"One of my favorite reads of the year" LUMBERJACK is out now!
You prayed for so long, and now you have your chance, The executioner's here, and he's sharpening his axe
Hey Ho, Tenebrous Cult, the final release date of 2023 has arrived!
Publishing has its fair share of challenges; if you’ve followed along with the perpetual pratfalls of the indie world in recent weeks/months/years, you’ve probably got an inkling (and if you haven’t been…well for god’s sake don’t start rubbernecking now, your worldview is healthier than ours).
We do our best to focus on constructive changes in this newsletter when we discuss publishing, whereas we tend to pull back the curtains and do a bit more sausage-making in the Tenebrous Discord. Regardless, entrenching ourselves in this business as deeply as Alex and I do is definitely a labor of love, for it is a perilous road at times.
Luckily, we do love it. For me personally, there may be no greater reason than for the opportunity to ensure that books like Anthony Engebretson’s LUMBERJACK get a chance to find an audience.
Oh hey, LUMBERJACK is out today! You can get it direct from us, in print or eBook, or from your favorite online or brick-and-mortar bookseller.
I have a hard time trying to quantify just why this novella punches me so hard in the guts, but I think the ugly truth is that I—well, relate might not be quite the right word, but I certainly understand the lead character Neville a bit too well for my liking.
This is a story filled with a dark tension that triggers discomfort. It’s a brutally unsentimental read; absolutely unflinching in its observations; and so very attuned to what humanity is, uncynically and unsparingly. Rarely has the human experience—our ambitions and dreams and worst impulses—been so succinctly encapsulated as in these svelte 100 pages.
It is also fucking exhilarating in its dread, and a ripping page turner to boot. What I’m trying to say is, I kinna dig this book, and I hope you dig it too.
About LUMBERJACK:
Nebraska City, 1901.
There’s a curse on Arbor Lodge—an elusive demon reclaiming the illustrious home in the name of the prairie—and its owner,
J. Sterling Morton, proud statesman, is desperate.
It couldn’t be more fortuitous for lumberjack Neville, whose greatest desire is to prove himself a true man to the world.
Morton offers respect, security, pride, even the father figure Neville never had; and all the lumberjack has to do is find and kill this creature.
There’s no doubt in Neville’s mind that he deserves to rise to the status of legend. He will prevail. It’s in his blood.
Or else, his blood will be in the prairie.
Wanna pick up LUMBERJACK and also support other killer indie publishers and one of our favorite indie bookshops too? Join the Monthly Horror Book Subscription of our good friends at Little Ghosts Books!
Courtesy of Little Ghosts’ own Chris:
Your Monthly Visitation is scheduled and delivered to your door or for pickup at our location. Two indie horror books hand picked from our new releases and guaranteed to haunt you, plus a bookmark, and stickers exclusive to our monthly ghouls. Subscriptions can be paused or cancelled at any time, so don’t be frightened! A monthly recurring discount for the store is sent to subscribers each month so you can bundle books or merch and save on shipping. $65/mo CAD includes tax and shipping.
Subscribe to Little Ghosts Month Horror Book Subscription here.
AND SPEAKING OF SUBSCRIPTIONS…HOW’S YOUR 2024 LOOKING?
So what’s on tap for next year from your favorite purveyors of New Weird Horror? (that’s, uh…that’s us. We’re your favorite purveyors of New Weird Horror).
Well howzabout:
the prose debut from the screenwriter of Glorious
the next two volumes of the acclaimed SPLIT SCREAM series
Two Tenebrous firsts: our first novel proper, and our first interactive gamebook
Scarecrows, Nautical Terror, Black Metal, B-Movies, Weirdness and more galore!
Sound good? Don’t wanna miss any of it? Wanna save a little money and get an exclusive t-shirt to boot?
Subscribe to the Tenebrous Book Club now and receive all eight titles scheduled for 2024!**
**as always, eBooks are included free with purchase of print books.
There’s no shirt option for the eBook-only subscription, but you’ll still save money and get e-copies of all of our 2024 titles:
Our current charitable endeavor, THANK YOU FOR JOINING THE ALGORITHM, has been picking up steam and attracting some outside media attention in its goal of curtailing the encroachment of Artificial Intelligence into the arts and providing legal support to creators affected by it.
Not to mention, it’s maybe the loveliest project we’ve released so far, front to back.
And did you know this is just the opening salvo of our ongoing magazine, launching next year?
In fact, we want to hear from you! Help us do our best to ensure this project is long-lasting and has positive impact on our community. What are some core things you’d like a new genre magazine to do? Ethical, financial, business decisions, anything.
We’ve set up a handy-dandy anonymous feedback form where you can reach out and drop notes, advice, requests, feedback on how we’re doing so far, whatever you please! Tell us if you hate us. Tell us if you have a crush on us. Tell us what you expect from us in the future.
We’ll do our best to gather data and questions and address them in the next newsletter.
You are loved, Tenebrous Cult.
Hail Indie Publishing.
Hail New Weird Horror.
Hail LUMBERJACK.
Alex & Matt