horror book Archives

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

May News

May 16, 2023July 12, 2023 mjmarsauthor

I never thought I’d be saying this so soon after The Suffering being released but…my little shop is officially open! This is mainly due to the incredible folks in the Books of Horror Group who have made requests for signed books to add to their spooky collections. Unfortunately, international postage costs are a little out of hand from the UK right now. But there is a solution for my friends in the US and other countries in the form of a signed bookplate. This is a matte sticker that fits inside the cover of the book, and costs a fraction of the price to post out to you.

Signed bookplates are available in the store now!

If you’d like a signed book or bookplate, you can find the shop here. I’m happy to add any inscription you like. There will be more exciting stock coming in the future, so watch this space!

May has brought with it another huge goal in the form of 200 reviews on Amazon US. This is another milestone I didn’t think I’d be seeing for while (if at all!). Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and review the book. Reviews make a huge difference in terms of exposure, and getting the book into the hands of the right people, so they are all welcome and gratefully received. Reviews in the UK are hot on the heels of my US friends also, currently standing at 187, with a 4.3 average. I will also be celebrating when we hit the 200 mark here as well, so lucky me – I get to celebrate twice!

Another moment of excitement was seeing The Suffering on the table at a Barnes & Noble store. It’s incredible to think that people will be browsing the horror section, as I love to do, and might pick up my book and consider adding it to their pile! Unfortunately, we don’t have Barnes & Noble stores here in the UK, and the process of getting books from independent publishers stocked in major stores is tricky. This means until I travel to the US I probably won’t get to see it in “the wild”, so thank you to the people in the US who are sharing these images in the horror groups so I can see them.

The Suffering on the horror table in a Barnes & Noble store

Finally (and this one’s a little cheeky), you may have seen that the fantastic Grady Hendrix broke the news that How to Sell a Haunted House is to be made into a major motion picture with Sam Raimi as producer. Talk about goals! I was gobsmacked to check Amazon US later that same week his amazing news broke and see us sitting side-by-side in the chart. Obviously, Grady is HUGE and the book has done some major heavy lifting in the last couple of months (wow, I just checked and it was released on my birthday – how funny!). But being in the chart lurking around incredible writers like Grady is utterly thrilling.

The Suffering keeping insanely good company in the US charts!

This time last year I was still struggling to get any interest in the book whatsoever so, if you are in the process of querying agents and publishing houses, don’t you dare give up! I almost did. I was so disheartened about the lack of interest in the book I was all set to scrap it and write something new this year and start all over again. Good job I didn’t, right?! Keep pushing for it and perhaps in a year you’ll be seeing your book side-by-side with Grady and others like him, too!

I think that’s all the May news so far. I do have a #vaguepost about something potentially huge coming up, so June News may be just as exciting! I certainly hope so…

Just For Fun

Meet The Suffering Ghosts

December 29, 2022August 8, 2023 mjmarsauthor

Which one will haunt you?

When Professor Josiah Grant called upon young Victorian psychic, Lucius Holgrove, to host a séance in 1876, neither of the men could have been prepared for the massacre that followed. Under Grant’s instruction, Lucius called forth 5 spirits that would represent the elements needed for his divination spell: Strength; Stealth; Frivolity; Deception; and Malice.

After the deaths of all of the attendees at the séance, Lucius managed to banish the ghosts within the walls of Brackenby House, where they have been waiting for another chance to come out.

Now a student home, Brackenby House finds itself the setting of another séance. A distant relative of Lucius Holgrove has called out The Suffering ghosts, unleashing them back into the house. The only trouble is, unlike his notorious ancestor, Kyle has no clue how to banish them.

And the ghosts are determined to continue The Suffering…

Connor Rourke (Stealth)

A thieving factory worker, Rourke was caught stealing and tried to escape his punishment, plunging to his death through a trapdoor.

The poor wretch who is haunted by Rourke is plagued with vertigo, and the fast and endless echoing footsteps of Rourke’s final run through the factory rafters before his deadly fall will drive you slowly insane. Worse still, you may find yourself giving in to the sudden urge to leap over the railing and tumble to your death. It’s not the call of the void. It’s Rourke. And he won’t stop until you take the plunge.

Anthony Pile (Deception)

A member of The Hellfire Club who committed Satanic rituals to keep his stolen fortune in the afterlife.

The squeal of tortured cats and the smell of burning follow you when Pile is attached to you. You might find chairs pulled out around the house, the seat cold from the touch of a sitting devil. Your money may go missing, but poverty is the least of your worries when Anthony Pile is following you. He made a pact with the devil. And he wants to take you with him back to hell.

Lisa Vaughan (Frivolity)

A teenaged fortune teller who, in the early 1700s, cursed the sailors who sought her wares. Days later, the men would jump from the ship into the sea, joining her woeful spectral horde.

Powerful oracle Lisa Vaughan doesn’t have to lift a finger to torment her victims. You’ll find damp and condensation in the strangest of places, and the smell of the deepest, darkest seas will permeate your clothes. She has the power to drown a person where they stand, and, if you try and fight, her horde of lost sailors will stop you in your tracks. Beware the foghorn moan of Lisa’s horde. It may mean you’re next.

Jarvis Rice (Malice)

A corrupt 17^th century executioner who enjoyed his profession so much he murdered women and framed their husbands for the killings, having them sent straight to his axe block. In the final moments before their death, he would whisper the truth in the doomed innocents ears.

When Rice chooses you as his next victim, expect to hear the thudding of an axe handle slapping against an impatient hand throughout the night. A smell of decaying flesh will follow you wherever you go. And, as he gets stronger, be sure to duck if you hear the swish of an axe cutting through the air. Executions are Rice’s favourite hobby. And he doesn’t intend to stop any time soon.

Po (Strength)

An ancient Peruvian monster. Not much is known about Po, apart from the fact that he has nothing in the sockets under his brows and 3 hate-filled eyes across his forehead. And that he’s the size of a truck.

Crashes and creaks in the basement just might mean that the Incan giant, Po, is lurking in the shadows. A tickle of breath on the back of your neck or a grunt in your ear may mean he’s edging closer. And, when the giant gets too close, close enough to touch you, you may just fall victim to the brute’s huge hands, ripping you to pieces in the blink of one of his 3 eyes.

As each of the 5 students at Brackenby are targeted by one of the ghosts, they face a race against time to uncover the secrets of the original séance before it’s too late. But the ghosts are growing stronger every day. And there’s no guarantee that Kyle, Cassie, Pete, Tad, and Lance will ever make it out of the second Suffering alive.

The Suffering – Prepare to Suffer! Available at Amazon

Meet the Students of Brackenby House!