Welcome back! So last Friday was a pretty cool milestone: The Haunting of Velkwood officially turned one month old!
*spectral screams of joy*
Seriously, though, this book–both writing it and promoting it–has definitely been a unique experience and quite a journey to be honest. I know I’ve certainly been loquacious about Velkwood on social media, so you’ve probably heard plenty of my updates already. But honestly, this book is a really big deal to me, so I’m just going to go ahead and share some of the news again! Because really, what else is a blog for anyhow?
There have been so many incredible reviews of The Haunting of Velkwood, and it makes me so happy to see my ghosts making their way in the world and finding readers! Here are a few of the pull quotes from reviews, just in case you need a bit of incentive to pick up a copy of the book!
“Prediction: this makes not only many year’s best in horror lists, but lists for the best books overall in 2024. Highly recommended.” — Cemetery Dance
“The Haunting of Velkwood shimmers with the uncanny… the most unique haunt story in years.” — Fangoria
“Kiste’s expert storytelling and engaging prose ensure that readers will have difficulty putting the book down. This is a must-read for 2024.” — Ginger Nuts of Horror
“Sure to be one of the most original and riveting horror novels of 2024.” — Booklist (Starred Review)
“Kiste kept her page-turner relatable. She made it fun. And memorable. It hints at lies and secrets… Kiste is a damn good story teller!” – Horror Tree
“Breathtakingly original modern ghost story laden with humanity and heartache.” – Library Journal
Another big highlight: The Haunting of Velkwood has been featured in Fangoria… not once, but twice! First up, there was a fantastic review in Issue #22! So many thanks to Ahlissa Eichhorn of The Nightmare Library column for all her support! Then last month, the amazing Leticia Lopez interviewed me for the site where we talked horror, ghosts, and more! Truly, being featured in Fangoria twice is so unbelievably awesome and special! Eeeeee!!!
I’ve also made numerous appearances on some very fabulous podcasts, including Talking Scared, This Is Horror, Lovecraft eZine, Night Time Logic, The Ghostly Gallery, and Sley House Presents. In addition to those podcasts, I’ve been interviewed at a number of others sites such as Rue Morgue and The Nerd Daily. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have so many places come out to support this book, so please head on over to my recently revamped interviews page for all the details!
The major leg of my book tour is now over, and seriously, what an amazing experience it was! I’m so grateful for the bookstores that hosted me, including Riverstone Books in Pittsburgh, Loganberry Books in Cleveland, Charis Books & More in Atlanta, and the virtual event at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego. These are all wonderful places, so please consider stopping by if they’re in your area, or ordering online if they’re too far to visit in person!
However, if you missed out on my Velkwood events, fear not! I’m still making a few more appearances, both on podcasts and in person! In particular, I’ll be at Midtown Scholar Bookstore in Harrisburg on Saturday, April 27th for Independent Bookstore Day! Then on Saturday, May 11th, I’ll be at the Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books for a very awesome horror panel. And last but not least, I’ll be at StokerCon in San Diego from May 30th to June 2nd! I most certainly hope to see some of you there!
As the coming months roll by, I’ll of course keep sharing news about the book, as my ghosts continue to haunt the world! Needless to say, thank you so much to everyone who’s supported The Haunting of Velkwood so far! It truly means the world to me!
Happy reading, and happy ghostly adventures!
