Courtney Gould writes books about queer girls, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2016 with a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing and Publishing. Born and raised in Salem, OR, she now lives and writes in Tacoma, WA where she continues to write love letters to the haunted girls and rural, empty spaces. The Dead and the Dark is her debut novel.
Kill Creatures (2025) Rory Power "Electric with tension and anxiety, Kill Creatures will shove your head underwater on page one and won't let you breathe until it's over. Power skillfully pushes you to question everything you know about girlhood, friendship, and obsession."
The Whisperwood Legacy (2025) Jo Schulte "Schulte's wickedly inventive debut is a story that loves stories. Fresh-voiced and funny enough to make its tenderly emotional heart take you by surprise. Layers of twisted fairytales peel away to unveil a book you'll want to read again and again."
Fable for the End of the World (2025) Ava Reid "Knife-edged and tender-hearted, Fable for the End of the World will at once feel like your favorite classic dystopia and like nothing you've ever read. In a cruel, debt-driven world not vastly unlike our own, Reid explores the bravery of not just surviving, but learning to be truly alive. I will be thinking of the final line for years to come."
The Dark We Know (2024) Wen-Yi Lee "The Dark We Know will haunt you all day and keep you awake at night. Lee's emotional, inventively written debut had me peeling back layer after layer in a desperate search for the truth. Absolutely enthralling."
I Will Never Leave You (2024) Kara A Kennedy "A blistering exploration of the ugliest and tenderest parts of love, Kennedy turns the classic ghost story on its head."
A Fragile Enchantment (2024) Allison Saft "Achingly romantic and full of heart....Saft proves that her ability to craft a heart-wrenching, healing love story is unparalleled. Like Niamh's enchanted gowns, Saft's story is woven with a kind of magic that keeps you in the palm of her hands from the first page to the very last."
That's Not My Name (2023) Megan Lally "Tense, heart-wrenching, and addictive, Lally's pulse-pounding debut is an exciting first entry for an author we should all be watching."
How to Find a Missing Girl (2023) Victoria Wlosok "Heart-pounding and riddled with twists and turns, Wlosok's debut is a thrill-ride I hoped would never end. HOW TO FIND A MISSING GIRL is refreshingly snappy, quick, and all-consuming. I couldn't put it down."
I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me (2023) (I Feed Her to the Beast, book 1) Jamison Shea "A sinister, delicious dive into a truly captivating villain origin story. In lyrical prose and a cutting pace, Shea explores the ways power corrupts and the way racist, elitist systems push us to hunger for it. As Laure descended, I descended with her, and when I turned the final page I was starving for more."
The Third Daughter (2023) (Betrayal Prophecies, book 1) Adrienne Tooley "Political intrigue and emotional intimacy balance on a knife's edge, teetering constantly, precariously between the two in this story of sisterhood, love, and duty. Elodie's journey held me captive in this stunning series starter and I cannot wait to see where she takes me next."
Ravensong (2023) (Ravensong, book 1) Cayla Fay "Heartfelt, thrilling, and refreshingly steeped in lore, RAVENSONG is a book I could read again and again. Neve is a magnetic heroine - determined, stubborn, and full of raw anger. The moment I flipped the last page, I was desperate for more."
The Memory Eater (2023) Rebecca Mahoney "Tender and unsettling and endlessly inventive, The Memory Eater is a book unlike any I've read before. I will be thinking about this story for years to come - I only wish I could give my memory away and read it again for the first time."
She Is a Haunting (2023) Trang Thanh Tran "Electric and unsettling with a deliciously rich theme readers will sink their teeth into, She Is a Haunting is my absolute favorite new entry in the gothic genre. Layers of identity, fright, and heartfelt romance are tenderly laid one over the other, creating a richly complex story that questions the very nature of a haunting. Trang Thanh Tran is a force to be reckoned with."
Dream to Me (2023) Megan Paasch "Dream to Me is an enchanting and ensnaring gift from a fresh voice in YA. Equal parts grief and magic, Paasch's writing will cradle you close, leaving you both hurt and healed."
The Depths (2022) Nicole Lesperance "The Depths is a horror gem that breathes new life into the gothic genre. With a resilient but shaken heroine, a vibrant setting that's both claustrophobic and expansive, and a plot with as many twists and turns as the tangled jungle around them, this enchanting novel holds your hand and guides you into its dark heart with ease. Lesperance's brilliant and terrifying novel is not one I'll soon forget."
Wake the Bones (2022) Elizabeth Kilcoyne "Deliciously vile and viciously emotional, Wake the Bones is a debut you'll want to savor but will be forced to devour whole. Kilcoyne richly imagines a world where life and death are all tangled together, and love and loss are the true magic. I was held captive to the last haunting page and I hoped there was no release."
Primal Animals (2022) Julia Lynn Rubin "Primal Animals is a relentless thrill ride, offering a summer camp with danger at every turn, staggering twists, and a deeply human heroine."
