4 Terrifying New Releases from Indie and Small Presses in August 2024

The Unmothers is a folk horror novel following a journalist, Marshall, struggling to move on after her husband passes away. In the wake of a horrible accident, her editor sends her off to look into a ridiculous rumor in the small town of Raeford.

Here, there are murmurs that a horse has birthed a human child—a healthy baby boy. While the townspeople seem to take more care of their horses than their human citizens, the rumor is still preposterous to Marshall.

Then two horrifically mangled bodies—one horse, one human—are found in a field. Suddenly there's a real story in Marshall's hands.

What unfolds is a dark secret kept for generations; a tale of trauma, rage, and bodily autonomy. It's a truth that seems to turn reality inside out.

This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on August 6th by Quirk Books!

16-year-old Winnie Campbell is well on her way to becoming a serial killer.

As her father dotes endlessly on her little sister, Winnie is the subject of his blame for her mother's death. He punishes Winnie with cruel exercises in humiliation—exercises which soon escalate to torture.

Desperate to regain some power and control in her life, Winnie purges her rage by killing small animals. But one day her violent tendencies lead to the accidental death of the infant she's babysitting.

The infanticide fills her with an addictive rush of power she is eager to hold on to. As she becomes obsessed with the act of killing, she becomes unhealthily fascinated by a girl named Leigh, who reminders her of a younger version of herself.

Winnie is torn between wanting to kill and wanting to be dead. If she wants to be someone other than who she is, perhaps the first step is a symbolic suicide through Leigh…

This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on August 6th by Apocalypse Party!

Sometimes the real horror is the author's process in writing the book.

With a bit of a meta nod to the trials of publishing, When You Leave I Disappear is a novella which weaves a twisted tale of a bestselling author's imposter syndrome and the darkness that grips her and refuses to let go.

This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on August 20th by Shortwave Publishing!

Candace Nola, an award-winning, gripping voice in horror, comes out swinging with her debut short story collection.

These six terrifying tales range from a neighborhood gardening competition ending in disaster to a serial killer lying in wait for a final kill.

This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on August 27th by Death’s Head Press!