Cool S interview and review by the fabulous Erica Robyn Reads
Back in June, when I was flailing around trying to find reviewers to approach for ‘Cool S’, a story of mine featured in ‘Diet Riot: a Fatterpunk Anthology’ (which I highly recommend you check out – it’s a brilliant collection I’m thrilled to be a part of). ‘Diet Riot’ was reviewed by loads of excellent reviewers, and it’s through that I met Erica Robyn – she noted that she particularly enjoyed my story ‘Fluffers’ and so I asked if she’d consider reviewing ‘Cool S’.
She agreed and since then I’ve been honestly floored by how lovely, enthusiastic, supportive and passionate about indie horror she is. Please check out her brilliant blog for beautifully-presented and insightfully-written book reviews and recommendations.
You can also read Erica’s awesome review of ‘Cool S’ here on her blog:
Cool S by Die Booth is a story centering around the little doodle we all drew at one point. We thought it was so innocent, but what if there was a dark power behind it when done with a certain intent?
Intrigued? Then this is a book for you!
…read the rest of the review over at Erica Robyn Reads
And you can read an interview with me about ‘Cool S’ and more here:
I’m so excited to be hosting an interview with one of the kindest souls I’ve met in the horror community, the amazing Die Booth!
We met thanks to Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology. When I posted my review, Die commented to thank me for the kind words. From there, we started chatting about his upcoming novella. One thing lead to another, and I was blessed with the opportunity to give the book an early read. Horror fans and 90’s babies… YOU NEED THIS BOOK.
COOL S – OUT NOW – BEWARE!!!
It is the day.
Launch day.
The day of the unleashing of the S.
The portentous day upon which you can finally purchase your very own copy of Cool S, my new horror novella about Cool S, the single most badass arcane occult sigil to ever grace a high school toilet door.
- You can buy all formats of e-book from Smashwords here: Cool S ebook ($3.99)
- You can buy it in print from Lulu here: Cool S print (and the print version has pictures!) (£5.99)
And if you buy a print copy from Lulu today (25th August 2022) or tomorrow (26th August 2022) using code BACKTOSCHOOL15 at the checkout, you can get 15% off the price.
There will be signed copies available to buy direct from me if I have any left after my book signing on Saturday 3rd September, so keep a look out if you want me to deface a copy for you.
You can also help make up your mind if you wanna read the accursed lil blighter by checking out the following:
I also present to you a launch day video where I throw ribbons in the air because I didn’t have confetti and accidentally made it a premiere because I don’t understand Youtube, enjoy!
Cool S book signing – come be cursed in person!
It’s nearly the 25th August: the day when Cool S is unleashed onto a deserving universe slinks ever nearer!
I’ve been seeing (and being sent) a lot of Cool S spottings in the wild and I take this as an omen that the timing is perfect for this cursed volume to be released.
To celebrate, I will be doing a book signing at the best shop in Chester (objective fact) Suzie K at the Secret Garden, on Bridge Street Row, on Saturday 3rd September, 12-2pm, so mark it in your diaries and that. I’ll be the one sitting in front of the shop at row level with a stack of books making passers-by feel awkward.
You can buy a copy on the day and both save on postage and have me graffiti it in person with your choice of defacement – bubble writing, cubes, high school drug references, classic cock n’ balls, or of course the sacred S – I also do requests, your imagination is the only limit.
I would absolutely love to make your acquaintance, so please do pop along and say hi if you are in the vicinity and make me feel popular!
IS THIS COOL?
You know Cool S?
Yeah, you do.
Cool S. Super S. Pointy S. THE S. That thing we all doodled on notebooks and schoolbooks and pencil cases. Maybe graffitied on a park bench or a bus stop if you were frisky.
Ever wondered what it was? Where it came from? What it means?
Well, I’m here to tell you. Are you sure you want to know?
That’s right, folks, my new novella Cool S is now officially set to launch on August 25th 2022.
As usual I’ve completely* DIY’d it, and have also accidentally found out that you can Amazon-proof a book by leaving off all those unnecessary and frankly frivolous excesses like ‘author name’ and ‘title’ from the cover (lol, die mad about it, trad publishing!) Less barcode, more S, am I right? (I am).
You can read more about Cool S here.
I would also deeply adore it if you subscribed to this website via the subscribe box thingy down below, which will mean you get my blog posts direct to your own inbox, at such time as I can be bothered to write blog posts (I will for sure be updating about Cool S though, you bet I have an itinerary and everything. Super pro.)
You can also now add Cool S on your Goodreads page hereabouts!
Anyway, here’s the cover reveal. I thought I’d do it as a video and that, so you can see how truly epic this cover is (I’m not even joking. It makes me so happy. I laugh every time I think about it and that is, I’m sure you’ll agree, truly priceless.)
I put a transcription on the Youtube page as I didn’t know how to CC but now there is auto transcription available on it and I highly recommend as it keeps changing ‘s’ to ‘ass’ and you know, that is a level of perfection I could not have anticipated <3
*HUGE thanks to the total LEGENDS who have helped me with this – everyone who wrote blurbs for me, everyone who’s agreed to review, to the friends who gave it a first read-through. I couldn’t do this without you.
Diet Riot: fat positive horror, OUT NOW!
I know, I know I always say it – I’m stoked to be a part of this new anthology that’s out TODAY! But (I mean, aside from being genuinely chuffed to be a part of every single publication I’m in and that it makes my life worth living that people want to read my stories) I’m especially happy to see this one out in the wild.
Things are still not great in the world. This anthology has still copped a load of troll comments on social media, in 2022, for daring to present fat characters as serious protagonists rather than comedy sidekicks or villains. But I’m glad that it’s now possible to produce an anthology like this and there be such a demand for it: I wish I’d had it in my 20s when I was getting those troll comments shouted at me in the street, and I’m happy it exists now. Thank you to the wonderful editors Nico Bell and Sonora Taylor for producing this book, and I am honoured that my creepy little creature-feature ‘Fluffers’ is part of it.
Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology features twelve fat-positive horror tales of people who come into their own, celebrate their curves, and save the day. There are babysitters and bakers, thieves and roller derby stars. Young women unsure about their bodies meet demons and water spirits who offer assistance–in their own way, of course. Danger lurks in hospitals, in the mysterious occult shop in the local mall, and in a house filled with cats. Campers, trash collectors, and house flippers alike uncover nasty secrets underground. A myriad of horrors await you–none of which comes at the expense of fat bodies.
Book review: M.I.C.H.A.E.L. by Jess Doyle
Title: M.I.C.H.A.E.L.
Author: Jess Doyle
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Demain Publishing
Release Date: September 2020
A Ouija board with a dark history has horrific consequences for everyone who comes into contact with it. An innocent young couple are just the latest victims of an all-consuming vendetta that has festered for hundreds of years.
M.I.C.H.A.E.L. traces the Ouija board’s malevolent past, delves into secrets and unearths the origin of an obsessive and vengeful spirit.
This is a pacy, intriguing story that doesn’t give too much away, which works for me as I’m one of those readers who prefers to interpret for myself rather than have everything spelled out for me.
In this tale, everything is actually wrapped up neatly and explained in the end, but the way in which it’s told leaves the reader guessing right up until the last moment. This was by far the strongest aspect of this piece for me – the plot is inventive and the prose is well-written, but the narrative structure particularly drew me in, and worked incredibly well to make what is actually for the most part a horribly sad and frightening story end upon a strangely hopeful note.
I do think this strong a plot could even have been expanded into a much longer piece, as I’d like to know more about all of the characters and settings involved. But as it is, this is a quick read, ideal for a train journey or free afternoon sitting under a nice tree somewhere (but choose your tree carefully – no spoilers!)
Wander in the Soul Forest
Did you know that if you sign up to the Flame Tree Fiction Newsletter that along with Flame Tree Press news you get two original speculative short fictions delivered to your inbox every month for free?
The theme for the 45th newsletter this June was ‘Soul Forest’ and I’m delighted to have my story ‘Split Ash’ included in it.
‘Split Ash’ is a quiet folk horror tale of a bereaved parent travelling into the trees to try to recover their lost child. As Flame Tree put it “Split Ash by Die Booth is an ethereal and poetic exploration of the question: What if you could bring someone you’d lost back from the afterlife? And should you?”
If you’d like to read ‘Split Ash’ then feel free to email me (die.booth[at]gmail.com) and I’ll be happy to forward the newsletter email on to you – but I’d highly encourage you to subscribe to the Flame Tree Newsletter as well and treat yourself to some excellent free reads each month!
Ornithologiæ – a strange book of birds, out now
I’m absolutely over the moon to announce that ‘Ornithologiæ’ is out now, from Egaeus Press, featuring 27 stories and poems, including my fairytale folk horror story ‘Ravenbaby’.
This gorgeous collection is full of “strange, dark and hallucinatory” pieces, on the theme of birds, edited by Mark Beech, who was absolutely awesome to work with.
I’m so happy and honoured to be in this beautiful book, alongside so many amazing writers. It’s a cloth-bound hardback with colour endpapers and illustrations throughout and it’s limited to just 460 copies, so if you’d like a copy of this very special volume, be quick!
Book review: Roser Park by Wendy Dalrymple
Title: Roser Park
Author: Wendy Dalrymple
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Independently published via Amazon
Release Date: October 2022
Charlotte Slater is freshly divorced and starting over again in her hometown of St. Petersburg, FL. When a dog sitting job in the nearby upscale neighborhood of Roser Park falls in her lap, Charlotte jumps at the chance to make some easy money and enjoy a little peace and quiet. But as usual, when things seem to be too good to be true, they often are.
As each day passes, Charlotte becomes more uneasy in the big, ominous home, causing her to spiral further and further into her own self-doubt. Items aren’t where she left them, her senses feel off, thoughts are fuzzy and an imposing painting in the living room calls out to her. A strange force from inside the very walls beckons her to learn the secrets of Roser Park and dig deeper into a century old mystery forgotten by time. Even as danger lurks just outside her door, Charlotte must choose between her instincts and common sense if she wants to ever leave the house alive.
I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this latest slice of Florida Gothic from Wendy Dalrymple for review, and it provides exactly what it promises – classic gothic with a modern twist, set in the sometimes-stifling sunshine of a historic Florida estate.
The action amps up gradually with a lot of classic gothic signposting to a banger finale – the ending caught me by surprise, and I did not see most of it coming.
This is the perfect beach read, with a true horror movie feel – jump scares, twists and all – written in the pacy, effortless prose that makes Wendy Dalrymple’s books so readable. We get a creepy mansion, a creepy mystery (that turns out way more horrifying than I was expecting) a cute dog and a final girl to really root for.
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