Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …
Out today from writer Faith Pierce and Crystal Lake Publishing, The Face You Wear
An unknown threat is creeping its way into Jana’s residence in this psychological horror novel. Jana overcame a bleak, poverty-stricken childhood to achieve her version of the American dream. She has her own home, a successful career, and a new husband who offers everything she hoped for in a normal life. Her tight grasp on stability however begins to slip with disturbing dreams about her husband Michael. A figure in the bedroom doorway watching her sleep, night-time conversations Michael claims never happened, someone lying beside her at night when Michael later says he wasn’t there. Old anxieties and paranoia begin to surface as Jana becomes increasingly desperate to discover if the true threat is her mind, her husband…or something darker. The Face You Wear is perfect for readers who love stories of suspense, horror, mystery, and domestic thrillers. Available today in eBook and paperback, you can grab your copy here.
Gael Drake has placed his teenage sister, Ava, in Holburn Academy, a secluded girl’s school in order to keep her out of the clutches of their older brother, a famous medium calling himself The Spirit Whisperer, who wants to use Ava in his stage-shows. Ava, you see, has the ability to raise spirits and communicate with ghosts. Given the news that one of the school teachers has died mysteriously and Ava has gone missing, Gael returns to Holburn to try and find his sister. But doing so means he must face the spooks that Ava raised during her short time at the school. Available now in paperback and eBook editions, you can pick up your copy here.
In the wake of a violent government overthrow, twelve-year-old Joy and her father, Warren, have escaped to their hidden family cabin in the Rocky Mountains. With a stockpile of everything they need to survive, they plan to wait out the horrors of the outside world. In the middle of the night, a stranger arrives claiming he only wants a safe place to stay. If they allow it, he says he’ll commit to helping them protect the cabin. With no reason to trust him, Warren weighs his options, knowing that if the stranger was able to find them, others may also. The tension ratchets up with every page, escalating into a thrilling, paranoia-drenched conclusion. Woodhaven is a gripping, anxiety-riddled tale of survival, a claustrophobic thriller about a father balancing his morality and a daughter wrestling with the loss of everything she once knew. Available now in paperback and eBook formats, you can get your copy here.
To make, to break, to transform. These three lessons are at the heart of each of the stories in Nikki R. Leigh’s Lessons in Demoralization. Framed loosely by the notion that we learn what to do, and especially what not to do by the stories told around us, this collection presents twenty-two horror stories that run the gamut of dark, emotional horror, and light-hearted, sometimes comedic horror. A woman’s strength is put to the test to save her wife when an evil stranger uses her in a diabolical plot. A woman processes the grief of her long-dead brother through a monstrous encounter with her childhood stuffed animal. Learn the difficulties of cultivating a long-term relationship explored through caring for a carnivorous plant. See how Dr. Jekyll runs a syndicated children’s science show by day, while concocting terrible experiments at night. Watch as weredogs living together in an apartment complex find their match in the neighborhood busybody. Witness twins test their bravery when faced with a void to another dimension that festers in their room. These are just some of the lessons that will be taught in this collection. Follow the narratives of diverse characters experiencing the worst days of their lives in Lessons in Demoralization. Available now in eBook and paperback editions, you can grab your copy here.
KEV HARRISON