Author | Lightnews

J.A.W. McCarthy

@jawmccarthy.bsky.social

2.8K followers 550 following 1.1K posts

2x Bram Stoker & 2x Shirley Jackson Award finalist. Author of SLEEP ALONE and SOMETIMES WE’RE CRUEL. Stories: Best Horror of the Year Vol 13, PseudoPod, Vastarien, Split Scream 3, more. Cat & lipstick enthusiast. She/Jen. Rep: Lane Heymont. jawmccarthy.com

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J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · Nov 8

Hey, new friends, about me:

I’m the author of the sex, drugs & rock & roll, queer succubi novella SLEEP ALONE, the collection SOMETIMES WE’RE CRUEL, & numerous horror stories involving monstrous women and Thai folklore. I like it dark, sad, & decadently deranged. Prose 🖤er. Beauty in the grotesque.

My books Sleep Alone and Sometimes We’re Cruel, surrounded by matching bookmarks and stickers. Stuff I bring to cons.

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Reposted by J.A.W. McCarthy

khōréō magazine @khoreo.bsky.social · 16h

🚨 November submissions are OPEN! We're seeking bold, subversive fiction on:

🔁 Cycles of revolution

💥 Revolution as a starting point

🌿 Quiet revolutions & resistance

📢 Disability, class & revolution

Submit now! www.khoreomag.com/submissions-...

Image of hand holding a megaphone. Overlayed text reading: Submissions open on November 1st to 30th, under the theme of Revolutions.

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Reposted by J.A.W. McCarthy

💬 @dubonicplague.bsky.social · 1d

You can search by zip code and a lot of places have wish lists set up on Chewy so you’ll be able to see exactly what they need and have it sent direct to them. Couldn’t be easier.

Linny @linnybobinny.bsky.social · 1d

if you are food insecure for both the humans and pets in your household there is a tool called Pet Help Finder that can help locate pet food banks nearby and other free or reduced price assistance and supplies for pets.
no one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, should have to give up their pet bc of this.

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Reposted by J.A.W. McCarthy

Sara Tantlinger @saratantlinger.bsky.social · 2d

Hi all!

I am on the programming team for StokerCon 2026, and I’m happy to share a little guide we’ve put together on proposing panels. Whether you’re new to panels or have a lot of experience with them, we’re hopeful the tips here will be helpful.

www.stokercon2025.com/programming

PROGRAMMING | StokerCon 2026

www.stokercon2025.com

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Reposted by J.A.W. McCarthy

Lauren Bolger @renbolger.bsky.social · 2d

Zombie miners 🧟
Dark Fantasy 🐉
X-Files vibes 👽
Romance 🌹
Sometimes you can have all four of those. Not always, but sometimes.
malarkeybooks.com/store/barre-...

Cover for The Barre Incidents by me (Lauren Bolger). A statue’s face with a graveyard superimposed behind it. Cover art is by Matt Revert!

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J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 4d

Lesbian cannibals and that cover?? SOLD

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J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 4d

Happy anniversary!

J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 8d

Congrats to all involved!!

Reposted by J.A.W. McCarthy

Haven Spec Magazine @havenspec.bsky.social · 8d

Our general submission window is now open!

We want stories and poetry with a strong voice and a sense of adventure, stuff that makes us feel things, stuff that lets us use our hearts and our brains and leaves us wanting more!

For our full guidelines and schedule, visit:
www.havenspec.com/submit/

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J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 9d

YES. The closest I’ll ever get to sinking my teeth into that tempting wax.

Mike Drucker @mikedrucker.bsky.social · 9d

“Eating candy corn feels like eating wax”

Yes! Good! Exactly! Do you know how many scented candles I’ve had that I’ve desperately wanted to eat?

J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 9d

I’m so sorry

Reposted by J.A.W. McCarthy

Josh Rountree @joshrountree.bsky.social · 9d

Need a ghost story for Halloween Night?

How about this one?

psychopomp.com/product/summ...

Summer in the House of the Departed | Psychopomp

Forty-four years after his grandmother and an entire West Texas town vanished, Brady returns to his childhood home, hoping to follow in her footsteps.

psychopomp.com

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J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 9d

Perfect pairing! We watch The Lost Boys every Halloween too.

Reposted by J.A.W. McCarthy

Maria Haskins @mariahaskins.com · 10d

My latest What to Read column at Ruadán is all about ghosts and haunted houses! ruadanbooks.com/what-to-read...

What to Read – Ghosts and Haunted Houses - Ruadán Books

by Maria Haskins The very first ghost story that made an indelible impression on me was Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost, as read by famed Swedish actor Stig Järrel. This audio version was first…

ruadanbooks.com

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J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 11d

Absolutely love this collection. Give it a try—you won’t be disappointed.

Josh Rountree @joshrountree.bsky.social · 11d

If you enjoyed my novels, you might like my short story collections too. My latest is Death Aesthetic. Horror and dark fantasy tales about grief and death and transformation.

www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0D7...

Death Aesthetic

Death Aesthetic - Kindle edition by Rountree, Josh. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Death Aesthetic.

www.amazon.com

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💬 @dubonicplague.bsky.social · 11d

Got some killer star sparkle today! I’ve been dying to get my hands on @saratantlinger.bsky.social’s collection since she announced it and the wait is finally over! Cyanide Constellations has arrived.

Order your copy here: darkmattermagazine.shop/products/cya...

A skeleton whose bones are made of disco ball mirrors lounging in some plants with CYANIDE CONSTELLATIONS by Sara Tantlinger on its lap.

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Ivy Grimes @ivygrimes.bsky.social · 11d

Be sure to preorder while it's still around 13 dollars (not including shipping)! You will save just over five dollars, the cost of a jug of salsa.

Apex Magazine and Book Company @apexmag.bsky.social · 16d

We're thrilled to announce that preorders for Violet Lichen's first novella are LIVE! Welcome to the world of @ivygrimes.bsky.social folk horror, THE CELLAR BELOW THE CELLAR 🔮🪆🌌

Full Announcement HERE: www.apexbookcompany.com/blogs/frontp...

Preorder HERE: www.apexbookcompany.com/products/the...

The ARC cover of THE CELLAR BELOW THE CELLAR: A Folk Horror Novella by Ivy Grimes: a forest of dark pines, silhouetted against a sky full of auroras.

"A playfully dark, coming-of-age folk horror inspired by the Russian fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful," set beneath a blazing sky of endless auroras."

FOR FANS OF:
Olga Tokarczuk, Kelly Link, Karen Russell, Barbara Comyns, Ottessa Moshfegh, Leonora Carrington

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J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 12d

He is unbelievably precious 😍

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J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 12d

Same in my family. My parents are both only children but I have aunts and uncles. And my mom has a sister. It has nothing to do with blood. Like you said, it’s about respect and how you view relationships.

Reposted by J.A.W. McCarthy

Cursed Morsels @cursedmorsels.bsky.social · 13d

For many folks, money is tight and about to get tighter with the manufactured SNAP benefits crisis. As such, between now and the end of the month, I'm donating all Cursed Morsels store proceeds to @supplydepotmpls.bsky.social. Buy a book and support unhoused folks:
www.cursedmorselspress.com

Home | Cursed Morsels Press

www.cursedmorselspress.com

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J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 13d

Happy anniversary!!

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J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 14d

I’m sorry. I hope comfort food helps a little.

J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 15d

Aahh congrats!

J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 16d

Punk worm is magnificent

J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 16d

I love it!

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J.A.W. McCarthy @jawmccarthy.bsky.social · 16d

What a beauty. I’m so sorry.