Cover Reveal for AN EDUCATION IN MALICE

“Love is sacrifice. One of us was always going to bleed for the other.”

Unveiling the cover for AN EDUCATION IN MALICE, my academic rivals-to-lovers Carmilla reimagining. Thank you designer Duncan Spilling for making this beauty a reality! The companion novel to A DOWRY OF BLOOD, she’s a twisting tale of passion, artistic obsession, and toxic mentorship set against the backdrop of an elite poetry cohort in the 1960s.

Deep in the forgotten hills of Massachusetts stands Saint Perpetua’s College. Isolated and ancient, it is not a place for timid girls. Here, secrets are currency, ambition is lifeblood, and strange ceremonies welcome students into the fold.

On her first day of class, Laura Sheridan is thrust into an intense academic rivalry with the beautiful and enigmatic Carmilla. Together, they are drawn into the confidence of their demanding poetry professor, De Lafontaine, who holds her own dark obsession with Carmilla.

But as their rivalry blossoms into something far more delicious, Laura must confront her own strange hungers. Tangled in a sinister game of politics, bloodthirsty professors and dark magic, Laura and Carmilla must decide how much they are willing to sacrifice in their ruthless pursuit of knowledge.

PREORDER FROM WATERSTONES

PREORDER FROM BARNES AND NOBLE

PREORDER FROM AMAZON

A DOWRY OF BLOOD has been acquired by Orbit!

I’m ecstatic to announce that the marvelous editorial team at Orbit and Orbit UK has acquired my Dracula’s brides retelling, A DOWRY OF BLOOD. The book will be re-released in a sexy new hardcover this October, just in time for spooky season, and ebooks are still available across retailers to read now!

If you read the announcement closely you’ll see that this is a two book deal! That means I’ll be writing another book in the DOWRY OF BLOOD universe, which will be coming to you in 2023! I can’t wait to share more with you about this twisty, sexy new installment in the series. And now *drumroll* it’s time to unveil the new DOWRY hardback cover!

I’m thrilled to reveal the new hardback cover for A DOWRY OF BLOOD, designed by Duncan Spilling. Our aim was to maintain the sensuality and gothic flair of Marlowe Lune’s gorgeous original cover while opting for a sleek, striking design, and I’m quite pleased with the result.

A DOWRY OF BLOOD is a Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist!

I am overjoyed to announce that A DOWRY OF BLOOD has made it into the final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards in Horror!!! This is all I wanted for early Christmas, thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Every nominee on this list is so deserving but the inclusion of DOWRY at all is such a huge win for indie presses and for queer love stories. Readers believed in this book and boosted it through pure passion and I am eternally grateful.

You can cast your one-click vote in the finals right here!

“An Encore of Roses” is coming this July

The A DOWRY OF BLOOD epilogue short story, “An Encore of Roses”, is going to be out in the world before we know it! Coming to you in July, this story catches up with our three favorite vampires in a modern day setting through Alexi’s POV.

The short will be going out in my newsletter in just a few weeks, so be sure you’re subscribed at saint.substack.com to get it straight in your inbox! I’m so excited to give these characters their well-earned happy ending, and to be returning to a world I love so much.

VIRTUAL Q&A: Romancing the Gothic

I’m happy to announce that I’m going to be dropping into the amazing (and free!) Romancing the Gothic literature course as a guest speaker next Thursday April 30th at 7pm London time!

Dr. Sam is an amazing wellspring of spooky book knowledge and I’m so excited to chat about queering fairytales, writing ROBBERGIRL, and the modern gothic movement with her class. There will also be a Q&A for me at the end, so bring any burning questions or meandering musings.

Robbergirl Class Spot

Interested parties can DM the professor on Twitter directly so get looped into the private Zoom room, or you cansign up using this interest form for the course! Just specify that you’ll be attending for the Robbergirl Thursday book group! You’re free to participate in class discussion or just sit back and enjoy the chat.

Virtual events have been such a wonderful way to connect with readers since my in-person events have been cancelled for the year. All are welcome in the class; it’s a very low-pressure supportive environment. Looking forward to meeting you!

The UNSPEAKABLE Queer Gothic Anthology is Here! (And FREE in ebook!)

I’m so thrilled to announce the publication of this amazing anthology of spooky, swoony, and spine-tingling stories, collected by the wonderful Celine Frohn of Nyx Publishing.

unspeakable cover

“Unspeakable contains eighteen Gothic tales with uncanny twists and characters that creep under your skin. Its stories feature sapphic ghosts, terrifying creatures of the sea, and haunted houses concealing their own secrets. Whether you’re looking for your non-binary knight in shining armour or a poly family to murder with, Unspeakable showcases the best contemporary Gothic queer short fiction.”

My contribution is a tri-narrated, historical Dracula’s Brides retelling about running away to join an immortal poly murderfamily. It sprung directly from my love for B-rate action fantasy movies like Van Helsing and Dracula Untold, and my burning desire to make them more feminist, more sapphic, and of course, sexier. I talked about why I identify with vampires and how to write a great short fiction piece over on The Gothic Bookworm’s blog, which you should definitely check out!

It’s a pleasure to be featured among so many talented writers, and to be edited by someone who is so enthusiastic about broadening access to queer literature (if you know of any schools who may want a copy, get in touch!). In a characteristically generous gesture, Celine is offering FREE copies of the ebook through the Nyx shop with the code BOOKY100. A lot of people are feeling the financial pinch or stuck in quarantine right now, so let us hook you up with some free queer short fiction! A review on Goodreads or Amazon is a wonderful thank you, if you feel so inclined. There are also paperbacks and hardcovers for sale on Nyx’s website for those who prefer physical copies.

Feel free to pass the deal on to your friends, and happy reading! Stay spooky out there.

NYX PUBLISHING (code BOOKY100) // AMAZON // GOODREADS

ARC REVIEW: Mexican Gothic

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MEXICAN GOTHIC has my heart racing and my mind reeling, and I was absolutely spoiled to get an arc for review from author Silvia Moreno-Garcia at Boskone this year. It was one of my most anticipated books of 2020, and it did not disappoint.

Think Crimson Peak meets Get Out in the 1950’s Mexican countryside and you’re coming close to what makes this book so special. This book both loves and subverts classical Gothic tropes, infusing the familiar crumbling English manor home and looming handsome predator and whispers of family curses with a strong tonic of post-colonialist sensibilities. The writing is heady and lyrical, but the taut plot doesn’t get lost in the lovely, gloomy atmosphere.

This book will weave mystery and malice around you before you even know you’re in dancer, and the dark enchantment of manor High Place will get in your blood and never let you go. I loved heroine Noemi terribly, from her will to survive to her couture gowns to her double-edged wit. There’s a romance in here to root for as well, and women wrenching agency away from horrible men with bloody hands. The book won’t be widely available until June 30th, but you can pre-order right this second. So what are you waiting for?

CW: There’s a pervasive threat of sexual violence and attempted sexual assaults in this book, but they’re handled with an appropriate amount of both rage and grace, and I found the heroine and the ending to be a really satisfying kick in the teeth of patriarchy and sexual violence. But if it’s a delicate topic for you, proceed with discretion!

FIENDS has arrived!

THE FIENDS IN THE FURROWS anthology, featuring my Southern Gothic story “Revival”, is available now in ebook and paperback!

Growing up as a girl in a conservative religious community is challenging, especially when you’re the bastard child of a snake-handling Pentecostal preacher and a Catholic waitress. Considered unclean by the congregation and her grandfather, the fearsome Reverend, because of her affinity for the church’s’ venomous snakes, eight-year-old Callie Ann spends most of her time feeding crickets and mice to her only friends.

But as the Reverend’s sinister hold on his rapt flock grows, so does Callie’s connection to her dead mother, and a dark prophecy begins to take shape.

What People Are Saying

“Revival finds that old time religion venomously snaking its way back, to the peril of those who would dare to dance with vipers and tempt Fate itself.”

“Gibson’s Revival was like THE BAD SEED set to a religious hymn (that’s a good thing)”

If you’re craving some grimy gothic goodness with your brave little girls toppling abusive religious hierarchies, add FIENDS to your Goodreads TBR! Also be sure to subscribe to my intermittent author newsletter to stay in the loop about new publications, giveaways, and flash sales! 🕸🐍🌾💀