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!

A DOWRY OF BLOOD is here!

The wait is over and the day is here! A DOWRY OF BLOOD is out in the world in all it’s bloody glory. My darkest, sexiest, most experimental book yet, this little gem holds a very special place in my heart. The wonderful folks at Tor.com featured an exclusive excerpt of the first few pages, which you can read here.

I never dreamed it would end like this, my lord: your blood splashing hot flecks onto my nightgown and pouring in rivulets onto our bedchamber floor. But creatures like us live a long time. There is no horror left in this world that can surprise me. Eventually, even your death becomes its own sort of inevitability.
– A DOWRY OF BLOOD

You can pick up DOWRY at Amazon, Indiebound, Nyx Publishing, Barnes and Noble, or Apple. You can also order it through your local indie bookstore or request it through your neighborhood library! Be sure to check out the content warnings before you dive in.

If you enjoy the book, consider leaving a review! Reviews are a big help when it comes to visibility, especially boosting the profile of a book from a small press!

Thank you so much for being with me on this long and winding journey to publication day. As of today, this story doesn’t belong to me anymore. It belongs to you, the readers. There’s a sort of transformative quality to publishing a work, an alchemy that happens when the manuscript passes from my hands to yours, and I’m excited for all the magic this book is going to make in the world.

A DOWRY OF BLOOD paperbacks are here!

The paperback mockup is here for A DOWRY OF BLOOD, my dark and lyrical queer Dracula’s brides retelling! Paperbacks are currently available through my publisher and will be widely available across other retailers soon!

Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things. Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband’s dark secrets. With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.

GOODREADS // PREORDER FROM PUBLISHER // PREORDER FROM AMAZON

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

0CF0CE37-E91C-4338-B989-3847E28F539D

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!

Witchy Book Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY

Welcome to October, my bats and goblins! To celebrate the witching season, I’m giving away a book bundle of ✨FIVE✨ spellbinding YA books about witches AND a copy of my occult romance novella, Odd Spirits 🔮. Click the link to enter to win!

This giveaway is open to worldwide readers. A winner will be chosen at random on October 19th and prizes will ship from the Book Depository! Share to spread the autumnal love, and good luck to all who enter!

ODD SPIRITS is on 99¢ sale through the month of October!

This novella will be on sale for the ghoulishly low price of $5.99 for paperbacks and 99¢ for e-copies until All Hallows Eve. You’ll never see it at a lower price, so grab your ticket to flirty tarot readings, folk religion, and mysterious hauntings today!

It takes a lot of commitment to make a marriage between a modern ceremonial magician and a chaos witch work, but when a malevolent entity takes up residence in Rhys and Moira’s home, their love will be pushed to the limits. Brewing up a solution is easier said than done when your magical styles are polar opposites; throw a psychic ex and a secret society in the mix, and things are bound to get messy.

This diverse paranormal romance novella is perfect for fans of The Raven Cycle and The Haunting of Hill House!

“Like a lovingly-prepared home-cooked meal, Odd Spirits compels its reader to both devour and savor…Gibson’s background as a poet allows her to deftly create richly-drawn little moments.” –Rouges Portal

See what people are saying about the novella on Goodreads!