Author Spotlight: British Gothic Horror author Laura Clarke Walker

Laura Clarke Walker (she/they) is a writer, teacher, and lover of all things Gothic. When she’s not immersed in the world of Coldharbour, she can be found drinking espressos darker than the night, listening to podcasts in other languages, and running around her local lakes.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website: lauraclarkewalker.com

Instagram: @lauraclarkewalker

Amazon: Coldharbour

PITCH FOR READERS/BOOK CLUBS:

Three generations preyed upon by pure evil. Two lost souls drawn to each other in the darkness. One compelling story of love, loyalty, and betrayal. A spellbinding mix of murder, magic, and romance, Coldharbour is a thrilling Gothic fantasy full of Nineties nostalgia.

Your debut novel Coldharbour is out now with Rowanvale Books – congrats on your debut! Can you tell us about your indie publishing journey from the premise of your book to publication? How did we get here?

Thank you so much! Well, this is a long story, as I came up with the first character in 2005 and wrote the first draft in 2009. However, I only started taking Coldharbour seriously as a project to be published around 2021, especially as it had become a very personal story to which I really wanted to do justice.

In 2024, I queried agents for a while, but ultimately I decided that maintaining a certain level of creative control was more important to me than gaining literary representation. It’s a completely different journey for every author, but I’m so excited to be hybrid publishing and for Coldharbour to be now out in the wild!

Coldharbour is a Gothic paranormal mystery with 1990s nostalgia, set in Essex. What brought these elements together for you in terms of genre, tone, and setting?

I’m really passionate about the state of British seaside towns, which have been on the decline for a long time, and decayed settings are a huge feature of the Gothic.

Also, we think of the Millennium and we think of looking towards the future, but I can also remember the dread over the millennium bug and how everyone became extremely retrospective – there was a sense of the fin de siècle to everything.

Plus, the paranormal was having a heyday in the Nineties – shows like Charmed and Buffy were an important influence on me growing up, so I definitely pay homage to them in Coldharbour.

What sort of representation can readers expect, and what makes this rep important to you as the author?

There’s a whole variety of representation in Coldharbour, including a range of sexualities and gender identities, ethnic backgrounds, and neurodivergences and disabilities. It can sound a bit like I’m ‘box-ticking’, but it’s just my reality as a neurodivergent Queer person of colour.

I really craved representation growing up and I think the way that the sociopolitical landscape is shifting at the moment, hearing from diverse voices is more important than ever.

What is your favourite trope/theme that appears in this novel? Can you tell us about any that you play with or subvert?

My absolute favourite trope in Coldharbour is the haunted house that reflects the protagonist’s psyche, which really is as Gothic as it gets.

The house in question, 1 St Augustine’s, is loosely based on some that I’ve lived in and I really feel that it, like the town, is a character in its own right. There are locked doors, mysterious bloodstains, things in wells which shouldn’t be, all hinting at the dark family secrets Alex must try to unravel throughout the novel.

However, the love story between Alex and Elizabeth is unconventional: Alex is a single mother in her thirties and Elizabeth has certainly had her own life, so they come together with a certain maturity (and reticence) that comes from being a bit older compared to a lot of relationships depicted in fantasy works.

Also, I really try to avoid the standard romance tropes around love triangles and miscommunication, mostly because the characters have bigger things to worry about!

The most significant trope I subvert is ‘bury your gays’, in which Queer characters tend to die in service of the plot or their loved one’s character development. It is a harmful trope that’s still used prolifically, so while Elizabeth does die, it’s only temporary – because her Power is resurrection. Whether the resurrection always goes to plan, well, that’s for readers to find out!

Let’s talk about your main character, Alex Wilde. How did you develop her from the initial idea, and what makes her who she is? What has been your favourite reader response to her so far?

To be honest, the initial Alex was a very generic protagonist. I was only sixteen when I first devised her and she was very active, enthusiastic, enquiring, just not necessarily interesting.

Alex has evolved as I have.

I really needed to go out there and experience everything adulthood has to offer (both good and bad) before Alex could become a well-rounded character. Homecoming and grief run through the current Alex like Brighton rock, neither of which I could’ve written authentically when I was a teenager.

This Alex is an unreliable narrator and reluctant heroine, which is influenced by many of my favourite books.

Shirley Jackson’s work has been a crucial part of my writing journey and I can definitely see aspects of Eleanor from The Haunting of Hill House in Alex, especially in terms of her mental health.

Readers are usually very sympathetic to Alex as a character, but they tend to respond particularly to her relationship with Elizabeth. The word ‘compelling’ has come up several times and I can’t ask for much more than that!

Elizabeth also sounds really intriguing; where did she come from as a character, how did she develop as you drafted & revised? Were there any moments between her & Alex that you ended up cutting but wanted to keep, or any bits you really enjoyed writing that you couldn’t part with in the final edit? 

I recently described Elizabeth as ‘cold but also compassionate, confident in her abilities but self-conscious as a person, secretive but protective’, so she’s definitely one of the more complex characters in Coldharbour!

She’s also one of the last ones to reach their ‘final form’, as she was an amalgamation of three characters from the pre-2021 story, but once she came together, there she was: Elizabeth the Unkillable.

Elizabeth is particularly morally grey and like Alex, that’s influenced by some of my favourite characters in books and other media. I don’t think I’ve ever cut anything significant for Elizabeth, but I always say that the night of the storm in the first Coldharbour is one of my favourite ever scenes of the entire series.

Minor spoilers, but both Alex and the reader finally have enough pieces of the picture that is Elizabeth Black to decide exactly who she is.

What has been your favourite feedback on the novel so far/favourite reader response?

I have loved all the reviews that have mentioned the atmosphere and the tension in Coldharbour – this was an area of the book I spent a long time cultivating, so to have seen it pay off with readers has been fantastic. I know that Gothic literature can be very particular, so I was really worried that people just wouldn’t get it and I’ve been so happy to discover that actually, people both understand and enjoy the book.

Like This? Try These!

• Author Spotlight: Gothic Fantasy Author Nadine Bells Date February 4, 2026 In relation to Author Interview
• Author Spotlight: Horror/Paranormal Author Amanda Leanne Date May 30, 2025 In relation to Author Interview
• Author Interviews ~ C. M. Rosens (it me!!) Date July 26, 2021 In relation to Author Interview
• My Own Author Interview! Date October 13, 2024 In relation to Author Interview
• Gothic Horror Looks – Meet the Author Date January 8, 2021 In relation to aesthetic
• Author Spotlight: Horror Author PD Alleva Date February 11, 2026 In relation to Author Interview

Classic Short Horror Stories by Women (Part 2)

Part 1 looked at a list of classic short horror stories by women narrated on The HorrorBabble podcast, which is mostly comprised of USA authors, and now I’ve found the podcast Just Chills – Short Scary Stories which has a few UK and Irish women authors! It’s narrated by Taesha Glasgow, who also hosts Just Sleep. (Buy Taesha a coffee here)

This podcast has more modern horror stories by women too, but I’m only including ones from the 1800s-1930s in this post; there are 35 authors listed below, with each name linked to their bibliography entry in the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.

Again, as with the first list, do not assume these women are less racist and/or -phobic than their male counterparts writing at the same time.

If you type the title of the story into the podcast search bar in your platform of choice, you’ll find the episode; same if you search by author name. These are ordered alphabetically by author surname.

Alcott, Louisa May (1832-1888)

Birthplace: Germantown, Pennsylvania, USA

• “Lost in a Pyramid; or, The Mummy’s Curse” (1869)

Baldwin, Louisa (1845-1925)

Birthplace: Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England

• “The Real and the Counterfeit” (1895)

Bird, M.A. [Mary Ann] (1815-1896)

Birthplace: Taunton, Somerset, England

• “A Tale Told by the Fireside” (1865)

Bowen, Majorie (1885-1952)

Birthplace: Hayling Island, Hampshire, England

• “The Crown Derby Plate” (1931)

Braddon, Mary Elizabeth (1835-1915)

Birthplace: Soho, Westminster, Middlesex, England

• “The Cold Embrace” (1860)
• “At Chrighton Abbey” (1871) – this story is misattributed in the podcast to Louisa Baldwin in the show notes.
• “The Face in the Glass” (1880)

Broughton, Rhoda (1840-1920)

Birthplace: Denbigh, Denbighshire, Wales

• “The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth” (1868)
• “Under the Cloak” (1872)

Cholmondeley, Mary (1859-1925)

Surname pronounced “Chum-lee”.
Birthplace: Hodnet, Shropshire, England

• “Let Loose” (1890)

Clark, Georgina C. (unknown)

Not much is known of this author!

• “A Life-Watch” (1867)

Clifford, Lucy (1846-1929)

Birthplace: London, England

• “The New Mother” (1882) [inspiration for Coraline – if you want to hear the original premise!]

Croker, B.M. [Bithia Mary] (1847-1920)

Birthplace: Warrenpoint, County Down, Ireland

• “Number Ninety” (1895)

D’Arcy, Ella (1857-1937)

Birthplace: Pimlico, Westminster, Middlesex, England

• “Villa Lucienne” (1896)

Dawson, Emma Frances (1839-1926)

Birthplace: Bangor, Maine, USA

• “A Sworn Statement” (1881)

Dickens, Mary Angela (1862-1948)

Birthplace: Kensington, Middlesex, England

• “My Fellow Travellers” (1896)

Edwards, Amelia B. (1831-1892)

Birthplace: London, England

• “How the Third Floor Knew the Potteries” (1863)
• “The Phantom Coach” (1864)

Forrester, Izola (1878-1944)

Birthplace: Pascoag, Rhode Island, USA

• “Devereaux’s Last Smoke” (1907)

Freeman, Mary E. Wilkins (1852-1930)

Birthplace: Randolph, Massachusetts, USA

• “Luella Miller” (1902)
• “The Wind in the Rose Bush” (1902)
• “The Shadows on the Wall” (1903)

Gaskell, Elizabeth (1810-1865)

Birthplace: Chelsea, Middlesex, England

• “The Old Nurse’s Story” (1852)

Gilman, Charlotte Perkins (1860-1935)

Birthplace: Hartford, Connecticut, USA

• “The Giant Wisteria” (1891)

Hooper, Lucy H. (1835-1893)

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

• “Carnivorine” (1889)

Jacob, Violet (1863-1946)

Birthplace: Dun, Forfarshire, Scotland

• “Behind the Wall” (1910)

Kerruish, Jessie Douglas (1884-1949)

Birthplace: Seaton Carew near Hartlepool, County Durham, England

• “The Wonderful Tune” (1931)

Molesworth, Mary Louisa (1839-1921)

Birthplace: Rotterdam, South Holland, The Netherlands

• “The Rippling Train” (1887)

Montgomery, Lucy Maud (1874-1942)

Birthplace: Clifton, Prince Edward Island, Canada

• “The House Party at Smoky Island” (1935)

Mulholland, Rosa (1841-1921)

Birthplace: Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland

• “The Haunted Organist of Hurly Burly” (1886)
• “Lady Tantivy” (1898)

Nesbit, Edith (1858-1924)

Birthplace: Kennington, Surrey, England

• “Man Size in Marble” (1887)
• “The Ebony Frame” (1891)
• “John Charrington’s Wedding” (1891)
• “From the Dead” (1893)
• “The Shadow” (1905)
• “The House of Silence” (1906)
• “In the Dark” (1910)
• “The Pavilion” (1915)

Penn, Mary E. (unknown)

Nothing is known of M.E. Penn, who might have been a pen name for Ellen Wood.

• “In the Dark” (1885)

Ponder, Zita Inez (1900-1936)

Birthplace: Devon, England

• “His Wife” (1927)

Riddell, Charlotte (1832-1906)

Birthplace: Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Ireland

• “A Strange Christmas Game”

Shelley, Mary (1797-1851)

Birthplace: Somers Town, St Pancras, Middlesex, England

• “The Invisible Girl” (1832)

Sigerson Shorter, Dora (1866-1918)

Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland

• “Transmigration” (1900)

Stewart Drewry, Edith (1841-1925)

Birthplace: London, England

• “Twin Identity” (1891)

Stuart Phelps, Elizabeth (1844-1911)

Birthplace: Andover, Massachusetts, USA

• “Kentucky’s Ghost” (1868)

Tynan, Katharine (1859-1931)

Birthplace: Clondalkin, County Dublin, Ireland

• “The Picture on the Wall” (1895)

Wharton, Edith (1862-1937)

Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA

• “Afterward” (1910)

White, Ethel Lina (1876-1944)

Birthplace: Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales

• “The Scarecrow” (1937) – this is not listed in her bibliography on the ISFDb, but it is listed in GoodReads.

Horror Spotlight: Cosmic Horror Novel “The Day We Ate Grandad”

GoodReads Stats:

Average rating: 4.77
Ratings: 22
Text Reviews: 9
Want to read: 71
Added to shelves: 100

StoryGraph Stats:

Average rating: 5.00
Reviews: 11

Three possible futures. Two versions of the apocalypse. One chance to save the world.

Wes Porter, a severely depressed insanity-inducing playboy, is detoxing from hallucinogens that have unlocked his ability to see versions of potential futures – and he’s just foreseen two ways the world could end. Normally, Wes would leave the hero bullshit to somebody else, but he can’t abdicate responsibility this time… not when both those apocalypses might be his fault.

With some prompting from a mythological bard-prophet who may or may not be real, and a lot of assistance from his monster-eating baby sister who desperately wants to move out of his apartment, and their soothsayer cousin who has his own demons to fight, Wes attempts to save [his] world… but have his poor decisions doomed them all? 

Title: The Day We Ate Grandad

Genre: New Weird, Contemporary Arthuriana, Cosmic Horror, Family Drama, Urban Fantasy

Age: Adult

Tropes: Weird Arthuriana (Merlin Interferes), Does What It Says on the Tin, Oops I Started A Death Cult (Everyone Makes Mistakes), Finding Myself (And Finding I Hate Me), Addiction-Powered Millionaire Playboy (Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know), Creepy Family (Half Human Hybrid Eldritch Abominations who are Inbred and Evil), Lovecraft Lite (with Body Horror), Stopping the Elder Gods (Has Anyone Tried Eating Them?), Toxic Relationships, Judas Kiss.

How I feel about it: I wish more people knew about it, and gave it a go! This book came out a month after I sold the other 2 to Canelo, so it didn’t get a very fair run. A few months after its release, I had to pull The Crows and Thirteenth for their 2024 re-release, and so the series was incomplete. As it lost so much momentum (and I was really burned out and writing other books), I never really got that marketing boost back. I’m determined to rectify that, though.

What surprised me most: It was picked up as a standalone novel by several readers who enjoyed it like that, and recommended it as a standalone novel to an Anne Rice fandom community on tumblr! Wes reminded the reader of Lestat, and the worldbuilding also struck a resonant chord, so it was recced as Vampire Chronicles “Eldritch Edition”. Honestly, that’s the best marketing I could wish for.

This is the book that:

What Readers Say:

“Serial killers and family-eating cannibal monsters shouldn’t be this loveable. Often gruesome but also funny in a dark shroud sort of way. This is a book for fans of weird fiction, gore-spattered horror, and heart-warming stories of cousins standing together against an apocalypse.”

“I can’t tell if C.M. Rosens keeps getting better or if my love for her characters allows the storylines to cut deeper every time, but either way, I’m not complaining”

“CM Rosens’ world of eldritch horrors living among us in her Pagham-on-Sea universe is filled with fascinating, funny, completely addictive characters that you can’t stop reading about. … Interesting characters, atmospheric and impossible to put down.”

“C.M. Rosens’ Pagham-on-Sea books are tremendously good Gothic fun. What happens when the worst guy in your family accidentally starts a cult that might cause the end of the world? Bloody, cannibalistic shenanigans, that’s what! Highly recommended for enjoyers of decaying eldritch families, modern Arthuriana, and rejecting generational curses.”

“Rosens has a very engaging writing style that feels natural and pulls you into the world of Pagham on Sea and truly brings the characters to life.
And, as is expected, this book has amazing illustrations too!”

“Honestly, as excited as I’ve been for this book for years now, I initially really wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a book centred around Wes of all people – partly because he’s one of those I love to hate (and hate to love) but also because I wasn’t quite sure how that might be possible without making it a deeply unpleasant experience. Well, Rosens managed. It isn’t pleasant being in Wes’s head, not at all, but that’s the point – and that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun or enjoyable. I had a great time! I’d even say I love him more than I hate him now, and that is a fucking accomplishment.”

Today, we're thrilled to welcome Red Lagoe to Stars and Sabers! Red has contributed a short story to our forthcoming horror anthology, OF DREAD, DECAY, AND DOOM. Read more about Red:
https://www.starsandsabers.com/2026/03/24/anthology-contributor-red-lagoe/

#horror #womeninhorror #books #horrorwriters #horrorbooks

I’m a big fan of Helen’s work. Her stories are clever, atmospheric and often scare-filled, which is already a powerful combination. And then when you add in her exquisitely realistic and researched sense of place, the terror only increases exponentially.

There aren’t too many great writers furthering the pleasing terror agenda of M. R. James, and making it their own, but Helen’s surely one of them—and one of the best.

#SupernaturalHorror #GhostStories #Horror #SupernaturalLiterature #Books #Bookstodon #WomenInHorror @bookstodon https://mas.to/@helengrantsays/116277066752625876

Horror Spotlight: Explore New Weird Coming-of-Rage Novel, “Thirteenth”

GoodReads Stats:

Average rating: 4.54
Ratings: 83
Text Reviews: 27
Want to read: 298
Added to shelves: 408

StoryGraph Stats:

Average rating: 4.25
Reviews: 28

Lovecraftian horror meets kitchen sink drama in this dry, darkly funny tale of toxic families, killers and cannibals, eldritch body horror and antihero female rage.

Katy Porter is the thirteenth child of a thirteenth child in an inbred family of eldritch horrors, and her own eventual metamorphosis will change her into a creature that hungers for her family’s flesh. To some, she’s a threat – to others, a weapon.

Katy needs allies to help her control her Changes, but she’s stuck with her oldest brother, a drug-addled playboy who voted to have her killed but is chaotic enough to have genuinely changed his mind, and her eyeball-eating, god-like cousin, whose idea of protecting her involves abduction, dark rituals, and encouraging her homicidal side.

If anyone is going to survive Katy’s transformation, scores need to be settled and fears need to be faced – and Katy is not the only one who needs to face them.

Title: Thirteenth

Genre: New Weird, Bildungsroman, Paranormal Kitchen Sink Drama, and Urban Fantasy.

Age: Adult

Tropes: Damsel in Distress (will Kill You All), Addiction-Powered Millionaire Playboy (Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know), Creepy Family (Half Human Hybrid Eldritch Abominations who are Inbred and Evil), Poorly Chosen One (she Just Wants to be Normal), Lovecraft Lite (with Body Horror), Angry Teen Mentored by Grumpy Killer (Against Everyone’s Will).

How I feel about it: If anything, I’m even more proud of this one than my debut. I really got into my horror-comedy voice, and allowed myself to have so much fun with another angle of the world I’ve built. This is the book I once compared to Cold Comfort Farm and Slasher: Flesh and Blood with a strong dash of Whyborne and Griffin, so it’s not for everyone!

What surprised me most: Team Wes. What is wrong with you people?! I even made t-shirts and mugs on Redbubble for a short time! People who wanted more of the sombre, creeping dread of the first book often don’t enjoy this one as much, but I wrote this for those who are here for the humour, and the Millionaire Playboys. (Pick up Overexposure as a standalone intro to Wes, and you will understand my confusion).

This is the book that:

I was blown away by the reception to this book. I really loved sharing it with the world, but especially I’ve loved how people have taken my trio of fuck ups to heart.

What Readers Say:

“Like Encanto, but with more gore, incest, impossible geometry, and eldritch abominations from beyond space and time.”

“Thirteenth was such a fun read! I mean, a middle-class family of eldritch abominations living in a sleepy Home Counties town? Sold. Add in familial backstabbing, messy sibling and cousin relationships, a sentient house and a healthy side helping of tentacles, murder and cosmic horror, and you’ve got a fantastic book filled with vibrant characters (who made me feel like a terrible person for snort laughing at some very dark jokes). I look forward to returning to Pagham-On-Sea very soon!”

“This is the perfect series for anyone who likes the creepy cottagecore aesthetic and deeply flawed supernatural beings just trying to survive the next prophecy.”

“If eldritch beings and complicated family relationships has you curious, I definitely recommend this book.”

“This is a story of rotten families, Eldritch monstrosities and a teen girl’s coming of age. … It’s a horrifying and delightfully fun story, where no matter the occasion, someone will still crack a joke and a laugh out of you too. One of the best reads of 2021 so far, filled with horror, fun, laughter, trauma and emotion, it has it all!!”

“completely absurd, violent and absolutely wonderful. perfectly blending eldritch horror with family drama that’s both tender and hilarious.”

Horror Spotlight: Explore Gothic New Weird Novel “The Crows”

GoodReads Stats:

Average rating: 4.15
Ratings: 219
Text Reviews: 78
Want to read: 882
Added to shelves: 1,205

StoryGraph Stats:

Average Rating: 4.10
Reviews: 83

Her fate is sealed. Her death is inevitable.

Carrie Rickard, leaving an abusive relationship back in London, tries to escape her past by throwing herself into her restoration project: Fairwood House, known to locals of Pagham-on-Sea in Sussex as the Crows. Unable to resist as it whispers to her, Carrie’s obsession only grows when she discovers it was the site of a gruesome unsolved murder.

As she digs deeper into the mystery, she awakens dark and dangerous forces. Enter her foul-mouthed neighbor, Ricky Porter, who is as obsessed with the Crows as Carrie is, and who has several secrets of his own…not least of which are what’s really under the hood he wears and what he’s got in the cellar.

Title: The Crows

Genres: New Weird or Gothic Weird, in this case consisting of Gothic Horror, Paranormal, and Urban Fantasy.

Age: Adult

Tropes: Creepy Old House (is Alive), Matriarch (is Evil), Vengeful Spirit (of a Child), Only One Bed (and it’s Disturbing), Boy Next Door (is a Killer), Nancy Drew (and she’s Bad At It), Love Interests (Can’t Be Trusted), Touch-Starved Cannibal (is an Ally), Lovecraftian Abominations (are English Middle Class).

How I feel about it: I’m so proud of this book. It was the best I could do when I wrote it, and that’s that; I think I could re-write it now and it would be very different. However, as a snapshot of 2018-2019 me, and just on its own merits, I love it very much.

What surprised me most: I think I was most surprised by readers’ reactions to Ricky Porter, as I thought he would get mostly negative comments. I’m validated by the fact that readers who say they loved him are also surprised at their own reaction. Overall, I’ve had some amazing responses to this book, where I’m just glad I wrote it for those individuals, even if it was read by nobody else.

This is the book that:

I had no idea it would be this popular, or that it would resonate with readers the way that it has.

What Readers Say:

“It’s weird and gruesome, mysterious yet strangely wholesome. I couldn’t put it down. … The dynamic between the main cast is one that I loved very deeply. I’m a queer, what can I say? I love untraditional love and whatever is going on in Fairwood House is certainly untraditional.”

“A delicate balance between gruesome horror and urban/paranormal fantasy. A fun read!”

“I’m not sure how much of my feelings about this book are actually my own and which have slithered into my brain with slimy tentacles. I am equally horrified as enthralled and I cannot commend the author enough on creating such a riveting tale with the least likeable loveable characters ever imagined. Ricky managed to steal my heart… I’m fairly certain he ate it.”

“…a delightfully disturbing horror, with genuinely funny moments, and brilliant character dynamics.”

“There were heart wrenching moments but I can take it, if characters can make my heart hurt then it means they’ve been written well.”

“C M Rosens has taken some classic elements of a paranormal small town story and created something fresh, interesting and utterly addictive.”