Books

IN THIS CITY, WHERE IT RAINS – a Scottish gothic horror novella from Luna Press Publishing – part of the Luna Novella 2026 series

In This City, Where it Rains is set in an alternative version of Edinburgh. It follows Maggie, a woman haunted by ghosts that only appear in the rain – and it always rains in this city. At the edge of town, stands Tair House – a house that remembers, in a city that forgets. The mansion is so damned, it scares the clouds themselves from breaking, and the man of the house, Xavier Logan, and his wife Lucia, are harbouring a dark secret there – something that connects to Maggie and her ghosts. Soon all roads lead to Tair House, where Maggie hopes only to uncover more about her family’s past and her muddled memories. But the house is hungry, and something is waking deep within its roots…something that has been waiting a long time for Maggie.

Highlighted in Book Riot’s upcoming 2026 Horror Books.

DARK CRESCENT- dark and seasonal tales inspired by Scottish folklore from Luna Press Publishing, June 2025

An omen of spirits dance across the sky. A lonely woman befriends a sea witch as the world ends. The last whale in the world travels north in search of hope. A grandmother seeks revenge on the sea monster that took her family.

DARK CRESCENT is a collection of seasonal tales inspired by Scottish folklore, landscape, superstitions, and omens. In this book, readers will find reinterpretations of common folklore creatures and phenomenon, like the Kelpie, Selkie, and Will-o’-the-Wisps, as well as lesser known, such as the Sea Mither, Ceasg, Marool, Sluagh, Ghillie Dhu, Nuckelavee, Baobhan Sith, and The Frittening, all with dark and strange lore around them.

Moving through the seasons, from a darker Autumn and Winter to a more optimistic Summer, the often-interconnected stories cover a wide range of genres, including gothic, weird horror, speculative, dark fantasy, and solarpunk. Many of the tales are also inspired by nature, climate, and the environment, with feminist and eco themes throughout.

Out now! Get it direct from Luna Press here. You can also find it in all the usual book places – some links here!

“A terrific collection of Scottish folktales with a modern twist, lyrical and evocative.” – Joanne Harris

“With DARK CRESCENT, Lyndsey Croal invites readers into a world of darkness, magic, and the disturbing beauty of Scotland. Gorgeous and compelling! Highly recommended.” – Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of Burn to Shine and Mystic

“Croal’s Dark Crescent is a captivating constellation of folklore that feels both modern and ageless, deeply rooted and wonderfully original at the same time.” – Lorraine Wilson, author of We Are All Ghosts in the Forest

“A stunning collection of stories. A dark and delicious treat for fans of Scottish folklore. I delighted in discovering familiar (and sometimes not-so-familiar!) folklore creatures and stories told in Croal’s unique, evocative style. The tales within are sometimes hopeful, usually dark, and always quickly devoured.” – Angie Spoto, author of The Grief Nurse and The Bone Diver

“The best original collection of 2025 so far! You’re going to love the absolute shit out of it.”– Johnny Mains, award-winning author and Editor of Scotland the Strange and Celtic Weird

“Compelling and evocative, the stories of Dark Crescent shimmer with dark fairy tale magic. Highly recommended.” – Teika Marija Smits, author of Umbilical and Waterlore

A Scottish Book Trust Book of the Month for July 2025

REVIEWS

“True to its name, Dark Crescent is a resplendently pitch-black love letter to Scottish folklore and all the bizarre creatures within it that paints a lyrical canvas of the beauty of nature and rebirth even as it chills your bones till they shatter. Another unmissable Croal collection.” – Ed Crocker for Grimdark Magazine

“As you can see this is a broad and very impressive collection of tales that I hugely enjoyed. Fans of inventive uses of folklore and gorgeous storytelling should run and pick this book up. It is highly recommended!” – <a href="http://

LIMELIGHT and other stories – a dark science fiction collection from Shortwave Publishing, September 2024 **2 x British Fantasy Award Finalist (TBA)**

Limelight is a collection of over twenty high-concept dark science fiction tales from near and far futures.

The title novelette—about a young woman brought back from near death by experimental tech, only to find her parents had her altered before she woke—anchors this collection which features five new exclusive stories alongside popular past works. The collection explores the bright potential and the dark reality of our near and far futures through the lenses of connection and loneliness, love and heartbreak, autonomy and exploitation, desire and greed, wonder and despair. If you’ve ever imagined alternate futures, craved answers to the mysteries of the universe, or feared what might be lurking just beyond our reach, then you need this collection.

Out now – you can find most links here!

“Croal’s short stories are delicately written and emotionally wrenching.” – Aliya Whiteley, author of Skyward Inn and Three Eight One

“A beautiful and haunting collection…tackles the big questions of our technocapitalist age with clarity and compassion.” – T.L. Huchu, author of the Edinburgh Nights series

“A gorgeous illustration of the intersection of science fiction and horror.…”– Laurel Hightower, author of Crossroads and The Day of the Door

“A sharp and incisive collection.” – A.C Wise, author of Wendy, Darling, and Hooked

REVIEWS

Featured in The Skinny’s Books of 2024: “A wonderful exploration of humanity and technology in all its myriad complications.”

“This is the must read collection of the year. 10/10” – Ed Crocker for FanFiAddict

“A heartfelt array of speculative SF tales.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Croal weaves together marvelous stories of human connections and relationships amidst epic science fiction scales.”– Lyndsie Manusos for Book Riot

“What makes the twenty-plus stories in Lyndsey Croal’s dark SFF collection really get under your skin is how keenly she imagines increasingly disturbing uses for androids, AI, and other biotech.” – Natalie Zutter for LitHub

“Croal does a wonderful job of using speculative fiction as a lens to examine the human condition, showing the horror in the mundane, but also highlighting hope and the unbreakable human spirit that pushes through adversity to triumph on the other side.” – A.C. Wise’s Year in Review for Locus Magazine

“Taken together, Croal’s mastery over her characters and the grander reasons for their existence – combined with urgently familiar politics or relatable human issues – makes for a reliably joyful reading experience.” – Jeffrey Palms for Shoreline of Infinity

“While the collection is threaded with eerie, unsettling themes, it offers plenty of variety in form and tone. Each story feels distinct. Readers should find it accessible, even those who aren’t science fiction aficionados. The writing is clear, and never bogged down by the kind of technical detail that can make science fiction feel alienating. Fragments of these stories will rattle around in my mind for a long time.” – Maddy Erb for Neon Hemlock Press

The Girl With Barnacles for Eyes – a weird horror novelette in Tenebrous Press’s Split Scream (July 2024) – **Shirley Jackson Award Finalist**

The latest volume of editor Alex Ebenstein’s acclaimed series arrives, featuring brand new Weird Horror novelettes.

The Ballad of Horse Girl – Bitter Karella: California, 1860. The corrupt judge and snake oil baron, Lazarus Dives, murdered her family; now the nameless drifter known only as the Horse Girl is out for revenge. But can a man who’s sold his soul to the devil for eternal life be killed? It’ll be no easy task; but with extra motivation in the form of a bounty on the judge by Death herself, the Horse Girl plans to collect—even if it costs her soul. A classic Western tale of retribution meets supernatural horror.

The Girl with Barnacles for Eyes – Lyndsey Croal: Every year, the enigmatic Curator sails into Evie’s coastal town to display his wonders from beneath the ocean. Each time, Evie is drawn by the fascinating sights. But this year, he’s brought something different: a captive girl with barnacles for eyes. Evie risks everything to free her, ignoring her Ma’s warnings to stay away from the freak of nature. But is the Girl truly a monster, or is there more than meets the eye?

All details here!

Have You Decided on Your Question – a dark SF novelette from Shortwave Publishing – out now! (April 2023)

If you could live your life over again, what would you ask to change?

Something big?
Something small?
A single moment?

Have you decided on your question? Zoe has.

Tired of feeling alone and lost, Zoe seeks out an experimental virtual therapy experience from Alternative Reality Tech, which offers patients the opportunity to explore life’s biggest “what if?” questions. During her first assessment, Zoe glimpses a past in which she would have met the love of her life years ago, if not for a split-second decision. Wanting to explore what could have been, she returns regularly to her alternative life, slowly falling in love with the one that got away.

And so begins a dangerous obsession…

“Instantly immersive…”– Ai Jiang, author of Linghun

“A taut narrative of regret, loneliness, and obsession…” – Nick Binge, author of Ascension

“An unnerving, shiver-inducing tale…” – Chloe Timms, author of The Seawomen

Order here:

Latest Reviews

  • Track of Words: “compulsively readable, and perfect for devouring in a single setting.”
  • The Crocker Blog: “a bite-sized triumph.”
  • Horror DNA: “Croal’s writing is beautifully immersive—an intoxicating blend of emotion and longing, with a subtle undercurrent of horror.”
  • FanFiAddict: “Have You Decided On Your Question isn’t afraid to shy away from big ideas, but it approaches them with style and elegance. It’s subtle, cerebral, and surprising. And like all the best questions, you’ll find it reaches, not into your head, but into your heart.”

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