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Embracing the Profane
She may be soft-hearted and bubbly, but Splatterpunk Award-winner Bridgett Nelson knows how to horrify.
She knows how to disturb.
And she sure as hell knows how to make you squirm.
She proved it with A Bouquet of Viscera. And again with Poisoned Pink. Now she’s taking it to the next grisly level with Embracing the Profane, fifteen stories that will grab you by the throat…and rip it right out, one piece of viscera at a time.
Want deviant sex? She’s got you covered. “Cherrified” is every man’s worst nightmare. Up for a little bestiality? “Can’t Be Tamed” is the one for you! No-holds-barred depravity? Check out “Hot for Cold.”
She’ll break your heart with “Dying River.” And you’ll wonder what the ever-loving fuck is wrong with her once you’ve read “Shits N’ Giggles.”
Like the 1980s AIDS epidemic, “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” brings confrontation and controversy. Want characters you’ll love to hate? The cruel bullies in “Three, Two, One…” are sure to scratch that itch.
Go on.
Join her.
Embrace the profane.
What’s the worst that can happen?
She knows how to disturb.
And she sure as hell knows how to make you squirm.
She proved it with A Bouquet of Viscera. And again with Poisoned Pink. Now she’s taking it to the next grisly level with Embracing the Profane, fifteen stories that will grab you by the throat…and rip it right out, one piece of viscera at a time.
Want deviant sex? She’s got you covered. “Cherrified” is every man’s worst nightmare. Up for a little bestiality? “Can’t Be Tamed” is the one for you! No-holds-barred depravity? Check out “Hot for Cold.”
She’ll break your heart with “Dying River.” And you’ll wonder what the ever-loving fuck is wrong with her once you’ve read “Shits N’ Giggles.”
Like the 1980s AIDS epidemic, “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” brings confrontation and controversy. Want characters you’ll love to hate? The cruel bullies in “Three, Two, One…” are sure to scratch that itch.
Go on.
Join her.
Embrace the profane.
What’s the worst that can happen?
415 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 22, 2025
12 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Bridgett Nelson
41 books608 followersOnce an operating room registered nurse, Bridgett Nelson so enjoyed playing with human organs, she decided to turn her macabre interest into a horror writing career. She loves bubble baths (because nothing says spooooky writer like orange-scented bubbles), hates not knowing what’s swimming in the water with her, lives for Halloween season (but loathes chainsaw-wielding dudes in haunted houses), adores her West Virginia University Mountaineers, is very pro-Oxford comma, and thinks bananas are absolutely disgusting.
Her first collection, A Bouquet of Viscera, is a two-time Splatterpunk Award winner, recognized both for the collection itself and its standout story, "Jinx." Deadgirl, the novelization of the cult classic film, is now available from Encyclopocalypse Publications and includes forewords from the film's actors, Noah Segan and Shiloh Fernandez, a Q&A from screenwriter, Trent Haaga, and a fan fiction piece from noted horror author, Jeff Strand. Her latest collection, Embracing the Profane, includes fifteen extreme stories that play on Bridgett's dark humor and twisted brain. She is also the author of Poisoned Pink, What the Fuck Was That?, Sweet, Sour, & Spicy, and Red Inside, a finalist in the 2025 Books of Horror Indie Brawl.
Her work has appeared in multiple anthologies, including the iconic Deathrealm Spirits, Crystal Lake's Hotel Macabre, Edward Lee's Erotic Horror for Horny Housewives, The Rack, GhabaGhoul, To Hell and Back, Evil Little Fucks, Y'all Ain't Right, Splatterpunk's Basement of Horror, Dark Disasters, October Screams, American Cannibal, A Woman Unbecoming, and the legendary Splatterpunk Zine.
Bridgett is working on her first original novel, a sequel novel to her most popular short story, and a collaborative novel with a very funny writer.
When Edward Lee read her story "Giggly," available in the Poisoned Pink collection, he said to her:
"Giggly kicked my ass. Outstanding job! I need therapy now."
Bridgett is mom to Parker and Autumn, three pugs, a Saint Bernard, and a ball python. She is a 2022 Michael Knost WINGS award nominee, won second-place in the '22 Gross-Out contest at KillerCon in Austin, Texas, and third-place in the ’23 Gross-Out contest.
She's a freelance editor. Audiobook proofer. Bookworm. Dog lover. Tarantula whisperer. Bra avoider. ENJF. Amaretto Sour obsessor. She/her.
Bridgett currently lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with Bram Stoker Award-winning author, Jeff Strand, and their ball python, Indie Hellspawn McFangy Serenity Strand.
Visit her website at www.bridgettnelson.com.
Her first collection, A Bouquet of Viscera, is a two-time Splatterpunk Award winner, recognized both for the collection itself and its standout story, "Jinx." Deadgirl, the novelization of the cult classic film, is now available from Encyclopocalypse Publications and includes forewords from the film's actors, Noah Segan and Shiloh Fernandez, a Q&A from screenwriter, Trent Haaga, and a fan fiction piece from noted horror author, Jeff Strand. Her latest collection, Embracing the Profane, includes fifteen extreme stories that play on Bridgett's dark humor and twisted brain. She is also the author of Poisoned Pink, What the Fuck Was That?, Sweet, Sour, & Spicy, and Red Inside, a finalist in the 2025 Books of Horror Indie Brawl.
Her work has appeared in multiple anthologies, including the iconic Deathrealm Spirits, Crystal Lake's Hotel Macabre, Edward Lee's Erotic Horror for Horny Housewives, The Rack, GhabaGhoul, To Hell and Back, Evil Little Fucks, Y'all Ain't Right, Splatterpunk's Basement of Horror, Dark Disasters, October Screams, American Cannibal, A Woman Unbecoming, and the legendary Splatterpunk Zine.
Bridgett is working on her first original novel, a sequel novel to her most popular short story, and a collaborative novel with a very funny writer.
When Edward Lee read her story "Giggly," available in the Poisoned Pink collection, he said to her:
"Giggly kicked my ass. Outstanding job! I need therapy now."
Bridgett is mom to Parker and Autumn, three pugs, a Saint Bernard, and a ball python. She is a 2022 Michael Knost WINGS award nominee, won second-place in the '22 Gross-Out contest at KillerCon in Austin, Texas, and third-place in the ’23 Gross-Out contest.
She's a freelance editor. Audiobook proofer. Bookworm. Dog lover. Tarantula whisperer. Bra avoider. ENJF. Amaretto Sour obsessor. She/her.
Bridgett currently lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with Bram Stoker Award-winning author, Jeff Strand, and their ball python, Indie Hellspawn McFangy Serenity Strand.
Visit her website at www.bridgettnelson.com.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 23, 2025
This collection dives into themes of depravity and inhumanity, presenting stories that are as visceral as they are emotionally charged. And so relatable it’s concerning, at times. Nelson’s writing refuses to shy away from the uncomfortable, instead confronting readers head-on with stark depictions of humanity’s shadowed facets. Each story unfolds with a raw intensity that makes it difficult to put the book down at any point. And the depth Nelson skillfully achieves in such a short work ensures that the terror experienced is vivid and immersive, often visceral in its descriptions. The world-building and imagery gives you a front-row-seat to the insanity. Which only heightens the sense of dread and discomfort. Bridgett Nelson crafts stories that are horrifying yet thought-provoking, pushing readers to confront uncomfortable and profane truths about human nature. For those willing to engage with its challenging content, this book offers a compelling and unforgettable reading experience. I am haunted by several of the tales in this macabre collection. “CHERRIFIED,” “THREE, TWO, ONE,” A MONSTER’S CHILD and “GOING DEEP” were favorites. But all were absolutely brutal and incredibly enjoyable! Go on, I dare you. Embrace the profane.
October 23, 2025
Did I finish 15 short stories in a day yes I did! Was it gory, disturbed and fun and fast paced also yes!
This isn’t my first Bridget Nelson book (Red inside was) but it is my first in collection of short stories. And I brought this book firstly on the cover and beautiful pages.
🐍 🥀
My favourite story Mac & Millie !
the most WTF did I just read!? Can’t be tamed & Going Deep 😳 Um… yeh lol
all in all if you love Splatterpunk/Extreme Horror and know what both they entail then you’ll love this collection just like I did.
Full entertainment & loved the Story Notes at the end too.
This isn’t my first Bridget Nelson book (Red inside was) but it is my first in collection of short stories. And I brought this book firstly on the cover and beautiful pages.
🐍 🥀
My favourite story Mac & Millie !
the most WTF did I just read!? Can’t be tamed & Going Deep 😳 Um… yeh lol
all in all if you love Splatterpunk/Extreme Horror and know what both they entail then you’ll love this collection just like I did.
Full entertainment & loved the Story Notes at the end too.
December 25, 2025
I’m a bit of a Bridgett Nelson stan so I devoured these extreme horror and splatterpunk stories with relish! You want someone who writes gore right? Do you love it when a douchebag gets what’s coming to them—in the worst way imaginable? This is for you!
I’d caught some stories in other anthologies (I’m a BN stan remember?) and loved them just as much on re-read. “Mac & Millie”, co-written with paramour and also splendidly fucked up splatterpunk author Jeff Strand, is a he-said, she-said POV of two psychopaths that made me snort aloud. “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” is a chilling look at the 1980s AIDS crisis that broke my heart.
I do have some new favorites. “Shits N’ Giggles” follows a psychopathic surgeon with a God complex in his last, very memorable surgery filled with depravity and puns. And this is written by a former OR nurse with a wicked imagination. I cackled with reckless abandon throughout and the grisly ending had me wide eyed. “Can’t Be Tamed”, the first story of the collection really sets the tone. Striking out at dating, a woman resorts to a different suitor… a cold blooded one. So depraved and original. Then I got to “Hot for Cold”… and said aloud, “Bridgett holy shit, you sicko”. As she says in the author’s note, “every horror author needs a necrophilia story”… which has my hamster wheel spinning.
Bridgett is hands down one of my top 5 horror authors and one of my major influences in my own writing. This collection is gooey perfection. Warning to those with weak stomachs… she holds no punches. Ever. Get a prescription for Zofran and proceed with caution.
I’d caught some stories in other anthologies (I’m a BN stan remember?) and loved them just as much on re-read. “Mac & Millie”, co-written with paramour and also splendidly fucked up splatterpunk author Jeff Strand, is a he-said, she-said POV of two psychopaths that made me snort aloud. “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” is a chilling look at the 1980s AIDS crisis that broke my heart.
I do have some new favorites. “Shits N’ Giggles” follows a psychopathic surgeon with a God complex in his last, very memorable surgery filled with depravity and puns. And this is written by a former OR nurse with a wicked imagination. I cackled with reckless abandon throughout and the grisly ending had me wide eyed. “Can’t Be Tamed”, the first story of the collection really sets the tone. Striking out at dating, a woman resorts to a different suitor… a cold blooded one. So depraved and original. Then I got to “Hot for Cold”… and said aloud, “Bridgett holy shit, you sicko”. As she says in the author’s note, “every horror author needs a necrophilia story”… which has my hamster wheel spinning.
Bridgett is hands down one of my top 5 horror authors and one of my major influences in my own writing. This collection is gooey perfection. Warning to those with weak stomachs… she holds no punches. Ever. Get a prescription for Zofran and proceed with caution.
May 31, 2025
WOW! Bridgett Nelson has outdone herself. Aptly named, 'Embracing the Profane' will make you squirm, lock the window and turn on the lights. She goes for the jugular, squeezing and ripping with reckless abandon. One of my favorites!
June 21, 2025
I don't know how Bridgett does it, but she comes up with the most amazing, gripping stories I have EVER read. It's going to be hard to top this book 100%. every story I read I caught myself saying WTF but in a good way. it's so good, it makes it very hard to put the book down until the very last page. 🦈 🦈🦈
July 6, 2025
I'm not good at writing reviews but I agree with the other 5 star reviews found here! This was my first dive into extreme horror and It won't be my last. I was shocked, horrified, captivated, and amazed. Bridgett Nelson put it all out there. Yes, I am amazed! Also, what did I just read?! 😲 Note: If you have lots of triggers this book won't be for you.
August 14, 2025
I‘ve just finished EMBRACING THE PROFANE by Bridgett Nelson and it was so good. All these different topics - it‘s so varied. This is also reflected in my favorit stories of this collection: from splatter (Shits ’N Giggles) to people with „special“ preferences (Can‘t be Tamed) up to stories that makes you think (Dying River). Therefore I can highly recommended EMBRACING THE PROFANE to you.
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June 9, 2025DNF @ 26%. Too sexual for me, but if you're into that + extreme horror, you'd probably enjoy this.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews