We are excited to announce Nyx Publishing's first single-author short story collection! Nyx Publishing has acquired Yah Yah Scholfield's horror collection Just a Little Snack, to be published in digital and paperback formats on November 8th. Just a Little Snack features nine delightfully dark horror stories, and its cover will feature artwork by Amy Salomone.
The collection includes: 'Just a Little Snack', 'In Which Two Women Kill a Man', 'Mia & Maia', 'What We Owe to Each Other', 'Suddenly, I See', 'Ain't No Grave', 'Something's Got a Hold of Me', 'A Girl Walks Alone', and 'Niecey's Garden'.
About the author
Yah Yah Scholfield is a writer of horror and speculative fiction. Their work has been featured in Fiyah Lit Magazine, as well as several other anthologies. In 2022, they published their debut novel "On Sundays, She Picked Flowers". When they're not terrifying innocents, they're working as a professional stay-at-home daughter and wrangler of their cats, Chihiro and Sophie.
As has been announced previously, we are teaming up with Haunt Publishing to provide Unspeakable: A Queer Gothic Anthology with a new edition, featuring new artwork and two new short stories.
If you wish to purchase a paperback or hardcover copy of the first edition of Unspeakable, featuring the beautiful cover illustration by Jenni Coutts, this is your last chance! After the 9th of October, this edition of Unspeakable will go out of stock and will no longer be available for purchase on any retailer website. So make sure to order this weekend if you wish to do so!
You can find the book in our shop here - and we ship internationally!
You might also want to take a look at the Haunt shop, where you can preorder a copy of Unthinkable: A Queer Gothic Anthology...
We are looking for a sensitivity reader for our upcoming release of Unthinkable: A Queer Gothic Anthology. The story in question is roughly 5500 words long, and features an enslaved Black protagonist in the American south. Considering the emphasis on the experience of slavery is central to the plot, Nyx Publishing aims to hire a sensitivity reader to make sure no harmful stereotypes are perpetuated.
If you are a sensitivity reader with relevant expertise, please contact us at contact[at]nyxpublishing[dot]com and include the following:
A paragraph introducing yourself and relevant experience. If you have done sensitivity reading before, we would love to hear about it
Your standard rate to critique a story of 5500 words
Your availability over the next couple of weeks
While the anthology (and this particular short story) centers queerness, we do not require sensitivity readers to be queer or to out themselves to us
Email us before the 23th of May. (Effectively, the deadline is the end of the 22nd at midnight UK time.)
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask by sending us an email.
Nyx Publishing's first anthology, Unspeakable: A Queer Gothic Anthology, is receiving a sequel! This upcoming anthology, titled Unthinkable: A Queer Gothic Anthology, will feature over 18 brand-new stories. It will be published in 2022, in paperback and ebook formats.
We are thrilled to introduce the authors and their stories! (Titles subject to change.)
Q.E.D. by Kimberly Rei
When a supernatural hunter of the night follows its hungers into a club, the result surprises everyone present…
Q.E.D. is a contemporary Gothic flash fiction piece.
Kimberly Rei does her best work in the places that can't exist… the in-between places where imagination defies reality.
With a penchant for creepy shadows and hooks that leave you guessing, she can be found in anthologies from Black Hare Press, Eerie River Publishing, and Iron Faerie Publishing as well as behind the scenes of various collections editing, beta reading, marketing, and encouraging fellow authors.Find Kimberly on Facebook.
Bodies of Water by Valentin Narziss
On the wintry island Sanchul meets a mesmerising stranger who claims to know him. He will have to confront more than just his grief against the backdrop of the barren landscape and the cold, dark sea.
Valentin Narziss is a writer and painter, living in Berlin and (soon) Florence. His work merges the modern, archaic and queer, and usually has a dark twist to it. When not creating, he enjoys dressing androgynously and petting every cat he meets.Find Valentin on Twitter and Instagram.
My Boyfriend is a Vampire by Tabitha O’Connell
Lonely grad student Lyle is excited to instantly hit it off with Zach, whose claim to be a vampire is just a joke... right?
My Boyfriend is a contemporary Gothic story featuring ace protagonists and a dash of comedy.
Tabitha O’Connell is a historic preservationist and writer of queer fiction living in Western New York. Eir favorite things include animals, abandoned places, alliteration, long walks, and long sentences. Tabitha’s short fiction has previously appeared in the anthology Queers Who Don’t Quit and The Storyteller Series: Print Edition. Find em on Twitter or visit http://www.tabithaoconnell.com.
Reflections by Gillian Joseph
Zee, a queer Indigenous person, moves back to their ancestral homelands and is soon confronted with a lingering presence in their house. A book is lost and another shows up in its place; a plate bought recently changes patterns...
Gillian Joseph is a queer, 2-Spirit Ihaŋktoŋwaŋ & Mdewakaŋtoŋ Dakota storyteller who grew up as a guest on Waxhaw and Catawba lands. They are a folio editor at Anomaly, and enjoy spending time near mní (water) + trying to figure out what their dreams mean.Find Gillian on Instagram.
The Wellkeepers by Sydney Meeker
When Matthew returns to his ancestral home on the Oregon coast, he finds that his mother's fossil collection harbors more than mere bones.
Sydney Meeker is a Narrative Designer based in Portland, Oregon. He writes primarily for video games, but also works on TTRPGs, short stories, and poetry. When he's not writing, he's either playing video games or wandering in the woods, and sometimes both at the same time. Find him on Twitter, or hugging his bitey little cat, Bean.
The Dead Space by Stewart Horn
Young and wealthy Alexander Duncan starts university and becomes besotted with one of the University serving staff, but his seduction plans are somewhat derailed by the evil living behind the walls in his lodgings.
Stewart horn is a professional musician and amateur writer, poet and photographer, living with his husband and assorted pets on the West coast of Scotland. His work has been previously published in The Horrorzine, Crowded, Feast of Frights, Estronomicon, Interzone, The BFS Journal, Thirty Years or Rain, Flotation Device and more. Find him on Facebook or his website http://stewartguitar.wordpress.com.
Sea Salt and Strawberries by Soltice Lamarre
A non-binary aroace forest god tells the tale of their relationship with the perpetually reincarnating soul they can't help but love, spanning milleniums of care, death, and human destruction.
Solstice Lamarre is a queer autistic French writer and an ESL teacher. They write queer, neurodivergent stories accross various genres, in both English and French. If they're not busy working or writing, they usually spend their extra free time volunteering at their local LGBTQ+ centre.You can find them on Twitter and Instagram.
Clutching Air by Jillian Bost
Robert is being haunted by the love of his life--and he's not certain he can give up the ghost.
Clutching Air is a historical Gothic story about grief and longing.
Jillian Bost loves cats, horror, and writing. She is an Affiliate Member of the Horror Writers Association. You can find her on Twitter.
In Ruins by G.T. Korbin
In this modern retelling of Pygmalion and Galatea, an art student falls in love with the ancient statue she's sketching, unaware of the power her devotion can have.
G.T. Korbin is a Greek author and biologist, currently living abroad to get her Master's degree. You can find her short stories in upcoming anthologies by TL;DR press and others. You can find her on Twitter.
All Sweet Souls by Antonija Mežnarić
On Stella's windowsill, a candle burns. While the night falls and the bony hands start breaking from the ground, here she waits for her beloved. All Sweet Souls is a blooming sapphic romance in the shadow of a looming curse.
Antonija Mežnarić is a Croatian writer, editor, and a cosplayer. She lives and breathes speculative fiction, and especially loves to write sapphic horror inspired by folklore. Her notable published works in English are a sapphic horror comedy novella What do Nightmares Dream of and queer folk horror novelette collection Mistress of Geese. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or her website http://www.hauntednarratives.com.
Reynardine by Kallyn Hunter
With folks going missing, Celia's Meemaw warned her not to go out. When Celia decides to sneak from the house anyway, she is about to find out what happened to the missing...
Kallyn Hunter is a writer, researcher, and knight from northern Colorado. When she isn't creating worlds in front of a computer, she can be found traveling the wilds of her state with her adventure-Pomeranian or smashing the patriarchy with her theatrical jousting troupe, the Knights of the Tempest. You can find her on Twitter.
The Haunting of Barnaby Naismith by Jamie Rose
Barnaby Naismith blames himself for his sister's death, but there's plenty of blame to go around and uncovering the truth might mean the difference between setting her ghost to rest, or stray onto a path of vengeance.
Jamie is a life-long fantasy fan with more ideas than time. She lives in the UK and spends her non-reading and writing time attempting to wrangle one husband, three kids, a cat and chickens, with varying degrees of success. Jamie is autistic, disabled and queer, and doesn't think she's written anything without at least one of those identities creeping in - even before she knew them herself.You can find her on Instagram and Twitter.
An Epitaph, Epistolary by M. Špoljar
Pitched as: "I (20s,F) died and now my girlfriend's (20s, F) grief keeps me stuck in our apartment; AITA?"
An Epitaph, Epistolary is a contemporary Gothic short story questioning what it means to let go of grief.
Marta Špoljar is a translator from Zagreb, Croatia. Her work has appeared in places such as Novel Noctule, Not Deer Magazine and Hellhound, and she can be found behind the scenes at The Wondrous Real Magazine.You can find her on Twitter.
It Passed by Morning by Adriana C. Grigore
Half haunted house story, half snowed-in romance, two suspicious strangers share an abandoned cabin during an eerily long snow storm.
Adriana C. Grigore is a writer from the windswept plains of Romania. With a degree in literature and linguistics, and a penchant for anything related to folklore, plants or gratuitous sentimentality, she spends most of her free time assembling wistful plotlines and overwatering houseplants. Find her fiction in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Common Bonds, and others, and on Twitter and Instagram.
Dark Bess and the Thrasher Bird by Arden Powell
Pitched as "A sapphic retelling of Alfred Noyes' gothic ballad The Highwayman, set on a Georgia slave plantation."
Arden Powell is a speculative-fiction author and illustrator from the Canadian East Coast. A nebulous entity, they live with a small terrier and an exorbitant number of houseplants, and have conversations with both. They have published a number of books, including The Faerie Hounds of York and The Bachelor's Valet, and have work accepted at Baffling Magazine and Lightspeed. You can find them on Twitter and their website http://ardenpowell.wordpress.com.
Vestal by Diana Hurlburt
A traveling potion-maker encounters a strange herbalist, whose blood contains an otherworldly power that proves deadly to him... and irresistible to his apprentice.
Diana Hurlburt is a librarian, writer, and Floridian in upstate New York. Selections of her short work have been featured most recently in Sword & Kettle Press's mini-chap series and the Rhonda Parrish-edited anthologies Clockwork, Curses & Coal and Arcana, and are forthcoming from Neon Hemlock and Moonchild Magazine. She's often on Twitter talking about horses, heavy metal, and cold brew. You can also find her on Instagram.
Ghost at Haunting's End by Elisabeth R. Moore
In a future where android designers recreate android versions of dead children for mourning families, an android breaks free of her family and her replica's past.
Elisabeth R. Moore is a German writer, birder and literature grad student. Her stories have appeared in Strange Horizons, Luna Station Quarterly and a variety of other venues. Her fiction features ghosts, strange plants, and the German experience, and while she tries to fight it, her firm belief in Zero Waste Living, ecological conservation and climate change activism often bleeds into her work. She lives with her wife, two cats and extremely lazy dog in the Ruhrgebiet. Find her at spacelesbian.zone or on Twitter.
Fun at Parties by K. Blair
Fun at Parties is a contemporary flash fiction piece, reimagining of the Bloody Mary myth, supposing you would fall in love with the blood-soaked reflection.
K.Blair (they/she) is bisexual, bigender and biding their time on Twitter and Instagram. They are a member of London Queer Writers, helping to run/host their spoken word poetry night SPEAK =. She recently took a quiz on ‘what horror trope are you?’ and is very smug that she got ‘Final Girl’.You can find K. on http://www.kblair.co.uk/.
RAION KUĪN (Lion Queen) by Hunter Liguore
A mysterious stranger causes havoc for a 13th century nun, forcing her to choose between love and duty. This Gothic story takes is set in Medieval Japan, and plays on the tropes of superstition/myth in the crumbling walls of a monastery
Hunter Liguore is a writer, professor, and historian, often found roaming old ruins, hillsides, and cemeteries. Her work can be found in Bellevue Literary Review, Irish Pages, Porridge Magazine, and more. Whole World Inside Nan's Soup is available from Yeehoo Press. To learn more, visit: hunterliguore.org or find Hunter on Twitter.
We are excited to announce Nyx Publishing's third novella, after A Dowry of Blood and The Bone Way, which will be published in the second half of 2021. Nyx Publishing has acquired Hannah-Freya Blake's queer Gothic debut novella Cake Craft, to be published in digital and paperback formats, combined with other short stories by Blake.
Summary for Cake Craft
I used to know the Devil, only back then he was called Arthur, and he was a seventy-eight-year-old dairy farmer from Yorkshire.
Kat is haunted by memories of her past. Memories of her first job at a nursing home, where Arthur Shipton would raise hell in search of his flat cap. Of boyfriends who preferred prettier girls, and the cakes she ate to fill her hungry heart. Now thirty, no amount of comfort food can help her get over her divorce. But Stella—Arthur’s granddaughter—might.
Beautiful and mysterious, there’s something about Stella that inspires Kat to leave the safety of her couch. She can’t help but think Stella has something to do with Arthur’s recent death, but the closer she gets to Stella, the less it matters. With Stella’s magical pull, Kat feels an old hunger—one long since buried with the crumbs of cake—reawaken.
Cake Craft is a dark, bisexual Bridget Jones set in the Gothic moors of Yorkshire with a pinch of the paranormal. It’s a story of trauma, desire, and hunger—and a whole lot of Grandma’s ginger sponge.
About the author
Hannah-Freya is a PhD candidate, novelist, and poet based in West Yorkshire. Her research on horror and humour in the Gothic bleeds into her creative writing. She is fascinated by the blending of opposites—of elegance and vulgarity, of melancholy and wit. Her short story, ‘Old Jack’, pays homage to Gothic aesthetics in the tale of a lonely man in search of the sun, and won the Creative Showcase at Sheffield’s Reimagining the Gothic in 2018. When she’s not writing, Hannah-Freya is usually eating chocolate and watching cat videos.
After last week's announcement concerning our first release scheduled for 2021, we are excited to be sharing another amazing novella with you in the upcoming year. Nyx Publishing has acquired Holly J. Underhill's novella The Bone Way, to be published in early 2021 in digital format.
Summary for The Bone Way
When her wife Cressidae goes missing, Teagan immediately knows where she has gone. A kingdom of the dead filled with untold nightmares, the Shadow Realm is the only place that can save Teagan from a lethal poison that's killing her slowly. It is ruled by a princess said to make powerful deals with those brave enough to find her, and Cressidae has gone to bargain for Teagan's life. Cressidae has forgotten one very important thing: no one makes it out on their own.
Teagan is furious Cress left without her, yet she's determined to save her. The princess of the Shadow Realm, however, doesn’t let mortals roam her territories without opposition. In this thrilling tale inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Teagan and Cressidae must face both the horrors of the Shadow Realm as well as their own past.
About the author
Holly J. Underhill was born into a family of writers and readers, so stories have always been a part of her life. She spends most of her time spinning tales about angry girls, queer acceptance, and mental health. She received a B.S. in psychology from Central Michigan University before she realized she wanted to be an author more than anything else. When not writing she enjoys finding new TV shows and books to fall in love with, nerding out over history, and going on adventures. She currently resides in Michigan with her family, one dog, and an abundance of rescue cats. THE BONE WAY will be her first published work.
You can find out more about Holly on her website, or connect with her on Twitter.
We are thrilled to announce that S.T. Gibson's lyrical novella A Dowry of Blood will be published by Nyx Publishing! A Dowry of Blood features characters previously introduced in Gibson's short story 'Brideprice', which can be found in the Unspeakable anthology. It will be released in digital and paperback formats in the beginning of 2021.
Summary for A Dowry of Blood
A lyrical and dreamy reimagining of Dracula’s brides, A DOWRY OF BLOOD is a story of desire, obsession, and emancipation.
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.
About the author
Saint is a poet, author, and village wise woman in training. A graduate of the creative writing program at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and the theological studies program at Princeton Seminary, she currently lives in Boston with her partner, spoiled Persian cat, and vintage blazer collection.
You can find out more about Saint on her website, or connect with her on Twitter.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the moment is finally here: Unspeakable is for sale!
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. Even dark tales deserve their time in the sun.
The anthology contains the following stories:
Let Down by Claire Hamilton Russell
Moonlight by Ally Kölzow
An Account of Service at Meryll Point, as recollected and set down by C.L.
The White Door by Lindsay King-Miller
Doctor Barlowe's Mirror by Avery Kit Malone
Laguna and the Engkanto by Katalina Watt
The Moon in the Glass by Jude Reid
Brideprice by S.T. Gibson
Lure of the Abyss by Jenna MacDonald
Hearteater by Eliza Temple
Quicksilver Prometheus by Katie Young
Homesick by Sam Hirst
Rodeo by Ryann Fletcher
Lady of Letters; or, the Twenty-First Century Homunculus by Heather Valentine
Taylor Hall by Jen Glifort
The Ruin by E. Saxey
The Dream Eater by Anna Moon
Leadbitter House by Mason Hawthorne
The anthology can be bought in the Nyx Publishing shop, or on Amazon. You can also request a order at your local bookshop, or add it to read on Goodreads.