Kelsea Yu

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The month is almost over, and a new issue of The Dark will be up soon. But you can, of course, still read my tale "Hunger," along with excellent stories from @sillysyntax.bsky.social @anovelescape.bsky.social and Wailana Kalama.

www.thedarkmagazine.com/hunger-2/

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Photograph of a Chinese American woman in a purple dress and glasses with the text “ask me anything! @anovelescape, Today on r/fantasy. In support of @thepixelproject

I'm doing an AMA over at r/Fantasy today in support of @thepixelproject.bsky.social! Post your questions whenever you get the chance and I'll be back tonight to answer! <3

www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/co...

AN INCOMPLETE LIST OF GLORIOUS SHORT FICTION THAT I ENJOYED IN 2025 (BY PUBLICATION MONTH). his love’s ashes on his tongue, by Monte Lin, in The Deadlands (January) I love how this story explores grief and death. It’s a journey in a strange city. A journey inside our minds and the v…

Crawling back from a very nasty bout of flu by posting some of my favorite stories I read last year. Is it a perfect list? No, there's a ton of amazing stuff out there. But I am happy with it and I hope you can find something in here for you <3

Thank you Eugenia! Hope recovery is going smoothly! <3

Hands holding a black cover with a flower growing wildly, stemming to several directions. The petal is full and resembles smoke at some points. It's called ECO24: The Year's Best Speculative Ecofiction. Edited by Marissa Van Uden.

One of the anthology pages with the initial text for the story The Plasticity of Being by Renan Bernardo. It also includes his bio.

I got my contributor copy of ECO24, which contains my piece The Plasticity of Being!

I’m extremely honored to be part of this antho with @anovelescape.bsky.social, @genni.bsky.social, @jenniferhudak.bsky.social and others!

It was edited by the great @marissavu.bsky.social.

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I love how this story taps into that deep compassion and connection we have with other creatures as children, a more honest and real way of seeing the non-human world that not everyone is able to keep through adulthood.

"My imagination was particularly captured by Skittering Within, by Kelsea Yu, where a young girl grows up with an extraordinary affinity with crabs"

Thank you to Dr. Alice Violett for mentioning my story in this thoughtful review of the ECO24 anthology! 🦀🖤

Excited for Moonfall by @edcrockerbooks.bsky.social, Saltswept by Katalina Watt, Home Sick by @rhiannonagrist.bsky.social, Bodies of Work @claymcleod.bsky.social, Nowhere Burning by @catrionaward.bsky.social, Stormraven by @anovelescape.bsky.social, Children of Strife @aptshadow.bsky.social & more!

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And my goals for 2026!

An honest look at the year 😅

And more 👀👀

Some book news 🖤

Also this year! 🖤🖤🖤

Graphic showing Kelsea Yu’s 2025 original publications: Novella: Demon Song published by Titan and Spotify Novelette: Ye Xian and the Celestial Feast produced by Spotify Short Story: “In Our Skin” in Nightmare “Unspoken” in Crepuscular “Deliquescence” in The Deadlands Essay: “Haunting, Haunted” in khoreo “Novella: the Perfect Length for Horror” in HorrorTree

All my awards-eligible 2025 publications!! It’s been a good publishing year. Thanks to @titanbooks.bsky.social @spotifyforauthors.bsky.social @nightmare-magazine.com @crepuscularmag.bsky.social @thedeadlands.com @khoreo.bsky.social @horrortree.com for sharing my stories & essays with the world! 🖤🖤🖤

When It Hurts A Love Letters Feature by Sarah Gailey - December 2025

Today's Love Letter is a reflection on the incredible, healing, life-affirming power of pain -- and how good it is to get the chance to hurt.

This is such a beautiful piece, Gailey. Honored to have you in my life! 🖤

In Our Skin - Nightmare Magazine Mother’s blade slides into the soft skin at the nape of my neck, sharp and eager. She doesn’t falter the way she does when it’s Maddy’s turn. No cooing or crying. No reassurances as she slices through...

A poignant story of two sisters inseparable both in life and death. Of a mother who paves the road of no return. Of the decisions we make despite what our parents are letting us believe.

by @anovelescape.bsky.social in @nightmare-magazine.com

Ahh I hadn’t logged in for a bit and just saw this! Thank you Eugenia!! 🥰🥰🥰

Have you picked up DEMON SONG by @anovelescape.bsky.social yet? 🎶

A young woman discovers the terrifying secrets lurking within the walls of a Beijing opera house, in this Gothic horror novella inspired by Chinese mythology. 🎭

https://tinyurl.com/bdd8wdhu

2025-2026 Horror Master List Book Submissions Because I'm out of my mind, I maintain a running list of the year's new horror releases. If you're an author/editor/marketer/publicist/agent who'd like one of your books included, please fill out the ...

do you have a horror/horror-ish book coming out in 2026? tell me about it here, please! I'm working on the 2026 horror list and while I'm very good at sniffing out new books, I still miss things - help me help you!

forms.gle/KxLNwVDVbbRS...

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Demon Song — Kelsea Yu

I finished reading DEMON SONG by Kelsea Yu, and it was a beautiful take on diaspora experience and Chinese opera and completely delivered on the Phantom of the Opera (but make it sapphic)! Very sensual with some intense body horror moments, done beautifully. www.kelseayu.com/demon-song

Ahhhh thank you Cass!! 🥰🥰🥰

Cover for Ye Xian and the Celestial Feast by Kelsea Yu with art by Iris Lei. Features a fox, fox mask, gold trinkets, Chinese feast foods, a palace, and a Chinese girl with long hair holding a fox mask.

Thank you to Iris Lei for the stunning cover!! I'm absolutely obsessed! 😍

Links & more info: www.kelseayu.com/ye-xian
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Trope graphic for Ye Xian and the Celestial Feast by Kelsea Yu: Chinese folklore, royal banquet, dragons & princes, masquerade ball, fox spirits, award-winning narrator, quick read!, Cinderella retelling

YE XIAN AND THE CELESTIAL FEAST
📜 Chinese folklore
🥢 royal banquet
🐲 dragons & princes
🎭 masquerade ball
🦊 fox spirits
🎧 award-winning narrator @natalienaudus.bsky.social
⌛ quick read
👗 Cinderella retelling

Romantic fantasy tale written by me, produced by @spotifyforauthors.bsky.social! 💖