House of Leaves Publishing

1: Floral grey background with a partial image from the poster for The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014) in the centre [Deborah's face in closeup, with red effect and glowing eyes] (text reads: Grim Reader's Syllabus; Found Footage [part two]).

2: Floral pink background with black bands containing text at top (Found Footage Horror Analysis) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Cannibal Holocaust (Devil's Advocates) (Calum Waddell, Liverpool University Press, 2016). Lost in the Static: The Untold Stories of Shot-On-Video Horror Directed by Women (Rachael Herb-Neterer, Odd Monster Press, 2026). Paranormal Activity (Mary Beth McAndrews, DieDieBooks, 2026). POV Horror: The Trauma Aesthetic of the Found Footage Subgenre (Duncan Hubber, McFarland, 2023). Found Footage Horror Films: A Cognitive Approach (Peter Turner, Routledge, 2019). Aesthetic Deviations: A Critical View of American Shot-on-Video Horror, 1984–1994 (Vincent A. Albarano, Headpress, 2023).

3: Floral pink background with black bands containing text at top (Filtered Reality) and HoL logo at bottom. In the centre: book cover for Filtered Reality: The Progenitors and Evolution of Found Footage Horror (Rebecca Booth & Valeska Griffiths (Eds.). White arrow points to book with captions as follows: mondo Grand Guignol video games history of hoaxes cryptids urban legends Victorian horror novels haunted attractions digital doppelgängers giallo true crime demonology

4: Floral pink background with black bands containing HoL logo at top and text at bottom ([http://holpublishing.com](http://holpublishing.com/))]. Grim Reader bookworm (designed by Jessica Rose) in centre and finger pointing at bottom text. Text in centre reads: Bookworms! For more found footage, analog, and digital horror book recs (as well as Filtered Reality)....

Part two of our Found Footage February reading list is here! 📹

From firm faves to forthcoming titles, part two also spotlights our very own found footage anthology, Filtered Reality. 🖤

You'll also find February's full reading list at holpublishing.com -- happy Grim Reading! 🪱

#booksky #horrorsky

Image: 'Print Is Undead: holpublishing.com' gothic logo in black on white background (hand-lettered by Dana Polakovičová and digitised by Euan Monaghan) with black floral line art around edges.

On #internationalwomensday, a huge shout out to the women who've contributed to our anthologies, especially our all-women editorial coven: Valeska and Jessica.

I'm (Rebecca) so thrilled to share a preview of Jessica's artwork for our next project--something wicked this way comes... 🖤

Image: Full moon with greyscale cloudy sky. Text: Crow Moon 3 March 2026 The Crow Moon is all about fresh starts and new growth. Now is the time to turn planning into implementation.

Image: Greyscale full moon with cloudy sky. Text (black and white): Journaling prompts Describe your ideal day. What’s one small change you can implement right now? If you could reset one thing in your life, what would it be and why? Digitally detox: write notes by hand for the month (starting with your top three ‘fresh start’ priorities).

Image: Greyscale full moon with cloudy sky. Text (black and white): Creative prompts Write the beginning of a new story – just the first paragraph – from several perspectives. Write a short essay on the beauty of monstrous transformation. Design a creative vision board full of art, words, and colours that represent your growth goals.

Image: Greyscale full moon with cloudy sky. Text (black and white): Freewriting prompt Turn to a fresh page and don’t stop until you’ve filled it. This can be a mixture of doodles, poetry, word association, plotting out your chapter or novel – whatever flows. Repeat weekly as a tool to channel your creative focus before a writing session.

The Crow Moon in March takes us back to beginnings, signifying fresh starts and new growth. 🌕

Now is the time to turn planning into implementation, so this month's writing prompts are themed around resets, vision, and (monstrous) transformation. 🖤

#writingprompts #writingcommunity #authorsky

Image 1: Poster for Lake Mungo (SBS Independent, Screen Australia & Mungo Productions, 2008). Grainy, static close-up of a young woman's face.

mage 2: Poster for Merlin Coverley's Hauntology: Ghosts of Futures Past (2020): Orange sky lights a walkway between black bushes; shadows of two figures create parallel lines on the path; orange title and white text for author's name.

Throughout February, we're sharing book recs inspired by found footage horror films... Next up: Lake Mungo (2008). Stylised as a pseudo-documentary, the film investigates the inexplicable events experienced in the home of the Palmer family after the death of their teenage daughter, Alice... As its mysteries unravel into further questions, Lake Mungo layers formal and narrative elements beautifully to create an immersive experience that requires agency from its audience. Drawing on the film's hauntological exploration of the spectre of grief, memory, and (familial) relationships, Merlin Coverley's Hauntology: Ghosts of Futures Past (2020) provides a useful and accessible introduction to, and overview of, hauntology in popular culture, asking why contemporary culture is so haunted by the recent past — from Spiritualism to Victorian ghost stories to the folk horror revival...

Throughout February, we're sharing book recs inspired by #FoundFootage horror films... 💙📚

Next up: Lake Mungo (2008) and Merlin Coverley's Hauntology: Ghosts of Futures Past (2020).

What FF films would you'd like us to cover next? 🎥

#booksky #horror #filmsky #bookrec #tbr #hauntology #nonfiction

Image 1: Poster for As above, So Below (2014): upside-down image of the Eiffel Tower on top of skulls with a bright red background.

Image 2: Cover for Dante's Inferno, 2013, Penguin Books: design by Richard Green from an engraving by an unknown Florentine artist based on a fresco in the Campo Santa, Pisa (line drawing in red on white background: in the centre, Lucifer tortures several damned souls, some of whom are named).

Throughout February, we're sharing book recs inspired by found footage horror films... Next up: As Above, So Below (2014). Searching for the Philosopher's Stone, a group of explorers descend into the Paris Catacombs... Part Tomb Raider, part National Treasure, what starts as a fun alchemical adventure ends up being a clever commentary on the transmutation of grief. The film's themes of sin, torment, redemption, and faith, the journey itself, and more overt references ("Abandon all hope, ye who enter here") all nod to Dante Alighieri's Inferno. The first part (followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso) of Italian writer Dante's 14th-century narrative poem The Divine Comedy, which represents the soul's journey toward God, Inferno details the journey of a fictionalised version of Dante through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. The Penguin edition pictured here is translated by Robin Kirkpatrick and includes explanatory notes and illustrations showing the different layers of Hell.

Throughout February, we're sharing book recs inspired by #FoundFootage horror films... 💙📚

Next up: As Above, So Below (2014) and Inferno (c. 1321).

What book recs would you add for this film? 📹

What found footage films should we cover? Let us know below! 👇

#booksky #filmsky #horror #bookrec #tbr

Josh Gates Makes A Breakthrough On The Dyatlov Pass Incident! | Expedition Unknown YouTube video by Discovery UK

Further sources:
—Josh Gates' Expedition Unknown two-part documentary: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPNL....

Ep 23: Dyatlov Pass Part 1 — Astonishing Legends We may never know what was so horrific that it caused a group of experienced adventurers to take leave of their senses and take their chances in the deadly wilderness. We explore the theories of Dyatl...

Further sources:
—Astonishing Legends (two podcast episodes, followed by an update): astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/....

1079 The Overwhelming Force of Dyatlov Pass We are not giving up the pursuit of the truth.

Further sources:
—Teodora Hadjiyska's comprehensive and award-winning research is published on the website dyatlovpass.com; as well as translating the case files, she has been to the pass several times and co-authored the book 1079: The Overwhelming Force of Dyatlov Pass with Igor Pavlov.

Image 1: Poster for Devil's Pass: naked woman with brown hair (seen from the back and waist up) surrounded by snowy blizzard and mountains.

Image 2: Book cover for Dead Mountain (Donnie Eichar with J.C. Gabel and Nova Jacobs, Chronicle Books, 2013): black-and-white photograph of hikers skiing in snowy blizzard.

Throughout February, we're sharing book recs inspired by found footage horror films... First up: Devil's Pass (2013). The film follows a group of American students making a documentary about a true story: the mysterious deaths of nine (mostly student) hikers in the Ural Mountains in February 1959. Without giving too much away if this is one you haven't seen, where the film trades in some of the most outlandish (and, frankly, exploitative) conspiracy theories, Donnie Eichar's extraordinary book, Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident — also released in 2013 — humanises the real people at the heart of this story. In the winter of 2012, Eichar embarked on the actual journey taken by the hikers, a feat in itself. This narrative structure allows us, via the hikers' diary entries and interviews with acquaintances and loved ones, to spend time with the group as we follow along. Providing a glimpse into Soviet Russia at that time, the book tackles several theories before Eichar offers, in my opinion, one of the most plausible explanations as to what happened that fateful night. Coming back to the film, the students attempt to speak to a man who was part of the hiking group but had to turn back due to illness; he has since been hospitalised, after a nervous breakdown, and the students are informed the man is dead when they visit the hospital. They then see a man in a hospital window with a sign warning them to leave, before he is dragged away. This man is (egregiously) based on Yuri Yudin, who was forced to reluctantly leave the expedition — and his friends — early due to illness. Yudin passed away in 2013, the year the film and book were released. Having met with Eichar, Yudin's quote opens the book: "If I could ask God just one question it would be what really happened to my friends that night?"

Throughout February, we're sharing book recs inspired by #FoundFootage horror films... 💙📚

First up: Devil's Pass and Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident (2013).

Further sources in comments—let us know what FF films you'd like us to cover! 🎥

#booksky #horror #filmsky

Where the film trades in some of the most outlandish (and, frankly, exploitative) conspiracy theories, Donnie Eichar's extraordinary book, Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident — also released in 2013 — humanises the real people at the heart of this story. [ctd.]

Link to the Found Footage Horror issue of Horror Homeroom: www.horrorhomeroom.com/special-issu...

And it's not too late to submit an abstract for their spring issue, on dolls and their houses: www.horrorhomeroom.com/cfp-dolls-an...

#openaccess #foundfootage #horrorsky #dolls #cfp

Read Grim's Real Fake issue here (and all other issues): anatomyofascream.wordpress.com/grim-2/

#openaccess #horrorcommunity #horrorsky #foundfootage #foundfootagefebruary #horrormovies #writersky #analoghorror

Some good ones in here! (they're all good ones)

Thank you for sharing!

1: Floral black grey background with a partial image from The Black Witch Project (1999) in the centre (close-up of Heather's eyes) (text reads: Grim Reader's Syllabus; Found Footage: Part One).

2: Floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Found Footage Horror Analysis) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Analog Nightmares: The Shot On Video Horror Films of 1982–1995 (Richard Mogg, Independent, 2018). Affective Intensities and Evolving Horror Forms: From Found Footage to Virtual Reality (Adam Daniel, Edinburgh University Press, 2020). Found Footage Horror Films: Fear and the Appearance of Reality (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, McFarland, 2013). Blood on the Lens: Trauma and Anxiety in American Found Footage Horror Cinema (Shellie McMurdo, Edinburgh University Press, 2022). The Blair Witch Project (Devil's Advocates) (Peter Turner, Liverpool University Press, 2015). Digital Horror: Haunted Technologies, Network Panic and the Found Footage Phenomenon (Xavier Aldana Reyes & Linnie Blake (Eds.), I.B. Tauris, 2015).

3: Floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Found Footage Horror Analysis: Open Access) and HoL logo at bottom. Two journals in the middle: Grim's Real Fake: Hex, Lies and Videotape (Dawn Keetley, Elizabeth Erwin & Gwen Hofmann (Eds.); Issue #11; September 2022) and Horror Homeroom's Found Footage Horror special issue (Valeska Griffiths & Rebecca McCallum (Eds.); Issue #7; Spring 2023).

4: Floral grey background with black bands containing HoL logo at top and text at bottom [(http://holpublishing.com/grimreader)]. Grim Reader bookworm (designed by Jessica Rose) in centre and finger pointing at bottom text. Text in centre reads: Bookworms! Bookmark for later….

Valentine's Day may have passed, but this month's reading list topic is close to our hearts: found footage horror!

From seminal to anticipated titles, part 1 also recommends 2 open access publications...

Full list + more: holpublishing.com/grimreader!

#booksky #horrorsky #foundfootage #bookrecs

1: Floral black grey background with a partial image from The Hunger poster (1983) in the centre (pencil-drawn greyscale image of three main characters), with the colors of the pride flag over the top (text reads: Grim Reader's Syllabus; Queer Horror: Celebrating LGBT+ History Month).

2: Floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Queer Horror) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): New Queer Horror Film and Television (Darren Elliott-Smith & John Edgar Browning (Eds.), University of Wales Press, 2020). Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema (Caden Mark Gardner & Willow Catelyn Maclay, Repeater, 2024). The Queer Uncanny: New Perspectives on the Gothic (Paulina Palmer, University of Wales Press, 2012). It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror (Joe Vallese (Ed.), The Feminist Press, 2022). Queer Horror: Fun and Freaky Perspectives on Macabre Media (Gina Brandolino & Joe Carlough, Microcosm Publishing, 2025). It Used to be Witches: Under the Spell of Queer Cinema (Ryan Gilbey, Faber & Faber, 2025).

3: Floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Queer Horror) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Queer Screams: A History of LGBTQ+ Survival Through the Lens of American Horror Cinema (Abigail Waldron, McFarland, 2022). Queer Horror Film and Television: Sexuality and Masculinity at the Margins (Darren Elliott-Smith, I.B. Tauris, 2016). Vampires and Violets: Lesbians in the Cinema (Andrea Weiss, Penguin, 1992). Queer Slashers (Peter Marra, Indiana University Press, 2025). Beyond the Lesbian Vampire: Reclaiming the Violent Lesbian in Contemporary Queer Horror (Sam Tabet, University of Wales Press, 2025). Queering the Gothic (William Hughes & Andrew Smith (Eds.), Manchester University Press, 2009).

4: Floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Queer Horror) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Queer for Fear: Horror Film and the Queer Spectator (Heather O. Petrocelli, University of Wales Press, 2023). Queer as Folklore: The Hidden Queer History of Myths and Monsters (Sacha Coward, Manchester University Press, 2025). Sleepaway Camp (BJ Colangelo & Harmony Colangelo, DieDieBooks, 2024). Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film (Harry M. Benshoff, Manchester University Press, 1997). Desire After Dark: Contemporary Queer Cultures and Occultly Marvelous Media (Andrew J. Owens, Indiana University Press, 2021). Queer Horror: A Film Guide (Sean Abley & Tyler Doupé (Eds.), McFarland, 2024).

In honour of LGBT+ History Month (UK), here's some of our fave books exploring queer horror across film, television, literature, and folklore. To access the full list, visit holpublishing.com/grimreader!

#lgbthistorymonth #queerhorror #booksky #horrorsky #bookrecs #readinglist #grimreader

1: Victorian floral black grey background with the cover of Candyman (2021) in the centre (text reads: Grim Reader's Syllabus; Black Horror: Celebrating Black History Month).

2: Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Black Horror) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Searching for Sycorax: Black Women's Hauntings of Contemporary Horror (Kinitra D. Brooks, Rutgers University Press, 2017). The Oxford Handbook of Black Horror Film (Robin R. Means Coleman and Novotny Lawrence (Eds.), Oxford University Press, 2025). BOO! The Essential Guide To Black Horror (K.S. Todd, Independent, 2023). Where No Black Woman Has Gone Before: Subversive Portrayals in Speculative Film and TV (Diana Adesola Mafe, University of Texas Press, 2018). The Blaxploitation Horror Film: Adaptation, Appropriation and the Gothic (Jamil Mustafa, University of Wales Press, 2023). The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar (Robin R. Means Coleman & Mark H. Harris, Saga Press, 2023).

3: Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Black Horror) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Black Witches and Queer Ghosts: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation in Teen Supernatural Serials (Camille S. Alexander (Ed.), Lexington Books, 2024). Darkly: Black History and America's Gothic Soul (Leila Taylor, Repeater, 2019). 160 Black Women in Horror (Sumiko Saulson (Ed.), Iconoclast Productions, 2023). Screenplays of the African American Experience (Phyllis Rauch Klotman (Ed.), Indiana University Press, 1991). Black Celebration: Amazing Articles on African American Horror (Sumiko Saulson (Ed.), Independent, 2019). Horror Noire: A History of Black American Horror from the 1890s to Present (Second Edition) (Robin R. Means Coleman, Routledge, 2022).

4: Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing HoL logo at top and text at bottom [[holpublishing.com/grimreader](http://holpublishing.com/grimreader)]. Grim Reader bookworm (designed by Jessica Rose) in centre and finger pointing at bottom text. Text in centre reads: Bookworms! Bookmark for later….

To celebrate Black History Month (US) & LGBT+ History Month (UK) this Feb, we've curated 2 additional reading lists (on top of our usual monthly list).

First, we're sharing some fave nonfiction books exploring Black horror (film & beyond): holpublishing.com/grimreader!

#BlackHistoryMonth #booksky

Image: Full moon with blue cloudy sky. Text: Snow Moon 1 January 2026 Falling during a time when our hearts have begun to long for spring and the return of warm weather, the Snow Moon marks a period of waiting and hope.

Image: Greyscale full moon with cloudy sky. Text (black and white): Journaling prompts What word best describes this chapter of your life and why. List the ways your presence make a positive impact on people’s lives. Compose an affirmation to remind yourself that you are enough when feeling down.

Image: Greyscale full moon with cloudy sky. Text (black and white): Creative prompts Write a short essay about your favourite feel-good film and why (re)watching is a form of self-care. Spend 10 mins a day copying out passages from your favourite books. Create erasure poetry themed around self-love.

Image: Greyscale full moon with cloudy sky. Text (black and white): Freewriting prompt Write a letter to your childhood self, reassuring them with everything they needed to hear. Come back to it throughout the month, focusing on several different areas of your life.

February's Snow Moon marks a period of waiting and hoping, as we anticipate the spring.

Let's face it, we could all do with a bit of hope right now, which is why this month's writing prompts are themed around self-care, mindfulness, and healing. 🖤

#writingprompts #writersky #writinginspiration

1: Floral black grey background with a partial image from The Black Witch Project (1999) in the centre (close-up of Heather's eyes) (text reads: Grim Reader's Syllabus; Found Footage: Part One).

2: Floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Found Footage Horror Analysis) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Analog Nightmares: The Shot On Video Horror Films of 1982–1995 (Richard Mogg, Independent, 2018). Affective Intensities and Evolving Horror Forms: From Found Footage to Virtual Reality (Adam Daniel, Edinburgh University Press, 2020). Found Footage Horror Films: Fear and the Appearance of Reality (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, McFarland, 2013). Blood on the Lens: Trauma and Anxiety in American Found Footage Horror Cinema (Shellie McMurdo, Edinburgh University Press, 2022). The Blair Witch Project (Devil's Advocates) (Peter Turner, Liverpool University Press, 2015). Digital Horror: Haunted Technologies, Network Panic and the Found Footage Phenomenon (Xavier Aldana Reyes & Linnie Blake (Eds.), I.B. Tauris, 2015).

3: Floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Found Footage Horror Analysis: Open Access) and HoL logo at bottom. Two journals in the middle: Grim's Real Fake: Hex, Lies and Videotape (Dawn Keetley, Elizabeth Erwin & Gwen Hofmann (Eds.); Issue #11; September 2022) and Horror Homeroom's Found Footage Horror special issue (Valeska Griffiths & Rebecca McCallum (Eds.); Issue #7; Spring 2023).

4: Floral grey background with black bands containing HoL logo at top and text at bottom [(http://holpublishing.com/grimreader)]. Grim Reader bookworm (designed by Jessica Rose) in centre and finger pointing at bottom text. Text in centre reads: Bookworms! Bookmark for later….

Valentine's Day may have passed, but this month's reading list topic is close to our hearts: found footage horror!

From seminal to anticipated titles, part 1 also recommends 2 open access publications...

Full list + more: holpublishing.com/grimreader!

#booksky #horrorsky #foundfootage #bookrecs

1: Floral black grey background with a partial image from The Hunger poster (1983) in the centre (pencil-drawn greyscale image of three main characters), with the colors of the pride flag over the top (text reads: Grim Reader's Syllabus; Queer Horror: Celebrating LGBT+ History Month).

2: Floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Queer Horror) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): New Queer Horror Film and Television (Darren Elliott-Smith & John Edgar Browning (Eds.), University of Wales Press, 2020). Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema (Caden Mark Gardner & Willow Catelyn Maclay, Repeater, 2024). The Queer Uncanny: New Perspectives on the Gothic (Paulina Palmer, University of Wales Press, 2012). It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror (Joe Vallese (Ed.), The Feminist Press, 2022). Queer Horror: Fun and Freaky Perspectives on Macabre Media (Gina Brandolino & Joe Carlough, Microcosm Publishing, 2025). It Used to be Witches: Under the Spell of Queer Cinema (Ryan Gilbey, Faber & Faber, 2025).

3: Floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Queer Horror) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Queer Screams: A History of LGBTQ+ Survival Through the Lens of American Horror Cinema (Abigail Waldron, McFarland, 2022). Queer Horror Film and Television: Sexuality and Masculinity at the Margins (Darren Elliott-Smith, I.B. Tauris, 2016). Vampires and Violets: Lesbians in the Cinema (Andrea Weiss, Penguin, 1992). Queer Slashers (Peter Marra, Indiana University Press, 2025). Beyond the Lesbian Vampire: Reclaiming the Violent Lesbian in Contemporary Queer Horror (Sam Tabet, University of Wales Press, 2025). Queering the Gothic (William Hughes & Andrew Smith (Eds.), Manchester University Press, 2009).

4: Floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Queer Horror) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Queer for Fear: Horror Film and the Queer Spectator (Heather O. Petrocelli, University of Wales Press, 2023). Queer as Folklore: The Hidden Queer History of Myths and Monsters (Sacha Coward, Manchester University Press, 2025). Sleepaway Camp (BJ Colangelo & Harmony Colangelo, DieDieBooks, 2024). Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film (Harry M. Benshoff, Manchester University Press, 1997). Desire After Dark: Contemporary Queer Cultures and Occultly Marvelous Media (Andrew J. Owens, Indiana University Press, 2021). Queer Horror: A Film Guide (Sean Abley & Tyler Doupé (Eds.), McFarland, 2024).

In honour of LGBT+ History Month (UK), here's some of our fave books exploring queer horror across film, television, literature, and folklore. To access the full list, visit holpublishing.com/grimreader!

#lgbthistorymonth #queerhorror #booksky #horrorsky #bookrecs #readinglist #grimreader

1: Victorian floral black grey background with the cover of Candyman (2021) in the centre (text reads: Grim Reader's Syllabus; Black Horror: Celebrating Black History Month).

2: Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Black Horror) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Searching for Sycorax: Black Women's Hauntings of Contemporary Horror (Kinitra D. Brooks, Rutgers University Press, 2017). The Oxford Handbook of Black Horror Film (Robin R. Means Coleman and Novotny Lawrence (Eds.), Oxford University Press, 2025). BOO! The Essential Guide To Black Horror (K.S. Todd, Independent, 2023). Where No Black Woman Has Gone Before: Subversive Portrayals in Speculative Film and TV (Diana Adesola Mafe, University of Texas Press, 2018). The Blaxploitation Horror Film: Adaptation, Appropriation and the Gothic (Jamil Mustafa, University of Wales Press, 2023). The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar (Robin R. Means Coleman & Mark H. Harris, Saga Press, 2023).

3: Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (Black Horror) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Black Witches and Queer Ghosts: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation in Teen Supernatural Serials (Camille S. Alexander (Ed.), Lexington Books, 2024). Darkly: Black History and America's Gothic Soul (Leila Taylor, Repeater, 2019). 160 Black Women in Horror (Sumiko Saulson (Ed.), Iconoclast Productions, 2023). Screenplays of the African American Experience (Phyllis Rauch Klotman (Ed.), Indiana University Press, 1991). Black Celebration: Amazing Articles on African American Horror (Sumiko Saulson (Ed.), Independent, 2019). Horror Noire: A History of Black American Horror from the 1890s to Present (Second Edition) (Robin R. Means Coleman, Routledge, 2022).

4: Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing HoL logo at top and text at bottom [[holpublishing.com/grimreader](http://holpublishing.com/grimreader)]. Grim Reader bookworm (designed by Jessica Rose) in centre and finger pointing at bottom text. Text in centre reads: Bookworms! Bookmark for later….

To celebrate Black History Month (US) & LGBT+ History Month (UK) this Feb, we've curated 2 additional reading lists (on top of our usual monthly list).

First, we're sharing some fave nonfiction books exploring Black horror (film & beyond): holpublishing.com/grimreader!

#BlackHistoryMonth #booksky

Image: Full moon with blue cloudy sky. Text: Snow Moon 1 January 2026 Falling during a time when our hearts have begun to long for spring and the return of warm weather, the Snow Moon marks a period of waiting and hope.

Image: Greyscale full moon with cloudy sky. Text (black and white): Journaling prompts What word best describes this chapter of your life and why. List the ways your presence make a positive impact on people’s lives. Compose an affirmation to remind yourself that you are enough when feeling down.

Image: Greyscale full moon with cloudy sky. Text (black and white): Creative prompts Write a short essay about your favourite feel-good film and why (re)watching is a form of self-care. Spend 10 mins a day copying out passages from your favourite books. Create erasure poetry themed around self-love.

Image: Greyscale full moon with cloudy sky. Text (black and white): Freewriting prompt Write a letter to your childhood self, reassuring them with everything they needed to hear. Come back to it throughout the month, focusing on several different areas of your life.

February's Snow Moon marks a period of waiting and hoping, as we anticipate the spring.

Let's face it, we could all do with a bit of hope right now, which is why this month's writing prompts are themed around self-care, mindfulness, and healing. 🖤

#writingprompts #writersky #writinginspiration

Images: 1: Victorian floral black grey background with the cover of On Writing (2015) in the centre (text reads: Grim Reader's syllabus; On Writing [part three].

2: Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (On Writing—Part three) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Out Of Silence, Sound. Out Of Nothing, Something: A Writer’s Guide (Susan Griffin, Counterpoint, 2023). Zen in the Art of Writing (Ray Bradbury, Harper Collins, 2015). Writing in the Dark (Tim Waggoner, Guide Dog Books, 2020). The Spooky Art: Thoughts on Writing (Norman Mailer, Random House, 2004). Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (Francine Prose, Union Books, 2012). Danse Macabre (Stephen King, Hodder, 2012).

3: Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (On Writing—Part three) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): The Language of the Night: Essays on Writing, Science Fiction, and Fantasy (Ursula K. Le Guin, Ken Liu & Susan Wood, Scribner, 2024). The Word: Black Writers Talk About the Transformative Power of Reading and Writing (Marita Golden, Crown Publishing Group, 2011). Word Witch: How to Call Upon and Cultivate the Creative Magic Within You (Kate Belew & Robin Rose Bennett, Grand Central Publishing, 2025). Free Within Ourselves: Fiction Lessons For Black Authors (Jewell Parker Rhodes, Main Street Books, 1999). How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill (Jericho Brown, Amistad, 2023). What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir (Haruki Murakami, Vintage, 2009).

4: Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing HoL logo at top and text at bottom [[holpublishing.com/grimreader](http://holpublishing.com/grimreader)]. Grim Reader bookworm (designed by Jessica Rose) in centre and finger pointing at bottom text. Text in centre reads: Bookworms! Bookmark full list for later….

The 3rd and final part of our monthly recommended book list on writing is here--just about squeezing into January!

Containing 36 books I would hands-down recommend to anyone practicing the craft, the full list can be found on our website (holpublishing.com/grimreader).

#booksky #horror #writersky

Victorian floral black grey background with the cover of On Writing (2015) in the centre (text reads: Grim Reader's syllabus; On Writing [part two].

Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (On Writing—Part two) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott, Canongate Canons, 2020). Elements of Indigenous Style (Second Edition): A Guide for Writing by and About Indigenous Peoples (Greg Younging, Brush Education Inc, 2025). First You Write a Sentence: The Elements of Reading, Writing… and Life (Joe Moran, Penguin, 2019). remembered rapture: the writer at work (bell hooks, Picador, 1999). The Writing Life (Annie Dillard, Canongate Canons, 2026). There's Something Strange About My Brain: Writing Horror for Kids (RL Stine, Erudition, 2023).

Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing text at top (On Writing—Part two) and HoL logo at bottom. Six covers in the middle (clockwise): Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story (Ursula K. Le Guin, Mariner Books, 2015). Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative (Jane Alison, Blackstone, 2019). Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping (Matthew Salesses, Catapult, 2021). 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing (Updated): Proven Professional Techniques for Writing with Style and Power (Gary Provost, Berkley, 2019). Manifesto: On Never Giving Up (Bernardine Evaristo, Grove Press, 2023). Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (Second Edition): How to Edit Yourself Into Print (Renni Browne & Dave King, William Morrow, 2004).

Victorian floral grey background with black bands containing HoL logo at top and text at bottom (http://holpublishing.com/grimreader). Grim Reader bookworm (designed by Jessica Rose) in centre and finger pointing at bottom text. Text in centre reads: Bookworms! Bookmark full list for later….

Happy Friday, Grim Readers! 🪱

Highlighting another twelve books on writing from our January reading list (read in full at holpublishing.com/grimreader) — which books would you recommend to fellow writers? 📖

#horrorcommunity #indiepublisher #bookrec #nonfiction #grimreader #booksky #horrorsky

Image: Grey background with cover for Scared Sacred at bottom and text at top: "An outstanding collection. Every essay is worth reading; my favorites were about the Hellraiser series, The Omen, and Seytan & Jinn."--Dave Hirsch, Goodreads.

Another 5* review for Scared Sacred on Goodreads!

LOVE to see several chapters highlighted...

Reviews are integral to our reach as an indie publisher; thank you to everyone for the incredible support!

Limited-edition foiled paperbacks can be bought at holpublishing.com/shop.

#booksky #horrorsky

Thank you to every single person who has supported our journey, and by extension indie publishing and a women-owned small business; here's to the next adventure—new year, new book(s)... 📖 (6/6)

...from adding wee extras and handwritten notes to ensuring everything's checked to our standards, shipped quickly, and that any queries receive a timely response. (5/6)

As a boutique publisher producing limited-edition print runs, we pride ourselves on our independence. Buying books directly from our shop allows me to take care with each order... (4/6)

Though the tariffs are less than ideal, especially on top of local shipping complications last year, we're so happy to be connected with our US-based Undead Community again! 🖤 (3/6)

I waited until able to add the tariff to US orders at purchase to make the process as pain-free as possible (please refer to our shipping terms and conditions for more information). (2/6)