Julia O’Connell

A Warning to the Curious - A Romancing the Gothic Conference Celebrating 100 years of M R James' A Warning to the Curious

Have you bought your tickets for the M R James online conference yet?

We've got so much amazing stuff going on, including a performance from ROBERT LLOYD PARRY of 'A Warning to the Curious'

Check out the website and get your tickets

awarningtothecuriousconference.wordpress.com

I’m particularly excited for these panels:

Stefanie Tegeler - Antiquarians in Frankenstein's Footsteps? Reading M. R. James's Characters as Gothic Mad Scientists

Kellie Miller - The Specter Speaks - the channeling of Feminine Voices in Victorian Ghost Narratives

Romancing the Gothic gathers scholars from all around the world for a slate of amazing panels on a diverse array of topics, held entirely over Zoom, so it’s accessible for all.

They also have writing workshops and an author panel that includes Silvia Moreno-Garcia(!!!)

Romancing the Gothic 2025 Conference: A Warning to the Curious Cocktail Hour Recipe Guide. Prepare shrub in advance: Mix 2 cups of strawberries with 1 cup of granulated sugar Leave in fridge to macerate for 1-2 days Strain out solids to get liquid strawberry syrup Add one part red wine vinegar to two parts syrup Store in fridge indefinitely until ready to make mocktails, cocktails, sodas, and more! Lost Hearts (Non alcoholic): Strawberry Shrub Seltzer Lime juice Strawberry garnish The Archdeacon’s Obituary: Gin Dry Vermouth Absinthe Pomegranate seeds for garnish *The key to this cocktail is stirring!* Come prepared with a nice long spoon or swizzle stick, a cocktail shaker or tall glass, and plenty of ice.

This year’s Romancing the Gothic virtual conference will take place on August 23-24 and is themed around the ghost stories of M.R. James.

I’ll be hosting the virtual cocktail hour. See the recipes above so you can follow along.
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More info/tickets here: www.tickettailor.com/events/roman...

Ooh, somehow this one was not on my radar. But it is now!

Book giveaway for Sherlock Holmes and the Real Thing by Nicholas Meyer Jul 28-Aug 20, 2025 Enter to win one of 10 free copies available. Giveaway dates from Jul 28-Aug 20, 2025. Enter to win a copy of Nicholas Meyer's new Sherlock Holmes myster...

Enter this Goodreads giveaway for a chance to win an early copy of @nicholasmeyer.bsky.social's new historical mystery set in the cutthroat world of Art and art forgery, SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE REAL THING:

www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

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#Sherlockian #SherlockHolmes

Review of The Library at Hellebore - The Gothic Library When your school crest is composed of figs, wasps, and carnivorous deer, you know you’re in for an interesting school year… If anyone has the aesthetics of horror down, it’s Cassandra Khaw, who broke ...

New blog post!
Check out my review of THE LIBRARY AT HELLEBORE by @casskhaw.bsky.social:

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www.thegothiclibrary.com/review-of-th...

Dearest fans of Gothy, Steampunky, Vintage & Neo-Victorian accessories, most 1-of-a-kind, I just found out I need to help a family member out of a pinch, so if you like a goodie via this link, procuring it would be a huge mutual aid help right now! 🖤
Https://torchandarrow.etsy.com

Meet @tommeadauthor.bsky.social, author of the Joseph Spector locked room mystery series!

Tom’s fourth novel, THE HOUSE AT DEVIL’S NECK comes out tomorrow, July 15, in the US.

Join us at @mysteriousbookshop.com tomorrow evening to celebrate the release!

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Review of Wearing the Lion—Mythical Monsters and Found Family - The Gothic Library The full story of Hercules’s twelve labors is rarely included in modern adaptations—I suppose murdering your own children in a fit of madness and then slaying a bunch of monsters in penance was a bit ...

New blog post!
If you love monsters and Greek mythology, check out my review of Wearing the Lion by @wiswell.bsky.social:

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www.thegothiclibrary.com/review-of-we...

Author friends,

Have any of you attended LosCon in LA before? Do they do author signings and do you sell a good amount of books?

One of the authors I work with has been invited, but I’m not very familiar with this con.

Reviewers! Librarians! Educators! Bloggers! BookTok Folk! AMERICA'S MOST GOTHIC: HAUNTED HISTORY STRANGER THAN FICTION is available for request @netgalley.bsky.social! This unique non-fiction book examines the intersections of Gothic tropes and real, haunted history! www.netgalley.com/book/665898/

Fluffy black cat exposing her belly while a hand pets her.

Here’s a Beezy letting me pet her tummy!

Ah yes, INDEPENDENCE Day Eve, where for many centuries people would shop at INDEPENDENT Bookstores in preparation for their big celebrations. What? You're saying that's not a thing? Huh, well, it's a thing if we make it a thing.

This lush Gothic thriller is out today!

Are you a fan of spooky ancestral homes? Cursed jewels? Unreliable memories? Italian wine? Check out THE MEDICI CURSE!

Review of Overgrowth—Vampire Plant People from Outer Space - The Gothic Library I, for one, welcome our new alien plant people overlords. If you love alien invasion stories like The Day of the Triffids, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, or The War of the Worlds, then you don’t want...

New blog post! Check out my review of OVERGROWTH, a new sci-fi/horror alien invasion novel from Mira Grant (aka @seananmcguire.bsky.social):
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www.thegothiclibrary.com/review-of-ov...

Have you ever thought to yourself 'Wow, I'd love to go to free to access talks by experts from around the world on spooky, supernatural, horror and Gothic subjects'

Then Romancing the Gothic has got you covered!

www.tickettailor.com/events/roman...

Okay, Ratthi is quickly becoming my favorite character in the MurderBot TV show. When everyone else is in fight or flight mode, Ratthi just goes 100% in on BEFRIEND. 😆

Don't forget to get your discounted tickets for this year's online conference!

We're celebrating M R James with an exploration of short Gothic and ghostly fiction

Early Bird Discounts till the end of the month

www.tickettailor.com/events/roman...

Sinners—Vampires and the Jim Crow South - The Gothic Library Okay, I think it’s been long enough that nearly everybody who wants to see Ryan Coogler’s new vampire film Sinners has, by now, and I can talk about it here. (Beware, minor spoilers ahead for the film...

New blog post! Check out some of my thoughts on Ryan Coogler’s cinematic masterpiece, Sinners:

www.thegothiclibrary.com/sinners-vamp...

Get more from Romancing the Gothic on Patreon creating Free online classes, days of creation, books groups and

Hey! Did you know you can support the Romancing the Gothic project on patreon?

Did you know you get all the monthly links that way?

Did you know you can get fun bonuses like discounted or free events and audio versions of classic ghost stories at higher tiers?

www.patreon.com/c/romancingt...

Ten Years of The Gothic Library! - The Gothic Library Can you believe I’ve been blogging for a full decade? This Thursday, June 5, will mark the tenth anniversary of when I first launched The Gothic Library. For eight and a half years, I blogged every si...

My book blog turns 10 years old this week!

Here are some reflections on a decade of blogging for The Gothic Library:

www.thegothiclibrary.com/ten-years-of...

THE BIG REVEAL!

You can now buy tickets for our 2025 online conference

'A Warning to the Curious: Celebrating 100 years of M R James 'A Warning to the Curious'

Talks! Workshops! Events! Author roundtable with NGHI VO, SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA and SUZAN PALUMBO!

buytickets.at/romancingthe...

Review of Staircase in the Woods—A House that Haunts - The Gothic Library If you came across a mysterious set of stairs in the middle of a forest, would you climb them? Doing so might not be such a good idea, as a group of friends are quick to discover in Chuck Wendig’s lat...

New blog post! Check out my review of THE STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS by @chuckwendling.bsky.social, and its unique spin on the haunted house:

www.thegothiclibrary.com/review-of-st...

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Who is your mom’s favorite mystery writer? Come by and get her a new book about solving a murder — we’ll be here til 7

You’re very welcome! This book was exactly up my alley.

Review of The Artist of Blackberry Grange - The Gothic Library It’s been an established trope from the very first Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto: portraits of the dead that can come to life and roam the halls. In Paulette Kennedy’s The Artist of Blackberry Gr...

New blog post! Check out my review of THE ARTIST OF BLACKBERRY GRANGE, a historical Gothic by @pkennedywrites.bsky.social

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www.thegothiclibrary.com/review-of-th...

Happy Indie Bookstore Day to all who celebrate!! If you need a great reason to come pick up a new murder mystery, this is your chance…

We’ll be here til 7 with some special deals for this special occasion.

It’s on my TBR! (Still need to finish the Scapegracers series, too)

Review of The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Sixteen - The Gothic Library Well, we’re nearly halfway through 2025, but I’ve just finished reading Ellen Datlow’s 2024 collection of the best horror short stories published in 2023, or in other words: The Best Horror of the Yea...

New blog post! Check out my review of THE BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR, Vol 16, edited by @datlow.bsky.social. Plus, my thoughts on some of the major trends in horror from that year:

www.thegothiclibrary.com/review-of-th...