I recently finished two books, one back list and related to my Brian horror fest and the other an upcoming release.
Our Black Hearts Beat as One by Brian Asman is a novella about heartbreak. I posted a short review on Goodreads, available here. It's a book with an increasing sense of dread and levels of unease. The plot, from the author's website:
"Hearts don’t just break, they explode. Destroying everything around them."
Michael Mallory's living the dream as the lead singer of a hot, up-and-coming band, Modern Love. When a sudden breakup shatters his world, he plunges headlong into the city's occult underbelly in a desperate bid to salve his pain. Lost amidst wayward souls and brutish killers, godlings and grotesqueries, Mike's about to learn one incontrovertible
There's nothing more terrifying than love.
Put this title up on a display with other titles about heartbreak and deep emotions. Because Michael is in a band, fiction about music would also be appropriate. There is also an occult aspect to the book.
Stoker nominated author Eric LaRocca's next release is At Dark I Become Loathsome. My short review is here on Goodreads. From the publisher's website:
“If you’re reading this, you’ve likely thought that the world would be a better place without you.”
A single line of text, glowing in the darkness of the internet. Written by Ashley Lutin, who has often thought the same—and worse—in the years since his wife died and his young son disappeared. But the peace of the grave is not for him—it’s for those he can help. Ashley has constructed a peculiar ritual for those whose desire to die is at war with their yearning to live a better life.
Struggling to overcome his own endless grief, one night Ashley finds connection with Jinx—a potential candidate for Ashley’s next ritual—who spins a tale both revolting and fascinating. Thus begins a relationship that traps the two men in an ever-tightening spiral of painful revelations, where long-hidden secrets are dragged, kicking and screaming, into the light.
Only through pain can we find healing. Only through death can we find new life.
As with Our Black Hearts Beat as One, this is horror which is about intense pain and loss. LaRocca's books are a headfirst dive into disturbing ideas and pain. The reader is compelled to go forward even as they can almost feel the emotional trauma of the characters.
Because LaRocca is a Splatterpunk award winning author, search your collection for other examples of extreme horror and splatterpunk. Bring out the more extreme titles in your collection. I do suggest that you look into adding the Splatterpunk award winners to your collection. They circulate well at my library.
You can add titles about grief, loss, and surviving loss. Because of the physical transformation, look for books about body modification.
