A Smugglerific Cover: The Bridegroom by Amelia Mangan

In which we reveal the cover for The Bridegroom by Amelia Mangan

We are deeply thrilled to present you with the cover for our first ever Halloween story–The Bridegroom by Amelia Mangan. (Hopefully it will be the first of an annual tradition!)

Without further ado, BEHOLD! The smugglerific cover!

About the Story

When Valentine was born, no one celebrated. No cigars were distributed, and no pats on the back were given. But a hasty phone call was placed, and a promise was made.

Now, as her eighteenth birthday approaches, Valentine’s small world of solitude and unhappiness begins to unravel–just as a powerful, catastrophic plague of death, fire, and ice sweeps across the country.

He is coming.

The Bridegroom is an atmospheric story of first contact and identity, and it is the first annual Halloween Tale published by Book Smugglers Publishing.

A Word From Your Friendly Neighborhood Editors (and Book Smugglers)

We received The Bridegroom as an entry under our First Contact call earlier this year–and we were immediately smitten (and seriously disturbed). This is a tale of First Contact, but not in the way that you think. We were so taken by this story, its heavy mantle of atmospheric horror, and the lonely isolation of its protagonist that we knew we needed to have it.

And what better time to publish such a story than Halloween?

Valentine’s tale of self-discovery and anticipation is one that will haunt you–we can’t wait to see what you think.

About the Author: Amelia Mangan

Amelia Mangan was born in London in 1983, and currently lives in Sydney, Australia. Her short stories have been featured in many anthologies, including Drag Noir (ed. K.T. Laity), Attic Toys (ed. Jeremy C. Shipp), and The Grimorium Verum (ed. Dean M. Drinkel). Her story, “Blue Highway” won Yen Magazine’s first annual short story competition in 2013 and was featured in its 65th issue. She can be found on Twitter (@AmeliaMangan) and Facebook (facebook.com/amelia.mangan).

About the Artist: Kristina Tsenova

Variant Cover by Kristina Tsenova

Kristina Tsenova was born in 1995 in Bulgaria and is currently a student at Glasgow Caledonian University. Her preferred media is watercolor, acrylic and digital painting. She has had two exhibitions in 2014 and has won approx. 50 art competitions. Apart from traditional art, her interests include cinematography, literature and photography. She is also a hobbyist photographer and makes short movie clips and in the future, she would like to work on varied design projects, concept art and special effects for the movie industry. A great source of inspiration are the movies of Hayao Miyazaki and the genuine art of Pascal Campion. You can find her on deviantart and on facebook.

How to Get the Story

The Bridegroom will be published officially on October 27, 2015. You’ll be able to read the story in full for free here on The Book Smugglers, but we’ll also have a DRM-free ebook (EPUB & MOBI) that contains the story, a Q&A and an essay from the author, as well as fun extra materials about the series available for purchase on all major ebook retail sites.

Preorder the Ebook

Amazon US | Kindle UK | B&N | Kobo | Smashwords

Need a copy *right* now? Want to read it *today*? You can buy it directly from us!

Buy eBook

Add the book on Goodreads, and read The Bridegroom for free online on October 27, 2015.