with the books I’ll discuss. Unfortunately, not many of them are written by people of color. If you want to learn more about Báthory, though, I recommend that you check out folklore blogger and podcast host Icy Sedgwick’s fascinating podcast episode debating the truth behind the legend. It was a huge help this week!

Still, despite the likelihood of her innocence, Elizabeth Báthory’s infamy (however fictional) has outlived whatever her true story may have been. And not unlike the historical figure that inspired Bram Stoker’s famous vampire, the fictional version of Báthory is more likely to live forever than the woman who inspired her. The reality of it is a bit sad (and a bit rage inducing), but at the same time, people love a story. And a beautiful murderess who bathed in the blood of hundreds of young women is quite a story.

So while we give a nod to the much defamed historical Báthory, who deserved better than her fate, in this week’s Fright Stuff, we also raise a glass to her bloody fictional legacy. They tried to destroy her, but you can’t keep a bad bitch down. And we’ll be remembering Elizabeth Báthory, in one form or another, long after their names are dust.

cover of Blood Countess by Lana Popović

Blood Countess by Lana Popović

Though history knows her as Anna Darvulia, the Blood Countess’s witch companion, at the beginning of Popović’s book, Anna is just a scullery maid brought on to work in the castle of the glamorous, beautiful Countess Elizabeth Báthory. When Anna catches the Countess’s eye, she finds herself elevated above her station to the role of the Countess’s personal maid and companion. A confidante. Ultimately, her plaything, as Anna soon finds herself drawn deep under the Countess’s influence and isolated from everyone she knows and loves. The prisoner of a murderer. And Anna knows that being Elizabeth’s pet will only spare her life for so long before the Blood Countess eventually turns on her as well.

when I arrived at the castle

When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll

When I Arrived at the Castle is a brilliant work of Gothic, erotic horror, rendered in Carroll’s favored white, black, and red palette. In this retelling, a young cat-like girl arrives at a dark castle on a story night on a mission to destroy the evil within. Too many girls have come before her, never to be seen again, and the beautiful woman at the castle door hides a monster behind her face. When I Arrived at the Castle is definitely strange and unexpected in the best ways. It’s also queer! In fact, I should point out, that all three of the titles on this list are queer horror.

Caveat: While I was putting this newsletter together, I made the disappointing discovery that apparently When I Arrived at the Castle is out of print. I choose not to take it out of the newsletter because, again, I find Carroll’s work brilliant, and worth the effort to track down. And, thankfully, we have libraries and the glorious power of inter-library loans!

placeholder cover for House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson (October 4th)

The wait to October is going to be SO long, because I am already dying to get my hands on Alexis Henderson’s new queer, Gothic horror novel, inspired by the Báthory legend. Seeing it as her only means of escaping the city and poverty she was born into, Marion Shaw answers a newspaper listing to be a bloodmaid for a wealthy noble woman in the north. A servant in the infamous House of Hunger, presided over by the seductive and beautiful Countess Lisavet. When Lisavet fixes her eye on Marion, it seems Marion’s fortunes are on the rise, but a string of disappearing bloodmaids throws Marion’s new life into chaos. She finds her self drawn into a dangerous game that may well see Marion numbered among the missing herself.

By the way, there’s still time to check out our limited edition Wordle-inspired merchandise!

Fresh From the Skeleton’s Mouth

We have all kinds of horror content for you over at Book Riot, from horror thrillers and the 2022 Summer Scares winners, to fun with fungal horror (oh hey, it’s me!) and recent haunted house novels by women.

Nightfire has some fabulous blog entries for you this week, from a piece on the nostalgia of Reader Beware: The Art of Goosebumps, to the ghost ships that haunt S.A. Barnes (author of Dead Silence).


As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.

Categories
The Fright Stuff

That’s Not a Friends Group, Honey. That’s a Cult.

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

I’m kind of amazed I’ve been writing Fright Stuff this long and haven’t done cult horror yet. Honestly a little ashamed it took this long, because if there’s one trope I love, it’s a cult with unknown, malicious intent. The best horror books put you on edge, and since “trust no one” is basically the motto of a cult plot, it’s a perfect match. The paranoia, the feeling that the world is closing in around you; there’s no question that cults are particularly creepy.

I also love that no two fictional cults are the same. Every author has their own take on what constitutes a cult— its size, its formation, its foundational beliefs, its grand plan— and the result is a vast array of sinister organizations, from the tiny but deadly religious sect; to the massive, “we’re everywhere, and everyone, at every moment”, highly structured organization; to your very own family, and the deadly heritage you cannot escape.

cover of this might hurt by stephanie wrobel

This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel (February 22)

Compared to the other titles on this list, the cult in This Might Hurt is almost toothless. It takes advantage of emotionally vulnerable people like most cults, but it doesn’t have any higher motivation or purpose. It’s not even particularly dangerous, just manipulative. BUT. What happens when a promising new initiate proves to be a budding fanatic, who believes in the cult’s teachings even more than its founder? And has the ambition to match? What I love about This Might Hurt is that it’s almost like the origin story of a real cult. Though, as far as Natalie Collins knows, Wisewood isn’t a cult. It’s just a self-help facility! Really! The latest attempt by Natalie’s wayward sister Kit to pull her life together. But when a threatening email brings Natalie to Wisewood in search of Kit, it quickly becomes clear that something sinister is going on behind the scenes. Kit is acting strange, and if Natalie wants to save her sister she’ll have to get them both off the island before things get worse.

cover of catherine house by elisabeth thomas

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

I’m not saying Academia is a cult but … I’m not not saying that either. I mean that’s (part of) the whole point of Dark Academia, right? Higher education but make it cultish? In Elisabeth Thomas’ fabulous gothic novel, the students of Catherine House go on to become some of the greatest minds in their chosen fields, but at a cost. In return for free tuition, room, board, and the promise of a bright future, accepted students give up their lives to Catherine House for three whole years. No outside contact. No family or friends, no media, no personal clothing. It seems like an easy choice for Ines, who expected to trade in her unhealthy past for a new life of study and potential. But instead she finds a world of secrets, parties, and high strung students competing for dominance. At any cost.

Mexican Gothic Book Cover

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Sometimes a cult isn’t a group of strangers, sometimes it’s your cousin, her asshole husband, her husband’s creepy family, and their weird mushroom mediatrix. Not that Noemí knew what she was getting into when she first arrived at High Place, home of the strange (and extremely suspect) Doyle family, an old English family living in their crumbling family estate in the mountains. You could argue that in order for this to be a cult horror, the Doyle family would have to consist of more than its handful of pale, perishing descendants. But from the moment Noemí sets foot in High Place, she’s subjected to near constant gaslighting, coercion, and biochemical interference until she begins to question her own sanity. And all of it with the intention of forcing her to be “one of” the family.

For those playing along at home, check off a box on your card because that is a cult.

just like mother book cover

Just Like Mother by Anna Heltzel (May 17)

You’ll have to wait until May to get your hands on this forthcoming Nightfire title, but if you’re looking for a creepy cult, you’ll definitely want to add Just Like Mother to your list. Maeve was raised in a matriarchal cult before she escaped and built a new life for herself on the outside, albeit a lonely and isolated one. Which is why, when her cousin Andrea (who Maeve last saw the night of her escape) suddenly reappears, Maeve finds herself clinging to one of the few real attachments she has left in the world. The more time Maeve spends with Andrea, the more she becomes disconnected from her new life in New York and drawn into Andrea’s wealthy, fertility industry-funded world. And why not? Andrea is the only family she has now. But there’s something not quite right about Andrea’s friends and her work, and before long, Maeve has to wonder whether she’s escaped one cult only to be drawn into another.

Fresh From the Skeleton’s Mouth

Nightfire has a great list of the best horror short stories and collections of 2021 you should check out if you’re looking for new reads!

Alma Katsu and S.A. Barnes are going to be celebrating the release of Dead Silence on February 16th with Copper Dog Books. It should be a great conversation, so make sure to sign up here!

Don’t forget to check out Book Riot’s new line of bookish, Wordle-inspired merch! There are mugs, t-shirts, hoodies, and more. The campaign is temporary, so order yours now!


As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.

Categories
The Fright Stuff

Evil Mountains, Witches, and Space Ghosts (Oh My!)

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

It’s that time again, folks! It’s new releases day! In fact there are so many incredible new releases coming out across the dark fiction genres this month that it was physically painful to pick only a handful to feature here. Which is why I’m going to keep this week’s intro short and sweet, so we can get right to the good stuff!

Cover of Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt (February 8)

Echo is the sort of queer horror love story that I desperately need more of in my life. Don’t be dissuaded by the official synopsis, because I don’t think it describes the book particularly well. Yes, Echo is about Nick surviving a terrible mountaineering accident that killed his climbing buddy Augustin and left Nick horribly scarred, haunted by the mountain Maudit that nearly took his life. But Echo isn’t just Nick’s story, it’s also about his boyfriend Sam. The pov passes back and forth between the two of them (Sam’s reality vs Nick’s written account of what happened) and Echo is as much about their pasts and their relationship as it is about trying to break Nick free of the mountain’s hold. It’s honestly so good, so emotional, and beautifully written.

Cold cover image

Cold by Mariko Tamaki (February 8)

Cold is a YA thriller with a bit of ghost story thrown in, told from the dual perspective of Todd and Georgia, two queer teens and social outcasts who didn’t know each other before Todd’s death brought them together. Sort of. Because all that’s left of Todd is a ghost, hovering over his own murdered body, recounting the events that led to his corpse being abandoned in the snow. And though they were strangers to each other, when she hears about Todd’s death, Georgia feels compelled to find out what happened to him. Cold is kind of heartbreaking, to be honest. On the surface it seems like the set up for a perfect murder mystery, with a bit of paranormal ghostliness thrown in. But at its heart, Cold is more of a character study of Georgia and Todd as they navigate a world that seems to have no place for them and that, for one of them, proved fatal.

Cover of Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes

Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes (February 8)

Oh my god where do I START with Dead Silence. This book terrified me. I had to put it down at one point because I was reading and there was too much empty space around me. For real, I couldn’t even look at a dark, open doorway. Dead Silence is about an ill-fated attempt by an about-to-be-unemployed ship’s crew, staffing a small vessel tasked with repairing communications beacons. Their last beacon, way at the edge of the system, picks up a distress signal coming from outside the network, somewhere beyond the edge of “civilized” space. A signal that belongs the the Aurora, a luxury space liner that vanished into thin air on its maiden voyage, never to be seen again… Barnes is giving you Titanic but make it scary, she’s giving you Event Horizon, she’s giving you Ghost Ship; for real, this book will make your skin crawl.

cherish farrah book cover

Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow (February 8)

You had me at “slow-burn social horror” about race and class. This is definitely going to be one of those books that keeps you in a perpetually paranoid state of not knowing who to trust. Which of course is exactly what you want from a thriller, right? Farrah Turner and Cherish Whitman are best friends, and the only two Black girls at their country club. But while Farrah lives with her biological parents, Cherish lives with her wealthy, white adopted parents who adore and spoil their daughter. When Farrah’s own family encounters sudden financial hardships, she starts a calculated campaign to – for all intents and purposes – take over Cherish’s life. While staying at Cherish’s house, Farrah begins trying to manipulate her way into the Whitman family, only to realize that things beneath that loving, pristine façade are not quite what they seem. As events inside the house begin to escalate and grow ever stranger, Farrah’s legendary control begins to falter, leaving her to wonder if she ever had control of the Whitmans to begin with.

cover of claire legrand's extasia

Extasia by Claire Legrand (February 22)

Extasia is the perfect blend of The Year of the Witching with a healthy dose of The Village thrown in for that wonderful “what the hell just happened” feel. I thought I was getting “witchy Sapphic girls band together to save their village from evil” and instead I got “witchy Sapphic girls burn down the patriarchy” and I couldn’t be happier. Our heroine starts out the book without a name, because her birth name doesn’t matter, all that will matter is the name she takes when she becomes one of the saints that protects her village from the evil picking off their men one by one. But when saving her home means crossing the line from sainthood into witchcraft, she quickly finds out that the people she’s determined to protect may not be worth all that she’ll have to sacrifice. Extasia is gorgeous, dark, gloriously queer, and wow did it make me want to rage. It’s not an easy book to read in the world we’re currently living in, but it’s also incredibly cathartic! (Particularly the “burn shit down” part.)

This is just a preview of all the amazing books coming out this month! If you’re looking for more recommendations, as always I highly suggest you go check out Nightfire’s amazing list of all the 2022 horror titles they’re excited about.

Make sure to get your own Read Harder Book Journal from Book Riot to track your reading for the year!


As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.

Categories
The Fright Stuff

Cozy Up With a Good Scare

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

If you’re reading this newsletter, I’ve just been buried alive under probably a veritable mountain of snow, and am probably somewhere between “dig, dig for your life” and a one-woman, three-act theatrical performance of Stephen King’s Misery. Ah, the New England life.

Actually, what I probably spent my Saturday storm day doing was reading. Big ol’ Nor’easters aren’t really good for much except laying low and staying out of the snow. The best thing to do when they start throwing out storm warnings is grab a warm blanket, a hot drink, and a good book. So whether you also got snowed in this weekend, or if you’re just in need of a bit of lazy day comfort, why not lean into the sprit with a bit of cozy horror!

Make sure to get your own Read Harder Book Journal from Book Riot to track your reading for the year!

cover of the whispering dead by darcy coates

The Whispering Dead by Darcy Coates

The Whispering Dead (first in the Gravekeeper series) is what you’d get if the quintessential cozy mystery had a baby with a ghost story. It comes complete with a slightly run down but adorable cottage; a suspiciously intelligent stray cat; and a memorable array of secondary small town characters. Though not the type of scary that will leave you shaking in your seat, The Whispering Dead still packs a creepy punch as Keira investigates the murder of a young woman and uncovers a dark secret at the heart of this sleepy, unassuming town.

cover of cackle by rachel harrison

Cackle by Rachel Harrison

Out just in time for Halloween this last year, Cackle is the perfect marriage of all that is cozy horror. When Annie’s entire life is upended by her now ex, she decides to take a teaching job in upstate New York, and ends up moving into the perfect apartment in a friendly, picturesque little village. Everything seems to be off to a great start, especially when she meets Sophie. Beautiful, charismatic Sophie, who lives in a massive old house in the woods and who no one in town seems to trust. From cutesy small town stores to forest walks and farmers markets, ghosts, witchcraft, murder, and a bit of mayhem, Cackle has it all. Also, Rachel Harrison actually made me find a pet spider adorable, and honestly I don’t know what subgenre other than cozy horror could pull that off.

Mooncakes by Wendy Xu and Suzanne Walker

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu

Though more atmospheric than outright scary, Mooncakes is a the perfect read if you’re missing those autumnal Halloween feels. If you’re looking for dark fall nights, witchcraft, demons, werewolves, and queer love, you can’t go wrong with this gorgeous graphic novel. Nova Huang is a witch from a family of witches, and works at her grandmothers’ bookshop in a tiny town in New England. Tam Lang, Nova’s childhood crush, used to call the same town home, but she hasn’t been back in years. So Nova is surprised to find that rumours about a white wolf in the woods lead her to Tam, who is locked in battle with a demon. Dark magic and occult rituals serve as the backdrop for Nova and Tam’s budding romance as they work together to discover the source of the evil that threatens their town.

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

Maybe it’s an excess of plants that my brain finds cozy? The whole idea of a big old dilapidated estate surrounded by its vast gardens just fills my brain with joy. Especially when one of the gardens is comprised of nothing but the world’s most deadly plants. Cozy murder. This is the very setting where Briseis finds herself spending the summer, at the estate of her dead aunt. There, Bri hopes that she will learn to control her extraordinary gift: the ability to grow plants from seed to full bloom with just a touch of her hand. As she falls into creating tinctures and elixirs for those who come to the house seeking help, Bri meets Marie, a young woman keeping dark secrets who knows more about the estate than she is letting on.

cover of ghost squad by claribel ortega

Ghost Squad by Claribel Ortega

There’s just something inherently cozy about middle grade horror. Probably because it can be plenty creepy, even downright scary at times, but it doesn’t go as hard as some YA or adult horror and it tends to end on a high note while emphasizing themes of family and friendship. In Ghost Squad, Lucely Luna and her best friend Syd have to band together with Syd’s witch grandmother and her adorable cat to fight a host of malicious spirits that Lucely accidently unleashed on St. Augustine. This delightful middle grade horror is exactly what I’m talking about when I refer to an emphasis on family and friendship. Any chance that Lucely, Syd, Babette, and (the aptly named tabby cat) Chunk have to save their town relies entirely on the bonds between them. MG horror makes for perfect cozy horror reading because it can give you genuine stakes that you can invest in, but you have the reassurance that everything will be okay in the end.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Fresh From the Skeleton’s Mouth

We’re just brimming with horror content over at Book Riot lately! Whether you’re looking for brand new 2022 horror books to look out for, some excellent queer horror recommendations, or 12 chilling YA gothic reads, we’ve got you covered.

We’re getting a new collection of stories from Carmen Maria Machado, and I cannot be calm!! No word yet (that I’ve been able to find – tell me if you’re heard differently) on exactly when A Brief and Fearful Star will be published, but hopefully it’s soon! Big thanks to Hailey Piper for spreading the good news!

The sequel to Lyndall Clipston’s Lakesedge is coming out in September and you have GOT to see this cover!

The preliminary ballot for the 2021 Bram Stoker Awards has been announced!

Samantha Kolesnik (ed. Worst Laid Plans) has announced a new anthology of – wait for it – sapphic horror! I’m so excited I could die.


As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.

Categories
The Fright Stuff

Gorgeous, Grim, and Gruesome

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

Things have been getting a bit list-heavy on The Fright Stuff. My bad. It’s year three of the plague, I have two brain cells left, and they’re fighting each other for dominance. Creativity has not been my strong suit in recent weeks. That being said, I thought we’d shake it up a little, because as much as I love sharing lists of must-read horror with you all, I also want to be able to spotlight those individual horror titles that really get under my skin in the best way.

So once a month I’m going to pick a title from my recent reading list that I fell madly in love with, do a little dive into the parts of the book that appealed to me the most, and hopefully I can entice you to add it to your TBR. First up is an exciting new release in the horror genre: Kristi DeMeester’s gorgeous and grim Such a Pretty Smile.

Cover of Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi DeMeester

Such a Pretty Smile by Kristi DeMeester

As Horror readers, it can sometimes take a lot to shake us. But at the same time, we should never strive to become immune to the things in horror that upset or discomfort us. Because at its heart, horror is an empathetic genre.You have to let yourself feel it, respond to it. It is my belief that, by extension, horror makes us more empathetic, sympathetic human beings. If horror makes us flinch, that’s a good thing.

Such a Pretty Smile is a raw, bloody, open wound of a book, and DeMeester does not shrink from the violence against women – both physical and mental – that serves as her central theme. (Which is why I’ve tried to highlight some of the bigger content warnings down below, fyi.) But one thing I really loved about this book is that the violence, though visceral and at times tough to read, is never gratuitous. For something to be gratuitous it has to be unwarranted, unnecessary, and play no reasonable part in the telling of the story. But the story in question, that of a mother and daughter struggling against a vicious cycle of intergenerational and social traumas, is inherently violent and every drop of blood spilled is vital.

Told from two perspectives across two timelines, Such a Pretty Smile covers a span of 15 years in the lives of Caroline and her 13 year old daughter, Lila. In 2004, Caroline is a talented young artist weighed down by her duty to her dying father and the insecure overbearance of her fiancé, a man who is supposed to be in love with her but seems more interested in surpassing her. When she starts hearing the phantom barking and screaming of dogs, Caroline uncovers a part of herself she had forgotten and a dark secret from her past that will come to shape not only her life, but Lila’s as well.

In 2019, Lila is struggling with societal and parental expectations, the neglect of her distant father, and her own developing sexuality. Lila has a crush on her popular best friend Macie, but her feelings for Macie are complicated by the other girl’s casual cruelty, and her determination to transform Lila into the “right” kind of girl. When Lila’s growing resentment and unrequited feelings start to manifest in strange and frightening ways, she begins to clash with the fragile façade of a life that Caroline has constructed to protect them both. And in doing so, she opens the door to a darkness in Caroline’s past that threatens both their lives.

It’s a story about what it means to be a woman, living in a world determined to make you small, and meek, and above all, quiet. About the trauma that results from being forced to conform for safety, and how, in trying to protect her daughter, a mother can end up perpetuating the very societal rules and expectations that were used to suppress her own identity and joy. Caroline conformed for survival, and she has been trying ever since to keep her daughter sweet, good, compliant, and therefore safe. But the harder Caroline tries to protect her daughter, the more she kindles Lila’s anger, which draws the attention of the omnipresent third figure in Such a Pretty Smile: The Cur. As much metaphor as man or monster, The Cur leaves behind a trail of murdered and mutilated girls, punctuating both Caroline and Lila’s timelines with corpses.

There’s so much more I want to tell you, but the book just came out on the 18th and the very worst thing I could do would be to spoil it for anyone. You’ve really got to read and experience it for yourself, and I highly recommend that you do.

Content Warnings: This can be a rough read, dealing as it does with such heavy subject matter. For those readers who need or prefer to avoid certain topics, content warnings include: sexual violence, child abuse, emotional abuse, kidnapping, and child death.

Fresh from the Skeleton’s Mouth

For more on Such a Pretty Smile, be sure to check out the Talking Scared Podcast interview with author Kristi DeMeester!

This freaking trailer for The Shadow Glass, right?!

Aigner Loren Wilson put together an amazing list of the best horror short fiction and poetry of 2021 for Nightfire.

CBC interviewed author David Demchuck about his chilling 2021 queer horror novel, Red X.

Looking for some creepy YA recommendations based on your favorite type of horror movie? Epic Reads has you covered! (Epic Reads)


As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.

Categories
The Fright Stuff

Frightening Fun With Fungi!

Hey‌ ‌there‌ horror fans, ‌I’m‌ ‌Jessica‌ ‌Avery‌ ‌and‌ ‌I’ll‌ ‌be‌ ‌delivering‌ ‌your‌ ‌weekly‌ ‌brief‌ ‌of‌ ‌all‌ ‌that’s‌ ‌ghastly‌ ‌and‌ ‌grim‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌world‌ ‌of‌ ‌Horror.‌ ‌Whether‌ ‌you’re‌ ‌looking‌ ‌for‌ ‌a‌ ‌backlist‌ ‌book‌ ‌that‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌‌ you‌ ‌the‌ ‌willies,‌ ‌a‌ ‌terrifying‌ ‌new‌ ‌release,‌ ‌or‌ ‌the‌ ‌latest‌ ‌in‌ ‌horror‌ ‌community‌ ‌news,‌ ‌you’ll‌ ‌find‌ ‌it‌ ‌here‌ in‌ ‌The‌ ‌Fright‌ ‌Stuff.

I can’t tell you what exactly it is about fungi that I love so much. I feel like that Simpson’s meme of Marge holding up the potato: I just think they’re neat! I mean, for one thing, they’re really clever for an organism that doesn’t have what we’d think of as a brain. Or a nervous system. Yet they’re clever and adaptable enough to make you wonder what might happen if one day a mushroom or a mold got it into it’s non-mind to kill us all. Add to their eerie, almost sentient seeming intelligence the fact that many fungi can kill or sicken you in a variety of alarming ways, and that some varieties are just downright scary looking, and of course fungi make excellent horror fodder!

I had so much fun writing about ghosts and mycelium in Mexican Gothic earlier this year, but now I want to share with you some of the other amazing fungal horror titles I’ve come across recently! I also included one that won’t be out until later this year, but that is so going to be worth the wait.

Cover of The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed

The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed

Not all of the fungi on this list are out to take over our bodies. I promise. But Cad? Cad is definitely a fungi of the concerning, mind-altering kind, and coming into contact with it ends in one of three ways: death, immunity, or infection. For those, like Reid, who have been infected, Cad forms a symbiotic relationship with its host, even offering them a measure of protection in order to ensure its own survival. Because for Cad, survival is paramount. It even posses the ability to manipulate its hosts fear responses to ensure continued survival. Reid lives in a shrinking colony of survivalists, scraping out a living in a world devastated by climate disasters. Those who leave never return. So when a letter arrives inviting Reid to join an exclusive university – one of the last strongholds of civilization – she finds herself torn between the family and colony that rely on her, and a future beyond the meager existence she’s always known. There may even be a chance to find a cure for Cad before it consumes her entirely. While The Annual Migration of Clouds is more sci-fi than horror, I promise there are a few squirm-worthy moments of body horror involving mushrooms in places where mushrooms… should not be.

cover of the luminous dead by caitlin starling

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

Speaking of mind-controlling fungi: I debated whether to add The Luminous Dead to this list, if only because the spore-happy cave mold Gyre encounters underground – though technically a fungi – isn’t 100% proven to be the biological villain of the book. Most of what happens could just be in Gyre’s head. But it’s also not 100% NOT responsible for the strange happenings that plague her as she tries to make her way into the depths of the unmarked cave system, with only her extremely suspect handler Em as her guide. At worst, it’s some ancient, malicious fungus determined to control her mind to keep her from ever leaving the cave. At best (questionably best) it’s simply driven by an extremely strong biological imperative to keep her in the cave so it can colonize her corpse and propagate. Either way, it’s bad news. Particularly if you’re already stranded miles underground, low on supplies, and running out of power for the suit that is literally the only thing keeping you alive. At that point a pushy mind-melting mold is the last thing you need.

cover of Sorrowland by river solomon

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

If I haven’t convinced you to read Sorrowland by now, I really need to try harder. Cults, religious fanaticism, genetic experimentation, queer characters, fungi; it’s honestly every thing you could want in one book. Determined to escape the strict religious compound in which she was raised – Cainland – and the horrible, nightly experiments she was forced to endure there, a heavily pregnant Vern flees into the woods to give birth to her children. Though there is no way of knowing if any of them will survive the experience, she will do anything to ensure that her children are free of Cainland’s grasp. But Vern did not escape unscathed. She survives the birth of her children, but as she struggles to keep them all alive in an unfamiliar world, her own body begins to betray her, permanently altered by Cainland’s strange experiments. She’s transforming into something new, dangerous, and unknown – and whatever she’s becoming, Cainland desperately wants to conceal. Sorrowland can be a rough read at times, grappling as it does with various heavy topics, but is also beautiful, strange, and unforgettable.

what moves the dead book cover

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher (July 12)

That cover is so gorgeous and so upsetting, I honestly can’t even stand it. (I love it.) Obviously, you can see why I’m so excited about this book. Oh, and did I mention that it’s an adaptation of Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”? Why, oh why is July so far away! What Moves the Dead, much like Poe’s original tale, is centered around the slow, rotting death of an aristocratic family and their moldering estate. Alex Easton is summoned to the ancestral home of the Ushers by their childhood friend Madeline, who entreats them for help to save the state from the nightmarish fungi that have overtaken the landscape and possessed the local wildlife. With the help of a mycologist and a doctor, Alex must discover the source of Madeline’s disturbed nights, her brother Roderick’s nervous malady, and the rampant, unnatural fungi if they have any hope of saving their friends. If they fail, the House of Usher itself will fall and take them all down with it.

Don’t forget you can get three free audiobooks at Audiobooks.com with a free trial!

Fresh From the Skeleton’s Mouth

Leah Rachel von Essen also has a few thoughts on the presence of the mushroom in horror (also mentioning Mexican Gothic and Sorrowland).

We’ve got some chilling book recommendations for you over at Book Riot, from horror books for foodies to skin-crawling works of body horror.

Books in the Freezer’s 112th episode is a celebration of all the 2022 new releases you definitely don’t want to miss!

As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.