04/05/2025 Uncomfortably Dark News and Updates

Time for another quick update for the week! This post will contain March Review stats, top sales and page reads of the last ten days, Authorcon 5 Wrap-up, and a quick list of some New Releases that we took note of that are coming up in April as well as an exciting change to the Review Team!

Thanks for joining us in the dark!

UNCOMFORTABLY DARK REVIEW TEAM STATS

March Stats

Books Read - 30

Pages Read - 5009

ARCs Read - 2

Year-To-Date Stats

Books Read - 70

Pages Read - 15,992

ARCs Read - 9

*Please keep in mind that we do accept guest reviews from authors and avid readers within the community. These are great for filling in spots when the team needs a break, is traveling, or just dealing with life matters. Feel free to email those to me.

UNCOMFORTABLY DARK REVIEW TEAM UPDATE

Change is a must and inevitable for everyone. We are happy to announce that Warn Iverson will be joining the team to replace one of our reviewers that is taking time to pursue his writing career.

Warn will begin posting his reviews on Fridays starting in May. He is a dedicated Indie Horror reviewer, an avid reader and reviewer and a member of the UD Street Team. We are very excited to have him officially on the review team!

TOP SELLING BOOKS & AMAZON PAGE READS FOR THE LAST TEN DAYS

SALES

ZOMBIE DUCKS- THE VET - FULL THROTTLE - TRANSFORMATION - BISHOP

PAGE READS

FULL THROTTLE - TRANSFORMATION - CUCKOO - SHADOW MANOR - BAKER'S DOZEN

UPCOMING APRIL RELEASES FROM AROUND THE INDUSTRY

JANITORS VS. THE LIVING DEAD - Melissa Lason and Michelle Garza (DHP) 4/1
BEASTS - Ingvild Bjerkeland 4/1
PAY THE PIPER - Sarah Connell (Speculation Publications) 4/1
BLOOD CYPRESS - Elizabeth Broadbent (RDSP) 4/3
AFTER DARK IN CRAZY TOWN - Chad Farmer and Nathan Ludwig (Genre Blast) 4/4
A PALACE NEAR THE WIND - Ai Jiang (Titan) 4/8
LITTLE LAZARUS - Michael Bible (Clash) 4/8
SENSELESS - Ronald Malfi (Titan) 4/15
THE SEERS - Sulaiman Addonia (Coffee House Press) 4/22
WHEN THE WOLF COMES HOME - Nat Cassidy (Tor) 4/22
THE QUEEN OF SATURN AND THE PRINCE OF EXILE - Errick Nunnally (Clash) 4/22
SAY UNCLE - Ryan Bradley (Ghoulish) 4/29
OIOS LYKOS - M Ennenbach (UDH) 4/30

SCARES THAT CARE: AUTHORCON 5 RECAP

Last weekend, I attended my fifth Scares That Care Authorcon event. As always, it was incredible to be “home” again. If you’ve been to this event, you may understand why I say that it’s home. My first one was in early 2022, as a relatively new author with a Splatterpunk nomination for my first anthology, The Baker’s Dozen.

I didn’t even know what “Splatterpunk” was yet, nor that it had awards! I was anxious, scared, overwhelmed, excited in weird ways, and so terrified that I was close to puking. For those that happened to catch my first ever live panel at that event, may recall my first spoken line being “I’m sorry, I think I’m going to vomit.” They laughed. I was serious.

But then, I kept speaking and the words made sense, and for the first time in my life, I had a moment of profound connection. I looked out at all those in that room, listening to me, at my peers that had fully and freely accepted me, and I knew that I was home. I had gone 42 years never fitting in, never belonging anywhere, always an invisible shadow just on the outskirts of everything.

But in that room, one hour after the event started, my entire life suddenly made sense. This was where I was meant to be. The rest of the weekend was an incredible blur, and I came home knowing three things: what Splatterpunk was, knowing I had found a family. And Brian Keene had welcomed me into his circle.

The next year, I returned as a Splatterpunk award winner, with a second nomination for another anthology for 2023. I was to moderate my own panel, Trauma in Fiction, and to speak on another. By the end of that weekend, I thanked Brian Keene for changing my life, with tears in my eyes and a full heart.

The third year was mostly the same but with two Scares Events, both in Williamsburg and St. Louis. I led another panel, spoke on two more during the Williamsburg event. Led one panel and spoke on one during the St. Louis event. Engaged with new friends and fans, just being utterly in the moment. Feeling nothing but pure joy at being there, at being among family and friends, being surrounded by the incredible team that is Scares That Care. I had found my rhythm and my place here. I was now known by my appearance and by my reputation in the community as were my family.

Coming back this year, was not just the simple joy of returning home, but so much more. Excited by the number of people there. Overwhelmed with joy at meeting and/or catching up some of my good friends from the UK such as Lee Mountford, (surreal that we are friends now. He is why I wrote Shadow Manor). Gemma Amor, Red Lagoe, V. Castro, beautiful and inspirational women that I adore. Joseph Sale who is an absolute joy to me on a regular basis.

Seeing my normal “family” of authors and readers that I most often engage with and hang out with like Erica Wetzel-Fields, Shaun Filion and Dana Filion, Eric Butler Author, Daniel Volpe, Aron Beauregard, Kristopher Triana, Judith Sonnet, Wrath James White, Laurel Hightower, Eliza Broadbent, Rebecca Cuthbert, Drew Huff, Todd Keisling, Stephen Kozeniewski, Wile E. Young, Shane McKenzie, Craig Brownlie, Lucas Milliron, Joseph Pesavento, Tony Evans, Megan Stockton, Jay Bower, Kristopher Rufty and so many other awesome people that I’m astounded to know and honored to call friends and peers.

But this year held another truly incredible moment for me. At one point, I looked around and a lot of “my” team were there beside me. Seven of my authors, Patrick Tumblety, Mike Ennenbach, Nikolas P. Robinson, Aaron Lebold, Amanda Headlee, Jason Nickey and Nathan D. Ludwig, three of my reviewers for Uncomfortably Dark, Sonja Ska, Ali Jane Sweet, and Danielle Yvonne.

And as always, my mom, and my daughter, that go to every event, that silently back UDH and what we do, that manage all the little things so I can handle the big things.

Seeing them there, a live representation of what I had built over the last five years, what was once a dream that this rookie author had at her first Scares, had become a reality by the time I reached my fifth Scares.

Joe Ripple has become a father figure to me. Brian Keene is one of my mentors and a fierce friend as is Mary San Giovanni. Jake Lerner knows my entire family by name and is a quiet force always moving through the room. Angel Hollman-Gaston is just that, literally an angel. Her smile, her absolute joy at seeing me, at seeing all of us, it matters to me, and I know it matters to everyone that shows up.

The work this organization does on the surface for the three selected families every year is incredibly important, and I’m honored to be supporting it. But today, I want to thank them for the work they do beneath the surface. Supporting authors like me. Accepting me just as I am.

Quietly giving me strength, advice, support, and a voice when I need it. This team, the people within it, brought me out of my shell, gave me courage, hope, and acceptance. They gave me my dreams back. They gave me a home, and I was honored to be back.

Thank you to absolutely everyone that has a hand in this event and for all you do to fight real monsters. See you next year!