Horror Spotlight: Cosmic Horror Novel āThe Day We Ate Grandadā
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 ā and heās just foreseen two ways the world could end. Normally, Wes would leave the hero bullshit to somebody else, but he canāt abdicate responsibility this timeā¦ 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] worldā¦ but have his poor decisions doomed them all?
Get it in the Queer March Itch.io Bundle 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 didnāt 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. Iām 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 āEldritch Editionā. Honestly, thatās the best marketing I could wish for.
This is the book that:
Has been out since 2023 and has yet to be rated below 3 stars [as of March 2026], although people have read it as a standalone novel without the context of the previous two books.Is my second most-sold self-published novel via Draft2Digital distribution channels to date (lagging only 6 copies behind the first edition of The Crows, outselling Thirteenth by 21 copies, and outselling Yelen & Yelena by 1 copy).Has sold 72 copies sold via Amazon alone with minimal marketing, with an unbroken Amazon sales streak from May-Nov 2025, selling at least 1 copy each month ā and weāre starting another streak, Jan-Mar 2026! Letās see how long it can keep going!Is the book Iāve spent the most money on so far in terms of editing, interior art, and cover art to match the Canelo covers.Was the third novel of mine picked up by a book club (book club streak unbroken!) What Readers Say:
āSerial killers and family-eating cannibal monsters shouldnāt 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.ā
āI canāt 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, Iām not complainingā
āCM Rosensā world of eldritch horrors living among us in her Pagham-on-Sea universe is filled with fascinating, funny, completely addictive characters that you canāt stop reading about. ā¦ Interesting characters, atmospheric and impossible to put down.ā
āC.M. Rosensā 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, thatās what! Highly recommended for enjoyers of decaying eldritch families, modern Arthuriana, and rejecting generational curses.ā
āRosens 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!ā
āHonestly, as excited as Iāve been for this book for years now, I initially really wasnāt sure how Iād feel about a book centred around Wes of all people ā partly because heās one of those I love to hate (and hate to love) but also because I wasnāt quite sure how that might be possible without making it a deeply unpleasant experience. Well, Rosens managed. It isnāt pleasant being in Wesās head, not at all, but thatās the point ā and that doesnāt mean it isnāt fun or enjoyable. I had a great time! Iād even say I love him more than I hate him now, and that is a fucking accomplishment.ā
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