Today we welcome Professor David Sandner as a contributing member of the consortium! We’ve signed his novella and a bonus piece of short fiction to be published together in one volume of the journal. We invite you to share virtual cake to celebrate with us in our virtual break room. ABOUT THE NOVELLA His Unburned Heart, tells the story of Mary Shelley’s quest to retrieve her husband’s heart from his publisher. History tells us that Percy Shelley was cremated, though his heart failed to burn, but the rest of the details are lost to time. Sandner has channeled Mary Shelley...
NOVELLA DEAL: Blood Cypress by Elizabeth Broadbent
We’re excited to announce we’ve signed a deal with Elizabeth Broadbent to add her story Blood Cypress to our novella line. Managing editor Jennifer Barnes explains, “I’m excited about this addition because I feel there’s still much to explore in the realm of generational horror and the horrors of daily life. Blood Cypress peers into some dark corners that have been long overlooked and deserve closer examination.” Acquiring editor R.J. Joseph adds, “Broadbent uses the confessional trope to plunder emotional depths in this Southern Gothic story of family and loyalty. Quite an admirable feat, considering so many details are packed...
We Launched a Kickstarter!
Beyond the Bounds of Infinity is an anthology of cosmic horror that will feature authors from historically underrepresented groups. WHY KICKSTARTER? This is the first book we’ve attempted to Kickstart and you may be wondering why we chose to go this route. To be brutally honest anthologies are a tough sell, everyone wants to be in them but not nearly as many want to buy them. In the 20 year history of RDSP we’ve taken on eight anthologies and most have had very special circumstances. For instance, we raised over $3000 to fight lung cancer with the Like Sunshine After Rain anthology put together...
COVER REVEAL: On the Subject of Blackberries
About the Book Welcome to the garden. Here we poison our fruits, pierce ourselves with thorns, and rip off our skin under the light of the full moon. Mad and unhinged, we fall through rabbit holes, walk willingly into fairy rings, and as our hair falls out near the creek out back, we dance in the song of witchcraft, two snakes around our ankles, the juice of berries on our tongues. This is a collection that heals as much as it scars, and it’s an honest look at how trauma can seep into the soil of our bodies and grow...
Novella Deal: Asylum by Sarah Hans
Our fourth novella deal is with Sarah Hans for her story Asylum. Editor R.J. Joseph says, “Hans created a lead character in Ashleigh who leapt off the page in the first few lines. Her authorial voice cannot be denied and it was the authenticity and palpable longing this voice perpetuated that had me in its grip from beginning to end.” About Asylum All Ashleigh wanted was some semblance of a home where she and her found, misfit family could be together and rid themselves of the drug addiction that kept their fairy tale life from becoming reality. She thought the...
BOOK DEAL: Let Me Tell You a Story
Tim Waggoner is back with more writing tips for dark fiction Our non-fiction imprint, Guide Dog Books, has signed a new book from Tim Waggoner in the award-winning Writing in the Dark series! This series has a lot of momentum right now since the second book, Writing in the Dark: The Workbook, just won a Bram Stoker award. In fact, all three books in the series so far have been nominated for the award and two have received it. “Each time we think we’ve covered everything Tim comes up with another unique approach to writing instruction,” says RDSP managing editor...
NOVELLA DEAL: Hollow Tongue by Eden Royce
Our third novella deal is a very exciting one. We are so pleased to announce that we’ve signed Eden Royce’s novella Hollow Tongue! This is one creepy story that we think readers are going to love. Novella line editor R.J. Joseph says, “The thing that initially struck me about Royce’s story was how effortlessly her voice sang through her masterful use of language and atmospheric Southern Gothic storytelling to lull me into thinking the story couldn’t possibly be scary. Make no mistake, this is part of her magic, because Hollow Tongue is absolutely horrifying.” About Hollow Tongue ABOUT THE NOVELLA LINE The...
NOVELLA DEAL: 12 HOURS by L. Marie Wood
We’re excited to announce another novella signed from our open call. L. Marie Wood’s experimental 12 Hours had us spellbound from the start. Editor R.J. Joseph says, “The opportunity to work with L. Marie, a horror genre leader, is an editorial dream. With all I know about writing, I’m still sure to learn something new through the ways she constantly reinvents her writing, and the genre itself.” While L. Marie is known for writing gripping psychological horror, you’ll find she’s taken a unique approach to this crime-ridden tale. About 12 Hours If you had twelve hours after death, what would you spend...
NOVELLA DEAL: Errant Roots by Sonora Taylor
We’re excited to be able to announce the novellas we’ve signed from our open call in March. Sonora Taylor really spooked us with her story Errant Roots. Because it has themes that explore family dynamics, heritage and birth rights this story fit right in to our novella line. The quick pace delivers an immersive reading experience in a short time, lots of story bang for your buck. “I love that this is such a cinematic read,” says RDSP Managing Editor Jennifer Barnes. “With this line we’re hoping to give people the feel of reading a novel without taking up a...
COVER REVEAL: Bleak Houses
Lynne Hansen Brings the Gothic Vibes To launch our new novella line we knew we’d need not just a cover but a template flexible to fit other books in the line, so we went to Lynne Hansen to develop the cover. “The design was inspired by those ornate scientific journals of the 1800’s, (think Scientific American.) I combined it with the vibe of my personal first copy of Dracula, a linen-bound books with a metallic embossed frame that highlighted some gorgeous full-color art. I wanted to recreate that feel for this series, with a little added vintage wear and tear,” explains Hansen. “Kate...
BOOK DEAL: On the Subject of Blackberries
A New Poetry collection from Stephanie M. Wytovich Coming this Fall Raw Dog Screaming Press (RDSP) is excited to announce a book deal with award-winning poet Stephanie Wytovich for her next collection, On the Subject of Blackberries. It will come out in September in hardcover only. The style in this collection is a departure from Wytovich’s previous work in that it’s found poetry and poems inspired by another artist— in this case, Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always lived in the Castle. “On the Subject of Blackberries was a project born from my diagnosis of post-partum depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder in early...
RDSP Audio
Raw Dog Screaming Press Launches Audio Line Raw Dog Screaming Press is now working with Findaway Voices to produce and distribute audiobook editions of many of their books. The first title, Hounds of the Underworld by Dan Rabarts & Lee Murray, has just been released. The book has dueling siblings so required two narrators. Dan Rabarts reads the part of Matiu which he wrote, while Susan Holt voices Penny (written by Lee Murray). “The nature of the book, alternating chapters from a brother and sister perspective, made it ideal for audio,” says Managing Editor Jennifer Barnes. “Dan and Susan really...
COVER REVEAL: The Price of a Small Hot Fire
About the Book PREORDER NOW to get a $2 discount and receive a signed copy “E.F. Schraeder’s wonderful collection The Price of a Small Hot Fire is a gleaming poetic knife: strong, sharp, and heart-carving.” – Lucy A. Snyder, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Exposed Nerves “Schraeder writes with teeth sharpened by decades of grit and despair; vicious and morose in equal measure.” – Anton Cancre, author of This Story Doesn’t End the Way We Want All the Time About the Artist About the Author
COVER REVEAL: Haunted Stars
A mysterious discovery in space, the ruthless destruction of a cargo ship, and a desperate plea for help from a friend lead Mykol Ranglen, the hero of The Man Who Loved Alien Landscapes and In a Suspect Universe, on a dangerous interstellar quest that, if it fails, could lead to war between planets. Joining forces with a fierce young woman who survived the cargo-ship disaster and who’s bent on revenge, the two follow a trail of piracy, political conspiracy, and the perilous remains of an alien civilization to terrors and evils both human and planetary, escalating into confrontations that neither of them could...
BOOK DEAL: The Price of a Small Hot Fire
RDSP Signs E.F. Schraeder’s Debut Poetry Collection Raw Dog Screaming Press (RDSP) is thrilled to announce the signing of a book deal with author E.F. Schraeder for her debut full-length poetry collection, The Price of a Small Hot Fire, to publish this summer. A careful study on estrangement and loss, The Price of a Small Hot Fire excavates the archetypal horrors of monstrous motherhood, from abandonment and unsteady reconciliation to the grave. Experimental and intimate, E.F. Schraeder’s collection gives voice to a semi-autobiographical examination of a griefscape from a queer lens. “The Price of a Small Hot Fire cuts close to the...
The Craft of Writing
Eugen Bacon Talks Craft, Chasing Whispers, and Makes Strides in Literary World Eugen Bacon is setting the literary world on fire globally with her distinct fiction. Her writing is trailblazing and important as we listen and learn from diverse voices and share their talents. Bacon’s work is seeped in the speculative but defies one genre as it lulls seemlessly between fantasy, science fiction, horror, literary, and the surreal. In fact, her work has been coined with a term of afro-irrealist for which she is a pioneer. In a nutshell, Bacon is a trendsetter for the modern age and readers are...
Interview with Author Van Essler
Vial Thoughts for 2023 and Beyond Raw Dog Screaming Press (RDSP) will be releasing the debut novel Vial Thoughts by Van Essler in May of this year. If you like gothic horror meshed with dark fantasy and dystopian themes, which also offers other cross genre bending twists like science fiction in the vein of Mary Shelley, then keep your eyes peeled for its release (or pre-order is open now!), but in the meantime, join us in reading the interview below to learn more about her processes in creating her book. Vial Thoughts by Van Essler was described by USA Today...
Cover Reveal: VIAL THOUGHTS by Van Essler
Today, we have the reveal of the gorgeous cover by award-winning author Daniele Serra that just beckons readers on so many levels with its layers of haunting appeal. Daniele has created art for the covers on many award-winning books for RDSP and we are very thrilled he’s painted an eye-catching piece that helps complete the package of this book. Vial Thoughts has been described as “an utterly readable mélange of steampunk and gothic horror… a milky shot of absinthe: hypnotic, hallucination-inducing, and highly addictive (Paul Goat Allen)” and take it from us it’s one thrill ride of a read you...
PREORDER: Hounds of the Underworld Audiobook
Audiobook Edition of Path of Ra Book 1 RDSP is excited to announce the preorder of our first audiobook, Hounds of the Underworld, by Dan Rabarts & Lee Murray. The book is a collaboration between Lee Murray, who pens the chapters from Penny’s point of view, and Dan Rabarts who writes Matiu. To maintain this synergy we recorded two readers, Dan performed his chapters while Penny is voiced by actress Susan Holt. We wanted to highlight the New Zealand locale so made sure both readers showcase a Kiwi accent. Release Date May 3, 2023 The book is currently available for...
RDSP to Open for Novella Submissions in January
Raw Dog Screaming Press Announces New Novella Line and Editor At Raw Dog Screaming Press, we have worked to connect transcendent literature and non-fiction with audiences who crave and connect with those voices. It is in continuing with this spirit of pioneering individuality that we are thrilled to announce the launch of our new novella line. “We believe novellas can be as compelling and satisfying as novels and want to create books for readers who want to be immersed in a book but don’t have a lot of time,” said Jennifer Barnes, managing editor and co-owner of RDSP. “RJ Joseph...
BOOK DEAL: 2 Novellas from Kate Maruyama
Raw Dog Screaming Press (RDSP) is thrilled to announce a book deal with award-winning author Kate Maruyama for Bleak Houses: Safer & Family Solstice—a pair of horror novellas presented in one volume for readers and to be published in 2023. It will launch RDSP’s novella line, led by editor RJ Joseph. “I have always wanted to work with Raw Dog Screaming Press, so when Jennifer and John told me they’d publish these two novellas together, I was absolutely over the moon,” Maruyama said. “Bleak Houses: Safer & Family Solstice are each very different kinds of hauntings; one household is haunted by its...
Book Deal: RDSP Signs 2nd Collection from Eugen Bacon
A Place Between Waking and Forgetting Raw Dog Screaming Press (RDSP) is pleased to announce another exciting book deal with the award-winning and acclaimed author Eugen Bacon for her dark speculative fiction and Afro-Irreal short story collection, A Place Between Waking and Forgetting, for release in 2024. A Place Between Waking and Forgetting collects transformative stories of culture, diversity, climate change, unlimited futures, collisions of worlds, and mythology. It showcases black people’s stories in bold and evocative text with, at times, deeply flawed, but potentially redeemable protagonists in rich hues of blackness and light. Something beautiful and something dark in...
BOOK DEAL: Haunted Stars by Albert Wendland
Mykol Ranglen is Planet Hopping Again Our sci-fi imprint, Dog Star Books, is excited to announce a forthcoming addition to the Ranglen series. We’ve signed Albert Wendland’s next novel, Haunted Stars, for release in Spring 2023. Here’s a brief description of the book: A mysterious discovery in space, the ruthless destruction of a cargo ship, and a desperate plea for help from a friend lead Mykol Ranglen, the hero of The Man Who Loved Alien Landscapes and In a Suspect Universe, on a dangerous interstellar quest that, if it fails, could lead to war between planets. Joining forces with a fierce young woman...
BOOK DEAL: Wasps in the Ice Cream
A Publication Story with a Twist Book Description What happens when you fall for the girl everyone hates? Summer 1987: Mark Prewitt’s only priority is to avoid his dad’s new wife and waste time with his friends, but idle nights are the devil’s handiwork. When his friends decide to pull a cruel prank on the reclusive and strange Farrow sisters, Mark regrets caving in to peer pressure. Wanting to make amends, Mark is drawn into the mysterious world of the Farrow girls, finding a kindred spirit in the middle sister, George. She is unlike anyone he’s ever known; a practicing...
BOOK DEAL: Black Cranes, Hardcover Edition
Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women, a Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Award-winning anthology in which Southeast Asian authors explore what it’s like to feel otherness, took the literary horror communities and readers by storm in 2020 when it was first released. Now, Raw Dog Screaming Press is proud to have signed Black Cranes for re-release in hardcover and paperback. The hardcover edition will have new cover art by Greg Chapman, synching artistically to other books within the Black Cranes universe. This edition will also include an afterword by Nancy Holder, six-time Bram Stoker Award winner and New York Times...