News - MJ Mars

I Love Monsters.

December 4, 2025December 4, 2025 mjmarsauthor

I love monsters. That’s it, that’s the Tweet (as we used to say before everything went…well, everything went.)

I love monsters, I do, and I always have. From discovering dinosaurs and then Harryhausen movies as a kid, collecting Monster in my Pockets and realising that movies like The Blob and The Thing were giving me way more pleasure tingles than the blockbusters I was supposed to be enjoying on my screen, it became clear to me from a very young age that monsters were my jam.

Books that featured alleged photos of sea serpents, yetis, and other hidden creatures enthralled me, and I spent hours obsessing over them, trying to find something, anything, that would prove it was real or fake. The Patty video gave me actual goosebumps on my arms the first time I saw it, and I’ll never forget how similar the feeling was to that of looking out for Santa on Christmas Eve as a very small kid. There was pure magic in the air every time I saw a monster.

With the introduction of AI (excuse me while I go punch a wall), it makes me sad that kids will never have that feeling. Back in the day, photos of the Loch Ness Monster may have been nothing but a floating tree stump but at least the tree was actually there, in the water, causing a momentary “what if…?” for the viewer. My favourite was the Florida Skunk Ape pics, allegedly capturing the creature lurking among the foliage. The eye shine. The body moving in each shot. The change in the mouth and the very sharp teeth. The clear ape-like fingernail showing through the leaves in the bottom of one of the photos. Is it real? Is it a cardboard cut-out, as some suggested? Is it an elaborate taxidermy attempt? Is it a guy in a suit? One thing’s for sure, it isn’t goddamn AI.

I angrily digress, so I’ll quickly move on to what this post is all about.

If I Die Before I Wake: Tales of Cryptid Chaos

If I Die Before I Wake: Tales of Cryptid Chaos is out now! Calling all monster lovers, have I got the perfect book for you. Volume 10 in the Better off Dead Series (from Sinister Smile Press/Crystal Lake Publishing), this cryptid anthology has a host of talent including Edmund Stone, Dan Franklin, Ross Killey, R.A. Clarke, and more! Oh, I’m in it too, did I mention that? My story, Krakatoa Fall, is about a bullied girl riding a long-awaited volcano-themed rollercoaster on its opening day. The only problem is, her bullies are taking the same ride. And a strange, flying creature seems to have taken an interest in either the coaster, or its riders…

Get it now, and balance the impending onslaught of Christmas with some furry, scaly, delightfully gruesome little monsters.

It’s still Halloween, right??

Speaking of Christmas, I concede that it’s about time to talk about it. I’m releasing my double-handed grip on Halloween and accepting that it’s probably now time to bring in the red and green. In my city we get a big wheel and a tipi that serves mulled wine while you can roast marshmallows on open fires in the middle of the room, which is definitely helping with the festive spirit. Just about. I’m still keeping it suitably creepy, though.

Okay, okay…it’s not Halloween anymore, I get it

Good luck and fare thee well over the coming weeks of Christmas Chaos. And, remember, Cryptid Chaos comes first. Bag your copy today!

Looking for Christmas presents for your horror-loving friends and family? Don’t forget to stuff some stockings with books this Christmas. Your favourite elf under the shelf (me) appreciates it.

News

Creature From the Black Lagoon

November 20, 2025November 20, 2025 mjmarsauthor

“The rumours are true. MJ Mars, the punk rock princess of horror, is back…” Blaine Daigle, author of The Broken Places and The Ashes of August Manor.

Okay, okay, so Blaine’s words related to The Fovea Experiments being released and NOT to the fact that I just disappeared from the face of the earth for a few months, but there will never be a time I’m not ready and willing to use that quote. Can you blame me?? But forgive me.

And please forgive me for being away for so long. The last two years has been a crazy ride (you know it, you’ve been coming along with me) and, for an introverted nerd, it used up more than I knew I was willing to give. I know, “Boo hoo, sob sob, bring out the tiny violin for the girl who got everything she ever wanted.” Trouble is, I have the kind of brain that HATES it when things go well for me. It has no idea how to deal with it.

Stepping away for a while has worked like a charm. I finally got my Dan Aykroyd tattoo (Elwood’s hat has now filled in the gap next to the acorns that always kind of looked like a pair of bollocks dangling from my wrist, so I’m super thrilled I no longer need to worry about that!) Best of all, I got a job in the haunted castle at the top of hill near my house. Yep, THAT castle. The one I’ve mentioned countless times. I even added “somewhere near a haunted castle in Lancaster” to the foreword I wrote for Brad Thomas recently (if you haven’t already, pick up The Black Country Wraiths, it’s awesome.) I had no idea when I wrote that sign-off that I’d end up working the perfect little job there in a couple of months. Life is weird, right??

Anyway, enough of the past. I’m here for the FUTURE, and I am bringing news.

At the start of the year, I was approached by Royal Poff and invited to be a contributor to the Exquisite Corpse III title, Canaries. As if that wasn’t honour enough, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw who would be working on the title with me. To mention just a couple here (I’ll make another post shouting out everyone closer to release), Canaries includes Jamie Flanagan, whose work on The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of The House of Usher reminds us all that beautifully written horror in TV is not dead. Judith Sonnet, one of my literary idols, takes the chapter before me and, in the words of Dewey Cox, “How am I supposed to follow that?” She’s outstanding, and I am both terrified and overjoyed to be writing the final chapter to the project.

Royal is putting together an incredible Kickstarter for the project, which is raising money for the incredible Scares That Care Authorcon, so get the 1st December in your diaries and sign up for some perks!

Personally, I have some exciting things coming in 2026. As well as finishing The Suffering 2, I have some shorts in the works. A novella, The Last Ride, will be coming in spring. Here’s an exclusive look at the cover, made by the wonderful Ruth Anna Evans.

A second instalment to my Pestilent Perils series which started this year with RAT will be out soon, possibly in January again as a birthday present to myself, but we shall see! Here’s a sneak peek at the cover for this one, also by Ruth (sorry to Ruth for this one – I know she was itching making this cover up for me!) Any ideas on which pest features in this short?

Can you guess the next star of the Pestilent Perils series?

Shout out to another huge talent in the cover industry, Christy Aldridge at Grim Poppy, who designed the cover for my award-winning collection, We’ve Already Gone Too Far. As you can see, she’s been hard at work for me creating the cover to the upcoming collection, We’ve Already Gone Too Far, Too.

This book will combine a host of new short and nasty tales with stories that have been published in top anthologies including Broken Brain’s Screams series, Good For Her, KJK Publishing’s The Horror Collection, Bloody Hell, and more. Full cover reveal coming soon to my mailing list subscribers.

I have heaps more news to tell you, including upcoming anthologies, novels, and collabs, but I’ve got to keep some surprises up my sleeve (and I’m due for my shift cleaning at the castle soon. I’ll tell the ghosts you said “Hi.”)

It feels awesome to finally be able to say this, you guys: It’s good to be back.

Blog Post, News

July…It’s Been a Month!

July 22, 2025July 22, 2025 mjmarsauthor

One thing you may not know about me is, I really dislike talking about myself. Especially when things aren’t so great. I’m the type of person who waits until every problem is sorted and then, a couple of weeks later, will mention casually in passing that there was some kind of issue or trauma…”but it’s fixed now, so we never have to discuss it again!” This is just the way I am, much to my loved ones’ despair.

But I am going to be real with you and talk about it this month.

Firstly, the main bit of July news is that The Fovea Experiments is out now! I’ve been absolutely floored by the reviews and its momentum. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this nasty little horror. It means a lot to me, and I appreciate you.

However, if you’re in the UK you may have noticed there are serious problems in getting your hands on the paperback. I can only apologise for this and thank you for your ongoing patience, especially to those of you who pre-ordered it and are wondering where in the hell your book is at. I know Amazon updates are now saying it may reach you sometime between September and January 2026 (good grief, just typing that makes me want to start bawling and, along with my aversion to talking about my problems, I have a serious aversion to crying!) While this is an issue with the current distribution company who is dealing with my publishing house, I can hopefully reassure you that Wicked House is working hard to resolve this issue. If you do have a reading device, the book is available on KU and Kindle in the meantime, if you’re hoping to read it soon.

I always joke that it wouldn’t be a successful launch if there weren’t a few hitches, but not being able to get the book itself was not on my bingo card for this launch!

To add insult to injury, I managed to break one of my ribs at the end of June. This has been my first broken bone and I have to say: 2/10, would not recommend. I need to keep up with exercise to keep me sane. If any of you have broken a rib before, you know that any form of exercise is not going to happen for a while. Along with exercise, keeping up with the housework has been pretty impossible, and a clean house is another thing I need to keep me on the straight and narrow while other things out of my control are going wrong in my life.

In an unrelated incident, I also needed to have a scan on my arm due to there being a strange, inexplicable lump lurking in my forearm (is that where the paperbacks are hiding??) Although the scan has come back as undetermined subcutaneous fluid of unknown origins (and therefore not the more sinister things my brain often tried to bait me with in the middle of sleepless nights this last few weeks), it’s just been another thing on my mind.

And I am something of a cliche. When I am in my ‘tortured writer’ phases, I reach for the wine. And, when I’m super-stressed, there are nights when one bottle isn’t enough to douse those stress flames. It’s unhealthy and stupid, but sometimes it’s the only thing that will shut off my thoughts enough to be able to just sit with myself and be. Since I already take Citalopram for anxiety and depression, the lovely numbness that comes with an evening of wine is often followed by a couple of days of numb brain…which means no writing for me. Which means more Debbie Downer frustrations and a “fuck it, I may as well drink tonight since I’m not writing!” attitude. Agh, such an annoying cycle that I’m sure many of you can relate to.

I guess I’m writing this to shine a positive light on it all. Yes, it’s been a crappy month with many ups and downs, but I am on the mend. I think breaking the rib has been just what I needed to kick me into better habits in my life. I ordered some new hiking boots and plan to start taking my notebooks to beauty spots on the weekend to spark some creative ideas. Granted, for another couple of weeks they will sit in the cupboard next to my unused swimming kit bag and my unused climbing gear bag, but the intention is there! The frustration of not being physically able to do these things has really shown me that I WANT to be doing them. So, come August, I’m prepared to head back to the climbing wall and the swimming pool in the week, and hit the hills on the weekends.

And, aside from the issues surrounding Fovea’s release, most of which are hopefully being sorted as I type, I wouldn’t trade this for anything. I believe in this book and I know that, despite problems, this launch has been a wonderful success for me. I go into launches with a “have no expectations and you’ll never be disappointed” attitude. My hope was that I’d get an orange #1 category banner (and we still have it – in the Occult Occultism section in the US!) and I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would get to 50 reviews as fast as possible. We are currently on 37, so I may even hit the magic 50 before it’s been out for a month. How awesome is that?? So, like I say. A success, despite everything.

In a couple of weeks, I’ll be healthy again. Hopefully by then The Fovea Experiments paperbacks will be available in the UK so I can share it with many more of you. Perhaps we’ll have hit that magic 50 reviews by the time I pull my hiking boots on and head for the Lake District with my notebook. And I’ll have gone more than two weeks without drinking too much on stressful days! Onwards and upwards (quite literally, when I’m hiking.)

That’s about it for July. Sorry to moan! Normal service will resume shortly. Love to you all.

News

The Fovea Experiments is Out Now!

July 7, 2025July 7, 2025 mjmarsauthor

I’m excited to announce that my second novel, The Fovea Experiments, is out now from Wicked House Publishing.

So, what’s it all about?

An experiment gone wrong. A survivor under suspicion. A teen searching for the truth.

Ostracized by her friends, Nala finds solace creating true crime content for her YouTube channel. When she breaks into her mother’s private investigator files and finds evidence of multiple teen deaths during a sleep experiment in the 2000s, she’s shocked to see the sole survivor is her schoolteacher. She creates a sensationalist video, outing him as a suspect.

Josh is tormented by what happened during The Fovea Experiments. He gets through the days by throwing himself into his job as a teacher, and survives the nights with a little liquid courage. Nala’s video puts him under suspicion once more, and the trauma he experienced as a teen takes him to breaking point. As he fights to clear his name, he discovers his worst nightmare is unfolding.

Because The Fovea Experiments are happening again. And, this time, the people behind it are determined to see it through to the end. Some say the eyes are the window to the soul. Or are they a doorway to something far worse?

The Fovea Experiments. You’ll never sleep again.

Praise for The Fovea Experiments:

“This book ruined my ability to fall asleep, in the best possible way. Mars has created a story that crawls in through your eyes and lurks in your periphery for days. The Fovea Experiments is visceral, haunting, and sharp as a knife. It was a disturbing, shocking exploration into the place where science and the occult collide.” Jon Cohn – author of Kill Beth and Slashtag

“The Fovea Experiments is loaded with conspiracies, tension, and tremendous horror, but it’s grounded by dynamic characters all dealing with various forms of “down on their luck,” and MJ takes great care to merge these varying features into a book that will both haunt you, and place you squarely in the middle of it. You’ll attach yourself to these people, feel their torment. With crackling prose and whip-smart dialogue, this is MJ at her finest. Just don’t close your eyes.” Gage Greenwood – author of Bunker Dogs

“The Fovea Experiments is exactly what I have come to expect of MJ Mars stories: original, unflinching, and brimming with bold ingenuity. She is truly a visionary. What begins as a quiet unraveling of the past soon spirals into a fast-paced descent into the surreal and terrifying. The story grips you with grounded, emotionally complex characters before plunging headfirst into nightmarish territory. Mars has a talent for horror that doesn’t just shock you in the moment, but haunts you far beyond the closure of the book. You may find yourself racing through these pages, but when it’s time to sleep, good luck finding the courage to close your eyes.” Megan Stockton – author of Lovely, Dark and Deep, Pink Neon, and Bluejay.

News

Try Not to Die in the UK is out tomorrow!

June 2, 2025June 2, 2025 mjmarsauthor

You’re never too old for a little adventure. That premise was the driving force behind the story of TNTDUK. When Mark Tullius approached me and asked if I would be interested in joining the world of Try Not to Die (a hugely popular and sprawling series of author-written Choose Your Own Adventure® style books), there was no hesitation in my answer: “YES!”

Writing the story was a challenge. I’ve never written anything like it before and had no clue how to go about formatting a book that takes the reader through various choices and pathways. Thankfully, Mark’s knowledge and passion for the series made the collaboration easy, and I believe that we have put something together that will appeal to readers of all ages!

Starting at Loch Ness in Scotland, journey down through the UK on a five-day quest to save the world and restore King Arthur to his throne. Test your wits, choose your path, and try not to die!

Here’s the official description:

Try Not to Die: In the UK is an epic, interactive dark fantasy where every choice you make determines whether you live, die—or fail the world entirely.

Your journey begins in the misty highlands of Scotland and stretches across the haunting beauty of the United Kingdom. From the shadowy waters of Loch Ness to the storm-swept cliffs of Tintagel, ancient forces are awakening. Myths are real. Monsters roam. And time is running out.

You’ve been chosen to undertake a quest like no other: uncover long-buried secrets, survive legendary creatures, and help restore King Arthur to his rightful throne before the world is plunged into eternal darkness.

But nothing is easy in this land of legends. With over a dozen deadly outcomes and five unique endings, every decision could be your last. Will you trust the wrong guide? Take the wrong path? Or rise as the hero destiny demands?

Perfect for fans of Goosebumps®, Choose Your Own Adventure®, and readers who crave darker, bloodier tales packed with danger, myth, and moral consequence.

Test your instincts. Defy your fate.
Try Not to Die: In the UK—your adventure begins now.

News

February News

March 3, 2025March 3, 2025 mjmarsauthor

Happy March, everyone. The spring buds are starting to bloom, there has been some moments of blue skies and sunshine here in the UK, and it feels as though spring is finally on its way.

We’ve Already Gone Too Far, Award Winner!

2025 has been full of surprises so far. The main news to share with you is that We’ve Already Gone Too Far WON the Books of Horror Short Smack competition. With every round, I expected to go hurtling out of the contest, as each of the 32 books in the smack were wonderful. I somehow managed to cling on to the very end, with a neck-and-neck race against The Conservators Collection by the fantastic trio of Jay Bower, John Lynch, and John Durgin. For those of you who may remember the 2023 Books of Horror Brawl, John Durgin and I went head-to-head when The Suffering was up against The Cursed Among Us in the first round, when John won by a landslide. I wonder if we will meet again in future battles!

Another fabulous accolade for We’ve Already Gone Too Far is that it made the preliminary ballot of The Stoker Awards. While it didn’t proceed to the finals, I am so proud and happy that a book that is so personal to me has resonated with many readers out there. Thank you to everyone for nominating and supporting WAGTF in its first few months of existence. It has been beyond anything I could have imagined and I’m excited to see what the future holds.

RAT

Speaking of short stories, RAT is just over 6 weeks’ old and has been getting a lot of love. It even had the accolade of making it into Malevolent Dark’s Horror Fiction Top 25 in February.

If you haven’t read RAT yet, here’s a little taster: When Victorian clipper, The Cormorant, sails upon a ghosted prisoner hulk, the captain’s decision to explore the crewless vessel proves fatal. For the hulk isn’t completely abandoned, and the entity that follows them back aboard is seeking vengeance.

Are you kind to animals? If not, don’t set foot on the ghost ship, The Tulketh Swain…

Scares That Care Authorcon 2025

Who is coming to Authorcon in Virginia at the end of March? I’ll be flying over the pond once more to meet up with the incredible authors, event organisers, and readers of STC. Authorcon 2024 was my first experience traveling to the US, my first author-specific convention, and my first opportunity to meet my own personal author heroes, including my favourite living writer, Paul Tremblay. I can’t wait to return. If you’re planning on attending, be sure to say hello!

Anthology Appearances

This has already been an exceptional year for anthology appearances, and I am thrilled to have stories in the following recent publications:

The Horror Collection: Morte Edition, KJK Publishing

My Evil F*cking Neighbour, Sinister Smile Press/Crystal Lake

Screams from the Dark Ages, Broken Brain Books

Stay tuned for more releases coming soon!

New Logo

If you follow me on socials, you may have seen that I have a brand new logo, courtesy of Grim Poppy Designs. If you’re coming to STC, you’ll be the first readers to grab stickers, bookmarks, and more, with this gentle giant and his friends.

Logo by Grim Poppy Designs

Be sure to stop by the table I will be sharing with the awesome R. J. Benetti. We’re going to have a blast!

News

August News

August 16, 2024August 16, 2024 mjmarsauthor

Books and Brews, Anthologies and Collaborations, and more…

I usually wait until the end of the month to post news, but there has been so much going on in August so far I just couldn’t wait to share it.

Books and Brews, Chicago

Early on Friday 2nd August, I boarded a plane for my first ever solo flight. I’ve always had a terrible fear of flying, so getting on a plane on my own was not something I ever thought I’d be physically capable of doing. But then again, when you have somewhere incredible to go, somehow the fear seems less significant. I’d made my mind up that nothing was going to stop me getting to Chicago that day because I was heading to the Books of Horror Books and Brews book event of the year!

And what a brilliant event it was. I got to see so many of my wonderful US author friends who I met earlier in the year at Scares That Care Authorcon (another insanely incredible book event held in Virginia), but I also got to meet a lot of the BoH crew who I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, including the wonderful Tiffany Koplin! There were some huge names attending, including Josh Malerman, Daniel Kraus, Christina Henry, Jonathan Janz, and many more. I also got to share a table with my Irish/UK buddies, Leigh Kenny and M. L. Rayner, which was a blast.

Myself, Leigh Kenny, and M.L. Rayner on the UK table!

If you’d have asked me just a year ago whether I could imagine doing anything like this, I wouldn’t have believed it. What an unbelievably wonderful experience.

We’ve Already Gone Too Far Release

We’ve Already Gone Too Far is out now and receiving incredible reviews. I’m so grateful to everyone who has picked up a copy, liked/shared posts, or reviewed. I’m currently running a competition on my author page to name the Bigfoot on the cover, so come and join in the fun!

Signed copies available on my website now

You can now order signed copies in my shop.

Bloody Hell: An Anthology of UK Indie Horror

Being invited to submit to an anthology is always an honour, and I had a great time writing a story about my hometown, Lancaster, for the Bloody Hell Anthology which has been released by Mark of the Witch Press.

Featuring 27 stories, Bloody Hell is a beautifully illustrated book packed full of creepy stories set all around the UK. The special edition hardback is a thing of beauty but if you want one you’d better order quick! There will only ever be 100 in circulation, and there are only a handful left.

Upcoming Anthologies and Collaborations

Speaking of it being an honour to be invited to submit to an anthology, I have two exciting features to announce. My story, HoneyMarrow, will appear in D.W Hitz’s smash hit series, Camp Slasher Lake. The first Camp Slasher Lake won a Splatterpunk Award, and each anthology has featured the top names in horror (plus it is edited by the incredible Candace Nola, one of my literary heroes!) Camp Slasher Lake 3 will be out soon!

The Sinister Smile Press anthology, My Evil F*cking Neighbour, will feature my story, The Moondial. It is always a delight being around Steven Pajak and R.E Sargent, so when the prospect of appearing in one of their brilliant books along with a host of top names came up, I snapped their hands off!

I do have a number of top-secret anthology submissions that I’m working on at the moment, and I am so excited to be able to reveal them to you in the coming months.

More exciting news that has just been revealed and so I can finally shout about it—I am currently working with the fantastic Gage Greenwood on a collaboration novel. When we bounced this idea around late last year I wasn’t certain we would be able to make it happen, but our schedules have aligned and we are go go go! More news to come in future.

Indie Horror Chapter, Birmingham

If you’re in Birmingham on the 24th August, come to the Indie Horror Chapter book event! Join myself and a host of amazing UK horror authors for book signings, readings, and panels. I will be a panellist on the Horror Comedy panel, which I am so looking forward to.

Can’t wait to see you there!

More news coming soon…

Blog Post, News

We’ve Already Gone Too Far is Out Now!

July 26, 2024July 26, 2024 mjmarsauthor

Welcome to the world my second book baby!

We’ve Already Gone Too Far is available in paperback and Kindle/KU

It’s crazy to think that this book was just a twinkle in my eye, even when I got back from Scares That Care Authorcon in April. I knew I wanted to create a book of short stories ready for the Books and Brews event, but apart from the two pre-published shorts I wanted to put in the book (In Bocca Al Lupo and Monastery Blood Moon), I had no idea what I might write.

The advice I received was “Start and end strong” and I’m thrilled to say that the first story, Jeff Through the Trees, has been widely received as a firm favourite, and the finishing title, We’ve Already Gone Too Far, seems to be a close second.

That said, each one of the 8 nasty tales has been receiving love from all around the globe, and it has been incredible reading the reviews on Goodreads. Thank you to everyone who has picked up the book so far.

We’ve Already Gone Too Far is available in paperback, Kindle, and KU, and you can grab your copy by clicking the button below.

Get Your Copy of We’ve Already Gone Too Far

News

We’ve Already Gone Too Far

June 21, 2024June 21, 2024 mjmarsauthor

After a busy few months, I’m back with a brand new collection and some exciting news!

We’ve Already Gone Too Far is coming soon, with rave reviews coming in from early readers.

“This is chessboard horror. MJ Mars has arranged each story, each piece, into its proper place with sinister precision, daring the reader to make the first move. Narratively, she’s always three steps ahead of you, waiting to unearth fears you didn’t know you had. From urban legends to aliens, cryptids to curses, this author wants to play a game, if you’re up for it.” – Nick Roberts, author of Mean Spirited and The Exorcist’s House.

“After a stellar debut, Mars shows she can sink her teeth into you regardless of the setting with We’ve Already Gone Too Far. I had a blast with this collection, and you will too!” – John Durgin, author of Kosa and The Cursed Among Us.

“MJ Mars’ quirkiness and unusual combination of settings and plot details are both charming and absolutely brilliant. She has a sharp and ingenious sense of humour that most people couldn’t execute in such terrifying, violent, and creepy works.” – Megan Stockton, author of Bluejay and Lovely, Dark & Deep.

We’ve Already Gone Too Far

A father takes his son on a camping trip but isn’t sure who he brings home. When passengers begin to disappear from her flight, a cabin crew member faces the childhood fears she thought she’d long overcome. At his mother’s funeral, a magician contemplates a family curse. Two graduates listen to a retired soldier talking about his participation in a death-defying experiment, and a punk band trying to be polite at a high-brow art installation step up when monsters attack.

These stories and more await you in We’ve Already Gone Too Far, 8 Nasty Little Tales by MJ Mars.

We’re here for a bad time, not a long time.

Coming to Books and Brews?

Be one of the first to bag your copy of the paperback! Coming to Books and Brews on 3rd August, 2024? If so, you will be able to get your hands on the very first copies of We’ve Already Gone Too Far.

After having a blast at Authorcon in April, I can’t wait to see you all back in the US in a few weeks.

News

November News

November 21, 2023November 21, 2023 mjmarsauthor

As the leaves turn brown and fall from the trees and the town centre begins to fill with Christmas decorations and gift ideas, I wanted to take a moment to share some November News. Here are all the updates from the last few weeks!

Halloween 10K Run

A relieved and exhausted pair of Brackenby ghosts!

Because this was my first Halloween after The Suffering was published, I wanted to mark the occasion by doing something a little different. I decided to sign up to the Pendle Witch 10K run from Lancaster Castle. Running is not really my forte, but I liked the idea of a challenge and chose to dress as the character Lisa Vaughan to do it. My friend joined me and wore a The Suffering T-shirt with an Anthony Pile cape, and we promoted the book in sweaty style! We ended up completing the run in 1 hour and 8 minutes, far exceeding my expectations!

Page Reads and Chart Positions

Last month, my publisher notified me that we’d hit 818,000 Kindle Unlimited page-reads. This number is unbelievable and I’m so grateful to everyone who has downloaded their copy of The Suffering and read it. We’ve hit 600 reviews in the US, and we’re almost there in the UK, too. This is way beyond what I could have imagined for the first year of publication, so I am blown away!

We were also successful in running a 99c Bookbub sale in November, which lead to The Suffering being number 1 in the US Kindle UK chart once more, and number 2 in a number of other categories. It also reached its highest ever placing in the UK horror chart, climbing into position 5 in Kindle Store and 8 in Horror Books. A huge thank you to everyone who picked up the book during the sale. It is an incredible feeling and it’s one I’ll never forget!

Number 1 in British Horror Fiction once more

The Suffering is coming to Audible!

Huge news for November – the extremely talented Jonathan Johns has completed recording The Suffering for Tantor Media, and it will be available on Audible from 28th November. You can pre-order it now!

Jonathan has let me know he had a lot of fun making the recording, and I can’t wait to hear it.

Click the image to pre-order your Audible download

The Newsletter has launched!

The Mars Rovers Newsletter has finally come to fruition. Sign up today for book news, horror appreciation, poems and stories, and exclusives. We also have a monthly writing tip section for creative Rovers out there. I have received positive feedback from the launch, and I am so happy you’re enjoying the mailings so far. Stay tuned for a festive special, and perhaps a message from some of Brackenby’s ghosts…