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NECROLOGY

"It's amazing what the spirit can cope with to preserve the body. My spirit is a mighty oak that just won't fall."

In a fantastical aftermath of the Salem witch trials, magical women known as the Dirty have signed a contract swearing off their innate magic in exchange for freedom from violence by non-magical Freemen. Two hundred years later, in a Catskills orphanage, headmistress Whitetail has sprouted antlers-proof of a violated contract. When her wealthy benefactor visits, proposing marriage, her appearance sparks abuse. Rushing to her teacher's defense, eight-year-old Rabbit curses the Beard dead, and Whitetail's arrested on trumped-up charges.

As Whitetail awaits her trial and execution, Rabbit is groomed as the Freemen's star witness and learns of the terrifying reality to which they aspire. With her magic at stake and a loose tooth in her mouth, Rabbit has little left to lose. And a revolution to gain.

MEG RIPLEY

Meg Ripley is a drawer, designer, and writer of horror and dark fiction. Born in Ontario and raised in Newfoundland, Canada, surrounded by whales and icebergs, she holds a BFA from the University of Western Ontario, and an MFA from The School of Visual Arts, NYC, in Illustration as Visual Essay. Her work explores family, power dynamics, and monsters (especially the ones we’re related to).

When she’s not writing scary stories from her Brooklyn apartment, she’s singing the praises of boredom and the outdoors to her two sons in the Catskills.

in conversation with

MEGHAN ARCURI

Meghan Arcuri is a Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author. Her work can be found in various anthologies, including Borderlands 7 (Borderlands Press), Madhouse (Dark Regions Press), Chiral Mad, and Chiral Mad 3 (Written Backwards). She served as the Vice President of the Horror Writers Association for over four years (summer 2019 – fall 2023) and is the recipient of the 2022 Richard Laymon President’s Award.

She recently made her first foray into children’s literature with her non-horror picture book, Milk the Cat (art by Ogmios).

Prior to writing, she taught high school math, having earned her B.A. from Colgate University—with a double major in mathematics and English—and her masters from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

She lives with her family in New York’s Hudson Valley. Please visit her at facebook.com/meg.arcuri,
Instagram (@meghanarcurimoran), or on X (@MeghanArcuri).