A Haunting Book Spotlight Thursday: Something Followed Us Home by Cynthia Pelayo

Winner of Barnes & Noble Best Horror Book of 2026 and Gold Medal winner of this year’s International Latino Book Awards, SOMETHING FOLLOWED US HOME closes out our Spook-tober Book Spotlight Thursday. It is a collection of Latiné horror tales. Featuring stories by: Agustina Bazterrica, Isabel Cañas, Gerardo Sámano Córdova, Zoraida Córdova, Ann Dávila Cardinal, Mariana Enriquez, Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro, Xochitl Gonzalez, Leopoldo Goût, Ananda Lima, Juan Martinez, Mónica Ojeda, Daniel José Older, Lilliam Rivera, Diana Rodriguez Wallach, Alex Segura, and Cynthia Pelayo herself, who is also credited as editor.

Something Followed Us Home (Tales of  Latiné Horror)

Published: September 29, 2026

Genre: Horror Collections, Anthologies, Fiction, Short stories, Hispanic Fiction

Tropes:
Inherited and Cross-Border Trauma
Folklore Reimagined
Return of the Past
and more


Something followed us home. It crawled in with our prayers, slipped into our beds, watched from mirrors, waited in water, and learned our names.

Gathering chilling work from some of today’s most acclaimed Latiné voices, this horror anthology moves through haunted households, brutal landscapes, sacred spaces turned dangerous, and bodies claimed by forces both ancient and intimate. The dead murmur behind locked doors. Bones rebuild themselves under merciless suns. Love becomes a doorway for demonic hunger. Blood, devotion, and memory intertwine as the past presses back with teeth.

"Something Followed Us Home," is an unnerving, visceral, and impossible-to-shake collection that proves that what is carried forward does not remain quiet, and what follows us rarely leaves without taking something in return.

I love cultural horror folk tales, and in SOMETHING FOLLOWED US HOME, it states, “Each story reimagines immigration, colonization, faith, and folklore as the fears we inherit and carry across borders and generations.”

Buy NOW

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR/EDITOR

Photograph by Gerardo Pelayo

Cynthia Pelayo is a Bram Stoker and International Latino Book Award–winning author and poet. Her novels include Vanishing Daughters, Forgotten Sisters, Children of Chicago and The Shoemaker’s Magician. Pelayo has also written numerous short stories and is editor of Something Followed Us Home: Tales of Latiné Horror. She lives in Chicago.

A BOOO-k Spotlight Thursday: Killing The Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar

From hiding under the bed, I brought into my spooky spotlight this week the recent release of the third book in the Boogeyman series, KILLING THE BOOGEYMAN by Richard Chizmar.

Killing The Boogeyman (Boogeyman series)

Published: October 6th 2026

Genre: Horror, Fiction, Crime mystery, Murder mystery, Thriller

Notorious serial killer Joshua Gallagher—dubbed “the Boogeyman” by the media—has vanished from prison. One moment, he was locked inside a maximum-security cell; the next, he was gone, leaving behind on the wall a crude hangman puzzle and two chilling words: IT’S TIME.

Now, days later, the world is coming apart again. Bodies are turning up near writer and Gallagher confidante Richard Chizmar’s home, echoing the Boogeyman’s signature horrors. The news frenzy reignites while the police chase shadows…even as Gallagher’s twisted true crime fanbase celebrates online, acknowledging that he’s something more than human now.

To everyone else, it’s a desperate hunt for answers. To Chizmar, it’s more like destiny closing in. The evidence, the sightings, the voices in the dark all point to one unthinkable conclusion: the Boogeyman never left. And very soon, Chizmar must come face-to-face with the thing wearing Gallagher’s skin, and learns all too quickly that some nightmares don’t return—they evolve.

Check out where the horror begins in

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard Chizmar is the author of New York Times bestselling novels Chasing the Boogeyman, Becoming the Boogeyman, Memorials, and Widow’s Point: The Complete Haunting (cowritten with son, W.H. Chizmar), and coauthor (with Stephen King) of the New York Times bestselling novella Gwendy’s Button Box, the novel Gwendy’s Final Task, and the solo novella Gwendy’s Magic Feather. His short fiction has appeared in dozens of publications, most recently, the bestselling anthology, The End of The World as We Know It: New Stories of Stephen King’s The Stand. He is the founder and publisher of the specialty press publisher of horror and dark suspense, Cemetery Dance. He has won two World Fantasy awards, four International Horror Guild awards, and the HWA’s Board of Trustees award. Chizmar’s work has been translated into more than fifteen languages worldwide, and he has appeared at numerous conferences as a writing instructor, speaker, panelist, and guest of honor.

Follow him on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky: @RichardChizmar, or visit his website at RichardChizmar.com.

BOOK SPOOK-LIGHT THURSDAY: One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford

Keeping the chills and thrills theme going, ONE YELLOW EYE by Leigh Radford is rising up from the depths in our Spook-Light Thursday! Let’s read on if you dare!

One Yellow Eye (a Novel)

Published: July 15, 2025 

Genre: Horror/Thriller/British

Pages: 352

Features

🧟 Post-pandemic

🧟Secret Monster in the House Trope 

🧟Mad Scientist / Playing God 

🧟Twisted Love Story

🧟Grief Obsession

How far would you go to save your marriage? For British scientist Kesta Shelley, there is no limit.

Having always preferred the company of microbes, Kesta has spent her life looking down the barrel of a microscope rather than cultivating personal relationships. But that changed when Kesta met Tim—her cheerleader, her best friend, her absolute everything. So, when he was one of the last people in London to be infected with a perplexing virus that left the city ravaged, Kesta went into triage mode.

Though the government has rounded up and disposed of all the infected, Kesta is able to keep her husband (un)alive and hidden with resources from the hospital where she works. She spends her days reviewing biopsy slides and her evenings caring for him, but he’s clearly declining. The sedatives aren’t working like they used to, and his violent outbursts ,are becoming more frequent. As Kesta races against the clock, her colleagues start noticing changes in her behavior and appearance. She is withering away, self-medicating with alcohol, and has stopped attending her mandated ZARG (Zombie Apocalypse Recovery Group) meetings. Her care for Tim has spiraled into absolute obsession.

There are whispers of a top-secret lab working on a cure, and Kesta clings to the possibility of being recruited like a lifeline. But can she save her husband before he is discovered? Or worse…will they trigger another zombie outbreak? 

AVAILABLE NOW

GET NOW ON Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leigh Radford trained as a broadcast journalist. She produced and presented arts and entertainment content and documentaries for British commercial radio, BBC Radio, The Times, and more. A former book publicist, she is a 2023 graduate of Faber Academy. She is currently developing content for film and television through her production company, Kenosha Kickers.  

Follow Radford and her books on Instagram at @leighauthor.

A Spook Spotlight Thursday: Death’s Bride by Lo Gold

👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻👻

Bubbling up in my Spook-tober Book Spotlight cauldron this week is the newly released DEATH’S BRIDE by Lo Gold, a gothic Corpse Bride retelling mixed with dark academia and romantic horror vibes.

Death’s Bride

Release Date: October 6, 2026

Genre: Gothic Romance/ Corpse Bride Retelling

FEATURING

🖤 ᴇʟᴅʀɪᴛᴄʜ ʜᴏʀʀᴏʀ

🥀 ᴀʀʀᴀɴɢᴇᴅ ᴍᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇ

💀 ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ

🖤 ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʀɪᴀɴɢʟᴇ

🥀 ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴀᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍɪᴀ

💀 ʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ʟɪᴋᴇꜱ ʙᴜɢꜱ

🖤 ᴛɪᴍ ʙᴜʀᴛᴏɴ ᴠɪʙᴇꜱ

🥀 ʜᴇ ᴘɪɴᴇꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ʜᴇʀ

💀 ᴍᴀʀᴋᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ

🖤 ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪꜱ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴏᴏᴅꜱ

🥀 ᴀ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀ’ꜱ ᴄᴜʀꜱᴇ

💀 ꜱᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴛᴇɴꜱɪᴏɴ

🖤 ᴀɴᴄɪᴇɴᴛ ꜰᴏʟᴋʟᴏʀᴇ

Death may want me as his bride, but I’ve already been promised to someone else.

Penelope Everly is a girl claimed by Death. He stalks her from the shadows, watching and waiting. But now that she’s becoming a young woman, her parents have betrothed her to someone against her will in order to save their dwindling family fortune.

Victor Van Daught has no interest in marriage or remaining in the town he grew up in to take over the family business. He is a man of science and discovery—an aspiring entomologist. But when he meets Penelope Everly he’s immediately enchanted by her.

The young couple enter the halls of Corvus University together, given a semester to solidify their betrothal. But the school holds more secrets than scholars, and when students start disappearing, Penelope and Victor begin to fear that Death has come to claim his bride.

BUY ON AMAZON

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LO Gold is an Amazon bestselling author of dark and twisted tales. From a small mountain town, she is frequently found wandering among the pines and dreaming up her next story. When not writing, she can be found spending time with her family, being a history nerd, and baking delicious desserts.

Follow Lo and her books on Instagram @logold_author & TIKTOK: @logold_author

SPOOK-TOBER Book Spotlight Thursday: The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman

It’s OCTOBER WITCHES!!!! So, all October long I will be bringing you spooky, witchy Book Spotlights! Starting off with THE WITCHES OF CAMBRIDGE by Alice Hoffman. From the author of the Practical Magic series comes a whole new witchy series where we meet ,two brilliant young women in 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts, as they become immersed in a mysterious secret group of witches at Radcliffe known as the Lilith Society.

The Witches Of Cambridge

Published: September 8th, 2028

Genre: Horror Occult/Supernatural/ Magic realism/ Historical Fiction

Pages: 416

Themes:  Literary Fiction, Magical Realism, Witches

Once upon a time, women were drowned in the river and the only witnesses were the crows in the trees. The Puritans blamed Eve for the sins of the world. That was when we began to meet in the name of Lilith, Adam’s first wife—banished for refusing to do as she was told.

We Fly Together…

By the 1950s, Cambridge, Massachusetts feels far removed from the legendary witch trials that marked its early days as a colony. Ava, a bright young woman from a small town in Maine, arrives for her first year at Radcliffe College. There, she meets Lauren, her opposite in every way—the wild and brazen daughter of a wealthy and well-established Cambridge family. But the two have more in common than they think. Both are recruited by the Lilith Society, a secret organization of witches at Radcliffe dating back to colonial times. As they learn more about their legacy, Ava and Lauren form a close bond that is put to the test as they learn to navigate their new power, friendship, and love.

While Radcliffe seems like a safe haven, the shadow of McCarthyism looms large, an ever-present threat to the flourishing creative and intellectual life in Cambridge. And as girls from the Lilith Society begin to go missing, Ava and Lauren realize the witch trials of the past may not be as deeply buried as they once believed.

Get it on AMAZON

Available in Hardcover, ebook and audio at other fine retailers

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alice Hoffman is the author of thirty works of fiction, including Practical Magic, The Dovekeepers, Magic Lessons, and, most recently, The Book of Magic. She lives in Boston. Her new novel, The Invisible Hour, is forthcoming in August 2023. Visit her website: www.alicehoffman.com

BOOK SPOTLIGHT THURSDAY: Fated to the Frozen Prince by Ciara Hartford

Calling all epic romantasy lovers! In the spotlight today is the intriguing FATED TO THE FROZEN PRINCE. What caught my spotlight eye is not only the cover, but that FATED TO THE FROZEN PRINCE is set to be one of nine books in the Fated to the Enemy series. Not only that! They are set to be standalone stories as I understand it. Brimming with epic adventure, sizzling banter, and angsty yearning between enemies who have no desire to fall in love. Let’s Dive in!

Fated to the Frozen Prince


Expected Release Date: Sept 29, 2026


Genre: Romantasy

Features:

⦁ Enemies to lovers
⦁ Fated mates
⦁ Forbidden love
⦁ Super slow burn
⦁ He falls first and so hard
⦁ Touch her/him and bye
⦁ Opposites attract (ice vs fire)
⦁ Only one “horse”
⦁ Animal companions
⦁ “Tell me you hate me”
⦁ Political intrigue

Every winter must have a summer.
Yet eternal winter sweeps across the continent, freezing everything in its path.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing Wrenora hates more than the cold, other than Prince Callan Vostbain, whose magic is rumored to be the cause of the winter blight. As a human prisoner of war, she tries to keep out of his way to avoid punishment, but when Callan learns she’s an imbuing mage, capable of creating a gem that can harness his power, he offers Wrenora freedom in exchange for her help.


But Wrenora hasn’t used her imbuing magic since before the war. She’s not sure she can help him. And she’s certainly not prepared for the man she finds hidden beneath the icy mask, much less the real reason Callan wishes to control his magic. As more assassins are sent to kill him and rumors of an uprising grow, Callan struggles to keep the fiery human from melting the armor he’s carefully frozen around his heart. Or to focus on controlling his magic and stopping the winter blight before the entire continent is solid ice.

Content Warning:
⦁ Profanity
⦁ Death of a parent (on page)
⦁ Mention of grooming (not on page)
⦁ Mention of physical child abuse (on page as flashbacks)
⦁ Mention of rape/sexual assault (not on page)
⦁ On page sexual content
⦁ Suicidal thoughts
⦁ Themes of slavery and prisoners of war
⦁ Descriptions of blood and gore
⦁ Graphic sword and magical violence including evisceration, decapitation, and dismemberment

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ciara (Keara) is a Romantic Fantasy and Romantasy writer of character driven love stories full of magic, heartache, bloody action, flawed characters, and brutal cliffhangers. When she’s not writing she’s working on illustration and graphic design freelance, as well as reading every fantasy book she can get her hands on. She lives near Cleveland, Ohio with her mad scientist husband and amazingly talented daughter.

Follow Hartford and her book on Instagram @ciarahartford.author or at TikTok @ciarahartford.author

Book Spotlight Thursday: BLACK LEDGER by Hazel St. Lewis

Slipping into the spotlight this week is BLACK LEDGER by Hazel St. Lewis.

BLACK LEDGER is a dark romance featuring a female serial killer hunting the men who destroyed her life. This episodic series has five shorter books that combine to tell one larger story. Perfect for readers who loved the psychological intensity of the Mindfck Series* and the dark mafia power dynamics of the Dark Verse series.

Screenshot

Black Ledger (Furyverse: Volume 1)


Expected Release Date: September 24, 2026


Genre: Dark Romance/ Mafia

Featuring

*Childhood Friends to Lovers to Enemies to Lovers
*Second Chance Romance
*Female Serial Killer
*Ruthless Mafia Boss
*Cat & Mouse
*He’s Hunting Her—She’s Hunting Him
*She kidnaps him
*Obsessive MMC

They destroyed me, and they will die.


Ten years ago, members of a powerful cult carved their sins into my body and called it holy. They thought I would disappear.
Instead, I learned how to break them.
I study my targets until I know how they breathe, whom they love, and what keeps them awake at night. Then I begin—quietly dismantling their lives until paranoia replaces sleep and fear replaces air. By the time I strike, they’re grateful to die. Every name goes into my black ledger. One name is saved for last.
Severin Volkov.
My ex. The heir to the Russian mafia and the man who betrayed me. When his turn comes, I won’t be merciful.
For years, powerful men in the Russian underworld have been disappearing without a trace. It looks random—until I inherit my father’s empire and uncover a pattern.
Someone is hunting us.
Whoever is behind it knows our secrets—and how to destroy us from the inside. I will find her. And when I do, she will learn exactly what kind of man I am. I expect resistance. I don’t expect obsession.
As the truth unravels about my father, my empire… and her, one thing becomes clear:
This war won’t end in surrender. It will end with one of us on our knees.

COMING SEPTEMBER 24th, 2026

PREORDER ON AMAZON

Content Warnings/Triggers:
Explicit sex, BDSM/dom-sub dynamics, rough sex, choking, toys, light stalking (the fun kind), sexy obsessive MMC, sexy obsessive FMC, hunter/prey, serial killer protagonist.
Kidnapping/captivity, confinement, restraint (not the fun kind), deprivation, rape/sexual assault (mentions, flashbacks and mostly fade to black, not by MMC), Torture (physical and psychological), severe trauma and PTSD, murder, embroidery (not the pretty kind), physical abuse, most of the sexual violence is backstory/flashback, not the main present-day plot.
Revenge Driven Triggers: murder/attempted murder, dismemberment, mutilation, gore, amateur surgery, actual surgery, multiple dick dismemberments, and gun, knife, and weapon violence.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hazel St. Lewis is a Romantasy author. Diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, she struggled to read and write, but fantasy stories inspired her to start storytelling. Unfortunately, now, she is a little too obsessed with morally gray characters. When she isn’t writing, she can be found playing with her hoard of cats (too many to count…it’s a problem), singing songs to said cats, or painting.

Follow Hazel St. Lewis on IG at @hazelstlewis 

AUDIOBOOK SPOTLIGHT THURSDAY: Twisted Bond by Katlyn DeRouen

Well, this Thursday, I am spotlighting the release of the audiobook version of TWISTED BOND by Katlyn DeRouen! Three Girls. Three Lives. One Bond.

Twisted Bond (Twisted Bond Series #1)

Release Date: August 4, 2026
Genre: Portal Fantasy
Narrators: Monica Cannon & Dallin Bradford 

Featuring

⦁ Found family
⦁ Enemies to lovers
⦁ Hidden identities
⦁ Royalty
⦁ Closed door
⦁ Prophecies
⦁ Fae
⦁ Portal to another world
⦁ Enemies to friends to lovers
⦁ Good vs. Evil


After almost a decade apart, Cammie, Hannah, and Sabina never expected their paths to cross again so suddenly. But when Cammie is plagued by memories of a person she has never met, she has no choice but to reach out to the friends she lost touch with years ago.


A charismatic stranger—by the name of Caelan—claims he holds the answers to her mounting list of questions. Instead, Cammie winds up in a comatose state. With Caelan’s help, Sabina races against time to find the man in Cammie’s memories who holds the key to an unseen world… before her friend is lost within her own mind forever.


Meanwhile, Hannah finds herself fighting for her life after being thrust into the middle of a war between beings rumored to be myth. In the midst of the chaos, one element holds true… fate pulled them back together for a reason. Will the trio uncover the truth they seek? Or run from an answer they fear will shatter their world as they know it
?

Audible and Apple Books

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katlyn DeRouen is a multi-genre author who dabbles in science fiction, fantasy, and romance. Driven by her love of the written word, she penned her debut book of poetry in 2019, which received an outpouring of glowing reviews. Encouraged by the support of her readers, she allowed her imagination to take her to the stars and back with countless new engaging characters and compelling novels. She lives in Kansas, with her husband and adorable dog, where she can always be found getting lost in a story. For inquiries of any kind, feel free to email her at authorkatlynderouen@gmail.com

Follow her also on Instagram @thekatlynderouen and on TikTok @authorkatlynderouen

BOOK SPOTLIGHT THURSDAY: The Dark in Her Veins by M.K. Lobb

Today’s spotlight comes by way of Source Fire Fantasy! Sin has a price as we step into the dark, dangerous world of Valestadt.

In Valestadt, sin causes a fatal disease called the Bloodrot, and Talin Keller is paid to commit the violent acts the city’s wealthy and powerful would rather keep off their own hands.

With death closing in, her chance at freedom hinges on betraying the feared Warden, Slade—but their dangerous attraction draws her into a conspiracy that could cost far more than her life.

The Dark in Her Veins (Divine Villains, 1)

Published: August 25trh, 2026

Genre: Dark fantasy

Nothing is sacred for those willing to pay the price…

In Valestadt, everything has a price. Sin leaves its mark in the form of the Bloodrot, a slow-creeping disease that leads to madness, then death. The rich outsource their violence. The poor sell theirs and suffer the cost.

Talin Keller is a sinner. Employed by the holiest man in the city, the Prophet, she stains her hands so his can stay clean. But with her Bloodrot rapidly advancing, Talin knows her next job could be her last.

Then a new assignment puts Talin on a collision course with the Warden, a shadowy figure whose name is spoken like a warning. If she can get close, she can trade his life for her own freedom―and escape the death her sins have promised. That is, if she can stay steady on the knife’s edge. 

Because Talin is dangerously drawn to the Warden. He is sharp, cruel, and whatever blazes in him sparks against every dark part of her. If she isn’t careful, her plans will burn.

As savior and sinner tangle, Talin uncovers a conspiracy tied to the past she thought dead. And in Valestadt, where sin is currency, she’ll have to decide what she’s willing to pay to survive.

AMAZON

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M. K. Lobb is a fantasy writer with a love of all things dark— be it literature, humour, or general aesthetic. She grew up in small-town Ontario and studied political science at both the University of Western Ontario and the University of Ottawa. She now lives by the lake with her partner and their cats. When not reading or writing, she can be found at the gym or contemplating the harsh realities of existence.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT THURSDAY: Mist in the Willows by Lucy Linne

Mist in the Willows, the first entry in the Spirit Fleet Chronicles, is a chilling and cozy gothic novel about loss, cupcakes, annoying family, mysterious steampunk strangers, and the ways in which violence may haunt us all.

Mist In The Willows: Spirit Fleet Chronicles Volume 1

Written and illustrated by Lucy Linne

Discharged unexpectedly from the British military at the peak of her career, Jade Palmer must find a way to rebuild her life. Haunted by strange nightmares and fragments of her own fractured memories, Jade finds herself thrust among unfriendly family and unfamiliar friends. Her only comfort is in the cobbled streets, quaint cottages and winding river paths that hold the happy echoes of her childhood.

But in the local cemetery, older than living memory, a strange mist rises among the willows in the depths of the night… and with it, a vengeful entity that seems to stalk Jade’s every footstep with terrifying purpose.

Alongside her faithful dog, Cannelloni, and wild-child sister, Leela, Jade must fight once more—braving a tangled journey through ancient supernatural lore, and the depths of her own hubris, to protect those she loves.

For the dead have truths to tell… and their retribution comes as cold as the grave.

BUY ON AMAZON

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Doodler. Living in a perpetual state of Halloween. Fueled by chocolate. Boxer. Unapologetic introvert. Adopted by three cats and a cat-sized dog. Purple everything. Psychology student. Goth. Can be bribed with artsy, hard cover notebooks. Ghost friendly. Will be summoned by freshly brewed coffee. Suspiciously familiar with Greco-Roman mythology, and several dead languages commonly used for demon summoning. Wall-frames maps. Devout observer of cupcake o’clock. Feminist Motto: Skulls, Bats and Witches’ Hats. Spinning while audiobooking. All you need is fluffy socks and a pint of nice-cream. Frequently channels Disney Villains. Names her house spiders. Owner of a pet GAMER, whom she’s kept in his man cave, on a diet of pizza and horror movies, for well over two decades.

Follow at @lucylinnereads on Instagram