Cover Reveal: No One Dies from Love by Robert Levy

You may have heard this was coming. You may even have seen the starred review in Publishers Weekly. We’ve been a little quiet as we worked to get all the moving pieces into place. But we couldn’t be prouder to make this announcement and show off this cover. Dropping imminently (May 30) is the debut collection from Lambda Award and Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author Robert Levy, No One Dies from Love: Dark Tales of Loss and Longing. This collection includes twelve tales of horror and desire (one never before published), an introduction from Paul Tremblay, and a gorgeous cover design by Matthew Revert (reworking Carl Goos’ 1830 painting Orpheus and Eurydice).

No One Dies from Love: Dark Tales of Loss and Longing by Robert Levy

Preorder today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive a signed bookplate from Robert Levy, and a free eBook in your preferred format.. Here’s just some of the advance praise for No One Dies from Love

“Levy delivers a viscerally unsettling collection of 12 horror shorts rooted as much in human psychology as in the fantastical and speculative… Levy’s stories are made all the more powerful by his unwillingness to shy away from the illicit. By embracing the taboo with the tools of horror and speculative fiction, he at once demystifies these subjects while imbuing them with a magic of his own… The result is a triumph.”
Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Robert Levy’s No One Dies From Love may well end up being the book of the year for me. There is a frankness, a boldness, and a compassion in these stories that give real weight to the darkness they hold. It’s easy to caricature human pain and vulnerability in service to a horror story, but Levy writes with honesty and depth, and it makes all the difference. I saw some of my own dark corners reflected back to me in this book, and felt the peace that comes from recognition. And that, to me, is what stories are all about.”
—Nathan Ballingrud, author of The Strange and North American Lake Monsters

“Robert Levy’s No One Dies From Love is a masterful collection of dark fiction—a consecrated and intimate ceremony of human loss and longing. With sumptuous prose and a keen understanding of how grief reshapes us, it’s impossible to not be enthralled with Levy’s macabre vision.”
—Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since Last We Spoke

No One Dies From Love is one of the most original collections I have read in recent years. Again and again I found myself stunned by Levy’s stories: their depth and range at making the heart expand to encompass the wonders of the world.”
—Morgan Talty, National Bestselling author of Night of the Living Rez

“Shocking, erotic, and horrific. Robert Levy proves that, one way or another, love will be the end of us all.”
—Priya Sharma, Shirley Jackson Award-winning author of Ormeshadow

Cover Design by Matthew Revert

Pub Date: May 30, 2023

Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-956252-06-4

Format: eBook
ISBN-13: 978-1-939905-75-8

Cover Reveals: Orrin Grey’s How to See Ghosts & Other Figments and S. L. Edwards’ In the Devil’s Cradle

The next two titles from Word Horde are about to go to the printer, and to celebrate that, we’re bringing you this tandem cover reveal—a pair of haunted houses!

First up, and just in time for Halloween is Orrin Grey’s latest collection How to See Ghosts & Other Figments, with cover art by Nick “The Hat” Gucker. Chock full of stories to tantalize and thrill, extensive story notes, and an introduction from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, How to See Ghosts is the perfect collection to kick off your spooky season.

Following that is the debut novel from S. L. Edwards, In the Devil’s Cradle, with a cover by Yves Tourigny. In the Devil’s Cradle is a captivating haunted house story where the house is an entire country, a nation coming apart due to influences both internal and external, both natural and supernatural. Booklist calls In the Devil’s Cradle “A chilling story that holds appeal for a wide audience, but especially for fans of The Hacienda, by Isabel Cañas, Frankenstein in Baghdad, by Ahmed Saadawi, and Wonderland, by Zoje Stage.”

Preorder your copies of How to See Ghosts and In the Devil’s Cradle today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive a signed bookplate from the author, and a free eBook in your preferred format.

Cover Reveal: Nicole Cushing’s Mothwoman

Word Horde is proud to present the latest from Bram Stoker Award-winning author Nicole Cushing, Mothwoman, a novel about family, grief, aliens, mental illness, trauma, sexism, the Mothman legend, Covid, and the encroachment of unreality into American political life.

Preorder your copy today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive a signed bookplate from Nicole Cushing, and a free eBook in your preferred format.

Mothwoman by Nicole Cushing

Mothwoman combines the style and playful dark satire of A Sick Gray Laugh with the grimness and relatively quick pace of Mr. Suicide.

Cover Art and Design: Matthew Revert

Pub Date: October 11, 2022

Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-956252-04-0

Format: eBook
ISBN-13: 978-1-939905-73-4

John Langan Preorders!

The moment you’ve all been emailing and messaging us about has arrived! Preorders are now live for John Langan’s new collection Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies, as well as the new Word Horde edition of his long out-of-print debut collection Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters.

Preorder your copies today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive signed bookplates from John Langan, and free eBooks in your preferred format.

Cover Reveal: Scott Nicolay’s And at My Back I Always Hear

Word Horde proudly presents And at My Back I Always Hear, the new collection from World Fantasy Award-winning author Scott Nicolay. In these eight contemplative tales of the macabre and uncanny, Nicolay demonstrates why he has been called a master practitioner of the modern Weird Tale.

Preorder your copy today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive a signed bookplate from Scott Nicolay, and a free eBook in your preferred format.

And at My Back I Always Hear by Scott Nicolay

“[Nicolay’s] perspective is always outsider-identified, entirely concerned with characters who refuse to settle, both literally and figuratively; his protagonists often hover on a knife’s edge, caught in some sadly inescapable moment of realization. They’ve failed and been failed, left discarded amongst the wreckage of systemic inequity. And now that they have nothing left to cling to, their inner eye pops open, suddenly able to see the darkness lurking inherent in every crevice, the emptiness revolving inside every atom.”
—from the introduction by Gemma Files

Cover Art by David Verba
Cover Design by Michaela Waltz

Pub Date: April 26, 2022

Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-956252-02-6

Format: eBook
ISBN-13: 978-1-939905-70-3

New Word Horde Emporium Website

In case you haven’t heard, we recently opened a book and game store in Petaluma, California where you can find not just Word Horde titles, but books from many of our favorite presses, small and large.

Word Horde Emporium of the Weird & Fantastic is a “wonderfully curated” bookstore specializing in weird, horrific, fantastic, and speculative fiction for all ages, including a Spooky Kids Zone. We are the Bay Area’s home for the best in Independent horror and weird fiction, and possibly the largest collection of Penguin Classics.

We also carry RPGs, board games, puzzles, and gaming accessories, as well as tons of stickers, buttons, and pins, creepy decor, quirky collectibles, candles and bath goodies, over 40 different tarot decks, journals and stationery, plush monsters and guts, jewelry, art, oddities, and so much more!

If you’re in the Bay Area, stop by! We’re open Wednesdays through Sundays at 301 2nd Street at the corner of 2nd and E Streets.

Now you can also shop the Word Horde Emporium of the Weird & Fantastic online at weirdandfantastic.com! Inventory is still being loaded, but so far our Small Press section is well stocked and worth exploring, as are Fiction/Horror and several Accessories categories. We offer shipping and local pickup, including curbside.

Note: Due to issues coordinating the store POS with the Word Horde website, there are currently two shopping cart systems. If you are only looking for Word Horde bundles of print, eBook, and signed bookplates, continue to use the shop here at wordhorde.com. If you are interested in all sorts of books and other fun stuff, try the new shop at weirdandfantastic.com. If you’d like to coordinate orders, please email us at emporium[at]wordhorde[dot]com.

2022 Word Horde Schedule Announced!

It’s been a weird couple of years for publishing, from the pandemic and supply chain breakdown to rising paper prices. Nevertheless, we persevere. We’ve got some great books lined up for you in 2022, and we’re looking forward to bringing you your next favorite reads.

March: Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters, John Langan
Word Horde is excited to bring you a new edition of Bram Stoker Award-winning author John Langan’s long out-of-print debut collection, featuring the addition of an all-new story. Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters is a collection of tales both elegant and macabre, steeped in the tradition of the literary weird.

April: And at My Back I Always Hear, Scott Nicolay
From World Fantasy Award-winning author Scott Nicolay comes And at My Back I Always Hear, a new collection of eight tales of the macabre and the uncanny.

May: Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies, John Langan
John Langan returns with one new and ten previously uncollected tales of cosmic horror in Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies. In these stories, Langan continues to chart the course of 21st century weird fiction, from the unfamiliar to the familial, the unfathomably distant to the intimate. Includes extensive story notes and an introduction by Sarah Langan.

June: In the Devil’s Cradle, S. L. Edwards
Senator William Esquival is in a rush to save his family’s life. Fleeing political persecution, William takes his family from the capital and flees to the family stronghold of Rio Rojo, a town known as the birthplace of William’s ancestor, a powerful former dictator whose legacy haunts the nation of Antioch. But even as the Esquival family seeks refuge, the country continues to fray around them. As Antioch bleeds, ancient hatreds, secrets, and ghosts pour from its wounds.

August: Mothwoman, Nicole Cushing
From Bram Stoker Award-winning author Nicole Cushing comes a novel about family, grief, aliens, mental illness, trauma, sexism, the Mothman legend, Covid, and the encroachment of unreality into American political life. Mothwoman combines the style and playful dark satire of A Sick Gray Laugh with the grimness and relatively quick pace of Mr. Suicide.

October: How to See Ghosts & Other Figments, Orrin Grey
A new collection from the author of Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales and Painted Monsters & Other Strange Beasts. Orrin Grey returns with eighteen haunting stories of the strange and supernatural.

Stay tuned for preorder announcements!

Word Horde Emporium Grand Opening!

Sorry for the radio silence over the last few months, folks, but we’ve been hard at work on a special project. We’re so excited to finally announce the opening of the Word Horde Emporium of The Weird & Fantastic!

As the flagship Word Horde store, the Emporium will certainly feature all of your favorite Word Horde titles, but we will also be carrying the best in horror and weird fiction coming out of our favorite small presses.

We’ve got plenty from the Big 5 as well, top new releases in genre fiction, as well as the classics. Speaking of classics, we may have the largest collection of Penguin Classics in Sonoma County. And did we mention our awesome spooky kids section?

We wouldn’t be an Emporium with just books, however. We’ve got a fun selection of dice and supplies for tabletop gaming, as well as D&D 5e books, but this section will continue to grow in the near future, with the same focus on horror/weird themes and small presses.

The store is also stocked with an amazing assortment of fun ephemera to accompany your books and games. A little spooky, a bit witchy, definitely geeky, we’ve stickers, buttons, pins, jewelry, journals, bath and body, candles, bags, plushies, collectibles and decor, an incredible tarot selection, and so much more!

We’ve been testing the waters this past week, but our grand opening will be Saturday, October 30 from 12 to 5. If you’re a Bay Area resident or happen to be visiting then, stop by 301 2nd Street in Petaluma and say hello! We’re winging it a bit, but we’ll have goodie bags (while supplies last), raffles, tarot readings by Madame Elle, and author readings.

Word Horde Emporium of the Weird & Fantastic

Word Horde Emporium of the Weird & Fantastic

If I’ve learned one thing living through this pandemic, it’s to never postpone your dreams for a more convenient time.

I’ve spent much of my life working in book and music stores, for every kind of boss, and have consistently invoked the refrain, “when I have my own store, I’m going to do this differently.” I’ve long daydreamed about building my own store, stocking it with my favorite things, and on many levels, Word Horde has been an extension of this dream. It’s given me the chance to travel to conventions all over, setting up pop-up Word Horde bookstores.

Lately, the stars have aligned, and we have the opportunity to open our own brick and mortar store, right here in Petaluma: The Word Horde Emporium of the Weird & Fantastic.

So we’re jumping in, opening our retail store at a ridiculous time, and filling it with things that amuse us, objects that complement the Word Horde philosophy and aesthetic. Products inspired by the fiction we love, spooky stuff, gifts for geeks and goths and anyone else who enjoys the darker side of life.

We’ll have tools for writers, and some for wrongers. Role playing games, board games, and tarot. Books from presses large and small, a highly curated selection of weird, fantastic, and speculative fiction from a wide variety of amazing authors. Curiosities, jewelry, stickers, and so much more.

Over the next few weeks, we will be readying the store for opening, building and filling shelves, and reaching out to publishers, authors, artists, and creators that we’d love to feature (and feel free to reach out to us as well).

We’re starting small, in a limited space, but we’re looking forward to making the Word Horde Emporium of the Weird & Fantastic the kind of store that will continue to grow and evolve as we bring in more of our—and your—favorite things.

Stay tuned to Word Horde social media and www.WordHorde.com as we approach our grand opening announcement. For those who can’t make it to Petaluma, California, we will be offering a selection of featured products in our online shop.

Questions or comments, please query emporium[at]wordhorde[dot]com. Be sure to follow the Emporium on Instagram: @wordhorde.emporium!

Release Day: The Molly Tanzer Collection

Today is Release Day for The Molly Tanzer Collection from Word Horde!

Back in print after some time, these new Author’s Preferred Editions of Tanzer’s early works feature refreshed content, new introductory material and notes, and these amazing new chromatic covers from Matthew Revert!

Find Rumbullion, A Pretty Mouth, and The Pleasure Merchant at better independent booksellers everywhere and most online retailers. Order the full Molly Tanzer Collection direct from Word Horde for a special bundle price, and you’ll also get free eBooks and signed bookplates!