Fiction

My whole short fiction bibliography is here.

Novels:

Lost-Angels-Cover-Front-SmLOST ANGELS, co-written with Brian Thomas, is the first volume of the As Above, So Below duology. Initially published by Black Bed Sheet Books in 2014, an updated version came out in 2016 from Automatism Press.

The succubus Lorelei vows to take down the angel Azaziel, never dreaming he will possess her with a mortal girl’s soul. Find more details here.

“The first book of the As Above, So Below series has a creative plot, vivid descriptive imagery, relentless temptation, graphic horror, and fiery, fun sex.”  — Jeremy Price, Up All Night Horror Fiction Review

ANGELUS ROSE, the sequel to LOST ANGELS, came out from Automatism Press in 2020.

After their escape from the ashes of Lost Angels, the succubus Lorelei and the angel Azaziel want nothing more than to enjoy each other’s company. Unfortunately, Aza is keeping secrets that threaten the tenuous peace between Heaven and Hell — and Asmodeus, the Demon Prince of LA, has threatened to devour Lorelei’s new-grown soul if she doesn’t bring about Azaziel’s downfall. Find more details here.

“Kick-ass succubus Lorelei shines as she takes on Heaven and Hell for the angel she loves in this gritty, action-packed tale of forbidden desire.” — E. M. Markoff, author of The Deadbringer

THE DANGEROUS TYPE, the first volume of a space opera trilogy, came out from Night Shade Books in July 2015. It was followed by KILL BY NUMBERS in September that year and NO MORE HEROES in November 2015. There’s more information about the whole In the Wake of the Templars trilogy here.

Audiobooks of THE DANGEROUS TYPE, KILL BY NUMBERS, and NO MORE HEROES are available from Audible.com.

For 20 years, Raena Zacari was imprisoned in darkness. When she’s suddenly set free, she discovers a galaxy altered by a genocidal war and littered with boobytrapped alien technology. She falls in with a crew of young media pirates…and everything is going to change again.

“Rhoads brings the style of grimdark fantasy to space opera.” — Publishers Weekly

Short Story Collections:

In the first full-length collection of her edgy, award-winning short stories, Loren Rhoads punctures the boundaries between horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction in a maelstrom of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll. Ghosts, succubi, naiads, vampires, the Wild Hunt, and the worst predator in the woods stalk these pages, alongside human monsters who follow their cravings past sanity or sense. The stories are drawn from the pages of the magazines Cemetery Dance, City Slab, Instant City, and Space & Time, the Wily Writers podcast, and the books Demon Lovers, The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two, and more. There’s more information about Unsafe Words here.

Find UNSAFE WORDS on Amazon.

“This carefully crafted collection makes an excellent showcase of Rhoads’s skill across a multitude of subgenres. — Publishers Weekly

Alondra DeCourval is a young witch with a passion to make things right. She travels the world, helping humans get along with supernatural creatures.

I’ve published 4 short collections of previously published Alondra stories on Amazon:

  1. Alondra’s Experiments: https://amzn.to/2KUtPPK
  2. Alondra’s Investigations: https://amzn.to/2PgOoqb
  3. Alondra’s Adventures: https://amzn.to/2Pged9J
  4. Alondra’s Exploits: https://amzn.to/49EoS8y

“I love the Alondra stories. Sexy, spooky, fast paced urban fantasy, there’s mystery beating at the heart of each of these tales. Alondra herself is magic wrapped in a human guise.” — T. Thorn Coyle, author of The Witches of Portland series

Ashes-Rust-CoverAshes & Rust, a chapbook containing four of my post-apocalyptic stories, was originally published by Automatism Press in October 2005. The chapbook includes “Mothflame,” “Justice,” “Fitzgerald’s Shadow,” and “The Acid that Dissolves Images,” which were published in Not One of Us, Blood Rose, Indigenous Fiction, and the book LEND THE EYE A TERRIBLE ASPECT. An updated ebook was published for the Kindle in 2012.  Click to buy an e-copy.

“Ashes & Rust was just wonderful. She reminded me that I enjoy science fiction. And, wow, can she ever write it!” — Maria Alexander, author of Mr. Wicker


Short Work now Available in Book or eBook:

An Alondra story called “The Silence of Sirens” appears in the SHALLOW WATERS: HORROR FLASH FICTION ANTHOLOGY, edited by Joe Mynhardt and published by Crystal Lake in October 2023. Other contributors include Tom Deady, Naching T. Kassa, Francesca Maria, Armand Rosamilia, Richard Thomas, and many more.

My story “Nightbears” appears in MANOR OF FRIGHTS, edited by Emerian Rich and published by HorrorAddicts.net.  Other contributors include Daphne Strasert, R.L. Merrill, Sumiko Saulson, Judith Pancoast, and more.

 

I contributed to all four volumes of the Wily Writers Presents Tales of… series.

  • My story “Guardian of the Golden Gate” appeared in Lisa Morton’s TALES OF DREAD.
  • My story “Elle a Vu un Loup” appeared in TALES OF NIGHTMARES.
  • My story “Devil in Her Heart” appeared in Angel Leigh McCoy and Alison J. McKenzie’s TALES OF EVIL.
  • My story “Still Life with Shattered Glass” appeared in E. S. Magill and Bill Bodden’s TALES OF FOREBODING.

My standalone story “Still Life with Shattered Glass” appears in TALES FOR THE CAMP FIRE: A CHARITY ANTHOLOGY BENEFITING WILDFIRE RELIEF, published by Tomes & Coffee Press in May 2019.

“I love being in Sherry’s head as the story progresses.” — Errant Dreams

unnamedAn Alondra story called “The Drowning City,” which appeared previously in Nevermore! Tales of Murder, Mystery, and the Macabre, was republished in BEST NEW HORROR #27, edited by Stephen Jones. It was my first time sharing a table of contents with Neil Gaiman and Gemma Files. It was also the first time I had a story in a Best Of collection, the first time I got to autograph a signature sheet, and the first time a story of mine appeared in hardcover.

Strange California cover“Guardian of the Golden Gate,” an Alondra story about magic in San Francisco and the hunger that lives beneath the Golden Gate Bridge, appeared in the STRANGE CALIFORNIA anthology. The book includes stories by Seanan McGuire, Tim Pratt, Laura Anne Gilman, and so many more.

 

FrightMareAnother Alondra story— “Sakura Time”— appeared in FRIGHT MARE: WOMEN WRITE HORROR, edited by Billie Sue Mosiman. The anthology came out in February 2016, just in time for Women In Horror Month. The book was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award as Best Anthology.

““Sakura Time” by Loren Rhoads is a won­der­fully creepy story of a man under the spell of a dead woman’s dolls.” — Lucy Taylor, Dark Fantasy blog

NevermoreThe Alondra story called “The Drowning City” appeared in NEVERMORE! TALES OF MURDER, MYSTERY, AND THE MACABRE, edited by Nancy Kilpatrick and Caro Soles. The book came out in July 2015. Contributors included Margaret Atwood, Nancy Holder, William Nolan, Thomas Roche, and Tanith Lee. The book was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Anthology and won the Paris Book Festival’s award for Best Anthology of the Year.

“The Drowning City” is “a clammy, chilling, shivery sort of tale that snakes its way along your nerves, keeping you guessing until the end.” — Caro Soles, Caro’s Place

Outofthegreen

My story “Grandfather Carp’s Dream” appeared in OUT OF THE GREEN: TALES FROM FAIRYLAND, edited by Martha J. Allard and Kacey Vanderkarr, published by Urban Fey Press in November 2014.

“Dark fae stories, each one different and unique.” — Valarie Kinney, author of the Secrets of Windy Springs series

Sirens CoverSINS OF THE SIRENS: FOURTEEN STORIES OF DARK DESIRE, published by Dark Arts Books, features four of my stories. The anthology contains the original Lorelei story (“The Angel’s Lair”) and an Alondra story (“Last-Born”).  “Still Life with Shattered Glass” originally appeared — in a less X-rated version — in Cemetery Dance magazine.  “Sound of Impact” is original to the Sirens book.

“Rhoads doesn’t ease the reader into Sins of the Sirens. Instead she turns the heat all the way up to an unbearable swelter.” Dreadful Tales

Paramental cover001The Paramental Appreciation Society’s self-titled chapbook contains “The Shattered Rose,” a story set in Golden Gate Park which features Alondra and her vampire boyfriend Jordan. The second edition of the chapbook was published by Automatism Press in October 2008.  There’s more information here.

“The mix of modern-day San Francisco with the obscure mythology of witchcraft and vampirism, along with the earthy portrayal of the physical relationship, makes reading this story an intensely engaging experience.” — Paul S. Jenkins, The Fix