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4 Terrifying New Releases from Indie and Small Presses This September

Welcome in the autumn chill with these hair-raising reads.

september indie and small press releases
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  • Photo Credit: Alan Scales/Unsplash

We've made it to the first month of fall, a season marked by changing leaves, darkening skies, and eerie tales. But what horrors does autumn bring this year? Chilling delights from small and independent publishers!

The spooky season will see plenty of old favorites and big-budget releases in the spotlight, but isn't horror all about the lesser known? Take a chance on the little guy with us—we promise it'll pay off. From weird folklore horror to terrifying Western tales, here are four incredible horror books coming to indie and small presses this September!

never wake

Never Wake: An Anthology of Dream Horror

By Kenneth W. Cain and Tim Meyer

Everyone is familiar with the gripping terror of a nightmare, but what if you don't get the sweet relief of waking up to find it's all been a figment of your subconscious imagination?

This chilling anthology explores this concept of dream horror, daring to ask, "Where do we go when we dream?" From hallucinations to phantasmagoria, this collection includes stories by Cynthia Pelayo, Philip Fracassi, Gwendolyn Kiste, Eric LaRocca, Lee Murray, Todd Keisling, Laurel Hightower, and more.

This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on September 8th by Crystal Lake Publishing!

the black lord

The Black Lord

By Colin Hinckley

In Colin Hinckley's debut new weird folk horror novella, Eddie's infant brother has gone missing. Yet as his parents argue over Danny, Eddie is left to face something terrible all alone. A strange figure is waiting for Eddie outside—a figure that promises little Danny is perfectly safe. And all Eddie has to do to get his brother back is open the window.

While Eddie's father is stuck in a guilty spiral over his relationship with his own lost brother, Eddie's mother is left to sink into her grief all alone. Meanwhile, Eddie's grandmother is harboring a dark secret about their family, and the fabric of the very universe is disintegrating as they all flounder through terror.

This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on September 12th by Tenebrous Press!

the gateway in apartment 8

The Gateway in Apartment 8

By Chisto Healy

Asian-American college student Sarah manages to find a miraculously affordable place at Sunnycrest Apartments. The catch is, her closet seems to turn up items that don't belong to her—items that come from the past. Sarah soon realizes that her closet is not only a gateway to another time, but to another world. And in that time and place, this closet belongs to the boyfriend of a serial killer's final victim.

Sarah's girlfriend, Felicia, has been living in Sunnycrest longer than she has. She knows this place is strange. She knows that it's haunted. But while they have to be careful of the dead that lurk everywhere, they'll soon find that the living can be just as dangerous. Sarah may want to figure out what the murder victim, Regina, is trying to tell her, but she can't forget that a killer roams free in 1987.

This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on September 15th by Slashic Horror Press!

hot iron and cold blood

Hot Iron and Cold Blood: An Anthology of the Weird West

By Patrick R. McDonough

Do you like your horror with a little bit more grit? Then you'll probably love this anthology of horror westerns. From dino-poltergeists to outlaws in the gruesome grips of body horror, these terrors paint a land as unnatural as it is lawless. This collection includes stories from Joe R. Lansdale, Edward Lee, David J. Schow, Jill Girardi, R.J. Jackson, Vivian Kasley, Owl Goinback, Kenzie Jennings, Jeff Strand, Wile E. Young, and more!

This book is now available for pre-order, and will be released on September 26th by Deaths Head Press!

For more great 2023 indie horror books, check these out:

Featured image: Alan Scales/Unsplash