Emma Coleman, whose first published short story caught Ellen Datlow's eye and was included in the recommended reading list in Year's Best Horror, makes her long-form debut with this, the third of our stand alone novella series.
May is just seventeen when the factory goes up, killing her parents and her sister in their home. In a split second, she has been rendered an orphan.
The war is at its height and May has no option but to relocate to the country, moving in with her father’s sister, a strict church-going woman who never did approve of May’s mum nor her heathen ways. Despite Aunt Celia’s disapproval, May continues to practice the superstitions her mum drummed into her.
Until the one time she doesn’t; at which point something dark and deadly arises and proceeds to invade her life, determined to claim her as its own...
“A truly original tale of terror, founded on a vivid sense of period and place and in traditions that feel both occult and uncannily familiar.” – Ramsey Campbell
“Full of uniquely nihilistic verve and eerie vision. In this tale Emma Coleman’s gorgeously classic writing racks up to a terrible tension, attaining nerve-racking pace. Blood spills as the bleak collides with the beautiful. A novella richly worth an award.” – Ian Watson
"A compellingly authentic narrative, evoking the timeless awkwardness of teenage years, and the monsters that lurk on the edges of our consciousness." – Amazon Reviewer
“May Day is a demonic-possession horror story that could belong to any era... an intriguing, accessible read with a surprise ending. Be warned.” – Aurealis
"This an engrossing, suspenseful novella... Thoroughly enjoyed." – LibraryThing Reviewer
Available as a paperback, a limited edition hardback signed by the author, and in a discounted bundle featuring all of the first three books in this new novella series.