#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: The Burn Line and the House That Eats the Dead

Today I have two books for 1 winner. In fact, I will be offering two books for one winner for at least the next 5 weeks. This week I am featuring a title that I included in my Horror Review Column in  the June 2026 issue of Library Journal and a title I wanted to review but could not fit into my schedule. Details below but first, here are the rules on how to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American Library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
2. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Last week's winner was from Emily from IL. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

First up, The Burn Line by Jonathan Sims. From my draft review:

Fans of the Magnus Archives podcast rejoice, its creator has written his first book, an entertaining and immersive eldritch horror-mystery set during a sweltering heat wave, featuring a monster in the London Underground. In consecutive chapters to open the novel, readers meet five strangers on a train car. One by one they tell their story of that fateful day as each experiences an unsettling moment of dissociation, notices a distinctly awful smell unlike any bad odor they have encountered on the Underground before, and comes away with a gray, flaky film clinging to them. The dread and unease from that fleeting moment follows each, first as a nagging bad feeling, then manifesting into a pale humanoid creature, stalking them. A story where every detail matters, bonkers in all the right ways, producing claustrophobic chills, and providing a biting social commentary, readers will dive into the tunnels and root for this motley group of former strangers turned found family as they work together to stop a terrifying monster and save the people of London (and themselves) from a terrible fate. Verdict: With a huge built-in audience, libraries need to have this one available, but it is also an excellent suggestion for fans of Chuck Tingle, Alma Katsu’s Fiend, and Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink’s Welcome to Night Vale.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Multiple Points of view, Social Commentary, Horror-Mystery

The Burn Line comes out August 25, 2026. Thanks to Poisoned Pen for the ARC to give away to one of you.

Second is The House That Eats the Dead by Max Doty. From Goodreads:

A family moves into their dream home—only to discover that it hides an insatiable hunger—in this dread-laced and darkly outrageous domestic horror novel.

The new house is a fresh start for Claire and her family. It's a move away from the cityscape of a declining San Francisco and towards the quiet suburban life she has craved since her turbulent childhood; a step up the corporate ladder for her husband, Tom; and a safe haven for their two children.

Yet as they unpack their boxes, she senses something is wrong. Fresh flowers dry up, store-bought eggs are inexplicably hollow, and her daughter's favorite toy disappears. Claire soon confronts a series of impossible The house is hungry. It's devouring anything that was once alive. And only Claire and Tom, the owners of the house, will remember that this "food" ever existed.

When Claire exploits the house's power in a moment of weakness, she and the house forge a fragile bond. But as its hunger intensifies and Claire loses control, she fears who else might be drawn to her home—and what sinister appetites they’ll bring.

This title is the perfect example of a book I wanted to review but I literally do not have enough time to review all the books I want to. I can however, highlight it here and encourage the rest of you to purchase it for your collections.

The House That Easts the Dead comes out on August 18.2026. Thanks to  Bantam for the copy to give away to one of you.

So there you have it, two books, 1 winner. Entry details above.

I also have MAJOR titles to give away in the coming weeks-- Eric LaRocca, Rachel Harrison, Alma Katsu, Scott Hawkins, Stephen Graham Jones, Michael Wehunt, and more! You are going to want to enter now to be entered going forward.

Good luck to all!

From the Haunted Stacks: 2025 Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ Wrap Up via The LineUp

 I write a column 4x a year for The LineUp. One of these columns is always a Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ Wrap Up. My latest one is live here and you can read the unedited version below.  The version on the site is much prettier though, and it has links to buy the books.

June 2026:From the Haunted Stacks: 2025 Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ Wrap Up

Each year, the Horror Writers Association presents the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ for Superior Achievement in thirteen categories. There are a few interesting things about these, the most prestigious awards in the horror genre.

One, the award itself is very cool, an eight-inch replica of a haunted house, designed specifically for HWA by sculptor Steven Kirk. The door of the house opens to reveal a brass plaque engraved with the name of the winning work and its author.

Two, the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ are not for the “best” works of the year; rather, they are “for superior achievement” which leaves room for more titles to be considered in a broader context.

And three, the awards are chosen by a hybrid system of juries (one for each category) and member input. When you put all of this together, the results are always a cause for celebration.

And that is exactly what happened on June 6, 2026, when the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ for books published in 2025 were presented live in Pittsburgh as part of StokerCon. Visit the Bram Stoker AwardsⓇ official website for a full list of winners here. [Including me for Long Nonfiction!] Or you can watch the entire ceremony for yourself in the YouTube video here. 

In Haunted Stacks style though, I am not here to simply list the winners for you. Rather, I will focus on the titles that won in five of the categories and offer you two read-alikes to continue your superior reading adventure.

Superior Achievement in a Novel 

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones

Told through a Lutheran minister’s journal entries dated from 1912, readers meet Good Stab, “...the Indian who can't die. …the worst dream America ever had.” What follows is a riveting story of heartbreak, death, and revenge, a thought-provoking tale filled with existential terror, unease, and a high body count, this remarkable work of American fiction transforms, in Jones’ deft hands, from the unapologetic horror novel it most certainly is to a critique on the entire idea of America. A critique that despite the horrors, both real and supernatural, is infused with heart and projects hope.

If you liked The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, try…. 

 In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson

Desperately trying to escape his past, Travis is left bloodied and weak after an encounter with a pale-skinned girl. No longer able to tolerate the light of day, and tormented by an overpowering hunger he stumbles to a local motel where the widowed owner, Annabelle, and her son offer him a job in exchange for board. The three lonely souls strike up an awkward friendship, but monsters, both real and imagined, can’t be hidden forever. The plot and characters play with the mind, and the pacing reflects the story’s harsh landscape—a slow, riveting burn. In the Valley of the Sun was previously nominated for the Bram Stoker AwardⓇ for Superior Achievement in a First Novel

The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich

Father Damien Modeste has served the Ojibwe on their remote reservation for over 50 years, but as he is nearing the end of his life, he is afraid that the people he has served will feel betrayed when his secrets and those of the possibly false Saint Leopolda are revealed. Should he risk everything to reveal the truth, or manufacture a false history to protect both of their legacies. Authentic character, an intricate but engrossing plot, with lyrical, moving, and understated prose, this thought provoking look at deception, imposters, and America’s complicated history with its Native populations will appeal to fans’ of Jones’ novel even without the vampires.

Superior Achievement in a First Novel

The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt 

 Ten years ago Jorie and her two best friends friends went viral with their content about their favorite horror movies, but when the spent a night in the graveyard from the most chilling cult film ever made– Proof of Demons by the enigmatic Hélène Enriquez, their entire lives were upended forever and a young girl was left for dead. In the time since, Jorie has been hiding from her former life with her son in Vermont, until one day a video tape shows up in the mail, and then costumed devotees of Enriquez appear in the woods, near her home, threatening and filming her. Could this be the beginning of an entirely new and all too real horror movie? Layered and atmospheric with multiple plot lines merge together, this debut novel is as terrifying as the scariest movie you have ever seen. 

If you liked The October Film Haunt, try… 

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay

“The Think Kid” is the only surviving member of the team who made the 1993 film Horror Movie. Although never released in full, the film has risen to cult status and is being rebooted 30 years later. Moving effortlessly between “Then” and “Now,” “The Thin Kid” speaks directly to readers, placing them under his spell, despite repeated warning signs not to trust him, explaining the details of the original film, its current reboot, and including sections of the original screenplay. The result, a suspenseful story that is indelibly marked by its relentless unease and disturbing revelations, about the characters, yes, but also, the readers themselves.

Listen to Your Sister by Neena Viel 

Also on the ballot with Wehunt this year, Viel’s debut follows Calla, 25, big sister and guardian to brothers Dre, 23, and Jamie, 16, overwhelmed by her parental duties and plagued by a vivid and horrific nightmare, she is barely holding the family together. But when the siblings get separated and then trapped in Calla’s nightmare, they fight for their lives to bring the family back together. Told through all three siblings' point of view in alternating chapters, readers will fall easily into this compelling story of sympathetic but flawed characters. Viel turns real and relatable trauma into a terrifying and immersive supernatural Horror story, but one clearly underpinned with love.

Superior Achievement in a Long Fiction: This year, there was a tie in this category.

The first winner (alphabetically by author) was Cathedral of the Drowned by Nathan Ballingrud

Charlie exists in two halves. The first, is his brain in a jar stranded on a moon of Jupiter. The other is filled with murderous rage, hanging on the wall of a home on Earth’s moon, a host for the eggs of the Moon Spider. Both Charlies come together in the flooded wreck of a crashed cathedral ship, home to a giant centipede. They stalk each other in the haunted ruins all while a new Moon Spider is preparing to hatch. This novella is a sequel to Ballingrud’s Crypt of the Moon Spider.

If you liked Cathedral of the Drowned try…

Uncertain Sons by Thomas Ha

Another nominee in this category, Ha’s novella is also science fiction tinged horror but this is earth based science fiction set in a cosmic waste land, told with a direct and unsettling narration that begs the reader to participate in the story. Overall readers can expect Ha’s writing to be very of this moment, he is able to capture the world we live in now, but by adding original storylines with weird, cosmic touches. “Uncertain Sons,” is the titular story in a larger collection, meaning readers who enjoy this piece can immediately find more.

And the second winner was Wolf Moon, Antler Moon by A.C. Wise

Merrow is witness to the murder of five girls on Prom Night. She knows who killed them–- men from her high school, so she runs into the woods to hide. Her grandmother had taught her that in the world there are wolves and there are deer. One is the predator and the other, the prey. Merrow knows she does not want to be the prey, so she becomes the monster who hunts the wolves. Written like a dark fairy tale, with characters that can slip in and out of animal forms, this dark town will captivate the readers who pay it a visit.

If you liked Wolf Moon, Antler Moon try… 

Squid Teeth by Sarah Langan

Langan had two novellas nominated in this category in 2025, but this one pairs very nicely with Wise’s tale as it also blends fairy tale with a speculative horror story that follows a female potter who is able to grow and then use filmaments from her mouth. She then uses them, through much practice and pain, to create breathtaking designs on her pottery. Bizarre yet relatable and full of anger, Langan’s story serves as a biting critique of artistic institutions. 

Superior Achievement in an Anthology

Silk & Sinew: A Collection of Folk Horror from the Asian Diaspora edited by Kristy Park Kulski

Soil, Estuary, Bedrock, Roots, and Air are the five named sections that ground this ambitious anthology of stories, poems, and drawings that dig into the anger, complications of assimilation, and racist stereotypes from which their Asian American Folk Horror is unearthed. As readers make their way through, tales of ghosts, shape shifters, and family dynamics morph into sinister nightmares of violence, body horror, cannibalism, and more. Hammering its consistent message home, this resolute volume delivers a reading experience that will terrify readers of all identities to their core.

If you liked Silk & Sinew try… 

Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women edited by Lee Murray and Geneve Flynn

Before Silk and Sinew, Murray and Flynn won in this category for their stereotype busting anthology of 14 stories as varied in tone and type as the women writing them. Tales of dangerous science fiction, bleak near future dystopias, reimagined folk tales, battle ready princesses, and just straight up furious horror. While the stories are individually entertaining, it is in the breadth of cultural experiences, storytelling styles, and originality of ideas as they pile on top of one and other where the preconceived notions of both the authors identities and of the limitations of the horror genre itself will be smashed to the delight of readers.

HOWL: An Anthology of Werewolves from Women-in-Horror edited by Lindy Ryan and Stephanie Wytovich

Too often throughout history, werewolf stories have featured men, but women are well versed in monthly cycles of blood and it is past time for them to be allowed to show their rage without fear or shame.Featuring stories by Delilah S. Dawson, Christina Henry, Gwendolyn Kiste, Ai Jiang, and an introduction by Rachel Harrison, this is an anthology that will have readers braying at the moon for more stories by these shapeshifting women.

Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection 

Lost in The Dark and Other Excursions by John Langan

Langan is considered a modern master of the horror short story and this collection of 13 new tales of cosmic horror cement that legacy. Some stories are straightforward and others told entirely through endnotes. More than a few are set on or near the water. And my favorite, a horror story hidden within an essay about why he loves horror. Widely different yes, but all are united by his unique lush prose and ability to make the mundane strange and unsettling.

If you liked List in the Dark and Other Excursions, try… 

Acquired Taste by Clay McCleod Chapman With this collection of 25 stories, Chapman gives readers a glimpse into his crowd-pleasing and critically acclaimed style of crafting visceral stories, every single one of which will leave readers psychologically unmoored. The stories are of varying lengths and scare levels, hitting on a range of tropes, all anchored by intense narrators burrowing through the pages and into readers’ bodies. wreaking havoc on their nervous systems. And readers love every minute of it.

Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper Piper presents 13 stories exploring the rage, terror, and horrors of the most difficult and transformative years of a young woman’s life. These stories use monsters, magic, and utterly original plots to draw readers in and bite their heads off. But these coming of age tales are not fueled by rage alone as the characters (and readers) will leave this collection fully empowered.

Click here to read more From the Haunted Stacks aethciels by me over the years.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Reliquary by Hannah F. Whitten

Today I have a an ARC of an upcoming anthology, my review of which is in the June 2026 issue of Booklist. Details below but first, here are the rules on how to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American Library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
2. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Last week's winner was Kristin from PA. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

 

Reliquary

By Hannah F. Whitten

Aug. 2026. 432p. Run For It, $30 (9780316579537). First published June 1, 2026 (Booklist).

Best-selling fantasy writer, Whitten, dives head first into Horror with a compelling, unsettling, and entertaining sea monster tale. When she was a teen, an accident at sea killed Claire’s parents and younger sister, but she has found comfort with her fiance Elias, that is, until he drops dead at work. When his mother contacts Claire and invites her to their ancestral home, a castle built into the cliff of an island in Maine, for a funeral, she accepts. As Claire enters the home and descends into its living spaces, deep underground, it begins to feel like there is something much more nefarious planned. Claire’s repressed emotions and memories add a level of disorientation to the story, but as more secrets are revealed, the pressure builds, the force breaks everything open, and the terrifying truth floods all that stands in its way. A novel not just for fans of sea soaked dark fantasy and horror, but also for readers of Gothics with immersive settings and intense dread like Mexican Gothic by Moreno-Garcia and tales of the monsters behind the business success of the uber rich like Fiend by Katsu. 

Three Words The Describe This Book: Sea Soaked Horror, Gothic, Intense Unease

I have a lot more to say about this book here. Please click through and learn more. This one is going to be a big hit. Whitten has tons of fans, many of which may want more horror after they enjoy this one.

Thanks to Run for It for the ARC to giveaway to one of you.

Also heads starting next week and for the next 5 weeks, the giveaway will be 2 books for 1 winner. I have some HUGE titles as well. So you will want to get yourself entered now to be eligible going forward.

I have the new Never Whistle at Night, Rachel Harrison, Alma Katsu, Scott Hawkins, and Eric LaRocca all queued up. As well as a few excellent but lesser known titles. 

Enter today if you want a chance to win.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: Lovecraft's Brood edited by Ellen Datlow

Today I have a an ARC of an upcoming anthology, my review of which is in the June 2026 issue of Booklist. Details below but first, here are the rules on how to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American Library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
2. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Last week's winner was David from KS. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

Lovecraft’s Brood: Nineteen Tales of Cosmic Horror Ed. Ellen Datlow

July 2026. 302p. illus. Tachyon, paper, $18.95 (9781616964627). REVIEW. First published June 1, 2026 (Booklist). 

Completing the duology she began with Lovecraft’s Monsters, award-winning editor Datlow is back with 19 previously published stories, all from this century*. An impressive list of authors focus their talents on cosmic fear as Lovecraft defined it– an immersive, existential dread, steeped in the realization that the universe is indifferent to our suffering. The range of stories includes those firmly grounded in reality such as Paul Tremblay’s “The Note,” where a neighborhood walk leads to a wife’s disappearance; to a tale caught in the space between realities– the roadside motel– as in Wendy Wagner’s “Halogen Sky;” to a tear in the fabric of reality, caused by a kitten, in T Kingfisher’s “Agent of Chaos.” Each story begins with an illustration by John Coulthart, perfectly capturing the appeal of the story to come. A great choice for longtime Lovecraftian Horror fans and newcomers alike, yes, but this volume will also lure readers in with the promise of a tale by a beloved author, as they exit having discovered a few new favorites along the way. *This is always important to point out in these Lovecraft anthos. We want to be clear these are TODAY’S voices.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Cosmic Dread, anthology, madness

Please click here for much more about this book and its appeal by me. 

 This book is out next month. The TOC is outstanding. From the Tachyon website:

A. C. Wise / T. Kingfisher / Paul Tremblay / Caitlín R. Kiernan / Laird Barron / Norman Partridge / Elizabeth Hand / Aaron Dries / Conrad Williams / Steve Rasnic Tem / Brian Hodge / Ray Cluley / Jacob Steven Mohr / Carol Gyzander / L. Marie Wood / Livia Llewellyn / Wendy N. Wagner / Ian Rogers / Gary McMahon

 Today I am offering the ARC that Tachyon sent me to one winner.

Enter once and you are entered going forward. Good luck!

It's StokerCon Time and I Have Librarians' Day Resources and Links to Watch the Bram Stoker Awards

 

By the time this posts, I will have been in Pittsburgh for 18 hours already. But today is the day StokerCon 2026 begins.

I am in charge of a few things for StokerCon. 

First, I a the co-coordinator of Librarians' Day with my HWA Libraries Co-Chair, Konrad Stump. Click here for the full schedule. We have a lot of great panels. 

This is a live in-person event on Friday June 5, 2026 from 8am-4 pm within the full StokerCon. Anyone with a StokerCon ticket is welcome to come and enjoy our programming but Library Workers are invited to come to just the LD programming and check out our Dealer's Room, the Mass Author Signing, and the Final Frame Film Competition for only $70. 

Konrad and I have made a conscious effort to make this day useful to ALL attendees of StokerCon, but we also use it as a way to introduce library workers to what we offer. Many of our Librarians' Day only attendees have come to enjoy it so much that they attend the full conference each year. 

We expect over 125-50 people in the room at its highest point -- during the popular Buzzing panel which concludes with an ARC giveaway. Konrad has secured over 1,000 ARCs for this. Thank you to all the publishers.

Again, please click through to see the full list of panels, because even if you are an author, we have some of the best panels of the day. 

This year I also have a link to the folder with all of our slides and resources. And, the QR code will be on every slide throughout the day as well. There is a lot of great information here, even for those of you who are NOT joining us. 

Click here to access that folder. Also, save the link because there is a folder there where we will be uploading photos as well.

I do want to draw the attention to everyone reading this to our Get Involved with HWA Libraries Google Form. We are gathering names and emails because this fall we will be starting an official newsletter. We also are reworking the entire HWA website and the Library Committee portion of that will be part of that as well. 

After I collapse Friday night (after the Final Frame Film Competition), I have a couple of panels on Saturday, and then the next time people evil see me in person and on the YouTube Live stream is at the Bram Stoker Awards Ceremony. 

This is free for anyone, anywhere to watch. Not only is WHY I LOVE HORROR a nominee for Long Nonfiction, three of the essays from the book-- by Cynthia Pelayo, Tananarive Due, and Stephen Graham Jones-- are up for Short Nonfiction. If Tananarive or SGJ win, I will be accepting for them. And, many of the authors in my book are nominated across the ballot, some alongside each other int he same categories. 

I am also honored and excited to give the speech introducing our Karen Lansdale Silver Hammer Volunteer of the Year, author and librarian, Sarah Read. 

As directed by the BSA awards show manager (Brian Matthews), I also have an acceptance speech ready if I win, but honestly, to be nominated by my fellow writers is truly a huge honor, something I could not have imagined. It will be a great time. And I bought a new dress!

The entire event is worth watching. It is Horror prom. It is a feel good event celebrating the entire genre. And, at the end of the ceremony, we will be announcing some of the 2027 Guests of Honor. And the names are GOOD! The live stream link is available now for you to set a reminder. Hope some of you see me there.

RA for All will be back on Monday, June 8th.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: A Finished Copy of the Modern Queer Horror Classic RED X by David Demchuk

Today I have a treat. A finished copy of a book that was previously only available in Canada; a brand new edition with so many extras; a title that has gone on to become a Queer Horror Classic. Details below but first, here are the rules on how to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American Library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
2. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Last week's winner was Janet from OR. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

David Demchuk's Red X is a modern horror classic, full stop, but as a work of Queer Horror is seminal. Don't take my word for it. I have Eric LaRocca's words right here for you:

“When they speak of seminal works of queer literature a hundred years from now, David Demchuk’s RED X will most assuredly be included in that conversation. A tremendously influential novel so arresting, so brutal and yet so delicate that its labyrinthine complexity should be studied and praised. A merciless and truly daring masterpiece of queer fiction.” 

    —Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

This book was a NYPL Best Book of the Year, a CBC Books Pick for Best Canadian Fiction, and an Aurora Award Nominee for Best Novel. All of this was back in 2021 when it first came out. So why don't you have it or know about it? Because it was only published in Canada. 

This new edition will be available on June 30th here in America and it includes a foreword by Gretchen Felker-Martin. This book is also the reason I asked David to write an essay for my book. It is a literal masterpiece. Everyone should read it.

I have so much to say about this seminal work of queer and experimental horror. But first, here is the blurb:

Published solely in Canada in 2021, it didn’t take long for David Demchuk’s RED X to garner a cult following. It could be because it’s actually scary, a cursed marriage between supernatural elements and the real-life horrors that isolation and marginalization leave queer people vulnerable to. It could be because it’s formally interesting, punctuated by torn-up book pages, leaking trails of black ink, tiny Canadian history lessons, and personal stories from Demchuk’s own life. Or maybe it’s the emphasis on the power of queer communities as characters routinely show up for one another, even if it means putting themselves in danger. But most likely it’s a combination of all these things, which blend together to create a masterfully experimental narrative that is already being heralded as one of the greatest horror novels of the twenty-first century.

A terrifying supernatural entity haunts Toronto’s gay village in the ’80s in this gruesome, metatextual modern horror classic that spans decades of queer community and history. RED X is a masterful experimental work already heralded as one of the great horror novels of the twenty-first century, now reissued with deluxe materials, including a new introduction by Gretchen Felker-Martin and an essay by Anthony Oliveira.

 In 1984, a young gay man vanishes without a trace, leaving behind a community of friends and lovers desperate for answers. Instead, they face everything from casual indifference to outright prejudice. As decades pass, more men vanish, revealing a terrifying, centuries-old demonic presence at the heart of the disappearances.

Interspersed throughout, the author shares autobiographical vignettes: his earliest brushes with death and fear, his observations on queer culture and the horror genre, on representation and erasure, culminating in an elegiac and brilliantly woven narrative that blends fact and fiction, and has already been heralded as one of the great horror novels of the twenty-first century.

 RED X flickers between perspectives like a choir popcorning the disparate parts of a chamber piece. The conductor here is Demchuk himself, who uses his own autobiographical vignettes—his earliest brushes with death and fear, his observations on queer culture and the horror genre, on representation and erasure—to unite the parts into an elegiac and brilliantly eerie work that blends fact and fiction.

I cannot stress enough to all of you just how good this book is. Demchuk's conversational narration, experimental but accessible style, the brutally honest, bleak, creepy and intense tone, the well developed characters, thought-provoking plot, and visceral connection to the real world-- all of this makes RED X a must buy book for all library collections. 

If you have readers of the very best Horror today, the Queer and the Straight Horror, they need to read this book.

And thanks to Soho Press's Horror Imprint, Hell's Hundred, one of you is going to win a finished copy to add to your shelves today. 

The rest of you need to add it to your order carts now. Seriously. Stop what you are doing and get this book on order.

And if you live in the NYC area, there will be a launch event on June 15th at Twisted Spine. Details and registration links are here.

Enter now and you are entered going forward.

The giveaway will be off next week while I am at StokerCon, but after that I have many titles from the books I reviewed for the June issues of Booklist and Library Journal. Plus coming soon, giveaways of books by Rachel Harrison, Alma Katsu, and more. Enter now to be in it for a chance to win it.

#HorrorForLibraries Giveaway: The Red Sacrament by Sara Hinkley

Today on the giveaway I have an ARC of a book that I reviewed in the May 2026 issue of Booklist. Details below but first, here are the rules on how to enter:

1. You need to be affiliated with an American Library. My rationale behind that is that I will be encouraging you to read these books and share them with patrons. While many of them are advanced reader copies that you cannot add to your collections, if you get the chance to read them, my hope is that you will consider ordering a copy for your library and give away the ARC away as a prize or pass it on to a fellow staff member.
2. If you are interested in being included in any giveaway at any time, you must email me at zombiegrl75 [at] gmail [dot] com with the subject line "#HorrorForLibraries." In the body of the email all you have to say is that you want to be entered and the name of your library.
3. Each entry will be considered for EVERY giveaway. Meaning you enter once, and you are entered until you win. I will randomly draw a winner on Fridays sometime after 5pm central. But only entries received by 5pm each week will be considered for that week. I use Random.org and have a member of my family witness the "draw"based off your number in the Google Sheet.
4. If you win, you are ineligible to win again for 4 weeks; you will have to re-enter after that time to be considered [I have a list of who has won, when, and what title]. However, if you do not win, you carry over into the next week. There is NO NEED to reenter.

Last week's winner was Logann from LA. Now on to this week's giveaway. 

The Red Sacrament: A Vampire Novel by Sara Hinkley comes out July 7, 2026 from Titan Books. From my Booklist review:

Interview with the Vampire fans will rejoice as Hinkley sweeps them back to both the first time they read Rice’s seminal novel and 1869 Paris, a time of growing political unrest. Arnault leads a clan of vampires, running the most exclusive theater in town. As the novel opens, readers are promised a five act play complete with a cast list. The troop is completing one season and readying another. Drama on and off the stage abounds as a strange witch visits, new vampires come to town, and the immortal actors quarrel constantly. Arnault pulls the reader through this slow burn, atmospheric, and immersive tale; his thoughts, conflicted feelings, foreboding premonitions, and unease give the novel a confessional tone, while bursts of bloody action and sensuality keep the reader invested in seeing the story through to its theatrical conclusion. Beyond Rice, fans of the pacing and narrative style of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Jones or the demon spectacle with social commentary in Below the Grand Hotel by Scully will also enjoy this lush debut.

Three Words That Describe This Book: theatrical, confessional tone, lush

Thanks to Titan books for this ARC. 

Enter now and you are entered going forward.

Good luck!