Coming Soon: The Drowning Machine & Other Obsessions.
Let yourself sink with this collection of both previously published and new short stories. Coming from Undertaker Books on February 21, 2025, and featuring an introduction by J.A.W. McCarthy and illustrations by Brett Mitchell Kent, throw yourself into THE DROWNING MACHINE and Other Obsessions.
“In The Drowning Machine, Emma Murray shows us narratives of how things go when someone who’s a bit twisted encounters a scenario where deep dark quirks of humanity take control. It doesn’t feel like a full-on assault; Murrays gift is how she’ll drag you through the brambles of the psyche, its fixations and its deviations. I recommend following her into the abyss…”-Charlene Elsby, author of The Devil Thinks I’m Pretty and Red Flags
“The Drowning Machine and Other Obsessions is a catalogue of traumas: Emma E. Murray plunges face-first into the visceral horrors of a world that eats us up, and refuses to look away. With impressive insight and a heart for the devastated and monstrous alike, these stories are ‘feel bad’ in the best possible way.” –Gordon B. White, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Gordon B. White is Crafting Haunting Weird Horror(s)
“The Drowning Machine is one of those books that make it impossible to come up for air. Dark, compelling, with brilliantly crafted stories that dig deep into motherhood, loss, sacrifice, and pain. I’ve never been so haunted by a collection.”—Laurel Hightower, author of Crossroads and Every Woman Knows This
“The Drowning Machine and Other Obsessions juxtaposes the violent emotions of parenthood—the fiercest joys, the deepest griefs,–with the nameless horrors of childhood. Murray’s gift for creeping dread shines a truly discomforting light on the murky, abyssal spectrums between possession and loss, between obedience and rebellion, and between life and death.”—Lindz McLeod, author of Sunbathers and Turducken
“The Drowning Machine and Other Obsessions is somehow both brutal and tender, sentimental yet unflinching. Emma E. Murray expertly crafts complex characters battling grief, guilt, desire, death, and sacrifice. She will rip out your heart while holding you close to dry your tears.” –Angela Sylvaine, author of The Dead Spot and Frost Bite