09/20/2025 Uncomfortably Dark Horror Happenings
- Candace Nola
- Sep 20
- 7 min read
After a very long month of conventions, releases, and this past week of being sick, finally getting back to our weekend posts. I want to continue doing these but with recent events in the community, all around global unrest, and other such obstacles that have made some things rather difficult, how I do these posts will change over the next few months.
My first hope is to continue to shed some light on the work we are doing here at Uncomfortably Dark. My platform, my authors, my review teams, and my work are my first priority. My second mission is to always shed light on those in our community that deserve it, those that are giving back, breaking ground, being the trailblazers, and making history regardless of lifestyle, identity, gender, or culture. Anyone that is breaking down walls, lifting voices, and paving the way for those that follow, deserve to be seen and heard. How that will look by year-end or by the end of next year is anyone's guess, but we will still be here, carrying out both of those missions.
That being said, thank you to all those that showed support over the recent turmoil. To my team for standing beside me and to my mentors for all the support and guidance behind the scenes. Not to become too overly emotional on here, as it is rare for me, I figure it's okay for today; there has been many times over the years of doing this, almost six now, that it has gotten very hard to see if my work is noticed, if my efforts are seen, appreciated, or wanted, if those of my team are noticed by anyone other than myself and whatever author is being showcased or reviewed that day. I've wondered if it would even be noticed if UD just silently went away, closed down, and vanished? But seeing all the support, even from the most unexpected places, when things got turbulent, has told me otherwise.
There are those out there that think we matter, that think our small presence does make a difference, that we are appreciated; it's for those voices that spoke on our behalf, that spoke to me behind the scenes, that offered help any way they could, that UD remains here today. My mindset, at one point, had gotten very bleak, but thanks to those voices, I remained encouraged, as did my team. So, on behalf of my reviewers, my authors, myself, and my family, I thank you. Let's get to the updates, and back to being a light in the darkness.
Top Selling Titles for the Last 30 days by Order & Page Reads
Amazon Numbers only
Top Orders
SUBJECT A - BAKER'S DOZEN - THE VET - THIS IS HOW A VILLAIN IS MADE
Top Page Reads
CUCKOO - GOLD & GORE - VIOLENT NIGHTS - THIS IS HOW A VILLAIN IS MADE
New Team Member!!
DONNA LATHAM
One of the things I stand behind with my team is that change is constant and their lives come first, always first, as their time allows for them to help UD, then it's appreciated and when the time comes that other priorities call them away, it is with my most heartfelt blessing and encouragement.
At this time, we welcome Donna Latham to the review team as Ali Sweet takes on a new chapter in her life, starting her editing business, and helping out with another indie platform that is doing great things in the community. Donna has been a long-time friend and fan of my work and of UD, as has Ali and we love them both. Ali will be back from time to time as a guest reviewer and Donna will be moving into a full-time review spot. Truly excited for them both.
New & Next from Uncomfortably Dark
In recent months, we've had several amazing releases with more scheduled every month through the end of this year. If you've missed any, check them out below!
June: Hank Flynn: The Return by Candace Nola
July: Slender Bones in Sacred Soil by Fredrick Niles (Blood Moon Poetry Imprint) & Blasphemy by Aaron Lebold
August: Coffee Shop by Aaron Lebold (Blood Moon Poetry imprint) & This Is How A Villain Is Made by Amanda Headlee
September: One Fright Only by Patrick Tumblety (releasing to Godless on 9/21 and wide on 10/04)
October: White Flight by Peter O'Keefe (releasing to Godless on 10/21 and wide on 11/04)
Surprise Halloween Release from Candace Nola and 2 mystery authors.
Authors releasing in November and December include M Ennenbach, Kathryn Tennison, Jason Nickey, and Radar Steal as well as a re-launch from one of our prior authors. We will make that full announcement when they are ready.
Shadow Manor is also available with its new cover, in ebook and paperback formats!
NOW ON AUDIBLE!!
Several more Uncomfortably Dark titles have been made available on Audible, and more are in the works. Our dedicated narrator Jamison Walker is hard at work getting our stories brought to life with his unique style and range of voices.
2025-2026 FALL & WINTER AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT SERIES
This series will be showcased on my Patreon first, every Friday this fall and winter, through early 2026. If you are not a patron, look for the new author spotlight to appear here on the blog every Saturday! These will be for incredibly talented, but lesser known, authors that truly deserve a spotlight on their work!
As is our mission here at Uncomfortably Dark, we want to be a community support and while how we do that may change over time, we will always find a way to shed light on the many wonderfully talented people in this space.
Please check out their interviews, click on their links, and check out their work for yourself. I promise you will not be disappointed.
Meet Rebecca Cuthbert!
My name is Rebecca Cuthbert; I've been writing and publishing in the horror genre (and adjacent genres) for about five years. I've been fortunate to have five books published, with a sixth on the way: The Hauntings Back Home, a collection of ghost stories due out Oct. 17th. I am also the editor-in-chief of Undertaker Books, a relatively new small-press publisher of horror and dark fiction. My day job is also very cool: I teach creative writing to college students.
- Describe your style of writing in 2 sentences or less.
I write atmospheric, creepy stories with careful attention to character development and lyrical prose. My work has earned labels like dark magical realism, quiet horror, feminist horror, and strange tales.
- What is your favorite type of horror to write?
No contest: I love to write ghost stories. I will write as many as people let me. Nothing else can sum up the loneliness and pain of the human condition like a haunting.
- What is your favorite book or character you’ve written so far?
My favorite of my own characters is Beth Bryant, the star of my as-yet-unpublished novel BETH BITES BACK, which is the first of a possible trilogy. Beth suffers a lot of tragedy and trauma at just 17, and she doesn't cope well, to say the least. She is the best and worst parts of me, even the ones that don't exist anymore.
- Who are your top 5 favorite authors ?
This is such a hard question. But, because I want to support LIVING authors, I am going to give you five contemporary writers I love (there are too many great authors out there for me to have just five favorites). So, Rachel Harrison, Grady Hendrix, Sarah Waters, Elizabeth Broadbent, and Isabel Canas. Of course, I could make that list a lot longer.
- What most inspires you to keep writing when imposter syndrome hits the hardest?
I have two answers to this one. Right NOW, when that feeling hits, I am privileged to be able to look at my track record of published books and anthology stories, and many of the latter came about by way of invitation.
Before I had a track record to consider, though, it was just old-fashioned stubbornness and a commitment to my own craft. I would get better because I'd make sure I got better: I took every workshop I could, every virtual class. I got adopted by some very kind writing mentors. I knew if I kept working and kept submitting, I'd find success--or my definition of it, which admittedly has changed over time. Goals change and expand. Ambitions change direction. But I'm doing what I wanted to do, and I'm happy. I also remind myself that comparing my achievements to others' is a losing game. I don't have to be satisfied, but I DO have to be grateful, even on hard days.
- Is there a genre, sub-genre, or trope you’ve not written, that you’d like to try?
Yes! I'd love to write a classic mystery novel someday. Those, I think, might need to be planned using organizational skills I don't have yet--all the tiny pieces, the red herrings, the clues and the suspects. But it would be fun to try in the future.
- What is your hope for your writing career for the next five years? As in where do see yourself ?
I try to keep my dreams big but not out of reach. I'd love to have BETH BITES BACK published and released to a broad audience. I'd love to finish a stand-alone novel and get that into the world. Oh--and I'd love to get a literary agent, to secure these deals for me!
- Pitch your current WIP in three sentences or less
A Curse Thrown from the Hanging Tree will be a collection of roughly three dozen poems, connected by threads of folklore, fairy tales, and mythology. Dark, narrative, and playful by turns, my hope is for these poems to reach readers who don't typically choose to read poetry; I want to shatter those outdated notions that poetry has to be obtuse and stuffy. For poetry to be enjoyed, it must be accessible, and I think these poems are just that.
- Where can we find you online and where can readers see you next?
Online, all of my stuff can be found at https://linktr.ee/rebeccacuthbertwrites. Locally, I have book tour dates booked in the Buffalo area for this fall, and in 2026, readers can find me at AuthorCon in Virginia and StokerCon in Pennsylvania.
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