#Mary Sangiovanni

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Stokercon Style

Brian Keene: feeling cute, might delete later Stephen King: looking good, brian! Looking good! Keene: oh my god Keene: stephen king liked my suit! Keene: i'm never changing this suit again Mary SanGiovanni: now wait a second- Keene: don't try to change me, baby!

Keene: there's only one thing to do now Keene: strut Keene: [doing the Keep on Truckin' walk] well you tell by the way that i use my walk Keene: i'm a ladies man no time to talk

Keene: look at me! i got the slickest suit at stokercon! Barker: the slickest suit you say? Keene: yes i Keene: well Barker: the absolute slickest? Keene: Keene: its AMONG the slickest King: now come on clive, it's a good suit

Barker: i'm just sayin Barker: i heard chuck tingle had a pink fish scale suit or something King: oh that does sound pretty nifty Keene: [shaking fist] TINGLE!! Keene: always two steps ahead!!!

Chuck Tingle: hello chums it is i chuck tingle, totally normal guy Tingle: just hanging out, effortlessly upstaging everyone in my flawless wardrobe Tingle: just normal things like a normal guy! Keene:

King: now now there's no need to fight King: in my book, you're both winners! Barker: that's not the way it works steve Barker: you have to pick a fave King: but why? Barker: because it would be way funnier if you did

King: oh i don't know, there were so many good outfits King: like did you see all the matching Dunkin Donut tracksuits? King: those were pretty boss

[comicbookclub]

Marvel Preview: Blood Hunters #4

Read a preview of Blood Hunters #4 from Marvel Comics, written by Fabian Nicieza, Mary Sangiovanni, and Erica Schultz, with art by Patch Zircher, Giada Belviso, and Bernard Chang.

[comicbookclublive]

Marvel Preview: Blood Hunters #4

Read a preview of Blood Hunters #4 from Marvel Comics, written by Fabian Nicieza, Mary Sangiovanni, and Erica Schultz, with art by Patch Zircher, Giada Belviso, and Bernard Chang.

[graphicpolicy]

Preview: Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood #4

Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood #4 preview. Three more sagas from the front lines of the zombie apocalypse - the final desperate remnants of humanity in a Marvel Universe full of horror! #comics #comicbooks

[fictionz]

New Horror 2023 - Day 18

"The blood left a silvery trail in the moonlight."

"The Village Spectre" by Gianna G. Maniego (2002)

We needed a shot of folk horror this month. I'm not sure how common it is these days but those ghost stories about a local person done wrong just don't seem to come up as much, at least not in places I frequent. That's what experiencing most stories from the library and movies will get ya.

💀💀💀

"They used to eat guys' private parts."

"Man's World" by Keith Giffen, Mary Sangiovanni, Bilquis Evely, Mat Lopes, Taylor Esposito (2017)

I was really intrigued by this book, an anthology of horror stories based on DC superhero characters. This one doesn't explain much, in particular why this character does what she does when she's possessed, but it's still a great twist on the fact that superpowered people with benevolent intentions can still do some fucked up stuff. (Oh, I just remembered The Boys and Brightburn.)

💀💀💀

"Doubt her and there'll be no pain when she's gone."

Embrace of the Vampire dir. Anne Goursaud (1995)

I forgot that Alyssa Milano had this stint of erotic-ish movies and TV episodes (she had a similar role but with aliens instead of vampires in an episode of The Outer Limits). It's a fairly bare bones story meant to prop up some steamy scenes between Milano and various other cast members, and I can't say I'd recommend it unless you're just a fan of 90s-era extra softcore sex scenes.

[raiyine]

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Tommy B Smith

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Tommy B Smith

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

💖 Sapphic Books Coming Out June 2024

🩷 There's something especially sweet about a sapphic romance. Here are only a few of the amazing sapphic books hitting shelves in June 2024. Which ones are you adding to your ever-growing TBR?

💖 Which ones are you adding to your TBR?

Contemporary 💖 But How Are You, Really - Ella Dawson 💖 Hot Summer - Elle Everhart 💖 Pony Dakota - Nat Burns 💖 Wish You Weren't Here - Erin Baldwin 💖 Something to be Proud Of - Anna Zoe Quirke 💖 London on My Mind - Clara Alves, Nina Perrotta (translator) 💖 Please Stop Trying to Leave Me - Alana Saab 💖 Looking for a Sign - Susie Dumond 💖 Triple Sec - T.J. Alexander 💖 Pages from the Book of Broken Dreams - Kat Jackson 💖 Director's Cut - Carlyn Greenwald 💖 Furious - Jamie Pacton, Rebecca Podos 💖 Cicada Summer - Erica McKeen 💖 Tehrangeles - Porochista Khakpour 💖 Women - Chloe Caldwell 💖 Experienced - Kate Young 💖 Liddy-Jean Marketing Queen and the Matchmaking Scheme - Mari SanGiovanni

Paranormal/Horror 💖 The Pecan Children - Quinn Connor 💖 Private Rites - Julia Armfield 💖 The Deep Dark - Molly Knox Ostertag 💖 The Science of Ghosts - Lilah Sturges, El Garing (ill.), Alitha Martinez (contrib.) 💖 Wolfpitch - Balazs Lorinczi

Fantasy 💖 Mirrored Heavens - Rebecca Roanhorse 💖 The Fire Within Them - Matthew Ward 💖 Digging for Destiny - Jenna Jarvis 💖 Saints of Storm and Sorrow - Gabriella Buba 💖 Markless - C.G. Malburi 💖 Sleep Like Death - Kalynn Bayron 💖 The Afterlife of Mal Caldera - Nadi Reed Perez 💖 The Pale Queen - Ethan M. Aldridge 💖 The Unrelenting Earth - Kritika H. Rao 💖 Ballad for Jasmine Town - Molly Ringle 💖 Six of Sorrow - Amanda Linsmeier

Historical 💖 A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence - Jess Everlee 💖 A Divine Fury - D.V. Bishop 💖 The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye - Briony Cameron 💖 Hall of Mirrors - John Copenhaver

Mystery/Thriller 💖 One Killer Problem - Justine Pucella Winans 💖 The Last Note of Warning - Katharine Schellman 💖 Shanghai Murder - Jessie Chandler 💖 And Then There Was One - Michele Castleman

Sci-Fi 💖 Lady Eve's Last Con - Rebecca Fraimow 💖 The Stars Too Fondly - Emily Hamilton 💖 Moonstorm - Yoon Ha Lee 💖 You're Safe Here - Leslie Stephens

[jetwhenitsmidnight]

Beyond the Bounds of Infinity: An Anthology of Diverse Horror

Release date: 10 July 2024

Genre: adult cosmic horror anthology

Synopsis

Welcome to a world of horror viewed through a kaleidoscope lens. Embark on a journey to untangle the writhing tendrils of human terror in a dimension where the possible and impossible blend; an unstable realm where comfort can be found in the coldest pits, and dark gods feast upon the sweetest suffering, where infernal sounds birth silent letters that drift along midnight shores and the unexplained lurks beneath crumbling urban structures. Step over the edge of what you think you know, and find yourself…Beyond the Bounds of Infinity!

Featuring stories by L. Marie Wood, S.A. Cosby, Jessica McHugh, and Mary SanGiovanni. alongside newer voices like Cassius Kilroy, Jessica L. Sparrow, and Vicky Velvet—Beyond the Bounds of Infinity offers a collection of weird fiction and cosmic horror stories that are diverse down to the cellular level. From Taíno folk horror to the horror of identity in a world that just doesn’t understand, from cozy to apocalyptic, and everything in between, let these authors show you what fear really is, and what it means to them.

Review

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

This book begins with a foreword by the editor about how he was inspired to create this anthology; to put together a collection of diverse cosmic horror stories by diverse authors to push back against the genre's racist and xenophobic origins.

This anthology does exactly that. There are a good variety of authors of different races, orientations, genders etc. and the stories are also incredibly varied in terms of character diversity, plots, and Horrors™️. This anthology recasts marginalised people as the protagonists of their stories, with some stories even subverting cosmic horror's xenophobic origins to portray the oppressors as what they are.

My enjoyment varies from story to story, as do the writing styles, but for the most part I found most of the stories to be at least interesting and engaging. Some of the stories take on more experimental approaches to storytelling, though some attempts are more successful than others.

I'm going to go ahead and shout out some of my favourite stories from this collection, in no particular order.

My personal favourite was The Silent Letter by Chris Nelson. The author does an excellent job of setting up the premise and nails the writing. I was totally unnerved reading it and had to take short breaks between sections.

Effigies of Monstrous Things by Pedro Iniguez begins quite straightforwardly, but the set up pays off big time. The twist is excellent, and the gore was gruesome. I am not good at visualising in my head, but the descriptions were so vivid it gave me the ick. In a good way!

Another story I quite enjoyed was Fractures of Her Reflection by Amanda Headlee. Although I found it to be among the less terrifying stories of this collection, the premise is really interesting, and I found the protagonist to be rather compelling. I wish there was more of this story, I would love a whole book of this, but I suppose the beauty of short fiction is that it makes you crave more. Unrelated, but while I was reading the hospital scene the song Chihiro by Billie Eilish came on, and it was like watching the epic climax of a movie with an amazing soundtrack, which elevated my experience of this story for sure.

The Things We Did in the Dark by Julia Darcey was rather straightforward, but surprisingly tender and sad.

In the House, There Were Teeth and There Were Eyes by Ichabod Kassius Kilroy is super weird, possibly the weirdest story here. I have no idea what's going on, but I liked this. I think. (Also the author has the coolest name ever.)

I have included the list of stories, as well as content warnings, although it's possible that I may have missed some, and I'm straight up not sure how to warn for some things without giving spoilers, so do be warned.

The Birth of Sound - Timaeus Bloom

CW: none?

Fractures of Her Reflection - Amanda Headlee

CW: gaslighting from a medical professional, medical content, hospital, injury, past death, car accident mention, past abuse

Live Free or Die - Danny Brzozowski

CW: transphobia, hate crime, blood, injury

The Silent Letter by Chris Nelson

CW: death, coma, gore, body horror

Effigies of Monstrous Things by Pedro Iniguez

CW: body horror, gore <- every other story has this, but take this one seriously

Six Underground by Vicky Velvet

CW: death, violence, confined spaces

You Have Joined the Livestream by Jessica McHugh

CW: sexism, misogyny, implied murder

Cracks by Mary SanGiovanni

CW: death, injury

The Things We Did in the Dark by Julia Darcey

CW: blood, death, darkness, confinement, confined spaces

In the House, There Were Teeth and There Were Eyes by Ichabod Kassius Kilroy

CW: blood, death mention, body horror, blood, bodily fluids

A Dampened Embrace by Christopher Hann

CW: death, body horror

24 Points by S. A. Cosby

CW: death, gore, body horror, injury, self-mutilation

On the Shores of Midnight by Marnie Desdemona

CW: death, starvation, vomiting, drowning

Like Ants We March by Jorja Osha

CW: death, off page police brutality, gun violence mention

Burning Slumber by Jessica L. Sparrow

CW: self mutilation, eye gore, colonisation, mentions of sexual assault, murder

Passage by Cyrus Amelia Fisher

CW: death, starvation, non-graphic cannibalism, self harm for ritual purposes, blood

The Comfort of a Cold Pit by Michelle Tang

CW: past physical parental abuse, non-explicit eye gore

Gyges by Vaughn A. Jackson

CW: blood, fire, severe burns

Beggars Can't be Choosers by L. Marie Wood

CW: a little blood, held hostage

[comicwaren]

From Blood Hunters #004

“Light from Shadow”, by Fabian Nicieza (W), Patch Zircher and Pete Pantazis (A)

“Satana and the Blood Bar”, by Mary Sangiovanni (W), Giada Belviso and Giada Marchisio (A)

“Once More into the Darkness: Conclusion”, by Erica Schultz (W), Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo (A)

[briankeene]

Upcoming Signings

September 21st 10am to 1pm York Author Fair Martin Library 159 E Market St, York, PA 17401 with Mary SanGiovanni, Robert Swartwood, Somer Canon, Wesley Southard, Richard Chizmar, and more. October 4th through 6th AuthorCon IV (a Scares That Care event) St Louis, MO Click the link for full guest list. October 15 7pm to 9pm One More Page 2200 N Westmoreland St, Arlington, VA 22213 with Sonora Taylor and L. Marie Wood October 29 7pm Park Books 555 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd Severna Park, MD 21146 with Richard Chizmar

[occultdetective]

Last Writes Link Tree

William Meikle Alethea Kontis Josh Reynolds Greg Mitchell Mary SanGiovanni Michael M. Hughes Kelli Owen Maurice Broaddus Bob Freeman Brian Keene Gamerstable Tim Prasil John Linwood Grant Shanna Germain Cullen Bunn Charles R. Rutledge Tracy DeVore Steven Shrewsbury Jim McLeod Michael West Amanda DeWees Sèphera Girón Julian Vayne Stephen…

[bitterkarella]

Midnight Pals: Strange Stones

Edward Lee: submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the strange stones Mary SanGiovanni: me and ed wrote a cosmic horror SanGiovanni: it's about this professor who hates HP Lovecraft Lovecraft: SanGiovanni: like REALLY hates him Lovecraft:

Lee: ok bro so this professor is at this horror convention to talk about how much HP Lovecraft sucks Lovecraft: hey! Lee: oh it's not me bro, i think you're cool, it's this professor, he's the one saying it Lee: in the story, bro Lovecraft: Lovecraft: oh ok then

Lee: like, he's going on about how Lovecraft is a shitty writer who sucks Lovecraft: hey, come on! Lee: i'm not saying it, bro SanGiovanni: yeah howard don't commit the fundamental attribution error Lee: yeah bro i don't know what this but don't do it bro

SanGiovanni: so the professor is all "HP Lovecraft sucks ass, he can't write" Lee: oh and he's racist, bro, don't forget that SanGiovanni: oh that's right, AND he's racist SanGiovanni: thanks ed Lee: no prob bro

SanGiovanni: so Lovecraft was racist August Derleth: only as racist as the average man of his time!! SanGiovanni: and a shitty writer Derleth: only as shitty as the average writer of his time!! Lovecraft:

SanGiovanni: and the prof is all "we should stop talking about Lovecraft, who sucks, and start talking about better authors like Poe or Shelley" Lovecraft: come on!! Mary Shelley: haha i like this guy, he sounds like he's got the right idea Poe: yeah he's not entirely wrong

Lee: but check this bro Lee: this prof loves horror conventions cuz he's always getting laid Lee: these cons are just FULL of hotties looking to score Lee: you know how horror chicks are Lee: FREAK-EE SanGiovanni: and their tits--! Lee: oh man, bro, the tits are fuckin' bangin

Lee: bro so the girls at this convention have got some huge boobs SanGiovanni: some real serious honkers Lee: a real set of badonkers SanGiovanni: packin some dobonhonkeros. massive dohoonkabhankoloos Lee: big ol' tonhongerekoogers!

SanGiovanni: so this goth witch gets mad at the professor for dissing Lovecraft and she sends him to another dimension where Lovecraft is real! Lee: and bro don't forget, the witch has enormous jugs SanGiovanni: oh yeah just some ridonculous knockers

SanGiovanni: now the professor is in a Lovecraft world and he's about to find out that being in a Lovecraft world isn't all its cracked up to be Lee: oh yeah bro and he's gotta collect the 5 power stones to advance to the next level bro SanGiovanni: you mean the chaos emeralds?

SanGiovanni: now he's traveling from Lovecraft story to Lovecraft story, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping each time that the next leap will be the leap home Lee: you know that thing about hotties trawling for dick at horror cons? thats totally true bro

Lee: yeah bro you know what i'm saying Lee: we're gonna get you laid, bro! Lovecraft: at a convention? Lee: that's what they're for bro! ask sonia! she invented the whole idea, bro! Sonia Greene: he's right

[bornitereads]

Hex Life - Ed. Christopher Golden & Rachel Autumn Deering

Read: Oct 2022

This is a collection of short stories about witches. "Wicked new tales of witchery" as it says on the cover. It's maybe also part of the title? I can never tell to be honest. Overall I really enjoyed this book. Not every story was a winner. Especially stories taking place in already established fictional worlds. A few of the authors have long running series that they wrote in for this, and largely I didn't like those stories. I'll just give y'all the run down real quick:

An Invitation to a Burning - Kat Howard: great start for the book

Widows' Walk - Angela Slatter: this needs to be a movie honestly

Black Magic Momma: An Otherworld Story - Kelley Armstrong: meh

The Night Nurse - Sarah Langan: superbly creepy bad witch story, a mother goes through it

The Memories of Trees - Mary SanGiovanni: this one was great! Calling powers and people finding out

Home: a Morganville Vampires Story - Rachel Caine: did not like

The Deer Wife - Jennifer McMahon: amazing!! Gay!! Also needs to be a movie

The Dancer - Kristine Dearborn: okay, didn't read as "witch"

Bless Your Heart - Hillary Monahan: great! A mother's retribution in all its witchy glory

The Debt - Ania Ahlborn: creepy have to pay the price story

Toil & Trouble: A Dark-Hunter Hellchaser Story - Sherrilyn Kenyon & Madaug Kenyon: ehh this one I didn't like that much

Last Stop on Route Nine - Tananarive Due: this one was good, nasty backwoods witch and curses

Where Relics Go to Dream and Die - Rachel Autumn Deering: this one was weird but interesting

This Skin - Amber Benson: this one was wild

Haint Me Too - Chesya Burke: this one was delicious, plantation absolutely haunted by the slaves that died there and black witches fucking up them white people

The Nekrolog - Helen Marshall: this was weird and wild, you will never guess where this one is going

Gold Among the Black - Alma Katsu: liked this one

How to Become a Witch-Queen - Theodora Goss: Snow White grows up and says fuck it!

Info: Titan Books; 2020

[thepenmuse]

Book Blitz: Liddy-Jean Marketing Queen and the Matchmaking Scheme

  Fiction / LGBTQ / Romance Publication Date: June 11, 2024 Publisher: Bywater Books     Novelist and filmmaker Mari SanGiovanni introduces readers to the irrepressible Liddy-Jean Carpenter, a matchmaker with special talents who will charm readers with her wit, wisdom, and sensibilities in this warm, enchanting love-is-love office romance.   Liddy-Jean Carpenter has learning disabilities. But…

[graphicpolicy]

Cullen Bunn announces Outer Shadows, a new horror imprint

Cullen Bunn announces Outer Shadows, a new horror imprint #books #comics #horror

[ovalleba]

Liddy-Jean Marketing Queen #tour

Fiction / LGBTQ / Romance Publication Date: June 11, 2024 Publisher: Bywater Books     Novelist and filmmaker Mari SanGiovanni introduces readers to the irrepressible Liddy-Jean Carpenter, a matchmaker with special talents who will charm readers with her wit, wisdom, and sensibilities in this warm, enchanting love-is-love office romance.   Liddy-Jean Carpenter has learning disabilities. But she…