Ladies, gentlebits, and nonbinary friends of the site, we have something awesome to share with you today from some of the best damn writers in the genre! But rather than prattle on, we’re going to jump right to the good stuff. A little about the book, the authors, and then, of course, the cover reveal!
About Tortured Willows
Tortured Willows—Bent. Bowed. Unbroken
Poetry by Christina Sng, Angela Yuriko Smith, Lee Murray, and Geneve Flynn
Tortured Willows: Bent. Bowed. Unbroken brings together four contributors to multi-award-winning anthology Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women (Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Awards) in a collaborative collection comprising 60 poems and background vignettes. In Tortured Willows: Bent. Bowed. Unbroken, Christina Sng, Geneve Flynn, Lee Murray, and Angela Yuriko Smith expand on the themes of otherness, expectation, and tradition introduced in Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women. With a foreword by dark fiction writer, poet, and historian, K.P. Kulski, the author of Fairest Flesh.
Tortured Willows’ Back Cover Copy
Tortured Willows
Bent. Bowed. Unbroken
The willow is femininity, desire, death. Rebirth. With its ability to grow from a single broken branch, it is the living embodiment of immortality. It is the yin that wards off malevolent spirits. It is both revered and shunned.
In Tortured Willows, four Southeast Asian women writers of horror expand on the exploration of otherness begun with the Bram Stoker Award-winning anthology Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women.
Like the willow, women have bent and bowed under the expectations and duty heaped upon them. Like the willow, they endure and refuse to break.
With exquisite poetry, Christina Sng, Angela Yuriko Smith, Lee Murray, and Geneve Flynn invite you to sit beneath the tortured willow’s gravid branches and listen to the uneasy shiver of its leaves.
Praise for Tortured Willows
“This collection of poetry, without a doubt, will forever remain one of my all-time favorites. No matter how hard I pulled at the reins, I could not stop until every last poem was inside of me. The images created in my mind from the varying forms of poetic storytelling were haunting, terrifying, and wondrous, all at the same time. Nightmares will surely invade my dreams, but I welcome them. This collection holds such an important message about all those who were made to bend and bow at the will of another, and for those continuing to suffer. Four brilliant writers took me along for an intimate ride through the past and present. They allowed me to witness horror through fiction and fact. May the Willow-sisters be forever unbroken.” —Cindy O’Quinn, two-time Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of “Lydia” and “The Thing I Found Along a Dirt Patch Road”.
“Four willows stood bound rooted to the shore, watching— unquiet, waiting …”
from “Four Willows Bound” —Angela Yuriko Smith
“I liken Angela’s willows to this collection’s contributors. No longer silent, their poems speak of scars left by disappointment and hurt from male relationships. On a larger scale are feelings of helpless isolation due to racism, inspiring poems with an underlying outrage. I love the artful sections for each poet, as well as the background information given. You know you’re in for dark and deep poetic treats from these four super talents, all of them associated with the multiple award-winning collection, Black Cranes. Believe me, Tortured Willows is a keeper!” —Marge Simon, Bram Stoker and Lifetime Achievement Award-winner.
About the Authors
Angela Yuriko Smith
Website: http://angelaysmith.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngelaYSmith
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Angela.Yuriko.Smiths
Lee Murray
Website: https://www.leemurray.info/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/leemurraywriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.murray.393/
Geneve Flynn
Website: https://geneveflynn.wordpress.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gene.flynn.750
Christina Sng
Website: https://christinasng.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristinaSng
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinasng
With foreword by the wonderful K.P. Kulski
Website: https://www.garnetonwinter.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/garnetonwinter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristy.kulskiingram
And now…. the cover of Tortured Willows!
Releasing on Poetry Day, 7 October 2021, from Yuriko Publishing.
The stunning cover design is by graphic artist Kyra Starr.
<insert fanperson screams here>
Lilyn G is the founder of Sci-Fi & Scary, and leader of the Kali Krew. She does book and film reviews for both genres the site focuses on. Her tastes run towards creature features, hard science fiction, and lots and lots of action. She also has a soft spot for middle-grade fiction that rears its head frequently.
Though no longer involved with Ladies of Horror Fiction due to other responsibilities and a too-full plate, she was one of the original 4 co-founders.
Feel free to chat her up on Twitter as long as you aren’t hitting her up to review your book.
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