Elderfly Press

Introducing Mother Monster, Father Fiend: An Anthology of the Monsters Who Raised Us

Some monsters live under the bed. Others tuck you in at night.

I’m excited to announce the publication of my newest anthology, Mother Monster, Father Fiend: An Anthology of the Monsters Who Raised Us, edited by me and published by Elderfly Press. This collection has been a particularly meaningful project because it explores something that can be difficult to talk about: the ways the people who raise us can also hurt us.

We tend to think of childhood as a time of safety and parents as the people who are supposed to provide that safety. But families are complicated, and not every child grows up in a home where love is unconditional or protection is guaranteed. Sometimes the people who are supposed to nurture us become the source of our deepest wounds. Sometimes those wounds follow us into adulthood. And sometimes breaking the cycle means confronting what happened and refusing to let it define what comes next.

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We Are for the Dark by Gretchen McNeil: An unsettling descent into Newfoundland horror

What if a missing-person investigation led you to an island where nothing is quite what it seems—and something ancient beneath the ground is very, very hungry? Gretchen McNeil’s We Are for the Dark, releasing September 1, 2026, takes that premise and turns it into a fast-paced supernatural horror story filled with isolated communities, religious unease, strange traditions, and a growing sense that the people arriving on the island may have made a terrible mistake.

McNeil’s novel begins with Father Shane Ryan, a recently ordained Catholic priest with an unusual past as an FBI analyst. When a priest disappears from a remote island off the coast of Newfoundland, Cardinal Jacobs calls on Ryan to investigate. At roughly the same time, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary constable Miriam Rideout becomes concerned about a frantic call she received from the missing priest. When her superiors refuse to authorize a wellness check, Miriam takes matters into her own hands and travels to the island herself. Naturally, the two eventually end up together—and neither is particularly thrilled about it.

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Goodnight Monsters by Suzanne Junered is a wild, unsettling ride through pregnancy, motherhood, and murder

Suzanne Junered’s Goodnight Monsters, releasing September 1, 2026, is a psychological horror novel about pregnancy, motherhood, murder, and the terrifying space where fantasy begins to blur with reality—and this book was such a wild ride, I am 100% here for it.

Lia has spent two years as a stay-at-home wife trying to get pregnant, following the same suburban script as the other women in her neighborhood. She and her husband, Evan, have dreamed of becoming parents, and Lia has devoted herself to making that dream happen. But when she finally gets the positive pregnancy test she has been waiting for, instead of feeling uncomplicated joy, she finds herself questioning whether she actually wants to become a mother. And honestly, I was immediately intrigued by that premise.

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The Sleeping Sisters by Jennifer Givhan: A haunting literary horror novel about motherhood, myth, and generational trauma

Some books arrive with impossible expectations, and somehow, they still manage to exceed them. Jennifer Givhan’s The Sleeping Sisters is one of those rare novels that not only lived up to my hopes but cemented her place as one of my favorite voices in literary horror.

When I saw that this ARC had finally reached the top of my NetGalley reading queue, I couldn’t have been more excited. Because I read mostly advance reader copies, my reading schedule is dictated almost entirely by publication dates. Givhan’s Salt Bones was my favorite book of 2025, and I absolutely loved River Woman, River Demon, so this latest novel was an automatic must-read. I was thrilled when my request for an advance copy was approved, and it quickly reminded me why I keep recommending her work every chance I get.

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The Minimalist by Kailee Pedersen: A haunting literary descent into obsession that values atmosphere over momentum

The Minimalist by Kailee Pedersen is a novel that will likely divide readers based on what they hope to find in literary horror. Richly written and emotionally unsettling, it leans heavily into music theory, artistic obsession, and psychological disintegration. While I admired Pedersen’s prose and the ambition behind the novel, I ultimately found myself wishing the story would spend less time exploring musical philosophy and more time advancing the narrative.

Mia Voss was once the prized student of legendary minimalist composer Ryder Wakefield, who promised she would become one of classical music’s next great talents. After Ryder dies unexpectedly, Mia inherits not only his estate but also the unfinished manuscript for his final masterpiece, Death Fugue: Music for Orchestra. Returning to his isolated home to complete the composition forces her to confront the lingering grief surrounding Ryder’s son Oliver, her former lover whose suicide continues to haunt her, while also unraveling Ryder’s own carefully concealed identity. As Mia immerses herself in the unfinished work, the music itself begins to exert an increasingly disturbing influence, blurring the boundaries between artistic devotion, mental illness, and obsession.

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Dreamland by Olivie Blake: Hollywood gothic horror wrapped in occult secrets

Hollywood dreams have always come with a price, and in Dreamland, Olivie Blake imagines that price as a centuries-old curse lurking behind one of the film industry’s most powerful dynasties. Blending gothic horror, occult mythology, and sharp social commentary, Blake crafts an atmospheric novel filled with unforgettable ideas—even if its ambitious storytelling doesn’t always land as cleanly as its vision deserves.

Anya Morris has spent years believing she’s destined for something greater than working part-time in her family’s store while enduring her mother’s constant dismissal of her acting ambitions. When an unexpected invitation arrives from the de Witts—one of Hollywood’s most influential and enigmatic film families—it seems like the breakthrough she’s been waiting for.

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Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon: A cozy folk horror steeped in small-town superstition

Jennifer McMahon’s Stay Buried embraces the eerie traditions of New England folk horror, blending supernatural folklore, family secrets, and atmospheric mystery into a story that feels tailor-made for readers who enjoy cozy horror with a gothic edge.

Jennifer McMahon has built a reputation for weaving together dual timelines, family mysteries, and unsettling folklore, and Stay Buried continues that tradition. Set in the isolated Vermont community of Boone’s Ferry, the novel alternates between 1919, when a mysterious illness threatens the town, and 2016, when two siblings inherit property tied to generations of family secrets. As past and present begin to converge, long-buried truths—and the superstitions surrounding them—refuse to stay buried.

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Home Sick by Rhiannon Grist: An unforgettable haunted house story that loses its nerve

Some horror novels know exactly how to get under your skin—until they decide to explain themselves. Unfortunately, Home Sick by Rhiannon Grist is one of them. Releasing July 14, 2026, Home Sick begins as one of the freshest psychological horror novels I’ve read in quite some time. Combining eerie Scottish folklore, an unsettling haunted house, and an unreliable narrator whose own emotional instability makes every strange occurrence suspect, the novel creates an atmosphere thick with dread. For roughly three-quarters of the book, I was completely invested.

After a violent incident at work, Tamsin escapes to a secluded cottage in the Scottish countryside, hoping distance will allow her to reinvent herself. Instead, she discovers that her isolated retreat shares a wall with a mysterious neighbor whose shifting personality and unnerving smile make her impossible to ignore. As increasingly bizarre disturbances plague the house, local legends begin to blur with Tamsin’s growing paranoia, leaving both her—and the reader—questioning what is real.

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The Brides by Charlotte Cross: A haunting feminist reimagining of Dracula’s forgotten women

The women history remembers as Dracula’s brides have always been little more than shadows lurking at the edges of someone else’s story. In The Brides, Charlotte Cross drags them into the light and gives them voices of their own, crafting a Gothic horror novel that is as interested in the dangers facing women as it is in the dangers lurking within Castle Dracula itself.

Releasing July 7, 2026, The Brides is a feminist Gothic horror novel that reimagines the origins of Dracula’s infamous brides through the perspectives of the women who fell under his influence—and the one who escaped.

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Death Do Us by Ruthy Mason: A haunting body horror novel about marriage, identity, and the slow death of a dream

What if the most terrifying thing lurking beneath your skin isn’t a curse at all, but the possibility that you’re becoming the person society always expected you to be? Ruthy Mason’s Death Do Us is one of those horror novels that works on multiple levels at once. On the surface, it’s a deeply unsettling story about a woman who begins physically deteriorating after accepting a marriage proposal. Underneath the body horror, however, lies a sharp examination of marriage, patriarchy, identity, and the ways women can slowly lose themselves while trying to fit into roles that were chosen for them long before they ever had a say.

Bea is a promising archaeologist whose future seems bright. She has a loving boyfriend, Jake, and a clear vision for her academic career. She’s preparing to pursue a PhD and dreams of participating in archaeological digs around the world. Marriage has never been her primary goal. In fact, she has spent much of her life resisting expectations that she should settle down, define herself through a relationship, and prioritize a man’s ambitions over her own.

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