Small Press Saturday: JournalStone

The cover of Murder Ballads and Other Horrific Tales by John Hornor Jacobs. Cover image from the JournalStone website.

Happy Saturday and Happy May Long Weekend in Canada!

And actually, how is it already the end of May??

Today we are heading south of the Canadian border so I can introduce you to JournalStone Publishing, founded in 2009 by Christopher C. Payne and based in Carbondale, Illinois. They are definitely a small press that embraces the dark and weird, specializing in horror, sci-fi, fantasy, thriller, and generally dark fiction. They publish novels, collections and anthologies, and many of their titles been nominated, shortlisted, or won awards. They also operate several websites that offer news and reviews of interest to fans of horror and dark fiction. And they produce their own audiobooks for many of their titles, which is super cool.

I only own two JournalStone titles. Shelter for the Damned by Calgary author Mike Thorn, is a dark and scary coming of age horror novel that doesn’t shy away from the tough topic of toxic masculinity and teenage aggression. The Occultists by Polly Schattel, proud trans author originally from Birmingham, Alabama, is a dark historical fantasy set in Edwardian times that includes occult war, politics, betrayal and loss. Both are excellent in completely different ways and I highly recommend them!

Next on my wishlist from JournalStone is Murder Ballads, a short story collection by John Horner Jacobs, because seriously that cover (!) and because it is blurbed by both the infamous Chuck Wendig and the incomparable Daniel Kraus.

The JournalStone website is so full and expansive that you can go down that rabbit hole and get lost for days. So, while we are having sunnier days, you can get your fill of the dark by exploring what JournalStone has to offer.

Enjoy the long weekend and happy reading!

– Stacey

Cover of our Butterfly-in-Chief’s copy of Shelter for the Damned by Mike Thorn.

Cover of our Butterfly-in-Chief’s copy of The Occultists by Polly Schattel.