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!

It’s been a fantastic year for Word Horde books (and their striking covers) so far—from Christine Morgan’s Vikings to Molly Tanzer’s Decadents—but we’re just getting started!

We’ve also got a pair of collections from John Langan coming late summer/early fall. A reissue of John’s long out-of-print first collection, Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters will be released in August, and a brand new collection, Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies will wrap up our production year in October. Both will feature more amazing art from Children of the Fang cover artist Matthew Jaffe. Keep watching this space for cover reveals and preorders!

And now… (drumroll please)

We’re super excited to tell you about our first two titles acquired for 2022!

First up is a new collection from World Fantasy Award-winning author Scott Nicolay. Dropping in February (2.22.22!), And at My Back I Always Hear is a sizeable collection of stories and novellas from the always erudite and provocative Nicolay.

Following in April will be the debut novel from S. L. Edwards, In the Devil’s Cradle, a captivating haunted house novel where the house is an entire country, a nation coming apart due to influences both internal and external, both natural and supernatural.

Why follow the herd? Join the Horde!

Preorder your copies today from Word Horde, and you’ll also receive signed bookplates from Molly Tanzer, and free eBooks in your preferred format. Order the full Molly Tanzer Collection bundle for a special price!

And now, on to the covers!

Rumbullion — An unsettling epistolary novella filled with 18th century decadence, weird rituals, and murder.

In the aftermath of a party gone terribly, fatally wrong, nobleman Julian Bretwynde strives to make sense of the evening’s events, interrogating those in attendance, including the mysterious Count of Saint Germain, the Lady Nerissa, and a servant named Dionysios.

As Julian attempts to excavate the truth from wildly disparate stories, he finds that truth may be far stranger–and deadlier–than he imagined.

A Pretty Mouth — An interlaced collection detailing the triumphs and misadventures of the decadent Calipash dynasty, a family blessed–and cursed–by cosmic weirdness.

A faithful valet is forced into the service of a decadent lord. A young writer of erotica returns to the family estate after many years in exile. A pair of decadent twins conspires to explore the most eldritch and macabre debaucheries. A troupe of soldiers face off against unimagined barbarity. A young man determines to be part of the in crowd… at any cost.

The Pleasure Merchant — A novel of despair and desire, equal parts psychological thriller and sensual parlor drama.

When apprentice wig-maker Tom Dawne’s greatest creation is used as part of a revenge scheme against a powerful gentleman, he is dismissed by his embarrassed master and forced to abandon his dreams of completing his training, setting up a shop of his own, and marrying his master’s daughter. Determined to clear his name, Tom becomes the servant of the man he suspects set him up. Tom finds himself caught up in a web of ambition, deceit, mesmerism, sex, and power… and at its center, a man able to procure pleasure for anyone–for a price–and a woman whose past has been stolen.

Release Day: The Wolf’s Feast

Happy Freya’s Day and Blessed Walpurgisnacht! Today is release day for Christine Morgan’s newest collection of Viking stories and sagas, The Wolf’s Feast, as well as her redesigned first collection, The Raven’s Table. Both covers feature Elinore Eaton’s amazing artwork depicting a mythic panorama. Publishers Weekly described this collection as “infused with mythology and magic, these dark tales cast a powerful spell.” Order yours today!

Preorder The Molly Tanzer Collection

Preorders are now open on a trio of titles by Vermilion author Molly Tanzer coming May 25, 2021:

• The Pleasure Merchant: A novel of despair and desire, equal parts psychological thriller and sensual parlor drama.
• Rumbullion: An unsettling epistolary novella filled with 18th century decadence, weird rituals, and murder.
• A Pretty Mouth: An interlaced collection detailing the triumphs and misadventures of the decadent Calipash dynasty, a family blessed–and cursed–by cosmic weirdness.

Previously published by Cameron Pierce at Eraserhead Press, these critically acclaimed books have been out of print for some time.

The Molly Tanzer Collection from Word Horde are the Author’s Preferred Editions of these works, each featuring new introductory material and notes, and we are quite pleased to bring them to you. We’ll be showing off new cover artwork by Matthew Revert very soon, so get your order in and stay tuned!

Get a FREE Scratch and Dent copy of The Fisherman

We have an overabundance of Scratch and Dent copies of John Langan’s Stoker Award-winning novel The Fisherman. While supplies last, use the coupon code GOFISH to get a FREE Scratch and Dent copy of The Fisherman. Be sure to add it to your cart with your other items. If you’ve already got a copy, this is a great way to get one for a friend.

Coming Soon from Word Horde

Here’s what’s coming from the Horde later this year.

Two collections from John Langan, the all-new Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies (October), and a new edition of Langan’s out-of-print debut collection, Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters (August). More details coming soon!

Cover Reveal: The Wolf’s Feast by Christine Morgan

Coming Freya’s day, April 30: The Wolf’s Feast, the newest collection of Christine Morgan’s Viking stories and sagas. Featuring gorgeous artwork depicting Freya and her wolves from the incomparable Elinore Eaton, this collection is “infused with mythology and magic, [and] these dark tales cast a powerful spell.” (Publishers Weekly)

To celebrate the release of The Wolf’s Feast, we’re re-releasing The Raven’s Table with an all-new Elinore Eaton cover featuring Odin and his ravens. Apart, these covers are stunning, but side by side they paint a mythic panorama. Here’s a peek at the covers and your first chance to preorder…

Silence…
The skald pauses her tale. Time passes in heartbeats. Every sound echoes, continues a fragment of the story. The crash of distant waves invokes the whale-road, long ships traveling its path, their sides covered with brightly painted shields. The creak of ropes reminds you of Jormungandr, the Midgard Serpent, the world wrapped in its scaly embrace. Faraway wolves howl and call, echoing along the path to Niflheim, Hel’s realm of the dead.
You listen…
The skald gives you a knowing glance, then takes a drink of her mead before continuing. And then, her voice: low and sonorous, musical and rhythmic, begins once again to weave the tapestry, telling tales of heroism and horror, glory and loss. She sings of heroes and everyday folk, tricksters and tale-tellers, standing tall and facing gods and monsters. Vikings!

For more than a decade, author Christine Morgan’s Viking stories have delighted readers and critics, standing apart from the anthologies they appeared in. Now, Word Horde brings you The Wolf’s Feast, a new collection of Christine Morgan’s Vikings, from “The Viking in Yellow” to “Odin’s Eagle” and beyond. These tales of adventure, fantasy, and horror will be sure to rouse your inner Viking.

Scratch and Dent Sale

Periodically, we receive batches of bookstore returns. While the worst of them are discarded or destroyed, we like to find homes for the copies with minor imperfections, slightly bent corners and bumped edges, and shelf wear. Visit our Scratch and Dent Sale section to pick up a great book that needs a little extra love for only $10. We’ve just updated the inventory, so check it out if you haven’t recently.

Get a FREE Scratch and Dent copy of The Fisherman

Speaking of Scratch and Dent… We have an overabundance of Scratch and Dent copies of John Langan’s Stoker Award-winning novel The Fisherman. While supplies last, use the coupon code GOFISH to get a FREE Scratch and Dent copy of The Fisherman. Be sure to add it to your cart with your other items. If you’ve already got a copy, this is a great way to get one for a friend.

Coming Soon from Word Horde

Here’s what’s coming from the Horde later this year.

A trio of titles from Vermilion author Molly Tanzer: A Pretty Mouth, Rumbullion, and The Pleasure Merchant. These Author’s Preferred Editions will feature refreshed content, introductions, and fun new covers. Look for The Molly Tanzer Collection coming in May.

Two collections from John Langan, the all-new Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies (October), and a new edition of Langan’s out-of-print debut collection, Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters (August). More details coming soon!

We are fortunate enough to be witnessing a lush flowering of horror. From New Weird to throwback splatterpunk, the modes and expressions of the genre these days are as diverse as its writers. Whether you’re intimately familiar with the contemporary horror field, or just looking to dip your toe in a very deep—and monster-infested—pond, this bundle of horror novels and collections from sensational independent publisher Word Horde is not to be missed. You’re sure to find something strange, something scary, something transgressive, something that jumps out at you and demands to be reckoned with.

Word Horde’s list is eclectic, in the best way. Readers will find plenty of cosmic horror here, such as Brian Hauser’s Memento Mori, nestled alongside literary works such as John Langan’s The Fisherman, and lighter fare such as my own weird western Vermilion. You’ll also find a lot of music-inspired horror such as David Peak’s Corpsepaint, Tony McMillen’s An Augmented Fourth, and Carrie Laben’s A Hawk in the Woods. If you like your horror shorter, if not necessarily sweeter, we have a few stand-out collections, too. Orrin Grey’s Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales will dazzle you, Nadia Bulkin’s She Said Destroy will rebuke you, and Livia Llewellyn’s Furnace will incinerate you from within. As you can see, every book in this bundle has been selected because it’s essential reading for the up-to-date reader of modern horror fiction.

Like all speculative fiction, horror serves as a lens; as a mirror, really. When we read horror, we read about ourselves. That’s why it makes us shiver and squirm. So, enjoy seeing yourself reflected throughout the Horror Bundle from Word Horde. Only you’ll know if you’re seeing yourself in the heroes—or the monsters.

–Molly Tanzer

For StoryBundle, you decide what price you want to pay. For $5 (or more, if you’re feeling generous), you’ll get the basic bundle of five books in any ebook format—WORLDWIDE.
• Corpsepaint by David Peak
• A Sick Gray Laugh by Nicole Cushing
• A Hawk in the Woods by Carrie Laben
• The Fisherman by John Langan
• She Said Destroy by Nadia Bulkin

If you pay at least the bonus price of just $15, you get all five of the regular books, plus TEN more books, for a total of fifteen!
• Beneath by Kristi DeMeester
• An Augmented Fourth by Tony McMillen
• Memento Mori – The Fathomless Shadows by Brian Hauser
• Stonefish by Scott R. Jones
• Furnace by Livia Llewellyn
• Guignol & Other Sardonic Tales by Orrin Grey
• The Human Alchemy by Michael Griffin
• The Raven’s Table by Christine Morgan
• The Unnamed Country by Jeffrey Thomas
• Vermilion by Molly Tanzer

This bundle is available only for a limited time via http://www.storybundle.com

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Marcy Reads

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Mama’s Place

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Mindy’s Book Journey

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Chapter32

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Leighanne’s Lit

Thank you to all of the unboxers and Nocturnal Reader’s Box subscribers, we hope they enjoy the books.

Here’s hoping you got to unbox some cool stuff this holiday season. And if you didn’t find the Word Horde books you wanted under your tree, do keep in mind that our last minute year-end coupon. Just use coupon code word2017, and save 30% on all Word Horde books! And thanks for helping make 2017 a year to remember!

What made you want to release Vermilion with Ross and Word Horde?

I’ve worked with Ross on a number of short projects, and over the years I’ve also enjoyed many of the novels he acquired and edited for Night Shade, so I’ve known for a long time that he’s a great editor. And, given that we once discussed our mutual love for the Mr. Vampire series of films, which in part inspired the book, I figured having my agent send it his way wasn’t a bad idea.

What do you think the role of genre is in fiction?

People have to figure out where to shelve books in bookshops!

This is actually something that’s been on my mind for a while. Genre tropes are fascinating things, and playing with them can be really fun. For example, I deliberately inverted the tropes of the Western for Vermilion. But, I also think genre can be a crutch; it can keep both writers and readers searching for the same things over and over again, or at least keep them comfortable with one thing instead of exploring.

Do you prefer dogs, or cats?

Cats.

Do you have any writing rituals?

Every day, I get up, give myself a coffee enema, then submerge myself in a bathtub full of ice water for thirty minutes. I shiver myself dry after climbing onto the roof. Only then am I ready to strap my ankles into my inversion desk and write exactly 2500 words. The muse is cruel, but I must follow where she takes me.

Are you someone that comes up with story titles first, or do you usually come up with them later into the process?

It really depends! Vermilion wasn’t the original title of the novel, and yes, I did come up with that title before writing the novel. That happens for me just as frequently as writing something and then struggling like hell to figure out what to call it.

What’s your favorite Western?

In terms of Western films, I’d have to say a tie between Red River and The Good, The Bad, and the Weird. Novels, definitely True Grit.

Would you say that we are in the midst of a new weird renaissance?

No, I usually don’t say things like that!

Do you have any plans to delve into another less explored genre to do a mash up, such as…
Uh…

Yes!

Ask for Vermilion wherever better books are sold.

In his house at R’lyeh, Cthulhu waits dreaming…

What are the dreams that monsters dream? When will the stars grow right? Where are the sunken temples in which the dreamers dwell? How will it all change when they come home?

Within these pages lie the answers, and more, in all-new stories by many of the brightest lights in dark fiction. Gathered together by Ross E. Lockhart, the editor who brought you The Book of Cthulhu, The Children of Old Leech, and Giallo Fantastique, Cthulhu Fhtagn! features nineteen weird tales inspired by H. P. Lovecraft.

Edited by Ross E. Lockhart
Cover Art by Adolfo Navarro
Cover Design by MMP

Table of Contents

Introduction: In His House at R’lyeh… – Ross E. Lockhart
The Lightning Splitter – Walter Greatshell
Dead Canyons – Ann K. Schwader
Delirium Sings at the Maelstrom Window – Michael Griffin
Into Ye Smoke-Wreath’d World of Dream – W. H. Pugmire
The Lurker In the Shadows – Nathan Carson
The Insectivore – Orrin Grey
The Body Shop – Richard Lee Byers
On a Kansas Plain – Michael J. Martinez
The Prince of Lyghes – Anya Martin
The Curious Death of Sir Arthur Turnbridge – G. D. Falksen
Aerkheim’s Horror – Christine Morgan
Return of the Prodigy – T.E. Grau
The Curse of the Old Ones – Molly Tanzer and Jesse Bullington
Love Will Save You – Cameron Pierce
Assemblage Point – Scott R. Jones
The Return of Sarnath – Gord Sellar
The Long Dark – Wendy N. Wagner
Green Revolution – Cody Goodfellow
Don’t Make Me Assume My Ultimate Form – Laird Barron

Pie by Petaluma Pie Company.

Ask for Cthulhu Fhtagn! wherever books are sold.

It requires an army of people to put together an anthology like The Children of Old Leech, so a huge THANK YOU! goes out to the following: Co-editor Justin Steele; authors Allyson Bird, Jesse Bullington, Michael Cisco, Jesse James Douthit-Nicolay, Gemma Files, Richard Gavin, J. T. Glover, Cody Goodfellow, T.E. Grau, Orrin Grey, Michael Griffin, Stephen Graham Jones, John Langan, Daniel Mills, Scott Nicolay, Joseph S. Pulver, Sr., Molly Tanzer, Jeffrey Thomas, and Paul Tremblay; copyeditor Marty Halpern; hardcover artist/designer Matthew Revert; softcover artist Dalton Rose; softcover designer Scott R. Jones; and, of course, Laird Barron, for letting all of us play in his universe. Thanks also to all of you who purchased the book (and other Word Horde titles), and to all of the readers and reviewers who have taken the time to recommend the book to others. Thanks to the Shirley Jackson Awards Board of Directors and jurors. And thanks to everyone who shared a toast to Old Leech with us back when we launched the book. Cheers!

Read the full list of nominees here: http://www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/nominees/