Incantations of Blood by S.R. Fischer

"Welcome to Shady Grove: a ton where horrifying family secrets and coming of age just might be the end of you."

Debut novelist S.R. Fischer has caused a stir in the indie horror community with the release of her book, Incantations of Blood. Having released on September 27th, early reviews are absolutely outstanding, and readers are blown away by the storytelling talent Fischer exhibits. It seems as though she's set the bar quite high, and something tells me she'll be pushing that bar a little bit higher with each work we see from her in the future.

Here's the synopsis of the book:

Celia Dickenson finds herself alone in the forest, searching for a missing woman. Minerva Penderghast performs a seance at the behest of a grieving family, only to reap disastrous consequences. Maeve Baudelaire is reeling from the unexpected loss of her mother.

For these three women, all roads lead to Shady Grove.

But ancient demonic forces are stirring deep in the forest surrounding the small town, clamoring for sacrificed souls to slake their thirst. Armed with a cursed book and knowledge of the occult, can an unlikely group of friends save Shady Grove from a threat that's been festering for centuries? Welcome to Shady Grove: a town where horrifying family secrets and coming of age just might be the end of you.

And here's a short Q&A with S.R. Fischer about her book and what we can look forward to from her:

Q: Congratulations on your debut novel! Where did the idea come from for Incantations of Blood?

A: I've always wanted to be a writer since I was a kid. Incantations of Blood was born from a desire to flip the script on women in horror and really have a strong female protagonist as well as a female-centric storyline. There's also a couple fun nods to my friends, family, and my hometown thrown in.

Q: Occultism is a favorite subgenre of mine. Have you always been interested in the occult? 

A: Yes! I love all things dark and macabre, and the occult is one of my favorite subgenres. There's so much you can do within the genre without everything getting stale.

Q: What inspirations did you draw from for this book? First and foremost, I drew from my family. Mrs. Graham is modeled after my mother, and some of the recipes are real things that she cooks! I then drew from what I would want to read and figured out how to tie it all together.

Q: Incantations of Blood has been getting rave reviews all over various websites and social media. Can you describe what that feels like as a first-time novelist?

A: I have been absolutely blown away. Indie publishing is hard, and building your name and gaining visibility is one of the hardest parts. You can have the best story, but it doesn't matter if you don't find readers. Seeing the response to Incantations of Blood has been overwhelming and brings me such joy. It's now two weeks post-launch, and Incantations is sitting at a 4.9 on both Goodreads and Amazon, and I am just floored.

Q: What are you planning next?

A: I have a secret project coming out next year, and then two novels also hopefully coming out next year. The first is going to be a rework on my Vella, The Babydoll Killer, which wraps on 10/10, and I am hoping to launch that in the spring. I am also working on a third novel to hopefully debut late fall next year. I want to keep turning out quality stories for my readers and also write a short fiction piece for my Patreon followers each month.

Small-town horror really seems to be staking its claim as a top trope in indie horror right now. What's not to love about a town with terrible secrets where everything goes wrong and chaos ensues? Throw in a little occultism and a strong female character, and I can see why Incantations of Blood is making its rounds in the community. You're going to want to read this one and get familiar with S.R. Fischer's work. This isn't the last great story we're going to see from her. You can purchase it here.