Here’s a small selection of the horror and genre news that caught our eye during the last week …
Whistling Past the Graveyard, the new novel from writer Lex Jones and Burdizzo Books, coming 29 January
A hilltop cemetery where the dead just won’t stay sleeping. An ill-fated voyage to an uncharted region off the coast of Iceland. An English village reminded of its heritage through the discovery of ancient bones.These tales and more can be found within the first short story collection from author Lex H Jones. Light the fire, make yourself a comforting drink, make sure the doors and windows are lined with salt, and settle in to enjoy this gathering of haunts and horrors. Available in eBook and with a paperback to follow shortly, you can pre-order your copy right here, now.
From writer Brian Asman and Mutated Media, Jailbroke, coming 26 January
Future slacker Kelso’s got the easiest gig in the galaxy, working the Gordita Especial! pod on board an interstellar cruiser, although that doesn’t stop him from complaining about it to anyone who’ll listen. Cyborg Security Officer Londa James spends her days wrangling idiot tourists and keeping an artificial eye out for any passengers or crew who might be on the verge of snapping from space sicknesses. But after a colleague is brutally murdered, Kelso and James are going to have to work together if they want to survive! Man-eating machines, cybernetically-enhanced badasses, septuagenarian toddlers, an opioid algorithm-addicted bucket of bolts, a cult that worships the reincarnation of a 400-year-old God Genius, and one very unusual sex robot come together in Jailbroke, a heartwarming/ripping tale about what it means to be human in a galaxy run by artificial intelligence. Available for pre-order now, you can guarantee your copy here.
Coming 29 January from Australian Shadows Award-winning author Matthew R. Davis and Journalstone, Midnight in the Chapel of Love
Jonny Trotter has spent the last fifteen years running from tragic memories of the country town where he grew up – but now that his father has died, he can run no more. Returning to Waterwich for the funeral with his partner Sloane, Jonny must confront old resentments, his estranged best friends, a strange, veiled woman the locals call the White Widow… and the mystery surrounding the fate of his first love. A morbid and reckless city girl, Jessica Grzelak lived to push the limits and explore the shadows – and no-one has seen her since the night she and Jonny went looking for the Chapel. Rumoured to be found in the woods outside Waterwich, mentioned in playground rhymes about local lovebirds Billy and Poppy and their killing spree in 1964, the Chapel is said to be an ancient, sacred place that can only be entered by lovers – a test that can only be passed if their bond is pure and true. Before he can move on to a future with Sloane, Jonny must first face the terrible truth of his past – and if he can’t bring it out into the light at last, it might just pull him and everything he loves down into the dark, forever. Released 29 January, you can pre-order your copy right now, here.
Out now from writer Antoinette Corvo and Red Cape Publishing, The Cat That Caught The Canary
From Antoinette Corvo, author of Dirges in the Dark and The Ivory Tower, comes the hard-hitting drama The Cat That Caught The Canary. When an unloved child loses her only friend, she finds the courage to leave home and reinvent herself as Pearl Lancaster. Innocent and naïve, Pearl’s quest to become a theatre star puts her at the mercy of abusive teachers and predatory cult members. This is the story of one girl’s rise to fame and the desperate lengths she will go to in order to stay in the spotlight. Blood will be shed, tears will fall, but the show must go on. The Cat That Caught The Canary is now available on Audio, paperback and digital version, and you can grab your copy here.
KEV HARRISON
