About Woman of Sorrow and Blood

When 18-year-old Alma is invited to live with Nightfather and pursue the Pleasures of Power, she’s determined to win his affection and ultimate gift: eternal life.

Yet life in the House of Night is not what she expected. Nightfather spends all of his time alone with Nightmother, leaving his second wife to rule with an iron fist. The servants brought from Alma’s home are hollowed out versions of their former selves. Others—including Alma’s own mentor—have disappeared entirely.

Alma buries her suspicions and throws herself into attending to the Daughter of Night, an extraordinary woman who requires special care.

When Nightfather calls upon Alma at last, she begins to see that his eternity is not a reward but a trap—and that it is not him, but the woman he calls his daughter, that her heart longs for. But tragedy lurks in every corner, and sometimes the only escape is death.

Content Warnings: This book contains graphic depictions of alcohol use and addiction, violence, verbal abuse, sex, BDSM (including dubious consent), blood, vomiting (including self induced vomiting), arson, fire-related injuries, and major character death.

The ebook edition of Woman of Sorrow and Blood is available for preorder on Itch and other retailers.

Want a paperback? Follow me on Bluesky @DiannaLGunn or subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to know when they’re available!

The post Woman of Sorrow and Blood Cover Reveal appeared first on Author Dianna Gunn.

Today I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of a project very close to my heart, Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror. This anthology releases on September 30th and ebook pre-orders are open right now! Paperback preorders are also available via B&N and I will make further updates as Choices becomes available in more markets.

Before you buy it – and you really, really should buy it because the stories within are incredible – I want to tell you a little bit about how Choices came to be.

All fiction reflects our reality, but horror has a unique way of giving voice to our pain, our trauma, and of course, our fears. 

The horror I’ve always lived with is the horror of being a woman. I live in a place where I can access reproductive care with ease, but I’ve always known many women–and other people of marginalized genders–didn’t have that access. And I’ve always known there were, are, people fighting to remove the access I have.

When Roe V Wade was repealed, I felt the terror and anguish of not just my friends in the US, but of every uterus owner who wanted to control their future, their destiny. The concept for Choices was born that same day. I wanted to provide space for the collective scream all of us carry with us every day, knowing that no matter where we are in the world, the enemy will set their sights on our reproductive rights eventually. That we are never truly safe, that we can never truly know who in our friend groups, our families, will fight for our rights–and who will vote for the people who take them away.

It took a long time for the concept to become a book. I knew this book would depict sexual violence and extreme gore, things anathema to many publishing companies; there was a very short list of publishers who might take it, and it took me several months to build the courage to pitch one of them. I spent more months crafting the perfect call for submissions, ensuring that all people of marginalized genders felt safe to submit. And I spent an agonizing two months reading 150 incredible stories and whittling that number down into something I could actually publish.

Now here I am, at the end of it all, sharing this magnificent cover with you and hoping you’ll peek within its pages to see the stories within. They’re some of the most terrifying, heart wrenching, vengeful, and in some cases even victorious stories I’ve ever read, and I am so honoured to have the opportunity to share them, and this magnificent cover, with you.

Here’s a little more about what you can expect to find within the pages of Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Fiction:

As the horrors close in around us, we turn to story to process our fears, our desires, and our futures. In Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Fiction, nineteen writers whose reproductive rights are under threat explore the stories of those who, like them, have had their choices stolen from them:

The horror of being forced to carry a child you don’t want.

The catharsis of taking revenge on a man who stole your right to choose.

The tragedy of being threatened by the world for having a baby you do want because you’re “the wrong gender”.

The pride of knowing you fought for a better future, even if that future claimed your life.

These stories serve as a reminder of the power of choice and the importance of fighting for every human’s right to choose their own future.

Preorder Choices: An Anthology of horror today!

The post Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror COVER REVEAL appeared first on Author Dianna Gunn.

Are you wondering where murder commissions went? Hoping they’ll come back so you can commission a custom death scene of your very own? Thinking about how cool it would be to have your death featured in Killer Debt Two?

Well, I’ve got good news for you: murder commissions will be back, and if I get enough interest, there will be a Killer Debt Two.

In fact, I’ll be doing live murders this upcoming Saturday, May 17th, from 1-3PM at Little Ghosts Books, the horror-themed bookstore at the edge of downtown Toronto. You’ll be able to come in, select a murder from a preset list (pre-selected to help me maximize the number of murders I can write in the time allotted), and browse the bookstore while I write, print, and sign your murder. Little Ghosts will also have copies of Killer Debt on hand for you to purchase, which I will be very happy to sign.

Live murders will cost $40 and be 300-400 words. This is a little shorter than my usual 500 words, again to ensure that I can write the largest number of murders possible in the time allotted. Moreover, I’ll only be able to perform a handful of murders during the two hours, and it will be first come, first served –so make sure you arrive right at 1PM if you want to secure your murder!

Check out the Little Ghosts Books event page for details!

What if I don’t live in the GTA?

Not being able to get to Toronto – or not being available this weekend – shouldn’t exclude you from the joy that is being murdered in fiction.

I’ll be reopening for online murder commissions in June, with a plan to open 5 – 7 slaughts per month. As per usual, gift commissions will be available. 

All victims will also receive a disclosure contract for possible inclusion in Killer Debt Two, confirming that I have permission to use their death scenes. However, inclusion in the anthology is not mandatory; you can order a death scene, refuse to sign the disclosure contract, and keep your death private. You can also choose to be presented under an alias if you’re not comfortable having your legal name published.

I also want to be 100% clear that there’s no guarantee Killer Debt Two will happen.I will only publish a second collection if I’m able to sell enough murders to make a second book long enough to print (at least 100 pages). If a second collection does come to fruition, it will probably take longer than the first, as my commission schedule is smaller than it was last year.

That said, I very much hope to do it – and you can do a few things to help make it happen:

• Buy Killer Debt on Itch or elsewhere (or visit Little Ghosts Books after this weekend to grab one of the signed stack I’ll leave behind) to show support for this concept and future collections
• Order a murder commission when they become available (or come out for a live murder this weekend)
• Tell all of your friends about Killer Debt and my murder commissions!

And, in the meantime, I want to thank you for your continued support – for Killer Debt, for my murder commissions, and for all of my other creative endeavors.

The post How To Get Murdered in May appeared first on Author Dianna Gunn.

The past few years have, to put it mildly, kicked my ass financially. I’ve landed in a ton of debt and I want OUT.

As a freelance writer, my income fluctuates, making it difficult to make more than minimum payments – and it’ll take many, many years to get out that way.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to escape my debt sooner rather than later. I don’t want to run a GoFundMe for a couple of reasons: I’ve relied on community support a lot recently, and I want to give back to folks helping me now. I also don’t want to use GoFundMe for anything less essential than keeping a roof over my head.

Last week, I hit upon a great solution: I will kill you – in fiction – for money!

Here’s how it works:

• If you send $30, I’ll write a scene of up to 500 words where I kill you with a method of my choice.
• If you send $50, I’ll write a scene of up to 500 words and you get to choose how you die.

These pieces are intended for your personal enjoyment only. You’re welcome to share them privately among friends without asking permission, but I will retain copyright and require you to get permission before sharing them publicly. You will not be allowed to resell these shorts.

Interested in getting killed? I’ll have 10 slots available each month until I’m able to pay off the majority of my debt. Since I’m announcing this halfway through the month, there will only be five slots available this month.

I’ve created a Murder Me Commission Tier with pay-what-you-can pricing, so you can either send $30 or send $50+ and I’ll create your scene accordingly. This is the easiest way to do things so I can get you the proper instructions for receiving your murder scene.

Commission your murder today!

The post Let Me Kill You in Fiction! appeared first on Author Dianna Gunn.

IT’S HAPPENING!

My second fantasy horror novel, Moonshadow’s Champion, is finally available for preorder, with the official release date set for April 12th!

If you loved the first book you’ll be blown away by how much better book two is. I’ve learned so much writing this book, and it shows on every page.

The blurb

In the weeks after the events of Moonshadow’s Guardian, Riana finally has what she’s always wanted: a free life in the human world. No more commands. No more restraints on her will. No more being used as a living weapon.

Yet the scars she earned escaping her old life don’t just mark her body. Nightmares haunt her sleeping hours and news of Jacob VIII’s plans to exterminate the telars harry her waking thoughts.

If she wants to keep the fragile place she’s built for herself and the peace she secured for Moonshadow, she must decide if she will once again take up her blade—this time against her former master.

Elsewhere in Moonshadow, unrest and discrimination have roiled into a deadly storm of force. Revolution is brewing—and even Jacob VIII’s death might not be enough to stop it from sweeping over Moonshadow.

Where to buy it

You can order an ebook copy of Moonshadow’s Champion on Amazon today!

Want a paperback? It WILL be happening, but there are still some formatting details to be hammered out, so it’s not available for preorder just yet. I’m hoping it’ll release on the same day as the ebook, April 12th.

Want to buy from somewhere other than Amazon? You’ll get your chance closer to release day! Moonshadow’s Champion will be available on Kobo and in several other ebook retailers through Draft2Digital – and I’ll announce it here when it’s ready to go!

The post Moonshadow’s Champion is Available for Preorder! appeared first on Author Dianna Gunn.

I’ve already written out the details on Ko-fi, so I’m not going to repeat them here. What I will say here is that I am still working on Moonshadow’s Champion, I do have other projects in the works including both fiction and nonfiction, and I am working on ways to rebuild my creativity and improve my mental health. If you want to know more of the details you can check out my Ko-fi update about my creative struggles.

The post My Creative Struggle in 2023 appeared first on Author Dianna Gunn.