Singles & Shorts

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singles & shorts

My books are for readers who love atmosphere, haunted beauty and gothic elements. I write feminine, small-town American gothic fiction filled with haunted places, buried secrets, and emotional richness with a little bit of uncanny valley tucked in.

Women are at the center of all my stories—our perspectives, traumas, and dreams whether it’s freedom, taboo desires, or longing for the unseen.

My fiction is spooky rather than gory, as I don’t follow male centered horror story structures, but instead I create lyrical environments that show how women have had to overcome patriarchal cages in small town America.

what is feminine horror?

decayed aesthetics

Decayed interiors often mirror the death of the American dream and the residue that still haunts the feminine soul. Peeling wallpaper, faded textures, and neglected interiors speak to the buried secrets, emotional longing, and unraveling of the characters. Decayed settings are powerful reminders that the soul can feel haunted by ghosts as well as the past.

feminine lens

Gothic Americana through the feminine gaze is about the tension between beauty and entrapment. The places that were meant to be safe for women such as homes, churches, families, small towns bind us to a brand of womanhood that keeps us small. Through the lens of the gothic, these themes can be revealed, reworked, and retold in a way that sets the feminine soul free.

uncanny elements

The uncanny valley  is the feeling that something recognizable feels a little off. It might be sensations of unease, dread or disturbances that come from doing somethign taboo, or unfamiliar. It often refers to unsettling fears that life just below the surface of psychological awareness. Ordinary, intimate of safe things become threatenting or strange.

gothic romance

bury the child

Lacey Golden is on the run from an abusive ex-husband, Jason, trying to escape her past life in Chicago and find safety in Canada. Her escape plan leads her to the remote Starlight Diner and Motor Lodge in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, along the haunting shores of Lake Superior. 
 
When her car breaks down, Lacey is offered a job as the house manager of Hirondelle House, a grand yet decaying mansion owned by the mysterious Giovanni Spada. 
 
As Lacey navigates her new role, she encounters strange happenings, hints of ghostly presences, and the enigmatic history of the house. Despite her desire to remain hidden, Lacey is drawn into the eerie world of Hirondelle House while still grappling with the trauma of her past. 
 

Bury the Child blends elements of suspense, gothic romance, and psychological drama, as Lacey seeks safety and healing in an unsettling environment.

coming soon

novella

cry pretty

Small  town gothic novella.

coming soon

novella

she wore a green dress

She never wanted to meet him that, but when she did she was in over her head.

coming soon

short story collection

holy water

Collection of short stories.

coming soon

Elle Early writes the feminine gaze

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XO, love Elle

future glowing reviews

don't get lost in the woods

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