"doorbell dot mov" by Jennifer R. Donohue, in The Deadlands issue #34 (spring 2024)

 I like to think that I update this blog once a year, whether I need to or not (and I guess I need to, for awards eligibility ease)

And so I didn't make an actual post when my short story, "doorbell dot mov", appeared in issue #34 of The Deadlands, which was the Spring 2024 issue.

It's a very short story, 1500 words, and it's inspired by those youtube videos that are like, "what you'll see on this doorbell camera will shock you" or whatever. You know, spooky found footage stuff that's often in compilations. 

The Deadlands has been a goal market for me since day one of its existence. Short stories about death? That's my deal. Additionally, they've got a broader publishing imprint, Psychopomp, which publishes novellas and novelettes.

I'm talking about this all for a few reasons. One, "doorbell dot mov" has been reviewed in Locus twice now, and recommended both times by the reviewers! (Paula Guran and A.C. Wise). "doorbell dot mov" is a story that's awards-eligible for 2024 (so that's, a big list. The Nebula, the Stoker, the Hugo, Shirley Jackson, Subjective Chaos, whatever the award they give out at Dragoncon is called, etc. etc. etc.) so if you're in a story-nominating mood and like my writing, keep that in mind!

And the final reason is that Psychopomp is fundraising for 2025 and to that end, they sell coins for the ferryman. There's also a limited edition pin, and beyond that you can buy the novellas, the 2024 print issues, a 2025 digital subscription, etc. etc. so check it out!

Awards Eligibility 2023, Jennifer R. Donohue

 in 2023, I published my DEBUT NOVEL! Exit Ghost came out in March, and I've been pitching it as modern witchy girl Hamlet at the Jersey Shore. It is a little genre-wobbly; it's possible a fan of litfic would enjoy it, it's somewhat gothic, it's modern fantasy, it's dark and witchy and (eventually) bloody. 

my non-series novella publication of 2023 was a weird west, Between the Blood and the Sun. It's about faith, and dying, and some of the inspiration came from Val Kilmer's performance of Doc Holliday in Tombstone (1993)

I had THREE! original short stories published in 2023.

"This is Not the Only Kingdom" was in issue 4 of Old Moon Quarterly [5000 words]

"The Oyster Widow" was in Saltwater Sorrows  [7000 words] (And is in the same word as my 2022 novella, The Drowned Heir)

"Solar Sonata For Four Hands" was in Robotic Ambitions [3900 words]

If you are reading for awards and need copies of any of these, please don't hesitate to reach out to me and we can make it happen! 

Out now! Exit Ghost, by Jennifer R. Donohue

 My debut novel, EXIT GHOST, is now out in the world! 

You can order it in ebook on nearly platform, in hardcover through Bookshop.org (this is an affiliate link) or Amazon or your local indie! You can request your local library order it, because your local library does want to know what its patrons want to read, and probably have a request/suggestion form right on their website!

However you read Exit Ghost, be it through your own purchase or a library borrow, please do rate and/or review it on Amazon, and Goodreads

Preorder my DEBUT NOVEL Exit Ghost

 That's right, you heard it here first (if you didn't see it on Twitter, or Instagram, or hear it from me in person), I'm releasing my debut novel, Exit Ghost, on March 7, 2023!

I queried this novel for 2 years, starting right before the pandemic really kicked up stateside. Not the best timing on my part, with what otherwise would've been great timing; witchy books are/have been in, and this is a witchy book!

So what is it about?  Here's the cover copy:

After her father is murdered and an attempt is made on her life, New Jersey heiress and witch Juliet Duncan is supposed to be concentrating on getting better and moving forward. Instead, Jules summons her father's ghost using her blood and tears and his old rotary phone to answer the question: who did it? He reveals it was Hector, her dad’s best friend and her mom’s new fiancé.

Certain her life is still in danger, Jules flees the family estate to the Asbury Park apartment she shares with her best friend and fellow witch, Ashes. When another friend joins them, all three women get caught up with a secret boyfriend who’s also big into magic, but in all the wrong ways, all while Jules wrestles with whether her father’s ghost was telling the truth. But what Jules does know is that power has its cost, and she is more than willing to pay the price in order to get her revenge.

Where can you get it? Pretty much everywhere! I'm doing the ebook in my typical way, with distribution far and wide, and the hardcover is through IngramSpark, which means that bookstores and libraries who order through Ingram can just order it with no special considerations necessary. Indeed, I would be thrilled if you'd request your local library order it. A handy link where you can choose whatever digital store you please (and some physical stores) is here:

https://books2read.com/ExitGhost

It is already listed on both Goodreads and Storygraph, and if you do read it, I encourage (beg) you to rate and/or review it there and on Amazon!

Awards Eligibility 2022, Jennifer R. Donohue

I have had seven original short stories published in 2022 

"Every Quivering Fold of Flesh" was published by The Future Fire

"One to Sit in Judgement" was published by Air and Nothingness Press in The Spirit Machine

"Boys of Summer" was published by Corvid Queen

"Mistempered Weapons" was published by Kaleidotrope 

"A Country of Eternal Light" was published by Apex Magazine

"On What Wings" was published by Fusion Fragment

"Into the Dark" is in Issue 86 of Fantasy Magazine

Additionally, my novella The Drowned Heir is eligible in that category, and is available on most digital platforms, and wherever you buy your hardcover books. 

Available Now! Run With the Hunted 5: Insert Coin to Play

 The latest installation of Run With the Hunted came out on October 31, and thus Run With the Hunted 5: Insert Coin to Play is now available to purchase in paperback and ebook!

In the fast-paced, tech heavy future, all work and no play makes a dull team. Bits scores an invite for the game: a real-world, multi-day puzzle and travel challenge with big prizes for the winners. Dolly and Bristol join the road trip, solve puzzles, take in the scenery, and bicker about snacks. But when Bits does what she does best and takes a look behind the code, all is not what it seems, and now the trio is playing against a different and deadlier clock.

Available to preorder! The Drowned Heir, by Jennifer R. Donohue

 Surprise, I have a new dark fantasy/horror novella coming out at the end of August! 

I am self publishing it. It is available for ebook preorder (with the hardcover to follow)

"When her uncle dies at sea, a third child with no place in society undergoes a ceremony to house his spirit and take his role, diminishing the family’s loss. But her uncle’s spirit hasn’t settled the way it’s supposed to, and will not content itself with shore-bound business. Her uncle’s spirit insists, angrily, that it was not just a storm that killed him and wrecked his ship, not a rogue wave; it was an unthinkably large monster.

Then his lover comes knocking with news of an adult son who has set sail along the same shipping lane, and dead uncle and living niece must work together to save a son neither of them knew existed."

AND I have a blurb:   "Profoundly poetic and infused with fascinating magic and myth, this book spoke to me deeply of the struggle between hereditary duty and the yearning for adventure. Hungry monsters and rogue waves lurk with ill intent below family secrets kept too long. I could taste the salt water in every line -- a triumph of nautical storytelling, as fascinatingly and carefully crafted as a swift ship." —Premee Mohamed, Nebula Award-winning author of And What Can We Offer You Tonight