THE CUCKOO GIRLS makes the Bram Stoker Awards Preliminary Ballot

On By PatriciaIn Books, Fiction, News, Publications, Short Stories1 Comment
Cover of the short story collection The Cuckoo Girls.

Back in April of 2020—soon to be known as That Year We Don’t Talk About—my debut short story collection was published by Trepidatio Publishing, an imprint of JournalStone. Because everyone wants to achieve a bucket list item in the middle of a global pandemic, right?

On January 22nd of 2021—already known as The Year We Hope Will be Better—I slept late. When I woke up, rolled over, and grabbed my phone, the first thing I saw was a text from Michelle Renee Lane telling me The Cuckoo Girls made the Bram Stoker Award Preliminary Ballot in the Fiction Collection category. To say I was shocked is an understatement. What a way to wake up.

It’s been two weeks since I got the news, and I’m still surprised and inordinately happy every time I think about it.

This is not a nomination (for those familiar with other awards, it’s a bit like a long list), but I’m thrilled (another understatement) to see it get this far. Active and Lifetime members of the Horror Writers Association are currently voting on the Preliminary Ballot, with the results—the actual nominees—to be announced later this month.

I’m awestruck to be in such great company. As always, I’m pleased to see some of my favorites make the list and sad to see others overlooked, but congratulations to all with work on the preliminary list. I’m doing the happy dance for all of you.

You can see the complete Preliminary Ballot list at the HWA website and visit the links below to learn more about The Cuckoo Girls or buy a copy.

“Lillie makes the unreal feel all too possible…. This grim, witchy collection will grab anyone looking for a subtle fright.” —from the Publishers Weekly starred review.

Find The Cuckoo Girls at:

  • Journalstone (Publishers website. Print, Kindle, epub, and pdf available. Order the paperback and get an immediate download of a free electronic copy!)
  • Bookstore.org
  • Amazon: Print or Kindle
  • Barnes & Noble (Print or digital. eBook works with Apple Books and other ebook readers.)

How about that great cover? Every time I look at it, I fall in love with it all over again. It’s by the wonderfully talented Don Noble at Rooster Republic Press, where they also publish amazing books.

The Cuckoo Girls Are Coming!

On By PatriciaIn Books, Fiction, Important Stuff, News, Publications, Short Stories, WritingLeave a comment

My debut collection of short stories is now available for preorder from JournalStone/Trepidatio. (And it won’t be a long wait—release date is April 24th!)

The Cuckoo Girls includes sixteen stories, half previously published and half original to the collection, and Publishers Weekly gave it a star!

From the back cover:

THE CUCKOO GIRLS

Mothers and daughters. Sisters. Legacies and prophecies. The inevitable and the avoidable. The sixteen stories of Weird fiction and horror in The Cuckoo Girls, Patricia Lillie’s debut collection, feature female protagonists of various ages. Young or old, they must deal with the expectations of their twisted worlds. Some can’t escape their fate, some accept it—and some will burn it down.

“Lillie makes the unreal feel all too possible…. This grim, witchy collection will grab anyone looking for a subtle fright.” —Publishers Weekly

The stories:

  1. The Cuckoo Girls [Nightscript I]
  2. The Robber Bridegroom [original to collection]
  3. How to Make a Marionette 30 [Vastarien V. 2 I. 3]
  4. Mother Sylvia [Nightscript V]
  5. Three Drabbles Brought to You by the Letter E
  6. Zwillingslied [Twice-Told: A Collection of Doubles]
  7. In Loco Parentis [original to collection]
  8. That’s What Friends Are For [Supernatural Tales 42]
  9. Alyce-with-a-Y [original to collection]
  10. Abby [Deep Cuts: Mayhem, Menace, & Misery]
  11. Legacy [original to collection]
  12. And One for Azazel (With Jellybeans)
  13. Wishing You the Best Year Ever [original to collection]
  14. Laundry Lady [MicroHorror: Short Stories. Endless Nightmares]
  15. The Witch’s Granddaughters [original to collection]
  16. Notes on the Events Leading Up to the Mysterious Disappearance of Miss Lotte Clemens [original to collection]

Preorder from JournalStone here. Bonus: When ordering the paperback from the publisher, you get an ebook in the format of your choice (mobi, ePub, or PDF) free.

Available soon from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.