I am an award-winning writer based in Southern California who creates internationally published horror, fantasy, science fiction, and weird West stories. Dozens of my short stories have appeared in podcasts, magazines, games, and Stoker-nominated anthologies, and I’ve authored several books. I am the co-chair and founder of the Horror Writers Association San Diego chapter, a short story instructor, co-creator of the Monster Gunslingers game, and member of writing organizations, including the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. I find speculative horror a fascinating lens by which to view challenges faced by underrepresented groups and women. I hope you enjoy these tales.
I found each of the short stories in this collection to be entirely unnerving and deliciously disturbing. I particularly enjoyed how the complex characters and intricately crafted plots showcased strange and unusual situations to reveal the often-monstrous facets of humanity.
The stories were unsettling enough that I had to stop reading them before bedtime. I appreciated how they weren’t overly graphic but more subtle, focusing on spine-tingling, sinister suspense. These are the type of delightfully twisty stories I love reading in the fall and getting in the Halloween spirit.
A workaholic splits his time between home and hotel rooms until an anonymous cryptic message arrives, setting off a wrinkle in the time continuum and slowly shredding his sanity. Elsewhere, a woman's jealousy over her spouse's connection with their only child boils over, leading her to see monsters everywhere except the mirror. University fraternity brothers discover that a cruel prank has dire consequences but the full extent of their punishment is yet to come, while an intrepid hiker explores an abandoned Cold War facility hidden within a Massachusetts mountain only to realize that military secrets aren't the only things buried…
I found this to be a strong debut collection. Its fascinating and thought-provoking short stories center around the theme of womanhood in realities slightly different from our own, often with hints of the supernatural or near-future sci-fi elements.
The standouts were so powerful that I had to pause at times to contemplate the often heartbreaking and poignant observations regarding bodily safety, beauty, fertility, and power. I especially love that this collection includes poetry as well, which adds another layer of depth to the collection.
A woman desperate to achieve the life she’s always dreamed of orders an AI baby online. Mounting workplace misogyny helps an introvert unlock her innate power. A woman obsessed with skincare goes to great lengths to rid her face of imperfections. A frat boy looking to score gets much more than he bargained for when a sexy coed turns the tables on him. Seeking relief from the pressures of everyday life, a woman checks into a hotel that caters to her dark predilections.
Equal parts heartbreaking and grotesque, How Lovely To Be a Woman: Stories and Poems explores the everyday…
“Rowdy” Randy Cox, a woman staring down the barrel of retirement, is a curmudgeonly blue-collar butch lesbian who has been single for twenty years and is trying to date again.
At the end of a long, exhausting shift, Randy finds her supervisor, Bryant, pinned and near death at the warehouse…
This was a true page-turner—I could not put it down. From the first few pages, I was immediately pulled into the mystery and characters’ plights. I loved how the author kept a fast pace, keeping the action and tension high throughout.
Technically, this book is not comprised of short stories; it features segments of shorter narratives that gradually weave together to reveal a larger picture. The author skillfully played with tropes in the mystery and horror genres, presenting a thoughtful commentary on issues women face.
Imaginative and deftly told, this clever and satisfying book had me nodding along in grim recognition.
A sharp-edged, supremely twisty thriller about three women who find themselves trapped inside stories they know aren’t their own, from the author of Alice and Near the Bone.
Celia wakes up in a house that’s supposed to be hers. There’s a little girl who claims to be her daughter and a man who claims to be her husband, but Celia knows this family—and this life—is not hers…
Allie is supposed to be on a fun weekend trip—but then her friend’s boyfriend unexpectedly invites the group to a remote cabin in the woods. No one else believes Allie, but she is…
I loved these unique takes and eerie, complex stories around women’s bodies, violence, and society. Powerful, strange, and haunting, these short stories left me with a lot to contemplate. I especially appreciated the homage to certain cultural references; for example, The Husband Stitch is a brilliant retelling of The Green Ribbon, a classic tale from In A Dark, Dark Room And Other Scary Stories.
I needed to sit and think about some of these stories afterward, as many are more experimental, layered with meaning, and open to interpretation. This original, powerful collection is a heavy read but undoubtedly worth it.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FICTION PRIZE 2017 SHORTLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2018
'Brilliantly inventive and blazingly smart' Garth Greenwell
'Impossible, imperfect, unforgettable' Roxane Gay
'A wild thing ... covered in sequins and scales, blazing with the influence of fabulists from Angela Carter to Kelly Link and Helen Oyeyemi' New York Times
In her provocative debut, Carmen Maria Machado demolishes the borders between magical realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. Startling narratives map the realities of women's lives and the violence visited on their bodies, both in myth and in practice.
Secrets, lies, and second chances are served up beneath the stars in this moving novel by the bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends. Think White Lotus meets Virgin River set at a picturesque mountain inn.
Seven days in summer. Eight lives forever changed. The stage is…
I generally don’t gravitate toward slasher horror with its brutal and gory storytelling, but I could not resist this fantastic anthology of superb horror authors focused on women's slasher stories. With supernatural twists and takes of revenge and violence, I greatly enjoyed the variety of styles and plots generally centered around the theme of women having to turn the tables in or take matters into their own hands, usually with blood-soaked results.
In particular, my favorites were standout stories by Cynthia Pelayo, R.J. Joseph, Sarah Budd, Stephanie Rabig, and Laurel Hightower, but they were all winners. I also appreciate that the anthology helped me discover new women horror authors, broadening my ever-growing to-be-read list.
21 women from across the world came together to evoke their inner Lizzie Borden and re-invent the slasher. Some embrace the tropes; others rip them to shreds. These powerful tales are provocative, contemporary and need to be told. Featuring own voices, you will discover the pen is mightier than the machete. Serial killers, revenge, lust and even the supernatural are just some of the elements in SLASH-HER. Like the authors, these stories are strong.
They are bloody and they pack a punch. Are you ready?
“It's a book the horror community needs and deserves to have - a love story…
From the bowels of NYC to the farthest regions of space, Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny features people encountering the unseen terrors hovering at the edge of everyday life. Whether it's a glimpse of a malicious creature lurking behind your reflection or an unusual thunderstorm heralding a needy stranger, oddities loom, ready to reveal themselves. With hints of The Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt, and Black Mirror, this collection of short horror stories—the cosmic, the weird, and the fantastical—will settle into the back of your head and under your skin. They will make you wonder what hidden horrors lie there, just beyond the curtain of reality.
It began with a dying husband, and it ended in a dynasty.
It took away her husband’s pain on his deathbed, kept her from losing the family farm, gave her the power to build a thriving business, but it’s illegal to grow in every state in the country in 1978.…
She’s hiding from pain. He’s lost everything but his dog. When fresh air and second chances bring them together, can they rediscover true love?
If you enjoy kind-hearted heroes, small towns, and more humor than heat, you’ll adore this contemporary Alaskan romance! A Darling Handyman is the feel-good first book…
