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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚)

@mythicdelirium.bsky.social

820 followers 180 following 400 posts

Writer (Nebula finalist, Shirley Jackson finalist X 2), editor & publisher (World Fantasy Award finalist x 2), poet (Rhysling winner X 3), journalist (VPA winner X 4), devoted husband, obedient cat servant, metalhead \m/ \m/ https://mythicdelirum.com

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 16d

Hey, y’all — here’s the unboxing video that Anita shot when I got my first look at the paperback edition of TRAIL OF SHADOWS!

Coming in exactly two weeks from @slgable.bsky.social’s Broken Eye Books!

“Decidedly creepy” —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 😈

Pre-order links: descentintolight.com/2025/08/26/t...

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 17h

There isn't a formal launch event for my new horror novel TRAIL OF SHADOWS, but there’s a really cool event next Friday in Blacksburg, GRAVE MATTERS, at which I'll reading from my new book … GRAVE MATTERS, is a fundraising event for the Historic Smithfield museum. Tickets are $25:
bit.ly/MikesGrave

Step into the shadows for an evening of history and horror. Historian Rebecca LeMert will guide you through Halloween’s fascinating evolution—from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain to the trick-or-treat tradition we know today. Then, brace yourself as award-nominated author Mike Allen spins chilling tales guaranteed to haunt your imagination.

Your ticket includes event admission and a Bull & Bones–catered appetizer bar.

Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 1d

Not my knee. It’s her knee.

Pandora laying claim to her favorite pillow (my knee).

Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 2d

🤩 It's my book's birthday TODAY! 💪

Celebrate it with me! 🎉

A BIG thanks to @gwendolynkiste.bsky.social 🥳 I'm bowled over by her kind assessment!

Come see me Oct. 17 @ Grave Matters 💀 www.historicsmithfield.org/events/grave...

After all these years—it's out in the world! ➡️ bit.ly/SpiderBookor...

“Mike Allen has long been a force in fantasy and horror. With Trail of Shadows, he’s once again hit it out of the park. Beautiful prose and a haunting story combine to create a tale that will draw you in and refuse to let you go. Folk horror at its best.”
—Gwendolyn Kiste

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Reposted by Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚)

Kristina Ten @kristinaten.bsky.social · 3d

Today is pub day for Tell Me Yours, I’ll Tell You Mine! However much writing can be a solitary act, putting a book out definitely isn’t. Thanks to Stillhouse Press and all of Tell Me Yours’ many champions.

My first book is out now. I hope you like it.

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 3d

TODAY!

Boy, am I grateful to my fellow Roanoke, VA, dark fantasy & horror scribbler R.S. Belcher: I’m so glad he found my just-released TRAIL OF SHADOWS worthy of these kind words.

Out now from @slgable.bsky.social ! ➡️ bit.ly/SpiderBookor...

Also on @netgalley.bsky.social! bit.ly/SpiderNetgal...

“Mike Allen’s Trail of Shadows is a tense, tight, and constantly surprising novel. A hike down the Appalachian Trail into a realm of shadows and surreal horror, it will keep you up late, and it cements Mike Allen as a horror and suspense writer to keep your eye on. I can’t recommend it enough.”
—R. S. Belcher

Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 4d

...two days...

I'm so honored that @mattmbartlett.bsky.social, creator of some of the most twisted tales I've ever read, had this to say about TRAIL OF SHADOWS!

Unleashed tomorrow by @slgable.bsky.social ➡️ bit.ly/SpiderBookor...

Are you a @netgalley.bsky.social reviewer? bit.ly/SpiderNetgal...

“Hallucinatory, charcoal-dark, populated with ghosts, demons, and spiders, Mike
Allen’s Trail of Shadows is a violent fantasy-horror that pulses with atmosphere and
atavistic terror.”
(Matthew M. Bartlett, author of Gateways to Abomination and The Obsecration)

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 4d

STORYTELLER is on a roll! I’m so proud to be part of this Tanith Lee tribute.

Julie C. Day (Essential Dreams Press) is sleepy @thisjulieday.bsky.social · 4d

Just over 3 months ago Storyteller was published and interest is still going strong.
It’s has been featured on a curated list of indie publishers on Bookshop dot org!
You can check out the list here: bookshop.org/lists/short-...

Short Story Standouts

Check out these gripping, funny, and exciting short story collections & anthologies!

bookshop.org

Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 4d

...three days...

My thanks to @atsayre.bsky.social, author of the moving hard sf novella THE LAST DAYS OF GOOD PEOPLE, for these welcome words about TRAIL OF SHADOWS!

Pre-order now from @slgable.bsky.social! bit.ly/SpiderBookor...

Are you a @netgalley.bsky.social reviewer? bit.ly/SpiderNetgal...

“Allen creates a vast, intricate, and darkly imaginative world that is a chilling joy to immerse yourself in.”
(A. T. Sayre, author of The Last Days of Good People)

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Reposted by Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚)

Brooklyn Books & Booze @ Barrow's Intense @bklynbooksbooze.bsky.social · 5d

Are you ready to FALL into the next BBB reading at Barrows? Then join us Oct. 21 at 7pm for delicious sips, fantastic stories and a salon-like atmosphere w/ authors @matthewkressel.net, @cwroseauthor.bsky.social,
@crissachappell.bsky.social & #PaulaBomer! 📚🎙️🧉

More: BrooklynBooksBooze.com

Matthew Kressel, C.W. Rose, Crissa-Jean Chappell and Paula Bomer in an ad for Brooklyn Books & Booze' October 21 reading at 7pm.

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 5d

This might seem a tad morbid, but ‘tis the season, right? 🎃

These days I find myself thinking more and more frequently about whether, if the art I’ve produced so far ends up being all the art I ever produce, would I be satisfied?

The answer, natch, is NO! 😝 But I’ve at least raised a body of work…

A stack of books, including
THE SPIDER TAPESTRIES (short fiction collection)
HUNGRY CONSTELLATIONS (poetry collection)
THE BLACK FIRE CONCERTO (novel)
UNSEAMING (short fiction collection)
AFTERMATH OF AN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT (short fiction and poetry collection)
SLOW BURN (short fiction and poetry collection)
TRAIL OF SHADOWS (novel)
A SINISTER QUARTET (novella/short novel anthology, with C.S.E. Cooney, Jessica P. Wick, Amanda J. McGee)

Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 5d

...four days...

Thrilled that horror author Pete Rawlik picked up the connection between my novel TRAIL OF SHADOWS & Manly Wade Wellman's Silver John stories!

Pre-order now from @slgable.bsky.social ➡️ bit.ly/SpiderBookor...

Are you a @netgalley.bsky.social reviewer? bit.ly/SpiderNetgal...

“Mike Allen’s Trail of Shadows, set in the communities that dot the Appalachian Trail, is interlaced with strands of folk horror, high fantasy, and the just plain weird, that coalesce into a singular and fascinating milieu. Reminiscent of Manly Wade Wellman’s Silver John stories, this pivotal novel firmly establishes Allen’s launching pad for future literary endeavors that readers of Weird Fiction, YA Fantasy, and Speculative Fiction in general are sure to devour.”
(Pete Rawlik, author of Reanimatrix)

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 6d

...five days...

I love these kind words from @csecooney.bsky.social about my forthcoming novel TRAIL OF SHADOWS--further perpetuating the acid trip/hallucinatory theme 😈

Pre-order my novel from @slgable.bsky.social! bit.ly/SpiderBookor...

It’s on @netgalley.bsky.social! bit.ly/SpiderNetgal...

“Trail of Shadows is a panic-laced, spider-paced, fanged beast of a horror novel, a coming-of-age in a world of monsters. Realities bleed into each other like a Dali painting as familiar landscapes yawn open into the surreal. You don’t need psychoactive substances to go tripping balls in Mike Allen’s Appalachia. All you have to do is read this book.”
(C. S. E. Cooney, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Saint Death’s Daughter)

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 7d

…six days…

I'm so grateful to my fellow Weird fiction writer @ethereallad.bsky.social for these kind words about my novel from @brokeneyebooks, TRAIL OF SHADOWS!

Get an early start on Halloween and pre-order: bit.ly/SpiderBookor...

Are you a @netgalley reviewer? bit.ly/SpiderNetgal...

“Trail of Shadows is a fast-paced psychedelic journey through Appalachia that’s also a tender coming of age story. Allen’s hallucinatory prose sears, full of wonder and terror, and his grasp of folklore and history shines throughout this Southern Gothic-meets-Weird fiction novel.”
(Craig Laurance Gidney, Lambda Award-nominated author of A Spectral Hue)

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Reposted by Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚)

Memento (Spooky) Morty 🌙 @mementomorty.bsky.social · 8d

Be the Mothman you wish to see in the world

an illustration that shows a caterpillar, then a moth, then The Mothman

text: GIVE YOURSELF TIMEA

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 8d

Samara-style whisper: SEVEN DAYS

My thanks to Rich Larson, Eugie Foster Memorial Award winner (& author of an Emmy Award-winning episode of LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS) for these gracious words. (As I roll out more of these you’ll see a theme emerge 😁)

Gosh, how to pre-order? Well: bit.ly/SpiderBookor...

“Spry and sprawling by turns, Trail of Shadows overflows with potent action and hypnotic, horror-tinged imagery. When it comes to dream-quest acid trips, this one’s a hero dose.”
(Rich Larson, Eugie Foster Memorial Award-winning author of Ymir and Changelog)

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Reposted by Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚)

Jack Finn @therealjackfinn.bsky.social · 15d

Build your #spookymonth TBR with these #horror new releases:

@pamelakkinney.bsky.social
@authorscottcraven.bsky.social
@chrisharrison75.bsky.social
@mythicdelirium.bsky.social
@patrickbarb.bsky.social
@authwilliamjoseph.bsky.social
@jonathontcross.bsky.social
@tonyanuci.bsky.social

Build your #spookymonth TBR with these #horror new releases:

Nowhere Land - Pamela K Kinney
On Submission - Michael J. Seidlinger
Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn - Randy Brown
Upton Arms - Scott Craven
Dawn Of The Demon - Chris Harrison
You Asked For It - Amanda Ruzsa
Trail of Shadows - Mike Allen
The Big One - Patrick Barb
Don't Look Twice - William Joseph
The Executioner Box - Matt Hilton
The Weeping - Kallum Rytting
Leviathan Rising- Michael Newton
Madness from the Sea - Jonathon T. Cross
Sabrina Tells Maddie the Truth About Her Past - George Bachman
A Christmas Cannibal - C.M. Saunders

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 16d

And here is part two, when I got my first look at the hardcover edition! And talk about why TRAIL OF SHADOWS is dedicated to the late Jaime Lee Moyer.

Coming October 7 from @slgable.bsky.social’s Broken Eye Books!

Find all the pre-order links so far here: descentintolight.com/2025/08/26/t...

Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 16d

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 17d

So sorry.

Reposted by Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚)

Yukimi Ogawa @fluoritewitch.bsky.social · 20d

wifi!!!

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 20d

I love this!

Ruadán Books @ruadanbooks.bsky.social · 20d

Just what is hiding in these pages? You have to watch to believe it!

Which blink-worthy tropes intrigue you the most?

📖: The Black Fire Concerto by @mythicdelirium.bsky.social
🔗: links.ruadanbooks.com/bfc
👩‍🎨: Cover art by @hrabotalesser.bsky.social

#BookSky #TBR #darkfantasy

Reposted by Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚)

C. S. E. Cooney @csecooney.bsky.social · 22d

For those of you who missed the amazing @matthewkressel.net in conversation with Carlos Hernandez & yours truly on Monday night, it now lives in perpetuity on YouTube!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeN6...

Fiction: Impossible with Guest Star Matthew Kressel

YouTube video by CSECooney

www.youtube.com

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Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 23d

We (as in Anita andI) are so proud of that book!

a blue heart shaped object is glowing in the dark

ALT: a blue heart shaped object is glowing in the dark

media.tenor.com

Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 23d

Reminder for the Wednesday folk: check out our deals on paperback/ebook editions of debuts by @csecooney.bsky.social, @barb.bsky.social & @fluoritewitch.bsky.social — and they also count as preorders of Haralambi Markov’s debut collection, THE LANGUAGE OF KNIVES! bit.ly/BoneSwans10th

A copy of BONE SWANS by C.S.E. Cooney, with a tip-in decorated by a steer skull, signed by Cooney, and a sticker depicting the cover of her novel THE TWICE-DROWNED SAINT, all on a nautical map background

Debut collection sales deals for paperbacks, $35 for all four books, $26 for combinations of 3, US only, shipping included

Ebook debut collection sales deals, $10 for combinations of 3 books, $12 for all 4

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Reposted by Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚)

Barbara Krasnoff @barb.bsky.social · 23d

My grandmother was a left-wing Jewish radical and I wrote "Red Dybbuk" to honor her. That story is part of THE HISTORY OF SOUL 2065, included in the Mythic Delirium celebration.

Mike Allen (Mythic Delirium Books📚) @mythicdelirium.bsky.social · 25d

This is the 10th anniversary of the release of our first debut collection, BONE SWANS by
@csecooney.bsky.social, so we've made a celebratory sale/preorder offer that includes THE HISTORY OF SOUL 2065 by
@barb.bsky.social & LIKE SMOKE, LIKE LIGHT by @fluoritewitch.bsky.social
bit.ly/BoneSwans10th

The covers of THE HISTORY OF SOUL 2065 by Barbara Krasnoff, BONE SWANS by C.S.E. Cooney and LIKE SMOKE, LIKE LIGHT by Yukimi Ogawa

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