I am Candace Nola, and I am a multiple award-winning author, editor, and publisher. I write poetry, horror, dark fantasy, and extreme horror content. My books include Breach, Beyond the Breach, Hank Flynn, Bishop, Earth vs The Lava Spiders, The Unicorn Killer, Unmasked, The Vet, and Desperate Wishes.
I have short stories in The Baker’s Dozen anthology, Secondhand Creeps, American Cannibal, Just A Girl, The Horror Collection: Lost Edition & The Turquoise Edition, just to name a few.
Beyond the Breach, won the “Novel of the Year” and my Debut Novel, Breach, was nominated for “Debut Novel of the Year”, for the 2021 Horror Authors Guild awards. I am also the publisher and editor of the 2022 Splatterpunk Award Winning Anthology “Uncomfortably Dark Presents: The Baker’s Dozen.”
I am the creator of Uncomfortably Dark, which focuses primarily on promoting indie horror authors and small presses with weekly book reviews, interviews, and special features. Uncomfortably Dark Horror stands behind its mission to “bring you the best in horror, one uncomfortably dark page at a time.”
Find me on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook and the website, UncomfortablyDark.com. Sign up for the Patreon for exclusive content, free stories, and more.
Oh my gosh, I LOVED this. As an animal lover who has worked and volunteered with animals before and seen some of the terrible things humans are capable of doing to their "pets", there was something immensely cathartic about this story. It's graphic and includes some really painful references to animal abuse, so it won't be for everyone, but if you can stomach the trigger warnings, I highly recommend it. The writing was also fantastic and it made me very excited to read more from this author!
This one hit hard. If there’s one thing that always gets to me—both in books and real life—it’s animals being hurt. It’s one of the few things that genuinely breaks me. My dream is to own a house with a decent backyard and rescue a few animals, so you can imagine how this one made me feel.
The story follows a veterinarian who sees the absolute worst of humanity—and let’s just say, she deals with it. And honestly? If she were taking donations, I’d be the first in line to contribute.
Brutal, satisfying, and impossible to put down—Candace Nola delivers again.
Have to give this five stars just because I hate animal abusers. Beyond that it was a great story with a well developed main character even though it was a short book. I enjoy when I root for the "bad guy", and even more when the "bad guy" isn't really the bad guy. This author excels at world building and can pull you into the world she's created with only a few sentences.
This was a brilliantly cathartic read from Candace, there's nothing I love more than people getting their just desserts, especially those people that abuse animals! There are brief mentions of the cruelty the animals suffer, but the punishment dished out more than makes up for it! For those of us that hate when animals die in books, which is pretty much all of us, this is such a satisfying read!
Camilla is a vet, she's had enough of dealing with abused animals, doing everything she can to save them. Animals that are broken mentally and physically, in turn breaking her too, while their abusers continue on with their sad little lives. She finally decides that enough is enough, that the people who abuse these animals need a taste of their own nasty medicine. She saves the anger she feels towards the culprits, lets it simmer and seethe until she is able to release it with satisfaction and her full commitment.
Back at her home, she keeps more animals, animals that can't be kept at the shelter. They're different from the others. These animals are looked after and used to help her seek justice for the abused pets in her care. They are taught obedience to a degree and are meted out the justice they deserve. Eventually being put to the very best use! There is also a special pitbull who is treated with extra love and care and is finally free to live the life intended for her, albeit not ideal it is the best life she can have now!
This kicks off with an emotional opening that will tug on anyones heartstrings and have you yearning for what happens later on. Each chapter leaves you with just the right amount of suspense and intrigue to make you keep reading and not put this book down for a second. A brilliantly smooth narrative with gruesome and vivid imagery. A short read that packs one heck of a punch!
It's so hard not to love this character, raised as a lover of animals on grandpa's farm. Camilla becomes a veterinarian, this woman has a massive heart which hits the reader. The first part of this short story is heartbreaking as Camilla holds a badly abused labrador in her arms. Honestly I cried because the horrible truth is this does happen, there are bad people out there that abuse animals with no remorse. But Camilla already has something dark and twisted in store for these nasty dredges of humanity. I was living for this story as we experience poetic justice, in the form of captivity. By day she is a kind hearted vet saving abused and abandoned animals, by night she has her own form of retribution. It is glorious in every way, with the sadistic power play that she uses, creative punishments and basically giving the abusive asshats a taste of their own medicine. Candace pulled me in and captivated me with every chapter. This has to be the best short of hers I have hands down, it is a story that has everything. As an animal lover this hits the feels and leaves you feeling satisfied by the tortures she inflicts on these horrific people in her cages.
Oh man, that was fucking awesome. Camilla, the town vet, loves animals. She's spent her entire life caring for them. What she doesn't love are horrible pet owners who treat animals cruelly. She takes care of them as well. A fantastic story filled with gore and shitty people getting what they deserve. Another fantastic tale from Candace Nola. Read it now! Check it out on Goldess.com, Amazon, and Uncomfortablydark.com
The Vet was literally everything I hoped it was going to be once I started. Camilla is getting the work done as the town vet and taking care of her rescues at home. I couldn't help but root her on while reading this. I loved this one, if you are an animal lover and love yourself a well deserved revenge story check your triggers and give this a read.
This is the revenge story that I have been waiting for! I absolutely loved the concept of this and the main character is a no f@cks given badass that loves animals more than people. A concept I can get behind most days! Excellent.
Let this book be a warning to those who don’t value their pets. I don’t know how Camilla made time for work and extracurricular activities. Reading her story was interesting and twisted.
As an animal lover, I don’t have enough good things to say about this book.
Camilla, the MC, is an anti-hero of sorts, standing up for abused animals against their owners. She’s not afraid to give them a taste of their own medicine.
"Her face twisted in disgust as she watched him struggle. This one would be a delight to watch suffer. She couldn’t get the big brown eyes of that lab out of her head. This one would suffer dearly for the abuse he put that girl through."
As a vet, Camilla unfortunately sees mistreated and abused animals on a daily basis, and it kills her inside. Animals are her life. It's not just a job for her, it's a calling - and it breaks her spirit every single time she has to deal with the aftermath of the heinous cruelty. Fortunately for her, she owns a farm in the middle of nowhere and has decided that she won't let the monsters responsible for such cruelty go unpunished..
I LOVE the premise of this book. I'm a huge animal lover, and the idea of animal cruelty is unfathomable to me, and people who do these unspeakable things are, in most people's opinions, never punished harshly enough. This book is just full on revenge on the lowest of the low, and I'm so here for it. If you're an animal lover or just love revenge stories on people who truly deserve it, you'll love this one.
I almost didn't pick this one up because I knew there would be animal cruelty in it and that's not always a topic I do well with. (I was actually just discussing this when taking recommendations from my reading group. Not reading about animal death/violence in horror is a preference that I have, which is different than being triggered. If you are someone who is ACTUALLY triggered by animal violence, I cannot recommend this. I am coming at it from the lens of someone who dislikes that topic, but can handle it.)
I am so glad that I decided to trust Nola because this is one of the most satisfying things I've ever read. It's the perfect revenge fantasy, and I found it to be incredibly cathartic. If you're someone who has ever gotten very angry or despondent over animal abuse, this might just be the horror story for you.
My only complaint is that it easily could have been an entire book. I felt like ended way too soon, I would have read a couple hundred pages more of this so happily.
“Camilla had a stubborn streak a mile long and she would teach them to obey, one way or the other.”
The only complaint I had is that this book was too short. I wanted more from Camilla and the Sheriff.
Camilla is a vet whose passion for animals has led her to dedicate her life to the cause. But in the most brutal satisfying way. Especially for fellow animal lovers.
This book was such a brilliant concept and was executed fantastically. This is something I could almost envision myself doing to child and animal abusers alike. Those type of people deserve the Camilla Treatment 👊🏻
The premise is unique—genius, in my opinion—and the writing is beautifully executed. What I love most is the depth of Candace’s character development. Camilla is flawed, human, and impossible not to root for. I highly recommend this to everyone, especially animal lovers.
AHHHH YES. This is the most validated extreme horror story I’ve ever read. I’ve struggled with the genre lately and this is what I needed. A vet who takes revenge on people who abuse and mistreat animals? SIGN ME UP.
My only complaint is the length and I wish it was longer. But the author still packed a punch in the short page count. On my way now to put all of Candace Nola’s books on my tbr!
THE VET - Candace Nola Camilla is a kind, big hearted town vet that cares for animals with every cell in her body. Some of her farm “pets” do not understand how to behave and must go through training to relearn before they earn their release. Brutal, 100% cathartic, and one of Nola’s best shorts to date, THE VET will not disappoint. A HIGHLY RECOMMEND 5/5.
This was a brilliant revenge story that you might be able to guess by the cover is not your typical revenge story. Expertly crafted by Candace Nola , this was fun and brutal! I love a good story where terrible people get what they deserve!
This was actually my first time reading Candace's work, and I can see why her books are so loved within the community. I'm ready to figure out what my next book of hers is going to be!
Safe to say, animal revenge stories are definitely one of my favorite tropes. I am passionate about protecting the innocent, so I applaud such actions taken as the humans did in this story. An intense tale, well worth your time.
Candace Nola has written a masterpiece in “The Vet”. It is a novella that had to be written. Animal lovers everywhere who also love splatterpunk horror will love this work by her!
Camilla is a well respected veterinarian. Her experience with animal surgeries, medicines and just her over all love and caring for animals is her life and passion. Unfortunately, corrupt evil exists in the world. This is where Camilla exceeds at relieving societies lowlifes. Welcome to her unconventional animal controlled farmhouse.
The Vet by Candace Nola allows the reader a front row seat into dealing with the worst kinds of humanity. Rescuing human strays along with providing them Splatterpunk Shelters is a voluntary act of her kindness. Syringes, leather muzzles and steel cages are all presented in full technicolor and Dolby stereophonic sounds of painful realism.
Using pen and paper, author Candace Nola paints her canvas of carnage with savagery, hostility and of course sedatives. She is a true artist at inflicting pain. I am certain by now you are asking yourself…”But wait Mike, is there a detailed human-related neutering included in this book?” I’m glad you ask. No need to look elsewhere, yes there is. “Balls aren’t just for fetchin’ ya know.” (That would be my Horror Bookworm Reviews blurb!)
Candace Nola has become royalty in the splatter/extreme community. She has officially reached the, “ya can’t go wrong with this author” status. I strongly recommend this five star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Horror Bookworm stamp of approval.