The Shadow Dancers Dance On

So. What a year January 2025 was, eh? I hope that you and yours are safe and well, wherever you are. Bill and I spent the holiday season trading the same cold back and forth, and we spent much of January under a blanket of snow and ice that wouldn’t go away, thanks to the frigid temperatures and the sun not hitting our front yard long enough to melt everything. It’s finally warmed up, and a relatively balmy rain took care of a lot of the mess today.

We also saw Nosferatu, which I loved as much as I hoped I would. Even though I know this story like the back of my hand by now, Robert Eggers brought his unique style to the film. And I thought the performances were uniformly outstanding. I can’t wait for it to hit streaming so I can rewatch it obsessively.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Last month, Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance earned a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for Demi Moore, as well as Best Director and Best Picture nominations. Go Demi! Horror movies rarely notch those high-profile award nods. Well before this, Demi posed for the infamous poster of what iconic horror movie?

THE SHADOW DANCERS OF BRIXTON HILL IS A SFINCS FINALIST: So when I last wrote you, my historical circus horror novella The Shadow Dancers of Brixton Hill had been named a semi-finalist in the Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championships. I’m happy to report that this week, a second team of judges deemed it worthy of moving on to the finals. Out of 100 novellas at the beginning, 10 are left. I’m not expecting to win, but I’m thrilled my scary little dancers got this far. I’ll consider it my “I Knew This Book Was Good” award.

If you want to read more about the competition, or if you’re an author with a novella you’d like to enter for the next competition, the site is here: https://www.sfincscompetition.com/

THE KEEPER OF THE KEY IS A KINDLE MONTHLY DEAL: The eBook of THE KEEPER OF THE KEY is once again $1.99 all month! But given that February is a short month, you need to move a little faster this time. If you haven’t read my Bluebeard-inspired gothic YA horror, treat yourself now and save a bundle. Get it here: https://www.amazon.com/Keeper-Key-gothic-horror-novel-ebook/dp/B0CQFG8XWZ/

And when you’ve finished reading it, PLEASE leave a review. Positive, negative, or meh—they all matter, and please leave them on any and all platforms that allow it. The reviews for the new book seem to have stalled out, and that’s not good. More reviews mean a better chance of my next book finding a home.

WHAT I’M READING: This week, I finished Tim McGregor’s Eynhallow. I’ve loved everything I’ve read by Tim, but this book was truly exceptional. A married woman leading a very dreary existence on a remote Scottish island has her world rocked when Victor Frankenstein turns up, clearly fleeing something. What dark secrets does he bring along? You’ll have to read it to find out, and I strongly suggest you do. If you are a fan of Robert Eggers movies, you will love this book. If you happen to know Robert Eggers, get him a copy of this stat.

TRIVIA ANSWER: That’s a teenage Demi Moore posing for the lurid poster for 1978’s I Spit on Your Grave. I’ll be wishing her well this awards season. I feel like I grew up alongside her, so it’s nice to see her hitting a career peak.

Thanks so much for reading, and if you know anyone who might be interested in my work, please feel free to pass this along to them.

Stay spooky and safe,
Nicole