The Alondra Stories

I’ve written a series of urban fantasy short stories about Alondra DeCourval, a young American witch who travels the world, battling monsters and trying to make things right.

The newest stories available online:

“Far From Home” appeared on the Ladies of Horror Flash Project on June 29, 2023.

“Petrichor Gothic” appeared on the Ladies of Horror Flash Project on May 22, 2023.

“A Wondrous Curiosity” appeared on the Ladies of Horror Flash Project on July 29, 2022.

The full list of published stories, most recent to earliest:

“The Ambush Hunters” will appear in 99 Fleeting Fantasies, edited by Jennifer Brozek, to be published by Pulse Publishing in Fall 2023.

“Far From Home” appeared on the Ladies of Horror Flash Project on June 29, 2023.

“Petrichor Gothic” appeared on the Ladies of Horror Flash Project on May 22, 2023.

“The Devil’s Debt” appear in Occult Detective #9. Alondra meets a succubus named Lorelei (from my As Above, So Below novels) in Venice Beach.

“A Wondrous Curiosity” appeared on the Ladies of Horror Flash Project on July 29, 2022.

“Riders on the Storm” appeared on the Ladies of Horror Flash Project on June 28, 2022.

“Elle a Vu un Loup” was reprinted in Tales of Nightmares, part of the Wily Writers Presents anthologies, on July 11, 2022. It was initially published in the August 2018 issue of Weirdbook. Alondra fights a werewolf in a graveyard in Northern Michigan.

“Guardian of the Golden Gate” was reprinted in Tales of Dread, edited by Lisa Morton as part of the Wily Writers Presents anthologies. It was initially published in STRANGE CALIFORNIA in August 2017. The story appears alongside Seanan McGuire, Tim Pratt, and Chaz Brenchley. Alondra investigates a suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge.

“Dumb Supper” appeared in the Ladies of Horror Flash Project on March 1, 2021. Alondra solves a skull’s curse.

“Rock Faces” appeared on the Ladies of Horror Flash Project on October 29, 2019. Alondra faces something older than the Hawaiian Islands.

“Something in the Water,” an Alondra story set in the California Academy of Sciences-in-exile, appeared in Occult Detective Quarterly #5, which came out in January 2019.

“Letter from New Orleans” is about the first time Alondra visits the Crescent City. It introduces characters who appear in “Last-Born,” the most anthologized Alondra story (most recently in Alondra’s Investigations). This very short story was published by the Ladies of Horror Flash Project on November 28, 2018.

“Mr. Moonlight” was published by the Ladies of Horror Flash Project on October 28, 2018. It was reprinted in The Siren’s Call on July 1, 2020. This is a fairy tale from Alondra’s childhood.

“The Drowning City” was reprinted in BEST NEW HORROR #27 in May 2017. It appeared alongside Neil Gaiman, Storm Constantine, and Gemma Files. The story originally appeared in NEVERMORE! TALES OF MURDER, MYSTERY, AND THE MACABRE, edited by Nancy Kilpatrick and Caro Soles, published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy in 2015. Contributors included Margaret Atwood, Nancy Holder, William Nolan, Thomas Roche, and Tanith Lee. The book was nominated for the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in an Anthology. It won the Paris Book Festival’s award for Best Anthology of the Year. The story was collected in Alondra’s Adventures, published by Automatism Press in 2018. Alondra combats an ancient evil in Venice.

“The Fatal Book” was published by New Realm magazine in May 2016.  The story was short-listed for the Aeon Award in 2008. It was collected in Alondra’s Investigations, published by Automatism Press in 2018. Alondra discovers a book that claims to unleash earthquakes.

“Sakura Time,” a sequel to “The Fox and the Foreigner,” appeared in FRIGHT MARE: WOMEN WRITE HORROR, edited by Billie Sue Mosiman. This came out in February 2016. The audiobook is available on Audible.com. The story was collected in Alondra’s Adventures, published by Automatism Press in 2018. Alondra gets enmeshed in a Japanese ghost story. It will be reprinted in Tales of Darkness, edited by Yvonne Navarro as part of the Wily Writers Presents anthologies.

“The Shattered Rose,” set in Golden Gate Park, appeared in Instant City magazine, May 2013. It was previously published in The Paramental Appreciation Society  chapbook, reprinted by Automatism Press, October 2007. Originally published by Red Snake Press, an imprint of Borderlands Bookstore, March 2007. The story was collected in Alondra’s Experiments, published by Automatism Press in 2018. Alondra discovers that she’s not cut out to be a vampire.

“A Curiosity of Shadows,” a ghost story, appeared in THE HAUNTED MANSION PROJECT: YEAR ONE, edited by E.S. Magill. The anthology was published by Damnation Books in March 2012. The story was collected in Alondra’s Investigations, published by Automatism Press in 2018. Alondra fights the things that ghosts fear.

“Last-Born” appeared in SINS OF THE SIRENS: FOURTEEN TALES OF DARK DESIRE, edited by John Everson. It was published by Dark Arts in January 2008 and updated as an ebook January 2012. The story initially appeared in THE GHOSTBREAKERS: NEW HORRORS, edited by Danielle Naibert and G. W. Thomas (RAGEmachine Books) in May 2005. The story was collected in Alondra’s Investigations, published by Automatism Press in 2018. Alondra makes a painful sacrifice in New Orleans.

“Catalyst,” Not One of Us #44, October 2010. The story was collected in Alondra’s Experiments, published by Automatism Press in 2018. In Prague, Alondra combines absinthe and alchemy to save Victor’s life.

“Valentine,” was originally podcast on Wily Writers in September 2010. It was reprinted in the collection Alondra’s Experiments. It also appears in UNSAFE WORDS, published by Automatism Press in 2020. Alondra travels to Oslo to save her guardian’s life, no matter what it takes.

“The Fox and the Foreigner,” the very first Alondra story, was published in Not One of Us #38, October 2007. This story was long-listed for the British Science Fiction Association Award in January 2008. The story was collected in Alondra’s Adventures, published by Automatism Press in 2018. Alondra finds a supernatural creature in the heart of Tokyo.

The stories, in order of Alondra’s experience:

  • Mr. Moonlight
  • The Shattered Rose
  • Catalyst
  • A Curiosity of Shadows
  • Valentine
  • The Fox and the Foreigner
  • The Drowning City
  • Something in the Water
  • Elle a Vu un Loup
  • The Fatal Book
  • Letter from New Orleans
  • Dumb Supper
  • Last-Born
  • Sakura Time
  • Guardian of the Golden Gate
  • Rock Faces
  • Riders on the Storm
  • Far From Home
  • The Ambush Hunters
  • Petrichor Gothic
  • A Wondrous Curiosity
  • The Devil’s Debt

Reading the Alondra Stories:

Elaine Pascale reads “Petrichor Gothic” for the Ladies of Horror challenge.

Loren reads part of “Sakura Time” at the San Mateo Public Library.

Loren reads an excerpt of “The Shattered Rose” at Adobe Books.

Interviews about Alondra:

Stephanie Ayers interviewed Alondra herself for Women in Horror month on February 15, 2019.

Fiona McVie interviewed me about writing and The Alondra Stories for her extensive series of author interviews, September 6, 2018.

“The Horror Tree presents an interview with Loren Rhoads” by Ruschelle Dillon, August 18, 2018.

“Ask the Author: A Q&A with Loren Rhoads” on Sonorawrites.com, August 15, 2018.

“New Contemporary Fantasy from Loren Rhoads” interview by Martha J. Allard, February 28, 2108.

Tim Prasil interviewed me about The Alondra Stories for his site, The Merry Ghosthunter, on September 17, 2017.

“Ladies of Sins of the Sirens: Interview with Loren Rhoads” by Meli Hooker, Dreadful Tales, February 21, 2012.