June 2025: Upcoming Publications, Modern Mummies, Dread Mondays, Trans & Queer Creator Recs 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
Howdy!
For new folks - I'm Xochilt Avila, an indie author of horror, fantasy, and speculative fiction. When the mood strikes I also dabble in non-fic.
Speaking of which, I'm excited to add an essay to my upcoming pubs, this time with Farmer-ish. This essay explores my experience gardening on a patio with my husband, as well as my relationship with agriculture as a second-generation immigrant.
That makes for a total of 5 upcoming publications! For context, that's as many pieces as I've already published since I first started writing "seriously" in summer 2023. I'm so grateful for these editors that have seen the potential in my work, and I hope their readers love what I've made for them.
I'm also grateful for you :') Reading this means you're invested in my art, which means the world to me! So thank you 💜
Upcoming Publications
🌽"A Little Bit of Dirt" in Farmer-ish's 2025 Summer Solstice- Summer 2025
💼 "Closed for Maintenance" in Whisper House Press' Dread Mondays - Oct 2025
🥣"Creepy Stuff Happens in Nowhere" in Brigids Gate Press' Poisoned Soup for the Macabre, Depraved, & Insane- Dec 2025
🐙 "Welcome to Alexandria" in NYGEL's debut issue (18+) - Date TBD
🕰️ "As Much as I Please" in Cosmic Horror Monthly 🕰️- Date TBD
Modern Mummies: Pre-Orders
I recently served as a first-reader for Cat Eye Press' Modern Mummies anthology, and I'm thrilled that they've revealed the cover and have pre-orders now available. This is a fabulous collection, and I'm proud to have been a part of the process. If you're a writer yourself, I can't recommend doing slush reading enough; it taught me so much about the behind-the-scenes in publishing, and A.C. Bauer is doing a great work in that regard. And I truly think this is a wonderful, new take on a classic horror monster. Please consider grabbing a copy!
STORE
Dread Mondays
I also have an update on an upcoming anthology I'm in, Dread Mondays, by Whisper House Press. Editor Steve Capone, Jr. has been kicking ass getting this project together. Please check it out and consider pre-ordering! I receive no additional compensation if you do, but I adore this anthology and would love you to read my disgusting janitor story, "Closed for Maintenance."
Trans & Queer Creator Recs
This has been a rough pride month. I don't think I need to explain why, so instead I'm going to highlight trans and queer creators and projects that I've been really fucking with lately and would love you to check out and support <3
Beneath Strange Lights & the Amelia Temple series by Vivian Valentine - I haven't yet finished "Beneath Strange Lights." It's a book I savor slowly. Valentine's writing is so satisfying and engrossing. She's crafted a beautifully Lovecraftian, Nancy Drew-i sh tale that's also queer as fuck. If that sounds like a good time, you're wrong, it's a great time.
I'm Sorry If I Scared You by Mae Murray - I've never read a book that embodies the isolation and complexity of coming home quite like this. As a queer person whose family has often fluctuated across the border of working-class, Murray's writing really spoke to me here. This is a WEIRD story, and at times quite heavy. But if you can handle the themes in the description, I can't recommend it enough.
Full disclosure - My first publication was featured in Murray's anthology "Queer Saints 2." I'm honored that it's also referenced in the book description (mine is the chrysalis one). If you want to check it out, I highly recommend it. I don't get any compensation if you do, but it's an amazing collection.
The Monologist by Aquino Loayza - Another book I'm working through, but absolutely adore. Loayza's writing is rich and perfectly encapsulates the dread of starting fresh and holding secrets close to one's chest. She's a masterful storyteller!
Full disclosure - I'm also in Loayza's anthology "Spectrum." It's a great collection that features many queer authors. Again. I don't receive any compensation if you purchase it, but I recommend it!
Moonflow by Bitter Karella - Okay, I haven't read this one yet, but I can't recommend Karella's work enough. If you love stories that are loudly queer and bizarre I think you'll enjoy her work too. I'm especially a fan of his itch.io content (her mushroom horror game "Toadstools" lives permanently in my head).
C.J. Subko - Subko is a phenomenal author, and I'm thrilled to be joining her upcoming "Enter Here" anthology as a slush reader. Her stories are as rich and vibrant as fairytales. Best part, you can read a lot of her work online for free. My current favorites are "A House With Good Bones" and "Any Good Sacrifice."
Magica Riot by Kara Buchanan - Buchanan has crafted one of the most charming books I've read in a long while. If you're a fan of the "magical girl" anime genre (think Sailor Moon, Pretty Cure, etc.) I think you'll be a fan of this too. Buchanan also has a novelette out that I can't wait to read, "Jade Evergreen and the Perils of Polybius," which ties into her upcoming Magica Riot sequel.
In Stars And Time by Armor Games Studios - Okay, this is different, but this is one of the best indie video games I've ever played. Ommmgggggg I cannot stress enough how good this is. If you like turn-based RPGs and time loop shenanigans, you'll eat this up like popcorn. The characters are vibrant and queer, the story is phenomenal, and the dialogue is genuinely funny. My husband and I quote it frequently.
Besides all of this I'm just moving along, trying to enjoy life despite the real-life horrors all around. Stay strong, build community, do things that spark joy and build resistance. I'm leaning on friends, trying to eat healthy, and playing through the Ace Attorney series.
Take care of yourself <3 See you next time!
