Bitter Karella

The Wicker Man meets The Twisted Ones in Bitter Karella’s Quaint Folk—a queer folk horror novel that peels back the idyllic veneer of a seemingly perfect island town to reveal the rot beneath. From the outside, it looks like Jessica has the perfect life. She's a stay-at-home mom, married to a man with a respectable job, raising a son they adore. Her family is as wholesome as all-American pie. But deep down, Jessica knows there's something wrong with her; she knows she can't escape her past. When her husband’s job has them move abroad, Jessica thinks this is her chance for a fresh start. On the remote island of Hasenhurst, the modern world can’t get in. The people there grow their own herbs, make their own jam, and mind their own business. They believe in folk tales and the power of dreams. They tell visitors, we’re a quaint, quiet people.The right sort of family would do well here. Jessica is determined to be the right kind of person for a family—and a life—like this. But as she tries to befriend the townsfolk and learn their ways, she soon realizes that beneath the town’s cozy idyll, something sickly-sweet and rotten lays buried...

Quaint Folk

Lyndsey Croal

The latest volume of editor Alex Ebenstein's acclaimed series arrives, featuring brand new Weird Horror novelettes from Bitter Karella (Midnight Pals) and Lyndsey Croal (Have You Decided on Your Question)! The Ballad of Horse Girl - Bitter Karella California, 1860. The corrupt judge and snake oil baron, Lazarus Dives, murdered her family; now the nameless drifter known only as the Horse Girl is out for revenge. But can a man who’s sold his soul to the devil for eternal life be killed? It’ll be no easy task; but with extra motivation in the form of a bounty on the judge by Death herself, the Horse Girl plans to collect—even if it costs her soul. A classic Western tale of retribution meets supernatural horror. The Girl with Barnacles for Eyes - Lyndsey Croal Every year, the enigmatic Curator sails into Evie’s coastal town to display his wonders from beneath the ocean. Each time, Evie is drawn by the fascinating sights. But this year, he’s brought something different: a captive girl with barnacles for eyes. Evie risks everything to free her, ignoring her Ma’s warnings to stay away from the freak of nature. But is the Girl truly a monster, or is there more than meets the eye?

SPLIT SCREAM Volume Five

The Wicker Man meets The Twisted Ones in Bitter Karella's Quaint Folk-a queer folk horror novel that peels back the idyllic veneer of a perfectly quaint island town to reveal the rot beneath. From the outside, it looks like Jessica has the perfect life. She's a stay-at-home mom, married to a man with a respectable job, raising a son they adore. Her family is as wholesome as all-American pie. But deep down, Jessica knows there's something wrong with her; she knows she can't escape her past. When her husband's job has them move abroad, Jessica thinks this is her chance for a fresh start. On the remote island of Hasenhurst, the modern world can't get in. The people there grow their own herbs, make their own jam, and mind their own business. They believe in folk tales and the power of dreams. They tell visitors, we're a quaint, quiet people. The right sort of family would do well here. Jessica is determined to be the right kind of person for a family-and a life-like this. But as she tries to befriend the townsfolk and learn their ways, she soon realizes that beneath the town's cosy idyll, something sickly-sweet and rotten lays buried...

Untitled Horror

The Wicker Man meets The Twisted Ones in Bitter Karella's Quaint Folk--a queer folk horror novel that peels back the idyllic veneer of a seemingly perfect island town to reveal the rot beneath. From the outside, it looks like Jessica has the perfect life. She's a stay-at-home mom, married to a man with a respectable job, raising a son they adore. Her family is as wholesome as all-American pie. But deep down, Jessica knows there's something wrong with her; she knows she can't escape her past. When her husband's job has them move abroad, Jessica thinks this is her chance for a fresh start. On the remote island of Hasenhurst, the modern world can't get in. The people there grow their own herbs, make their own jam, and mind their own business. They believe in folk tales and the power of dreams. They tell visitors, we're a quaint, quiet people.The right sort of family would do well here. Jessica is determined to be the right kind of person for a family--and a life--like this. But as she tries to befriend the townsfolk and learn their ways, she soon realizes that beneath the town's cozy idyll, something sickly-sweet and rotten lays buried...

folk horror meets cottage gore, from a Hugo Award-nominated horror author

"A bizarre and fiercely original splatterpunk phantasmagoria of queerness. Deranged and gleefully weird as f*ck, this is an impressive debut from a singular literary talent." —Eric LaRocca, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke Annihilation meets Manhunt in three-time Hugo Award nominee Bitter Karella’s debut horror novel—a gloriously queer and irreverent psychedelic trip into the heart of an eldritch wood and the horrors of (cis)terhood. I see something out there, in the woods. It does not have a face. They call it the King’s Breakfast. One bite and you can understand the full scope of the universe; one bite and you can commune with forgotten gods beyond human comprehension. And it only grows deep in the Pamogo forest, where the trees crowd so tight that the forest floor is pitch black day and night, where rumors of disappearing hikers and strange cults that worship the divine feminine abound. Sarah is a trans woman who makes her living growing mushrooms. When a bad harvest leaves her in a desperate fix, the lure of the King’s Breakfast has her journeying into those vast uncharted woods. But as she descends deeper, she realizes she's not alone. Something in the forest is waking up. It's hungry—and it wants her. ★ “As eldritch and grimy as the terrifying forest it’s set in. I loved this book!" —Trevor Henderson, author of Scarewaves ★ "Weird, wild, and oh-so-wretched, Moonflow is the trans botanical horror we need in the world right now." —Drew Huff, author of The Divine Flesh ★ “Is it legal to have this much fun reading a book? I’m in awe of Karella’s incredible gift for creating biting satire. I had a f*cking blast.” —Joe Koch, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of The Wingspan of Severed Hands

Moonflow

Kealan Patrick Burke

V. Castro

Octavia Cade

Cynthia Pelayo

Laurel Hightower

Gwen C. Katz

David Simmons

C. B. Jones

Yvette Tan

Paula D. Ashe

Felix I. D. Dimaro

J. A. Prentice

R. M. Kidd

Bert Sg

Jaclyn Youhana Garver

Kay Vaindal

Rowan Hill

John B. L. Goodwin

This World Belongs to Us is an anthology of horror stories about bugs, writ large: we're not scientists, so spiders and slugs and scorpions (oh my!) are in here too. This anthology features stories by Bram Stoker Award winner Kealan Patrick Burke, multiple Bram Stoker Award nominees Cynthia Pelayo and V. Castro, plus Paula D. Ashe, Octavia Cade, Felix I.D. Dimaro, Jaclyn Youhana Garver, Donnie Goodman, Laurel Hightower, Rowan Hill, C.B. Jones, Bitter Karella, Gwen Katz, R.M. Kidd, J.A. Prentice, Bert S.G., David Simmons, Yvette Tan, and Kay Vaindal as well as a major rediscovery--John B.L. Goodwin's 1946 story The Cocoon, one of the creepiest stories ever written but out of print for more than 40 years.

An Anthology of Horror Stories about Bugs

This World Belongs to Us

Bitter Karella

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