Melody E. McIntyre's Blog

Today is my third post featuring the semi-finalists of the Small Spec Book Awards! Check out the first and second posts!

I've done a feature on horror authors and one on fantasy authors, so in this post, I will be focusing on three of the science fiction semi-finalists: K. C. Aegis, author of Her Gilded Voice, Rosie Oliver, author of A Truth Beyond Full, and Terry Jackman, author of Worlds Aligned.

Each author has been asked the same questions: 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

2. What was your favourite part of writing it? 

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website) 

 

Her Gilded Voice by K. C. Aegis

Lacey has a woman living inside her head … or is it the other way around?

Decades from now, technology has advanced, and everyone has a ‘neuro-net’ wired into their brain. This provides each person with a ‘voyce’ inside their head that offers advice that guides and ostensibly protects them; as teen Lacey Clarke puts it: “Voyces help us all make the right decisions. They give us reason, protect us from outside chaos. And in some cases, they protect us from ourselves.”

In this republic, Lacey and her older sister, Yadira, barely make ends meet. Their lives are made worse when they discover they must pay off their late father’s debt and that Lacey has been marked to become a Puzzler in a brainteaser competition in which losers are killed. Alina, Lacey’s voyce, reassures her everything will be fine if only they follow the rules, but when an encounter with Ogden Oliver, a powerful Elite, ends with Alina being temporarily deactivated, Lacey is left alone with her own thoughts. For the first time in her life, she is able to perceive the world as it actually is – without augmented-reality illusions.

As Lacey navigates the competition, she realizes she may be a pawn but one that has hitherto unknown power..

Buy the book here! 1. What inspired you to write this book? 

I began writing this story during the covid pandemic when we were all still on lockdown. Isolated in our homes, we had to rely on our smart devices more than ever.

Unfortunately, it became clear early on that this technology was being used by some to spread manipulative misinformation. I teach teenagers, and I have three teenage children of my own, so when they all started parroting the same bizarre/false information (for instance, many of them would tell me birds were not real—that they were all, in fact, spy drones), this showed the power technology has in shaping our reality.

So, I started to write Her Gilded Voice because I wanted to make sense of the kind of world we are all sliding into. Also, I wanted to explore ways we might fight back against this sort of reality.

2. What was your favourite part of writing it? 

The riddles were fun. The story is full of puzzles, and I enjoyed the challenge of turning ordinary objects into riddles to be solved.

Aside from that, I loved getting to know the characters and developing the relationships they have with each other. I was surprised several times when the characters revealed something about themselves I wasn’t prepared for. Because that’s the joy of writing. No matter how meticulously I plan out the story, the characters are the ones behind the wheel, and you can never be sure where they’ll decide to go. 

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website) 

Check out K. C. Aegis' website and blog. As well, he is on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and Threads as kcaegis.

 A Truth Beyond Full by Rosie Oliver

Don’t dig deep lest you regret what you find!

Miranda, an ice and rock moon of Uranus, has been a thriving mining colony. But recently there has been a rise in fatal accidents. Kylone has an ability to extrapolate patterns behind a rock face to determine where and how to dig. When his fiancée died in another accident, he blamed himself and his ability; a wreck, no longer able to mine, he became a priest with limited duties in the locally developed Priesthood. Assigned to officiate at a hero miner’s funeral, the widow asks Kylone to investigate the spate of accidents and, along with some help from an unexpected source, he starts to suspect that they may have a more sinister cause, a suspicion which puts his own life in danger.

Buy the book here!1. What inspired you to write this book?

We were given an exercise in a creative writing class to describe a place. As I felt anywhere on Earth had been described by writers better than me, I reached out into the Solar System. There was a photograph taken way back in January 1986 by NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft of a strange moon, Miranda, that orbited the seventh planet Uranus. 

It was intriguing. Why did it end up with those crazy large chevron cliffs in its ice and why has it got such a large chasm (bottom of the photo below at about 5 o’clock)? No wonder it was nicknamed the Frankenstein moon. By the time I finished the description I was hooked to delve much deeper.

 Voyager 2 photo of Miranda courtesy of NASA 

2. What was your favourite part of writing it?

Finding out about Miranda and doing the world-building based on it. 

Let me give you a straightforward example. On Earth we can hear the snaps of small gas bubbles in the ice when they collapse under pressure, the noise reaching our ears via the air. Miranda’s ice will also have collapsing gas bubbles. However, there is hardly any atmosphere on the moon, so we would be deaf to them even in specially adapted spacesuits. The sound still travels through the ice and if we have very sensitive fingers we would feel the vibrations Those vibrations will vary depending on how many gas bubbles are trapped and what types of ice they travel through. So I have people, the iceborne, who have a special talent of being able to ‘hear’ the ice-song. Certainly useful if they can warn others of the imminent collapse of nearby ice.

From noticing the impact of Miranda on individuals, I was able bit by bit to develop a whole differently functioning society that lived there. In fact it became so intricate I could only start to describe it in a novel, A Truth Beyond Full, that Elsewhen was kind enough to publish.

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)

You can find Rosie on her website - https://rosieoliver.wordpress.com/

  

Worlds Aligned by Terry Jackman

In Harpan’s Worlds, Harp faced his own personal history and its repercussions. In Worlds Aligned, he must deal with the results. Providing of course that he survives them.

So Worlds Aligned is a second glimpse of the humans who survive long after OldEarth is abandoned.

Buy the book here! 

 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

I guess basically book one, Harpan's World, where I met 'Harp' (later Maxil Harpan) and knew his story was only just beginning.

To clarify, Worlds Aligned is book two of the Worlds Apart Collective, a history of future humanity and the evolution (or is that mutation) that results from scattering humans across the stars. Each story focuses on a different world (planet), its society, and the individual experiencing changes that will alter human futures.  

2. What was your favourite part of writing it?

I think the first fun moment was in book one when Harp realises his spaceship crewmates have tricked him into being treated as a member of the ruling family when he volunteers to help with the aftermath of a pirate attack! But in book two it's maybe the moment he discharges the energy lighting up his arms into the rock face of the mountain he's survived to conceal the power he has used to save his escort before any rescuers arrive.

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)

If you want to learn more about Terry Jackman, you can check out their work on Amazon or directly from Elsewhen Press.

Thanks for reading! 

Want to keep in touch? Sign up for my newsletter or Find me around the web

Want to support my writing? Buy my collection: Thin Slices: A Collection of Horror Flash Fiction

Or: Help me buy more books on Ko-fi

 

 

Thanks for reading! 

Want to keep in touch? Sign up for my newsletter or Find me around the web

Want to support my writing? Buy my collection: Thin Slices: A Collection of Horror Flash Fiction

Or: Help me buy more books on Ko-fi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the second post featuring the semi-finalists of the Small Spec Book Awards! Check out the first post here!

Today is Thanksgiving Monday here in Canada and I have had a busy, busy weekend full of food and family. When I think of lots of food, I think hobbits and Lord of the Rings, one of my first entries into fantasy. My father loved fantasy and Tolkien most of all. So in honour of him, I've selected three of the fantasy semi-finalists to feature today: J. A. Mortimore and Penelope Hill, co-authors off The Harlequin: The Draper's Reel, Gabby Hutchinson Crouch, author of Cursed Under London, and Sam Flynn, author of The Mystery of the Pale King.

Each author has been asked the same questions: 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

2. What was your favourite part of writing it? 

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website) 

 

The Harlequin by J. A. Mortimore and Penelope Hill

Question my honesty if you must, but nobody, and I mean nobody, questions my skill.

I’ve never paid much attention to the gods, which may be why I foolishly agreed to steal Pardeem’s reel. It seemed a straightforward enough challenge for a master trickster like me, but with things like this you never know.

Leaving my cosy retirement isn’t difficult. Wearing the Harlequin’s hat again feels right. However returning to Emor holds challenges. Old friends and enemies wait in the shadows; maybe I can turn that to my advantage. But now my own god seems to be paying me far too much attention. This isn’t going to be straightforward.

But that’s the thrill, isn’t it? To dance with peril, to spin with the twists, to confound expectations and to embrace the trick for its own sake. The Harlequin doesn’t give up at the first hurdle.

If I can carry this off, it will be the heist of a lifetime.
Failure might cost me everything.

Buy the book here!

1. What inspired you to write this book? 

The Harlequin can be blamed on two things: a set of dice rolls on a ‘write an adventure’ table, and Judith’s twisted mind.  We still have the dice rolls; it could have been a completely different story. Instead, influenced by Thorne Smith’s ‘Rain in the doorway’ and a single snapshot of a soap opera star who will not be named – who came complete with the hat – the Harlequin sprang fully-formed into our minds.

2. What was your favourite part of writing it? 

Bouncing ideas off each other.  We were living at opposite ends of the country when we wrote the original draft, and hours-long phone calls were a weekly feature!

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website) 

Judith’s website is at jamortimore.com. You can find her on Instagram: judithmortimore and on Facebook: J. A. Mortimore - Author.

Penny’s personal (somewhat neglected) website/blog is: https://www.mythweaver.co.uk/, and there is also (slightly less neglected) https://knownkingdoms.com/ (the world building website for one of our other novels).  You can also follow her on Instagram: mythichistorian  

 Cursed Under London by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch

In a dark alleyway in an alternative Elizabethan London, Fang’s heart stops. Moments later, it magically restarts again. A grumpy traveller from the Ming empire, Fang is disappointed to discover that not only is he still alive, but he’s also become another creature entirely: an immortal. The first of his kind.

That is until he meets Lazare de Quitte-Beuf, an annoyingly cheerful – and undeniably handsome – Frenchman who shares the same curse. But in a world where immortality is a coveted commodity, Fang and Lazare quickly realise that eternal life is far from a blessing. With both of their futures at risk, will they ever admit that they have finally found something – or someone – to live for?

Buy the book here!

1. What inspired you to write this book?

When I sent Cursed Under London to my publisher in 2023, they asked if I'd done any research that found Romantasies were hot at that point - I hadn't at all! It's just that, being a comedy writer and a romantic soul at heart, I've always wanted to write a romcom, and being very Fantasy minded, it made sense for me to write a romcom set in a fantasy world. I set it in an alternate Tudor Britain because I love the Tudors. I'm a writer on Horrible Histories and wanted to throw in some of the fun facts I've learned in the writers room (you will notice a lot of references to Qin Dynasty China in the book as well - another historic era I was fascinated by while writing kids' comedy history shows). I love Shakespeare and Marlowe and had been thinking for years about writing a frienemies comedy about those two, that ended up a long running background plot of the Cursed series. I'm also fascinated by King James Stuart's obsessive hatred and fear of witchcraft, and felt him waiting to take over the crown of England would make a great threat to a land of dragons and alchemists. I came out as bi really quite late in life - just before turning 40 - and all of the romances in Cursed are, in my words, "aggressively bisexual" because, well. Why the Hell not. All of my previous books have had LGBT+ romances in them, but I wanted to write a romcom that had one front and centre, and to set it in a world where them being bi+ wasn't the issue, the issue was that the middle of a dangerous quest is a dreadful time to fall in love. I made Fang and Lazare (and Nell) immigrants, since the first story is one about London, and the London I know is one made great by immigration. Also, as a bisexual middle aged woman, and a Welshwoman who's spent most of her life in England, I wanted to explore the internalised feeling of being not quite one thing nor another, hence the main characters' 'curse' leaving them not quite a part of the human world nor the magical world.

2. What was your favourite part of writing it?

I love making myself laugh and making myself cry. There aren't that many tears in Cursed Under London, although I empathise desperately with Fang and his grief, his deep sadness, his lack of self esteem. I will freely admit to making myself laugh a LOT. Amber and Wulfric, both intended initially to be there as plot points that we quickly move away from, both delighted me as I wrote them so much that I knew I had to make them part of the regular crew. I also have a habit of making myself laugh by slipping injokes or pop culture references into chapter titles, and playing around with tropes. You will notice that in Cursed there is only one bed. There is ALWAYS only one bed. The Only One Bed follows them around. Sharing a bed was a standard in Tudor days, for warmth, which is my excuse. I also enjoyed looking up lesser known mythological creatures, like the puca, and non-european mythological beings like the jiangshi. I had a LOT of fun with Susu, she's part Pepe le Pew and part Colin Robinson. I will also admit, I enjoy writing horrible people. Besides the main villain, who I won't say much about because of spoilers, I also loved writing Kit Marlowe far too much. My version of him is such a terrible person, but he's so charming and his total lack of filter, manners or regard for others' feelings just made him great fun to write.


3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)

I'm mostly on Bluesky as scriblit.bsky.social. I am technically also on Mastodon and The Website Formerly Known As Twitter, also under the handle Scriblit - although I'm only really there to answer questions. I'm on TikTok as GabbyHCWrites. All of my books are available on my publisher's website here https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/gabby-hutchinson-crouch/ 

  

The Mystery of the Pale King by Sam Flynn

"Tonight, my friends, the performance is real. To you, my most faithful, I dedicate this, the final production of 'The Mystery of the Pale King.'"

As an orphan growing up in a distant border province, Faron took pride in the epic tales of the Hero of Hathur, a great and powerful warrior who ruled in the name of the sun-worshipping Church of the Sol Creator. That pride is shattered by accusations from the Hero's family that he squandered their entire inheritance on the production of a profane play with him at the center: "The Mystery of the Pale King." The Church proclaims him under interdict and dispatches Bishop Antonius, his devoted page Faron, and a cadre of soldiers downriver to repossess Hathur on its behalf.

The cruelty they witness on their perilous mission forces them to confront the horrors at the heart of Hathur's past and question not just their devotion to the Church but their very beliefs in gods and heroes. Amid a storm of betrayal, murder, and sacrilege, Faron must survive fanatical cultists, their obscene rituals, and the evil hiding in the light in order to save Bishop Antonius from the Hero's final performance.

Inspired by the historical legend of Gilles de Rais, The Mystery of the Pale King probes the roots of modern American dysfunction in a grim flintlock fantasy setting that reflects the best and worst of humanity. 

Buy the book here! 

 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

Three things. First was when I attended the Futurescapes Writers' Workshop in 2022, agent Elizabeth Copps taught a class on publishing comps and I started to think about my stories not just in terms of what I wanted but what the audience wanted, in this case agents and publishers. X-meets-Y may be reductive but it is effective for likely the same reason. Second, I read The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, which is an anthology of weird horror short stories centered around a fictional play of the same title. The play is never shared or depicted save snippets because if it's performed, the King in Yellow will appear and the world will end. Third was when I stumbled across the legend of Gilles de Rais, a Medieval French nobleman who fought with Joan of Arc, returned home and proceeded to bankrupt his family on an extravagant play he wrote, directed and starred in. His family (aka inheritors) did not like seeing him light their wealth on fire and went to the King of France to stop him. Secular and religious organizations investigated and in the end he was tried, found guilty and executed for occult child murders. I immediately saw the potential for a story from the POV of the investigators dispatched to a similar situation, only to confront history and horrors they never anticipated. From the seed of Gilles de Rais-meets-The King in Yellow grew The Mystery of the Pale King. Turns out you can reverse engineer a story from a comp.  

2. What was your favourite part of writing it?

The fact that it got published is my favorite part of writing it. To be real, my creative experience is that stories stagnate without exposure to an audience. I spent many years working on my passion project, an epic fantasy-mystery novel called The Darkest Fate, with the unrealized goal of being traditionally published. After attending Futurescapes in 2022, I was finally ready to step away from the novel and apply everything I'd learned on shorter fiction, which I had previously written without success. This is backwards of how it usually goes for writers where they start in short fiction and build to a novel but apparently I love to make things hard on myself. I set out to write something shorter that might conceivable be published and lo and behold, it was (check out Timber Ghost Press for more freaky tales).

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)

The Mystery of the Pale King is available from Timber Ghost Press, Amazon and Audible in paperback, ebook, and audiobook (narrated by me!). I primarily post on my website (https://www.sam-flynn.com), Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/SamFlynn), and BlueSky (@samflynnwrites.bsky.social). Sign up for my quarterly newsletter (https://sam-flynn.beehiiv.com) to stay up to date on my books. Find all links over on linktree (https://linktr.ee/samflynn7). 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading! 

Want to keep in touch? Sign up for my newsletter or Find me around the web

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Welcome to the first of many posts featuring the semi-finalists of the Small Spec Book Awards! 

Every few days between now and when the finalists are announced, I will be highlighting three semi-finalists at a time. More information on the awards can be found here. The full list of semi-finalists can be found here. Each author has been asked the same questions: 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

2. What was your favourite part of writing it? 

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website) 

For this first post, since it is October, the month of all things spooky, I have decided to start with three of the horror semi-finalists: Carson Winter, author of A Spectre is Haunting Greentree, Damien Casey, author of Church of Skatan, and Emmett Nahil, author of From the Belly.

 

A Spectre is Haunting Greentree by Carson Winter

REAP WHAT YOU SOW

In the wake of a series of panic attacks, isolated and introverted Carina takes a friend up on an offer: go to Greentree, Oregon, escape her abusive ex, and start a new life. 

But upon arrival, the town is stranger than Carina could have ever imagined. 

For one, they still have a video store. For two, everyone is rich. 

For three, what’s up with all these scarecrows?

As Greentree’s secrets begin to unravel, as the autumn sun bends below the corn, as scythes sharpen in the night—a violent revolution stirs.

Buy the book here!

1. What inspired you to write this book? 

When I was writing A Spectre is Haunting Greentree, I had just gotten my first real taste of anxiety. I had been hyper focusing on my heart for months, to the point that I was in constant fear of having a heart attack in my late 20s. 

This anxiety, this feeling of being under something’s thumb, terrified me—but it also inspired me. 

The second influence for Greentree was a desire to write something decidedly old school. I wanted to write a horror book that would fit perfectly amidst the 80s paperbacks I loved so much. That’s where the scarecrows came in. 

A Spectre is Haunting Greentree is an amalgam of different emotions and interests that coalesced into a bizarre whole. An anti-capitalist killer scarecrow novel about anxiety—what’s not to love?

2. What was your favourite part of writing it? 

My favorite part of writing A Spectre is Haunting Greentree was writing the scarecrows! They have such a unique perspective on their predicament, and I loved channeling their revolutionary tone.  

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website) 

You can find me at carsonwinter.com, but also every week on the Dead Languages Podcast, a horror craft writing podcast I co-host with P.L. McMillan. I’m also on Bluesky at @carsonwinter.bsky.social and Instagram at @wintercarson. 

 Church of Skatan by Damien Casey

In the backdrop of the early-2000s small-town skate scene, a group of skaters is about to face off against evil cultists...

As kids growing up in the suburbs, Ethan, Dylan, and Billy bonded over their mutual love for skating. When they reunite in their hometown during college summer break, it seems like nothing’s changed.

Same boring town.

Until they discover a skater’s dream: an abandoned building with a pool all to themselves. But when they attempt to drain the pool, they accidentally send out a call to The Daughters of Eve, a murderous cult intent on unleashing an ancient evil lurking under that very same building, setting off a chain of violence, magic, and nightmarish creatures made of gears, wires, and mangled flesh.

Buy the book here!

1. What inspired you to write this book?

Church of Skatan is basically my letter of annoyance toward organized religion. I don’t mean ALL religious people; some are amazing. This was more so directed at the folks that treat their religion like a sort of yacht club and decide what the members do, wear, and believe in. Something that was specifically heavy on my mind at the time, and honestly more so now, is the way society has been conditioned to treat women. Christian religions in the area I live in follow the idealogy of women being somehow less than men. They should be the stay at home mom who is submissive and blah blah blah. I hate that mindset. I loathe any mind or idealogy that puts another human being below them. Unfortunately, the Christian religion has done this to women for centuries; look at how Eve is considered to blame for the Apple, the whole made from a rib thing, and don’t get me started on the weird relationship with consent Christian men have thanks to the story of Mary. I’m also very interested in Satanic cults; one particular named Our Lady of Endor from the late 1800’s. They believed Satan was helping Eve by showing her that God was not allowing them the free will he promised. Basically, Satan exposed God as a fascist, and is therefore a figure to be appreciated. The skating aspects came naturally; I’ve skated since I was 13, I’m 38 now, I don’t want to do the math on that. I always wanted to do something with skateboarding in my work, and this was the perfect opportunity. TL:DR - I got mad and made something that was a bit over the top to show how annoyed I was. 


2. What was your favourite part of writing it?


The mechanical monstrosities. I’m usually a very character driven writer; I love dialogue, building personalities, having characters act in ways that can be analyzed and related to. But with Skatan, making some of those Evil Dead meets Terminator style monsters was a blast. Have you ever seen Virus with Jamie Lee Curtis? I haven’t either, but I used to play this game on my PC when I was a kid based on it. Basically you ran from this weird mechanical thing; I always thought the movie would be a ton of insanely cool robotic monsters. I don’t know if it is or isn’t, I had the game on floppy disk which is a whole thing. I’ll watch it and report back. 


3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)

Instagram: damienthulhu

Etsy: Damiensweirdlilguys

  

From the Belly by Emmett Nahil

The whaling vessel Merciful has just made its strangest catch yet: a massive whale containing a still-living man secreted within its stomach lining. Sailor Isaiah Chase is tasked with keeping the enigmatic man alive. 

As their relationship grows, a series of accidents, injuries and deaths quickly befall the ship and its crew. Isaiah is plagued by strangely prophetic dreams, even as the crew continues their endless quest for whale oil under the command of an increasingly unhinged captain. 

As events spiral further out of control, the mysterious man confesses what Isaiah has begun to suspect: the crew of The Merciful has fallen into a cycle of punishment for their greed and destruction. Isaiah must confront the sea's vengeance made flesh, and choose between this new, strange love and the fate of the ship itself.

Buy the book here! 

 

1. What inspired you to write this book?

I'm very much inspired by myths, legends, and history, and so the story of the disaster of the whaleship Essex was hugely interesting to me. In a lot of ways, the story seems like a tale of man's hubris when confronted with the enormity of nature, so I wanted to capitalize on that in one of my favorite settings: isolation horror. The first season of AMC's The Terror as well as Eric Jay Dolin's nonfiction book Leviathan were both inspirational during the early phases of writing From the Belly. 

2. What was your favourite part of writing it?

My favorite part of writing is always the second draft, where things really tend to fall into place. It's easy to romanticize the possibility and expansive imagination for a first draft, but I like feeling like I kind of know what I'm doing and what direction I'm traveling in. I also tend to under-write, so going back and adding in more scenes, more background is pretty fun for me.

3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)

You can find my work at www.emmettnahil.com and on most socials under @_emnays such as Instagram,  TikTok, and Bluesky.

 

 

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In February, I announced that I was an official influencer for the Small Spec Book Awards. What are the Small Spec Book Awards? You can check out my post from February, or visit the website for information.

Now, the first round of results are in and the semi-finalists have been announced!

Between now and when the finalists are announced, I will be doing a series of posts. There are 30 semi-finalists - 10 in each category - horror, fantasy, and science fiction. I have sent out interview questions to each semi-finalist, and I will be posting mini-profiles of the authors in groups of 3 every few days or so as the answers come in. I will link to the posts here as I add them.

All of the semi-finalists should be proud, and I encourage you to check out all of them and their work! So without further delay, here are the top 30 books of the Small Spec Book Awards!

 

Horror

Fantasy

Science Fiction

A SPECTRE IS HAUNTING GREENTREE by Carson Winter (Tenebrous Press)

BETTER LIVING THROUGH ALCHEMY by Evan J. Peterson (Broken Eye Books)

A TRUTH BEYOND FULL by Rosie Oliver (Elsewhen Press)

BEAR SEASON by Gemma Fairclough (Wild Hunt Books)

CURSED UNDER LONDON by Gabby Hutchinson Crouch (Farrago Books)

EMPRESS OF DUST by Alex Kingsley (Space Wizard Science Fantasy)

BENOTHINGED by Alvar Theo (Haunt Publishing)

GHOST APPARENT by Jelena Dunato (Ghost Orchid Press)

HER GILDED VOICE by K.C. Aegis (Elsewhen Press)

CHURCH OF SKATAN by Damien Casey (Mad Axe Media)

TALIO'S CODEX by J. Alexander Cohen (Space Wizard Science Fantasy)

MOON DUST IN MY HAIRNET by JR Creaden (Mythic Roads Press)

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FROM THE BELLY by Emmett Nahil (Tenebrous Press)

THE EXTRAVAGANZA ETERNIA by Kristin Osani (Ghost Orchid Press)

MORE BUGS by Em Reed (Knight Errant Press)

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RESISTERS by Chris Campeau (Anuci Press)

THE HARLEQUIN: THE DRAPER’S REEL by J.A. Mortimore and Penelope Hill (Elsewhen Press)

THE MOSQUITO FLEET by Andrew Penn Romine (Broken Eye Books)

SUNDOWN IN SAN OJUELA by M.M. Olivas (Lanternfish Press)

THE JAGUAR MASK by Michael J. DeLuca (Stelliform Press)

THE RIGEL REDEMPTION by Robin C. M. Duncan (Space Wizard Science Fantasy)

TERROR AT TIERRA DE COBRE by Michael Merriam (Queen of Swords Press)

THE MYSTERY OF THE PALE KING by Sam Flynn (Timber Ghost Press)

THE SEA OF CLOUDS by Sheila Jenné (Midnight Meadow Publishing)

THE SCIENTIST, THE SPACEMAN, AND THE STARS BETWEEN THEM by A.L. Davidson (Timber Ghost Press)

THE WITCH AND THE OSTRICH by Jordan A. Werner (Space Wizard Science Fantasy)

THE YEARS SHALL RUN LIKE RABBITS by Ben Berman Ghan (Wolsak and Wynn Publishers)

YOU WILL SPEAK FOR THE DEAD by R.A. Busby (Stelliform Press)

TREE GODS by R. Lee Fryar (Midnight Meadow Publishing)

WORLDS ALIGNED: WORLDS APART 2 by Terry Jackman (Elsewhen Press)

 

   

 

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While this is only the second work by Ioanna Papadopoulou that I have read, she has already become one of the authors I keep an eye out for. Her debut was a wonderfully vicious retelling of the Demeter and Persephone myth from the POV of Demeter, Winter Harvest, which I previously reviewed for The Horror Tree. Her most recent work, The Castaway and the Witch, is out today from Ghost Orchid Press. It is a loose retelling of the Circe and Odysseus myth from my favourite book of all time, The Odyssey.

Papadopoulou's novella is not a straight retelling. Her witch, Nefele, is not a powerful goddess, but a terrified young girl. She washes up on the shore of a mysterious island next to her dead father. There, she grows into a woman and the magic of the island claims her as its own. Nefele is the latest in a long line of witches who have inhabited the island, which is both home and prison to those who land there. She uses the island's power to protect herself when other castaways come to her island until one in particular, Simon, causes her to rethink everything the island and its past witches have taught her.

This is a tale that defies genre. Firmly in fantasy, perhaps, but it is also a fairy tale, a horror story, a love story, a mystery, and a tragedy, yet not at any point does this feel overwhelming. All of the genre pieces fit together nicely and make for an engrossing read. Anyone who is familiar with the Circe myth can see its fingerprints all over the tale, but it is not a blueprint for the story. I appreciated the nuances, but enjoyed that this was its own story.

The characters are limited, but complex. Nefele is more than a simple, lost girl. She has a terrifying strength and commits unspeakable acts, yet remains endearing through her vulnerability and her desire to be better. Simon is more mysterious and while he treats Nefele with kindness, his past hints at a hidden darkness within his soul. 

It is these hints that make the story seem larger than it is, but also leave the reader potentially unsatisfied. The island is a mystery that never gets solved, which I think is proper for this kind of story. Explaining the island fully would rob it of its magic, but not knowing the backgrounds of either Nefele or Simon left me a bit frustrated. There are questions about both of them that are never answered and this is what held the story back for me a bit in the end. 

Overall, the story is a delight, and if you aren't scared off by a little ambiguity, you will enjoy this one.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I thoroughly enjoy horror stories set in the deep north. There is something about the icy cold isolation that just heightens the tension for me. Even if I am reading the book in the midst of summer, I always feel a chill. We Like it Cherry by Jacy Morris delivers on the chills, for sure.

Ezra Montbanc hosts a video series about the cultures and celebrations of Indigenous tribes in North America. Buried in an endless string of powwows, Ezra is losing faith in his show and longs for an exciting assignment to punch things up. In a classic case of “be careful what you wish for”, Ezra gets just that. He is invited to observe and record an isolated and mysterious tribe, the Winoquin, as they conduct a once in a lifetime ritual. He believes that this discovery will be what catapults his tiny show from obscurity into the primetime. Travelling with him are Stu, his cameraman and secret lover, Jonesy, a rough-around-the-edges sound man, and Scott, their uptight producer.

Each of the main four have distinct personalities that play well off of each other. Ezra is the main character, but we do experience each person’s POV as they attempt to survive the Winoquin’s ritual. This serves to help the reader connect to each of them and care more about their outcome in the story. My unlikely favourite turned out to be Jonesy, as I felt he had the most complicated personality, but each of the four is engaging in their own way.

The portrayal of the Winoquin is complicated. We do get to know a couple of them to a degree - an unnamed elder, and Maq, the translator/guide - but that’s about it. This serves to cement the cultural differences between Ezra and his group and the Winoquin. While the ritual and practices of the Winoquin are horrific to Ezra (and to the reader - content warnings for cannibalism and ritualistic slaughter), the tribe is not presented as evil despite this practice. They do not delight in cruelty, as they are merely following a very different set of beliefs. Ezra is Indigenous as well, providing a variety of representation. As well, the author, Jacy Morris is Indigenous.

Cannibalism aside, I found the Winoquin to be darkly fascinating. Not only do we get to see aspects of this strange ritual, but we get to see some of their history in the opening. They almost seem to be magical; they are able to swim great lengths under the sea and withstand freezing temperatures in almost no clothing. We do get a glimpse into their past, but I found myself curious about their other rituals, and how the ceremony would have gone if Ezra had refused to bring his team there.

The ending of the story, however, left me with mixed feelings. Some things were tied up far too neatly and those that survived did so a bit too miraculously. Although, the ending I was expecting as I read along would have left me miserable. 

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys icy horror, claustrophobic tales, dark rituals, and has a strong stomach.

Buy the book here!

Author Website: https://jacymorris.com/ 

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This book is a fever dream of vampires, blood, and toxicity, and I loved it. I devoured it as quickly as my schedule would allow. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil is my second V. E. Schwab book (first was The Invisible Life of Addie Larue), and the one that has cemented me as a fan. Schwab’s writing is magnetic and her books are hard to put down.
 
This story is about three vampires from different time periods. All three are young, beautiful, sapphic women, and even though they all end up afflicted with the same curse, they each approach their fate differently. First, we have Maria from 1532, who always hungers for more. Second comes Lottie from 1827, who wears her heart on her sleeve. Finally, we have Alice from 2019, desperate to break out of her shell. These three women come together in a whirlwind of blood, lust, and love that spans centuries.
 
Schwab tells these women’s stories through rotating viewpoints. Each woman’s voice is distinct and interesting, but my favourite was Maria. Of the three, she is the most dynamic and fascinating. While Lottie and Alice have complicated relationships with their vampiric life, Maria embraces it wholeheartedly, almost desperately. She is a fascinating monster, and I wish I had more of her point of view.
 
The worldbuilding and vampiric lore are sound. Schwab balances traditional vampire tropes with fresh new angles. For example, rather than being unable to enter a church, the vampires react strongly to grave dirt. As well, instead of bursting into flames immediately, the sun makes them ill. I enjoyed how she gave vampires a new spin, but without changing them too drastically.
 
But the real heart of the story is in the relationships and exploration of what it means to be human or a monster. These three women are impossibly intertwined as lovers and as enemies, and the book makes it very complicated to know who to root for. In interviews, Schwab has stated that Lottie is perhaps the most evil of the three women, and I’m not sure I agree. This book is full of “evil” creatures clinging to their last shreds of humanity as they murder through time. I’d argue that Lottie is the most dishonest of the characters, but most evil? That’s a complex subject worthy of its own discussion.

This book is so rich with story, character, and life that there are endless points to discuss. I suggest you pick up a copy for yourself to see. Even the parts of the book that are weaker are still worthy of examination and enjoyable. If you are also a fan of V. E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, I believe you will enjoy this one. It follows the tone and vibe of Addie (and even takes place in the same universe), but dives even deeper into the toxicity and complicated nature of having a relationship with an eternal monster.

 

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In July, I set out my first ever "reading plan", an idea I stole from Cliff's Dark Gems on Youtube. I decided that I liked the idea and am carrying it forward in August. I have also once again signed up for another writing course. This one is a short story writing course from Crystal Lake. In keeping with that theme, I'm going to focus on reading short fiction this month.

Photo by Mahendra Kumar on Unsplash July Reading Plan Progress

In July, I set out to read an ambitious 8 books over a few categories and completed 5/8, and read a bonus book that wasn't on my list.

Completed:

The Knave of Graves by S. J. Shank - Read my review hereHush Don't Wake the MonsterVampire Hunters from Speculative Publications - Read my review hereTheatre Macabre by Sèphera Girón - Read my review hereMexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - Review forthcoming. Part of my Horror Reading ChallengeAll Systems Red by Martha WellsAugust Reading PlanAlready On the Go

Wearing the Lion by John WiswellVolume 1 of Frost Zone StoriesWe are All Thieves of Somebody's FutureBook of Accidents by Chuck Wendig - Audiobook - This will be my second Chuck Wendig book. I really enjoyed Black River Orchard and this one is also part of my Horror Reading ChallengeARCs

Even with my focus on short fiction, I do have some ARCs to complete. 

5. We Like it Cherry by Jacy Morris - Horror that takes place in the deep, frozen north is one of my favourite things. Read more about what I love about icy horror here.

6. Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher - I am a big fan of T. Kingfisher and was excited to receive an arc of her upcoming work. 

Short Fiction 

I'm going to play a little catch up on the zines I currently subscribe to and start two anthologies this month. I don't expect to finish all of these this month, but I'm going to start working through them. I currently subscribe to Small Wonders, Apex Magazine, and The Stygian Zine. I find it difficult to keep up with monthly subscriptions, so I don't maintain many. I prefer to purchase individual issues when I can, or subscribe to ones that publish less frequently.

7-8. Small Wonders Issues 25 and 26 - I'm a somewhat recent subscriber to Small Wonders, but I love their flash fiction.

9-10. Apex 145 and 146 - A magazine for dark sci-fi, dark fantasy, and horror short fiction. I'm only a few issues behind.

11. Aphrodite from Flame Tree Press - One of these stories is written by me! I'm excited to see who I'm sharing the book with. Aphrodite retellings.

12. Noncorporeal III from Inkd Publishing - I also have a story in this collection and love reading the stories I share pages with. Spooky ghost stories.

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Theatre Macabre is a short collection of speculative poetry all centered on the stage. The book is cleverly laid out like a stage performance itself, beginning with the aptly named "Curtain Up" a poem about anticipating that moment just before the curtain rises and a play begins. I was in a number of productions during my high school days. This poem captures that nervous uncertainty that comes while you work to calm your jitters and accept that even if mistakes are made, the show must go on. Setting up the book like this allows the reader to imagine each poem as a performance in itself, and Girón brings this metaphorical structure home by wrapping up the collection with a quick little poem called "Curtain Down". The final poem is short, but I think this fits the theatre idea. So much time and energy is spent leading up to a production - rehearsals, costumes, nerves, lines - and then, rather suddenly, it's over. 

All of the poems in this collection are about some sort of performance, but the topics vary enough that it's not just a repetitive collection of theatre poems. There are marionettes, a witch providing psychic readings, magicians, and ballerinas. Girón also explores more personal aspects of performance such as a deceptive lover in "Gaslight Tango" or an abusive relationship in "Leech". 

The poems in this collection are an easy read and thoughtful without being pretentious. If you are looking for an abstract set of poetry, this may not be the book for you. I can appreciate lofty prose, but what I really enjoyed about this collection was how approachable it was. Girón plays with rhyme, metaphor, and style, but I followed the meaning of each one. There wasn't one that I had to sit down and puzzle out like a riddle, which is something I don't personally enjoy about certain styles of poetry.

I recommend this collection to anyone who has a theatrical background or interest in theatre and doesn't mind a little bit of darkness in their life. 

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Author's Website.

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Vampire Hunters combines several things that I love - found fiction, creepy atmosphere, history, and monstrous vampires. This collection is dark, gripping, and genuinely scary. Beginning in ancient Greece and continuing to the modern day, these twenty-two tales offer a rich variety of vampire lore told through a collection of letters and diary entries compiled over the centuries. Presenting the stories as historical records only adds to the unsettling nature of the work and adds a sense of realism few books possess.

Tying all these stories together is a sort of bonus tale. The book is divided into sections and at the front of each one is correspondence from one curator to the next. The main difficulty with found fiction is the question of “why was this recorded”? The individual stories do a good job of this on their own. This framing story really adds to the suspension of disbelief that this is a real curated history.
This is an excellent anthology for vampire fans of all types. I do recommend heeding the content warnings before diving in, but there are still plenty of stories for everyone to enjoy.

As with any anthology, some stories resonated with me more than others. Some of my favourites include: 

Strix by George K. Angelou - Bit of a bias here. I love anything Trojan War related and this dive into one of the darkest parts of an already dark story was delightful.

The Sherwood Papers by Dale Parnell - This one really drew me in and was genuinely scary.

Be Careful What You Wish for by Henry Herz - a fun twist on The Headless Horseman story.

All the Devils at Once by Gwendolyn Kiste - this story was the perfect balance of funny and scary.

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