Friday, June 26, 2020

July Readalong: Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

The Ladies of Horror Fiction team is excited to announce our July readalong of Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas. Catherine House was selected by the members of the Ladies of Horror Fiction Goodreads group. All of the details for joining the readalong are posted below. Catherine House sounds amazing, and we are looking forward to some great discussions throughout the month of July!

Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas

A seductive, gothic-infused tale of literary suspense — the debut of a spectacular new voice — about a dangerously curious young undergraduate whose rebelliousness leads her to discover a shocking secret involving an exclusive circle of students . . . and the dark truth beneath her school’s promise of prestige.

You are in the house and the house is in the woods.
You are in the house and the house is in you . . .


Catherine House is a school of higher learning like no other. Hidden deep in the woods of rural Pennsylvania, this crucible of reformist liberal arts study with its experimental curriculum, wildly selective admissions policy, and formidable endowment, has produced some of the world’s best minds: prize-winning authors, artists, inventors, Supreme Court justices, presidents. For those lucky few selected, tuition, room, and board are free. But acceptance comes with a price. Students are required to give the House three years—summers included—completely removed from the outside world. Family, friends, television, music, even their clothing must be left behind. In return, the school promises its graduates a future of sublime power and prestige, and that they can become anything or anyone they desire.

Among this year’s incoming class is Ines, who expects to trade blurry nights of parties, pills, cruel friends, and dangerous men for rigorous intellectual discipline—only to discover an environment of sanctioned revelry. The school’s enigmatic director, Viktória, encourages the students to explore, to expand their minds, to find themselves and their place within the formidable black iron gates of Catherine.

For Ines, Catherine is the closest thing to a home she’s ever had, and her serious, timid roommate, Baby, soon becomes an unlikely friend. Yet the House’s strange protocols make this refuge, with its worn velvet and weathered leather, feel increasingly like a gilded prison. And when Baby’s obsessive desire for acceptance ends in tragedy, Ines begins to suspect that the school—in all its shabby splendor, hallowed history, advanced theories, and controlled decadence—might be hiding a dangerous agenda that is connected to a secretive, tightly knit group of students selected to study its most promising and mysterious curriculum.

Combining the haunting sophistication and dusky, atmospheric style of Sarah Waters with the unsettling isolation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Catherine House is a devious, deliciously steamy, and suspenseful page-turner with shocking twists and sharp edges that is sure to leave readers breathless.

Catherine House Readalong Discussion

The readalong discussion will take place in our Ladies of Horror Fiction group on Goodreads: July 2020 Readalong: CATHERINE HOUSE by Elisabeth Thomas

Catherine House Readalong Schedule

The readalong will begin on July 1 and discussions will take place throughout the month of July (and beyond for anyone who wants to keep the discussion going!)

You can join in any time during the month. We often have group members who will join in mid-month or later.

We use spoiler tags to hide any spoilers so feel free to jump in when you are ready!

Sharing the Readalong

Be sure to use the hashtags #LadiesofHorrorFiction and #LOHFReadalong if you are sharing or discussing outside of Goodreads so we can share your posts!

Join the Readalong

Will you be joining us for the readalong? Let us know! We can’t wait to read Catherine House with you!

Thursday, June 18, 2020

2020 LOHF Writers Grant

The Ladies of Horror Fiction team is excited to announce the 2nd annual LOHF Writers Grant.

Update: There will be ten grant recipients this year! Many thanks go out to Steve Stred, Laurel Hightower, Andrew Cull, Cemetary Gates Media, Sonora Taylor, S.H. Cooper, Ben Walker, and anonymous donors for their generosity.

Letter from Steve Stred

Hey all, just a quick note from me. 

Once again I want to thank the Ladies of Horror Fiction for jumping on board last year for the First LOHF Writers Grant, but then also saying yes to facilitate the Second Grant this year as well.

The group does phenomenal work year round to spotlight and showcase some truly amazing authors in the Horror world.

Last year, I had put together a release to help offset the Grant, but decided to not do one this year. All sales/proceeds from ‘The Night Crawls In’ still go towards the Grant and future Grants, but I wanted to make sure this award was not about me or any of my books.

This year, I am also extremely excited and proud to announce that there will be two LOHF Writers Grants. 

Recently, the fantastic human and amazing author, Laurel Hightower reached out and wanted to help. I mentioned how the Grant works, and she offered to match my contribution. I was humbled, shocked, amazed, stunned, all of the adjectives to know that there would be two recipients to the Grant!

If you haven’t read any of Laurel’s work, I can’t recommend it enough!

So, thank you Laurel. That was truly amazing.

In closing, good luck to everyone who enters!

Steve

Eligibility Requirements

The LOHF Writers Grant is inclusive to all women who have reasonably demonstrated a commitment to writing in the horror genre. All grant provided funds must be used in a manner that will help develop the applicant’s career.

The applicant must not have received the LOHF Writers Grant within the previous three years.

Application Process

In order to apply for the LOHF Writers Grant, you must fill out this form by 11:59pm August 31, 2020.

Selection Process

Ten grant recipients will be selected by members of the LOHF Writers Grant Committee consisting of non-disclosed members of the Ladies of Horror Fiction.

Grant Disbursement

Ten recipients will receive the LOHF Writers Grant in the amount of $100. The Ladies of Horror Fiction team will announce the recipients of the LOHF Writers Grant on September 15, 2020. At that time, the LOHF Writers Grant Committee will also notify Steve Stred of the recipient.

Contribute to the LOHF Writers Grant

If you would like to contribute to the annual LOHF Writers Grant, contact Steve Stred via email for more details.


Thank you so much to Steve Stred, Laurel Hightower, Andrew Cull, Cemetery Gates Media, Sonora Taylor, S.H. Cooper, Ben Walker, and our anonymous donors for providing this amazing opportunity and also for letting us be a part of it!

The Ladies of Horror Fiction team assists with the selection of the LOHF Writers Grant recipients. All funding and disbursement of funds are at the sole discretion of the grant donors.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

What We're Reading #54

Happy Wednesday, everyone! We’d like to recommend a few of our recent reads to you today and hope you find a new favorite.

The Fourth Whore by EV Knight

Kenzi Brooks watched The Scribble Man collect her brother’s soul after a hit and run when she was seven. He gave her a present that day—a lucky rabbit’s foot. Sixteen years later, she no longer believes in The Scribble Man, she believes in survival and does what she has to in the slums of Detroit. When thugs kill her mother and beat Kenzi to near death, she accidentally releases Lilith from her prison within the time-worn keychain.

And Hell hath no fury…

Lilith is out for revenge. Revenge against God, Sariel (Angel of Death and Kenzi’s Scribble Man), and all of mankind for relegating her to nothing more than a demoness for refusing to submit to her husband. She’s put together an apocalyptic plan to destroy everyone who has forsaken her. Forget the Four Horsemen, Lilith is assembling the Four Whores.
Will Kenzi rise against her to save the world and The Scribble Man or will she become The Fourth Whore? 

Goodreads | Amazon

Alex’s Teaser Review

E.V. Knight knows how to write! The language is gorgeous, evocative, and the character development brought on are quite impressive. Who needs the Four HorseMEN when you can have equally, if not more, kick ass women leading the charge?!

Read Alex’s entire review at Goodreads.

The Ancestor by Danielle Trussone

From the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of the Angelology series comes a bewitching gothic novel of suspense that plunges readers into a world of dark family secrets, the mysteries of human genetics, and the burden of family inheritance.

It feels like a fairy tale when Alberta ”Bert” Monte receives a letter addressed to “Countess Alberta Montebianco” at her Hudson Valley, New York, home that claims she’s inherited a noble title, money, and a castle in Italy. While Bert is more than a little skeptical, the mystery of her aristocratic family’s past, and the chance to escape her stressful life for a luxury holiday in Italy, is too good to pass up.

At first, her inheritance seems like a dream come true: a champagne-drenched trip on a private jet to Turin, Italy; lawyers with lists of artwork and jewels bequeathed to Bert; a helicopter ride to an ancestral castle nestled in the Italian Alps below Mont Blanc; a portrait gallery of ancestors Bert never knew existed; and a cellar of expensive vintage wine for Bert to drink.

But her ancestry has a dark side, and Bert soon learns that her family history is particularly complicated. As Bert begins to unravel the Montebianco secrets, she begins to realize her true inheritance lies not in a legacy of ancestral treasures, but in her very genes.

Goodreads | Amazon

Audra’s Teaser Review

I loved this book. It offered the perfect escape for a horror lover like me. Additionally, I appreciate any book that leaves me with lots to think about and unpack. 

Read Audra’s entire review at Goodreads.

Emily’s Teaser Review

The Ancestor is the first book I’ve read by Danielle Trussoni, and I enjoyed it! This book has an intriguing and mysterious start, and I was hooked from the beginning.

Read Emily’s entire review at Goodreads.

Alex’s Teaser Review

The Ancestor was just the book that I needed right now while being in quarantine. This book whisked me away to a dark and creepy castle in the Italian Alps to be surrounded by mysterious family secrets linked to an ominous and supernatural threat.

Read Alex’s entire review at Goodreads.

Catfish Lullaby by AC Wise

Lewis is a town of secrets.

There have long been rumors of something unnatural in the swamp, and more than one person has gone missing. Many blame the Royce family while others believe in a local monster, rising from the dark waters.

As a child, Caleb witnessed something inexplicable the night the Royce place mysteriously burned to the ground. As an adult, Caleb returns to take over his father’s role as sheriff, and the long shadow of the Royce family returns to haunt him. Caleb struggles to solve an eerily familiar crime and finds himself face to face with another old mystery–the legend of Catfish John.

Goodreads | Amazon

Jen’s Teaser Review

Catfish Lullaby turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me, and I’m so glad I read it. I will be on the look out for more to read from A.C. Wise.

Read Jen’s entire review at Book Den.

Thank you for joining us today! We hope you found something to add to your tbr list. Please share your recent reads with us in the comments below.

If you are a LOHF writer and have a book you’d like us to consider for a review please visit our review submission page here.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

What We're Reading #53

The #LadiesOfHorrorFiction team have some books to recommend today. We hope you find something that makes your heart happy. ♥

Ambrosia by Madison Wheatley

Two words have haunted Crystal for years: fat pig.

So when a handsome and athletic stranger promises that his gym will change her life, how can she say no? With its cutting-edge facilities, beyond-friendly staff, and endless free samples of Ambrosia, their signature energizing sports drink, Mount Olympus seems too perfect to be real—and maybe it is. Crystal needs it all, but is she willing to lose more than just weight?

Goodreads | Amazon

Alex’s Teaser Review

This novella read quickly, was highly entertaining, and will be a good excuse for me to not go to the gym for that perfect body but will serve as a reminder that I am good enough, dangit! 

Read Alex’s entire review at Goodreads.

The Worst is Yet to Come by S.P. Mitowski

The Worst Is Yet To Come by S.P. Miskowski

2019 Bram Stoker Award® Nominee for Superior Achievement in a Novel

For most of her fourteen years, Tasha Davis has languished in the rural-suburban town of Skillute, Washington. Her parents offer plenty of comfortable—if stifling—emotional support, but what she needs is a best friend.

In her final year at Clark Middle School, Tasha meets a strange, new classmate. Briar Kenny is the self-styled rebel Tasha wants to be, and the Davises are the kind of close-knit family Briar covets. A moment of unexpected violence spawns a secret between the two girls and awakens a mystery from the past.

Unknown to Tasha and Briar, their secret also attracts something monstrous from a forgotten corner of Skillute. The town is haunted by its history, scarred with the lingering spirit of broken and scattered families, abandoned real estate ventures, and old scores never settled between neighbors. But there’s more to the place than memory and legend. Beneath the landscape something malignant rages, and it will stop at nothing to find a route into the physical world.

Goodreads | Amazon

Laurie’s Teaser Review

If you’re looking for an intoxicating read that doesn’t throw all of its scares in your face (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) then I feel pretty good about saying this is the book for you. Look out for the slow creep because that’s what’s gonna get you here!

Read Laurie’s entire review at Bark At the Ghouls.

Hairspray and Switchblades by V. Castro

When Maya and Magdalena lose their parents to a home invasion, Magdalena puts her dreams on hold and turns to exotic dancing. Cash is what the sisters need to stay together and keep Maya in an elite catholic high school that has set her on the path for an athletic and academic college scholarship.

These sisters come from a bloodline of Jaguar shifters from Mexico and have gained unwanted attention. The San Antonio Stripper Ripper is stalking the streets, out for a specific kind of blood.

Though Magdalena trades in skin, there is no way she will allow anyone to own her. Steamy. Bloody. Dangerous. Hairspray and Switchblades, what more could a girl need to survive the hot streets?

Book 5 in the Rewind-or-Die series: imagine your local movie rental store back in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, remember all those fantastic covers. Remember taking those movies home and watching in awe as the stories unfolded in nasty rainbows of gore, remember the atmosphere and textures. Remember the blood.

Goodreads | Amazon

Emily’s Teaser Review

I really enjoyed Hairspray and Switchblades! Sometimes I have a hard time getting into shifter stories because I feel like there’s not always a lot of variety, but this one stands out to me. I liked the characters and the story. It kept my attention, and I had fun reading it.

Read Emily’s entire review at Goodreads.

Thank you for joining us today! We hope you found something to add to your tbr list. Please share your recent reads with us in the comments below.

If you are a LOHF writer and have a book you’d like us to consider for a review please visit our review submission page here.

Friday, June 5, 2020

June 2020 LOHF New Releases

Each month the Ladies of Horror Fiction team posts all of the books we are aware of that will be releasing during that month. If you are involved in the process of publishing a horror book written by a female author, please reach out to us and let us know so we can help to spotlight the book’s release!

Category Five by Ann Davila Cardinal

Category Five by Ann Dávila Cardinal

ategory Five is a new supernatural YA thriller from Ann Dávila Cardinal, set against the backdrop of a post-hurricane Puerto Rico.

After the hurricane, some see destruction and some smell blood.

The tiny island of Vieques, located just off the northeastern coast of the main island of Puerto Rico, is trying to recover after hurricane Maria, but the already battered island is now half empty. To make matters worse, as on the main island, developers have come in to buy up the land at a fraction of its worth, taking advantage of the island when it is down.

Lupe, Javier, and Marisol are back to investigate a series of murders that follow in the wake of a hurricane and in the shadow of a new supernatural threat.

Published June 2nd 2020 by Tor Teen | Amazon | Goodreads


Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles edited by Ellen Datlow

Legendary genre editor Ellen Datlow brings together eighteen dark and terrifying original stories inspired by cinema and television. A BLUMHOUSE BOOKS HORROR ORIGINAL.

From the secret reels of a notoriously cursed cinematic masterpiece to the debauched livestreams of modern movie junkies who will do anything for clicks, Final Cuts brings together new and terrifying stories inspired by the many screens we can’t peel our eyes away from. Inspired by the rich golden age of the film and television industries as well as the new media present, this new anthology reveals what evils hide behind the scenes and between the frames of our favorite medium. With original stories from a diverse list of some of the best-known names in horror, Final Cuts will haunt you long after the credits roll.

NEW STORIES FROM: Josh Malerman, Chris Golden, Stephen Graham Jones, Garth Nix, Laird Barron, Kelley Armstrong, John Langan, Richard Kadrey, Paul Cornell, Lisa Morton, AC Wise, Dale Bailey, Jeffrey Ford, Cassandra Khaw, Nathan Ballingrud, Gemma Files, Usman T. Malik, and Brian Hodge.

Published June 2nd 2020 by Anchor Books | Amazon | Goodreads


The House of Whispers by Laura Purcell

A new gothic Victorian tale from Laura Purcell, set on the atmospheric Cornish coast in a rambling house by the sea in which a maid cares for a mute old woman with a mysterious past, alongside her superstitious staff.

Consumption has ravaged Louise Pinecroft’s family, leaving her and her father alone and heartbroken. But Dr. Pinecroft has plans for a revolutionary experiment: convinced that sea air will prove to be the cure his wife and children needed, he arranges to house a group of prisoners suffering from the disease in the caves beneath his new Cornish home. While he devotes himself to his controversial medical trials, Louise finds herself increasingly discomfited by the strange tales her new maid tells of the fairies that hunt the land, searching for those they can steal away to their realm.

Forty years later, Hester arrives at Morvoren House to take up a position as nurse to the now partially paralyzed and mute Miss Pinecroft. Hester has fled to Cornwall to try to escape her past, but surrounded by superstitious staff enacting bizarre rituals, she soon discovers her new home may be just as dangerous as her last.

Expected publication: June 9th 2020 by Penguin Books | Amazon | Goodreads | Amazon | Goodreads


Wonderland by Zoje Stage

Wonderland by Zoje Stage

If Shirley Jackson wrote The Shining, it might look like this novel from the acclaimed author of Baby Teeth: A mother must become a protector when unnatural forces threaten her family’s new and improved life in a rural farmhouse.

The Bennett family – artist parents and two precocious children – leave their familiar urban surroundings for a new home in far upstate New York. They’re an hour from the nearest city, a mile from the nearest house, and everyone has their own room for the very first time. Shaw, the father, even gets his own painting studio, now that he and his wife Orla, a retired dancer, have agreed that it’s his turn to pursue his passion.

But none of the Bennetts expect what lies waiting in the lovely woods, where secrets run dark and deep. Orla must finally find a way to communicate with – not just resist – this unknown entity that is coming to her family, calling to them from the land, in the earth, beneath the trees … and in their minds.

Expected publication: June 16th 2020 by Mulholland Books | Amazon | Goodreads


Seeing Things by Sonora Taylor

Abby Gillman has discovered that with growing up, there comes a lot of blood. But nothing prepares her for the trail of blood she sees in the hallway after class – or the ghost she finds crammed inside an abandoned locker.

No one believes Abby, of course. She’s only seeing things. As much as Abby wants to be believed, what she wants more is to know why she can suddenly see the dead. Unfortunately, they won’t tell her. In fact, none of them will speak to her. At all.

Abby leaves for her annual summer visit to her uncle’s house with tons of questions. The visit will give her answers the ghosts won’t – but she may not like what she finds out.

Expected publication: June 23rd 2020 | Amazon | Goodreads


Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic artistocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . .

From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico—“fans of classic novels like Jane Eyre and Rebecca are in for a suspenseful treat” (PopSugar).
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

Expected publication: June 30th 2020 by Del Rey | Amazon | Goodreads


Have we missed any June 2020 LOHF titles you are excited about? Let us know in the comments!

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Horror Media Created by Black Women


We’ve compiled a list of horror media created by Black women. This list is not complete, so please feel free to add suggestions in the comments. We have not read / watched / listened to all of these but will link up our reviews where we can. This is a starting point and we’d love to see it grow and welcome all suggestions. #blacklivesmatter

NOVELS

YOUNG ADULT & MIDDLE GRADE

NOVELLAS

GRAPHIC NOVELS

POETRY COLLECTIONS

SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS

SHORT STORY ANTHOLOGIES

MIXED ANTHOLOGIES & COLLECTIONS

NONFICTION

MOVIES

Below is a link to a full list of movies by black women horror filmmakers:

Graveyard Shift Sisters

HORROR MOVIES WITH BLACK WOMEN IN LEADING ROLES

DOCUMENTARY

Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror

YOUTUBE

Horror Movies and Beyond

WEB SERIES

PODCASTS

RESOURCES

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

June Readalong: The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

The Ladies of Horror Fiction team is kicking off our June readalong of The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling. The Luminous Dead was selected by the members of the Ladies of Horror Fiction Goodreads group. The LOHF team loved this book, and we hope you will, too. All of the details for joining the readalong are posted below. We are looking forward to some great discussions throughout the month of June!

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

A thrilling, atmospheric debut with the intensive drive of The Martian and Gravity and the creeping dread of Annihilation, in which a caver on a foreign planet finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emotional journey for survival.

When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck—enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother—meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane.

Instead, she got Em.

Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to “ensure the smooth operation” of her expedition. Em knows all about Gyre’s falsified credentials, and has no qualms using them as a leash—and a lash. And Em has secrets, too . . .

As Gyre descends, little inconsistencies—missing supplies, unexpected changes in the route, and, worst of all, shifts in Em’s motivations—drive her out of her depths. Lost and disoriented, Gyre finds her sense of control giving way to paranoia and anger. On her own in this mysterious, deadly place, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, Gyre must overcome more than just the dangerous terrain and the Tunneler which calls underground its home if she wants to make it out alive—she must confront the ghosts in her own head.

But how come she can’t shake the feeling she’s being followed?

The Luminous Dead Readalong Discussion

The readalong discussion will take place in our Ladies of Horror Fiction group on Goodreads: June Readalong 2020: The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

The Luminous Dead Readalong Schedule

The readalong began on June 1 and discussions will take place throughout the month of June (and beyond for anyone who wants to keep the discussion going!)

You can join in any time during the month. We often have group members who will join in mid-month or later.

We use spoiler tags to hide any spoilers so feel free to jump in when you are ready!

Sharing the Readalong

Please feel free to grab the readalong graphic and share across your platforms to let everyone know you are joining in.

The Luminous Dead Ladies of Horror Fiction Readalong

Be sure to use the hashtags #LadiesofHorrorFiction and #LOHFReadalong if you are sharing or discussing outside of Goodreads so we can share your posts!

Join the Readalong

Will you be joining us for the readalong? Let us know! We can’t wait to read The Luminous Dead with you!

Monday, June 1, 2020

May 2020: Monthly Recap

If you missed this month’s new releases or any of the amazing books we’ve read and reviewed recently, you can find them all below!

News and Announcements

May 2020 LOHF New Releases
Each month the Ladies of Horror Fiction team posts all of the books we are aware of that will be releasing during that month.

June Readalong Poll
We hosted a poll to select our readalong book for June. We hope you will join us for our group read of The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling this month!

Reviews

What We’re Reading #48

What We’re Reading #50

What We’re Reading #51

What We’re Reading #52

Special Topics

YA/MG Horror Spotlight May 2020
Check out the books that were released in May as well as what our team has been reading and reviewing.

LinkWithin