So in case you missed it, I have some news. Some very big news. My second collection, The Haunted Houses She Calls Her Own, is due out in spring 2026 from Raw Dog Screaming Press.

Yes, a second collection. Yes, it’s finally happening. And yes, I get to work with one of my favorite presses for the very first time.

*screams merrily for joy*

Seriously, I couldn’t be more excited about this. It’s been eight years (!) since my first collection.  EIGHT. YEARS. I can’t believe it’s been that long, but needless to say, having a new collection finally on the way is an absolute dream come true.

And if that wasn’t enough, it’s so thrilling to be working with Raw Dog Screaming Press on Haunted Houses. I’ve admired RDSP’s amazing books for years and years. Both Jennifer Barnes and John Edward Lawson are such rock stars in the horror community, so to be working with Jennifer on this book is such an honor and so very, very cool.

Raw Dog Screaming Press also announced the deal over at their blog, saying “This landmark collection is a legacy book that exemplifies Kiste’s impact on modern literature and in particular the horror genre.” Wow. I mean, those are some incredible words for someone to say about your work. There’s nothing better as an author than having a publisher that genuinely appreciates and supports your writing.

For anyone who wants a sneak peek into the book, I’ll give you a bit of a teaser. The final back cover copy will likely change before we go to print, but here’s the original write-up from when we were sending the collection out on submission.

Two outcast sisters discover a glittery board game that holds the key to their salvation—or their destruction. Hollywood’s most famous ghost is forced to relive her death, night after night. Dracula’s forgotten first victim finally tells her side of the story. A lonely video store owner learns that nostalgia comes at a frightening cost. A cult filmmaker goes missing, and after a screening of her latest film, so do her most devoted fans.

In her second collection, Gwendolyn Kiste explores the vast and strange American landscape and beyond, uncovering the ghost of Rasputin hiding in Detroit, a group of little girls who become monsters before their mothers’ eyes, and a beheaded Marie Antoinette who stumbles right into the middle of Lord Byron’s ghost story contest. Featuring reworkings of some of literature’s most famous stories, including an apocalyptic retelling of Julius Caesar as well as the Bram Stoker Award-winning story, “The Eight People Who Murdered Me (Excerpt from Lucy Westenra’s Diary),” these sixteen tales reconfigure every horror possibility, exploring the grief and heartache that lurks in the shadows, waiting to devour us whole.

Over the coming months, I will of course keep everyone updated with news about the cover reveal, pre-orders, and ARCs! So please keep your eyes peeled if you’re so inclined. And as always, thank you for coming with me on this crazy ride of a horror-writing career! Your support is appreciated more than you’ll ever know.

Happy reading!