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Ladz

@ladzwriting

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queer writer of dark fantasy and gothic horror that fucks
next book: OUR CRIMSON CAGE (August 2026)

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Monthly Round Up: October 2026

WIP Stats: GOOD LITTLE FREAKS is now complete as an early draft and serialized on my website, theyreahorrorshow.com to read for free. And the version for publication is now with betas pre-professional editing. Because I’m a relentless freak and have zero chill about my long-suffering spicy dark fantasy series, the LOST GODS REWRITE is in full-swing. Honestly? I’m super excited for it this time around and am determined to hold onto that joy during the drafting process of this version (the character art is by dnncats).

What I’m reading (and/or listening to) for pleasure and research... The Magnus Protocol by Rusty Quill, Our Crimson Cage by Ladz, Theology, Horror and Fiction by Jonathan Greenaway, Just Chills: Scary Stories with Taesha Glasgow. I also beta-read C.M. Rosens’ “Dark Gothic Fantasy novella with age gap romance and magical WWI trauma.”

Shout-outs: Ladz’ 10% off everything in their Square Store for their root canal procedure (going on now until November 9th: https://ladz-merch.square.site/), and Olive J. Kelley’s Watkins & Hemlock Kickstarter Campaign (running from now to November 19th: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/olivejkelley/watkins-and-hemlock-volume-one-ouroboros).

ALT TEXT: A dimmed background photo of a person in flannel waring a pumpkin head mask posed like a scarecrow in an orange-tinted room, and the text from above.

#rainbowlit #darkfiction #infographic #monthlyroundup

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Going to @youmaconofficial at the end of the month? Be sure to swing by the 18+ section to participate in our limited-run Queer Freak Shit stamp rally, hosted by @ladzwriting, @olivejkelley, and yours truly! Spend $10 at each table to get an exclusive grab bag of short stories, buttons, and more!

This will be a very first come, first served entry rally! Only 20 people can play, so this is for the real #certifiedfreaks!

I’ll have most of my written collection available at-con, including my latest title, SWEET MOTHER I CANNOT WEAVE, and very limited numbers of OSSUARY candles and A LITTLE RAIN oracle decks as I’m low on stock and not buying more. You can find me at table 1811! Just look for the pride flags, we’ll all be sporting them!

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Excuse me for interrupting your regularly scheduled WAHposting, but some friends and I are doing a pretty cool thing in a few weeks, and I wanted to make sure people know about it 👉🏻👈🏻

As you might know, I'm going to be at Youmacon this year in Detroit, and me, @ladzwriting, and @tdcloud_writes are putting on a stamp rally full of queer freak sh!t! If you're not familiar with the concept of a stamp rally, basically if you spend at least $10 at each of our tables, you'll get a stamp (/sticker, /hole punch, etc). Once you've "collected" all three stamps, you can go to any of our tables to redeem your card for a goodie bag of short stories, zines, buttons, and more!

whether you're a yuri connoisseur (Ladz), a yaoi overconsumer (TD), or are just a fan of gay people doing weird stuff (me), be sure to come by and check us out!! I'm going to be cosplaying Simon from Iron Lung at least one of the days, and maybe I'll break out some other cosplays too 🤭

#youma2026 #youmacon2026 #youmacon #youma #stamprally

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FOLK HORROR IS HAVING A MONSTER YEAR.

I went looking for the best folk horror arriving in 2026.

#folkhorror #horrorbooks #folklore #horror #horrorfan

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Monthly Round Up: September 2026

WIP Stats: GOOD LITTLE FREAKS is all drafted at 12.8K words and lightly edited for serialization on my website, theyreahorrorshow.com. The version that’ll be way more polished and later published is with beta readers until the end of the year, and I’m so excited to share it with everyone soon! Meanwhile, I’ve begun to draft the rewrite of my first erotic Gothic horrormance, A SAVIOR, DARK. As of making this post, the story is at 4.7K words, so I’m making a bit of progress!

What I’m reading for pleasure and research... The Magnus Protocol by Rusty Quill, Our Crimson Cage by Ladz, and Queer Gothic by George E. Haggerty.

I'm looking forward to continuing making progress of A SAVIOR, DARK in October, and hopefully finish reading a book or two as it’s been awhile since I have. I’m also hoping to get back into drawing digitally because I miss it a bit.

ALT TEXT: A dimmed background photo of a femme-looking person wearing dark lipstick halfway under water, and the text from above.

#rainbowlit #darkfiction #infographic #monthlyroundup

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it’s my birthday!
🎁
i’m officially 28 today, which means it’s time for a new edition of my favorite annual tradition — finding a bunch of books for a “chapter 28” flatlay! i’ll admit it was harder than i thought, because many of my favorite books don’t have chapter numbers that extend into the late 20s, so this might not be a trend i can do for much longer, but i’ll keep making it work as long as i can:)

this past year has been full of so much growth, change, and possibility — and i only hope that the year ahead brings me even more! i’m looking forward to more books, more friendships, and more shining moments of joy in my future:) selfishly, i’m most excited about my top surgery this coming May 2027; it’s something i’ve wanted for over a decade, and it’s finally, FINALLY coming true. so, in lieu of any birthday book gifts (though i certainly won’t say no!), i’d be honored if you considered supporting my top surgery fund via the links in my bio, or shopping my @pangobooks store to help me clear my shelves. as a trans creator, i’ve found so many impactful friendships here on booksta that i know will last a lifetime (im tagging some of my faves here!!), and i truly am so, so grateful for it more than y’all can ever know. so, on my birthday today, that’s my wish — to never lose sight of how special this is.

books pictured:
-Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
-The Spirit Bares Its Teeth (Evernight edition) by Andrew Joseph White
-All Hail Chaos by Sarah Rees Brennan
-Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker
-Vile Lady Villains by Danai Christopoulou
-Dracula Daily, compiled by Matt Kirkland
🎁
qotd: do you have any special birthday traditions? tell me about them! flat lay of several books open to chapter 28

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Because @witherthymewrites requested a tour of my art, you all get a chance to see the most aesthetic parts of my apartment via a video of assorted smaller art pieces from various artists (I tried to remember everyone to tag them, but it's late and my memory fails me), a unicorn in captivity twice (a medieval looking tapestry version and a reimagining by Coey and Shy as a poster), and a poster I made half a decade ago that @warickaart drew of @cm.rosens and my stabby chaos bi hitman and glorious eldritch snuff film starlet from a story we're slowly cowriting together.

#artwall #indieartprints #authorlife #apartmenttour

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sapphic september book recs from your type b author bestie 📚

Since I know we’re reading sapphic all year long (right?! 👀👀👀👀), here’s my additions to make your TBR that much longer 🤭

Dwindling down my recs to just 16 was hard af, but best believe there’s always more to share 🔥

What sapphic books would you add to the list? 💕

#booksta #bookrecs #sapphicbooks #sapphic

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We’re set up and ready to go at @matsuricon with all your queer lit needs! Find us right inside the entrance at tables 7+8!!

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The Cradle of Eternal Night by Ladz
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For generations, Kolebka Wiecznej Nocy has slumbered in eternal darkness, with the only light in the land being generated from artificial sources and magical technology. But even as the Kler–a powerful priesthood–pray for the return of the sun, the moon and the stars, they keep dangerous secrets from their people.

Exiled technomancer Basia is the last survivor of a heretical sect, and she intends to expose the Kler and bring back light to the world with her sun-embraced magic. On her perilous journey, she strikes up a tentative allyship with Hanka, a docile yet mysterious bard—who is also fleeing from the priests.

Across frozen, desolate landscapes, ghost towns and ruins teeming with monsters of the night, Basia and Hanka journey together to end the eternal night. But to do so, they must have faith in their convictions, and more importantly, in each other.
****
A unique, horror-adjacent dark fantasy lesbian romance, which introduced me to the aesthetic concept of "frostpunk" (steampunk-ish machinery + industrial fantasy in a wintry, frozen setting) and reads like a video game, as much as a macabre childhood fairytale. I appreciated the Polish influence on this worldbuilding; certain parts reminded me of The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska, but grittier and more adult. The three act structure of the heroic quest only adds to the fairytale vibe.
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I love the aesthetic concept of "divine machinery"—big fan of machine gods, artificial construct monsters, industrialized religions, body politics involving flesh and automatons, etc, waiter, more!–so this really felt like a treat for me. It's the perfect blend of horror/fantasy I like, and has some gorgeous illustrations and unforgettable setpieces. Can't think of many books with similar worldbuilding, except maybe P. Djèlí Clark's Dead Djinn series.
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Hanka and Basia are great characters; clever sun/moon archetype subversion, given their respective backstories. While it's a short novella, their respective arcs were handled well, and I liked how each chapter opens with a dedication to Basia's fallen comrades.
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Overall, I enjoyed this a lot, very atmospheric and visceral.

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AUGUST RECAP
📚
it doesn’t exactly surprise me that one of my busiest months of the year has turned out to be the month of single-digit books read, but somehow, realizing that i only finished eight books in the entire month of august really does feel out of character for me! prior to august, i finished more than ten books every single month — then again, i also think i worked harder this month than almost any other. i had my top surgery consult at the beginning of the month, some major changes at work, and oh, don’t forget — i work at a university, and today’s the first day of classes for the more than 50k students i support! so i think i can cut myself a little bit of slack:) and anyway, while i only read a handful of books (by my standards), i definitely read some of the best books of 2026. and, to no one’s surprise either, they’re all considered horror to some regard!

i’m forgoing my tradition of only putting stars next to my favorites for the past month — i’m not exaggerating when i say that every single one of these seven titles are new faves for me, so they all get a star! as always, tysm to the tagged publishers/authors for the #gifted ARCs + finished copies!

✨Lethal Kiss | Taylor Grothe @taylorlgrothe @tornightfire
✨Adam, Mine | K Ancrum @k.ancrum @epicreads
✨She’s a Doll | Barbara Truelove @barbaraltruelove @bindery_books @ezeekat
✨A Thousand Monstrous Hearts | Saratoga Schaefer @saratogaishere @crookedlanebooks
✨Thoughts Be Bloody | Auden Patrick @patrickauden_ @dawbooks
✨Our Crimson Cage | Ladz @ladzwriting
✨What Feeds Below | Tatiana Schlote-Bonne @thebuffwriter @fromthemixedupdesk
✨Buzzard | Inez Ray @_bigbadbooks_ @leftunreadbooks
📚
qotd: have you read any of these? what was your favorite read of august? stack of 8 books (listed in caption) against a white wall with cutout lavender newspaper letters on the left reading “august 2026”

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Freya is just as obsessed with how wicked cool Our Crimson Cage by @ladzwriting looks as I am. I cannot wait to dive in!

#bookstagram #vampirefiction #rainbowlit #catofinstagram

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