Death by TBR 5/23/26

 Be selling books with a bunch of cool horror writers, come on by and say hello! 

DARK READS March 3/28/2026

 Please join me for my last WOMEN IN HORROR MONTH event 

Horror Depot Presents: Dark Reads at the Waterfire Arts Center in Providence, RI 

I will be tabling and selling books and art all day, so come on by and say hello! 

2:30 featuring Ari Mnemonic, Victoria Dalpe, Hellen Schweizer and, Christa Carmen and presented by our good friend Chana Odom aka ChanaReadsHorror

Can't make it? No worries Selene Shade book one on sale for 99cents or $10 for the paperback here

Event details here 

Author Signing- Women in Horror Month MARCH 2026

 Hey hey! 

I will be at Barnes & Noble in Warwick, RI tomorrow with a gaggle of cool local women authors, come on by and say hello! I'll be on a panel as well around 2:15

Can't make the event? no worries! Selene Shade book one ebook on sale for 99 cents and the paperback on sale for $10! AND book 2 available for preorder! 

already read book one? Go give it a star or a rating or a review- it would mean the world! 

Calling All Reviewers ARCS of Selene Shade Book 1 available now through epub and NetGalley.

Hello Book Lovers and Book Reviewers,

Selene Shade: Resurrectionist for Hire Book One available for review now.... 

and Selene Shade: Loving the Dead ARCs available for review  Spring 2026...

INTERESTED? 

Available on Netgalley OR fill out this form to get on the mailing list for an ebook

Already read Book One? It would be much appreciated if you could leave a star rating or review!

 Author Signing and Discussion 

Feb. 8th, 2026 Enfield, CT 1-4pm 

Hope to see you there! 

ARC of Selene Shade Book 2

 Attention Book Reviewers! 

Are you interested in an ebook Review Copy of Selene Shade Book 2: Loving the Dead? 

ARCs go out Spring 2026.

Fill out the form here! 

In the second novel of the Resurrectionist Series from Victoria Dalpe, Loving the Dead, a city tears itself apart, a new serial killer arrives in town, and Selene Shade desperately needs a vacation.

A few months after the tumultuous and reality-shredding arrival of the Pale Ones, the world has been changed, and not necessarily for the better. Half-lifes now regard Selene and her ilk with fear, knowing their free will isn’t as free as it once was. With the growing backlash against the undead in society, religious hate groups have swelled. Add to that a vampire serial killer, a contentious election, and a heap of personal problems, you have the makings of a perfect storm that might just wipe the city of Goat Hill right off the map.

Revenge conspiracies, resurrection, and romance–what’s a girl to do? Join Selene and friends as they reluctantly race the clock to stop those that would destroy the world… again.

SELENE SHADE: LOVING THE DEAD official release August 2026...

Selene Shade Book One on Sale

 Selene Shade Book One is on sale for 99 cents

To celebrate the preorders and cover reveal for Selene Shade: Loving the Dead book two (OUT AUGUST 2026) in the Resurrectionist series, we are pleased to offer the ebook of book one for limited time great price. 

You can't even get a candy bar for 99 cents anymore! 

So, go download yourself a copy from wherever you like to get your ebooks and check it out. And once you've read it, please consider leaving a star rating or review after reading it! 

Get your ebook here or on Amazon here 

Fall Author Events!

A list of my current fall author events, come by and say hello if in the area! 

Saturday 9/13 11-5 

Spooktastic Book Festival, Framingham MA 

Saturday, 10/4/25 at 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Saratoga Book Festival

Where: Saratoga Springs Public Library, Dutcher Room, 49 Henry Street in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Session Title/Authors: Thrills & Chills: The Art of Horror with
Paul Tremblay
Eric LaRocca
Michael J. Seidlinger
Victoria Dalpe
Moderator: Trevor Oakley 

Sunday 10/19/25 

October market, Pop Up Shop of Horror 4

(Selling books and artwork)

Buttonwoods Brewery

Providence, RI

Saturday 11/1 6pm 

Once Upon a Bookstore 

Horror Author Panel

Fall River, MA 

Rochambeau Local Author Fair 

Thursday, November 20th, from 5:00 - 7:30 pm

Rochambeau Library Hope St, Providence, RI 

Will be selling books and artworks... hope to see you!

Saratoga Book Festival October 2-5!

 

Hope to see you at the Saratoga Book Festival- Will be on a panel with some contemporary horror heavyweights! 

DETAILS

When: Saturday, October 4th at 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Where: Saratoga Springs Public Library, Dutcher Room, 49 Henry Street in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Session Title/Authors: Thrills & Chills: The Art of Horror with
Paul Tremblay
Eric LaRocca
Michael J. Seidlinger
Victoria Dalpe

Moderator: Trevor Oakley  

spooktastic book fair Saturday 9/13/25

 

Spooktastic Returns this fall! It will be a lot of fun- hope to see you there. Over 60 authors, publishing houses and vendors will take over the Framingham Public Library (Framingham, MA) on Saturday 9/13/25 to kick off spooky season in New England! 🔥 Keep your eyes here for weekly guest announcements and the very first Guest of Honor!

Thirteen Podcast: "Caught on Tape" available NOW

 

Check out my short story "Caught on Tape" on Thirteen Podcast 

(points if you can identify the creature in the tale!)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/caught-on-tape/id1501929208?i=1000708287436

Book Launch Party 5/17/25

 Hey hey! If you are in the Salem, MA area May 17th you should come to Nocturne and celebrate the book release of "Below the Grand Hotel" by Cat Skully. With live performances and yours truly in attendance. Hope to see you there... 

KGB Audio

 Miss my Fantastic Fiction reading at KGB Bar? No problem! You can listen to the audio and feel like you were there - link HERE 

https://www.kgbfantasticfiction.org/2025/03/22/audio-from-march-12-with-jedediah-berry-victoria-dalpe/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR271EsiHkxpGddvCNh_CSbjSGK87j2m5zGiMCDxDGqwvgHa6ab8DZrBKPw_aem_ftz3C3JzpO1T4OVxmwl00g

Saturday 3/1/25 11-5pm Horror Depot Presents: Dark Reads

 Join me Saturday 3/1/25 from 11-5pm for the 2nd Dark Reads event put on by the Horror Depot. Should be a fun time. RIC Student Union 2nd floor. 

I'll be tabling, selling books and artwork. AND I will be on a panel with Aron Beauregard, Christa Carmen and Kristopher Triana. 

Dark Reads is a literary extravaganza with over 45 authors of horror, dark fantasy, true crime, poetry, and more! Also included will be presentations, interviews, and readings.

Tickets here

event 1/31/25

Please Join me for a Book Signing January 31st, 2025 at 6pm 

Symposium Books 240 Westminster St. PVD 

ginger nuts review Selene Shade

 A lovely review by Ginger Nuts of Horror 

Victoria Dalpe’s urban fantasy Selene Shade, Resurrectionist for Hire, is a spellbinding cocktail of supernatural intrigue, dark humor, and sizzling romance that will leave you thirsting for more.”

Selene Shade, Resurrectionist for Hire: 1 by Victoria Dalpe

In her latest venture the versatile Victoria Dalpe turns to urban fantasy and Selene Shade is a memorable creation

I first came across Victoria Dalpe in 2018 with her impressive debut novel Parasite Life.

This very mature and seriously dark YA vampire tale was initially written for adults before being adapted. Do not be put off by the YA label; this book has the juice to shock anybody, and I hope it has a rerelease sometime in the near future, as a long-since departed publisher originally released it. It was so impressive I featured Parasite Life in my recently published review Almanack, The YA Horror 400. If anybody knows how TicToc algorithms work to connect books to readers. In that case, I strongly recommend they look at this intense LGBTQIA+-themed vampire novel as it stands head and shoulders above most of the “TicToc made me buy it” recommendations currently dominating the market for older teens.

In 2022 Dalpe returned with Les Femmes Grotesques, an impressive eighteen-tale collection of short stories which explores the horrors which lurk just under the surface, and I found myself marvelling at her clever plotlines, changes of pace, varied settings and unsettling clashes of the everyday mundane with the supernatural. I love authors who remain tricky and elusive to categorise, and Dalpe snugly fits into that category as Selene Shade, Resurrectionist for Hire, is another smart change of direction. 

Urban fantasy is not a genre I usually read.

But I found myself quickly sucked into Dalpe’s world of resurrectionists, half-lives (not quite zombies), vampires and necromancers. The world-building was particularly impressive, and within the context of the story, I marvelled at the various supernatural powers and how these contrasting creatures coexist in our world. Ultimately, this is a wild supernatural mystery thriller about saving the world by preventing a magical portal from acting as a doorway to a demon-infested hell world (and having a much-needed romance along the way). A normal day at the office for Selene Shade!

Our hero, Selene Shade, owns one of two ‘resurrectionist’ firms which operate in the small city where she lives. Resurrectionists have the ability to manipulate the dead and partially bring the deceased back to life (for a price). If somebody has cancer and knows their time is short, once they have finally passed away, Selene can bring them back to partial life, and if they follow specific rules, they can inhabit their previous dead body and ‘live’ a seemingly normal life. Many find this creepy, but it is accepted as standard practice where necromancers exist, and vampires lurk in the shadows as dangerous apex predators. 

Selene is an excellent and sharp character who single-handedly carries the book.

Even though it is top-heavy with larger-than-life support characters. She has a downbeat, rather droll, sense of humour, which laments her lack of a boyfriend and social life whilst throwing herself into her work for comfort. Selene is written in the first person, whilst the narrative takes in other characters in the third person tense. I enjoyed how Selene was not just in the resurrection business for the cash, explaining the complex consequences which can occur as a result of bringing people back. An interesting example was that those ‘brought back’ are tethered by some bond to the resurrectionist, which becomes a crucial part of the later stages of the story.

The core plot of Selene Shade, Resurrectionist for Hire would not be out of place in a B-movie or the sort of thing which might go down somewhere seedy like Gotham City. There have been a series of highly gruesome ritualistic murders of young women of a sexual nature, which lead the police begrudgingly to Selene for help.

There is also the possibility Selene might be a potential victim, as it is discovered that those being killed have resurrectionist skills, even if they have kept them hidden because of the stigma attached to them. This brings Selene into the orbit of Detective Marlow, a ninety-year-old sexy vampire cop who is able to disguise his true nature from everybody except those with supernatural abilities. The pair hit it off, and the resulting chemistry brings some smiles to proceedings as the reader cares enough about Selene to be delighted she has found somebody (even if he is a vampire), and the romance smoulders along nicely, adding a softer edge to the book. 

The support characters flesh the narrative out nicely.

Rakish Peter Partridge is a bored reporter looking for a story revolving around half-lives. As his father is approaching death (and potential return), this narrative allows the reader to get their head around how coming back to life works. I also thought Selene’s mousy and lonely apprentice, Germaine, was a believable and sympathetic character, even if she takes a wrong turn along the way. When Selene finds herself in a tight spot, the reanimation of all the little dead mice is also very cool. Victoria Dalpe’s magical system was first-class and advanced. Selene Shade, if she has a bit of literary luck and decent marketing, has the legs to mix with prominent-selling urban fantasy writers such as Cassandra Claire, Holly Black and Lucy Snyder. 

As the book progresses, the mystery intensifies, the clock ticks towards the next full moon, and it evolves into a perfect page-turner with a wild, full-blown, over-the-top horror ending. With this novel, I heard Victoria Dalpe attempt to merge her love of urban fantasy with weird cosmic fiction while creating a believable magic system framed in a plot that was a bit lighter than her usual stuff. Selene Shade, Resurrectionist for Hire, completely nailed this, and it was a hugely enjoyable read.

I look forward to book two of this projected trilogy. 

Selene Shade, Resurrectionist for Hire: 1 by Victoria Dalpe

In the first installment of Victoria Dalpe’s new dark fantasy series, we meet Selene Shade, a resurrectionist for hire who might just have taken on the wrong case.

With the ability to restore life to the dead, “Zombie Queen” Selene Shade has earned quite a reputation. Not that it helps her get dates. Her bed may be empty but business is booming. That is until her life is thrown into disarray when a brutal killer comes to town and all signs point to her being the next victim.

Enlisted by the police department due to her unique craft, she must make new alliances, deal with old rivals, and maybe even save the world—whether she wants to or not—all the while avoiding the gruesome allure of dark magic and the sacrificial ritual of a mad cultist. 

In Resurrectionist for Hire, Dalpe weaves a dire tale of magic, murder, and romance. To survive, Selene will have to harness her power of the dead and overcome her struggle to connect with the living.

selene shade unwinnable review

Great review over at unwinnable 

Selene Shade: Resurrectionist for Hire

By Noah Springer • December 2nd, 2024

This is a reprint of the books essay from Issue #79 of Exploits, our collaborative cultural diary in magazine form. If you like what you see, buy it now for $2, or subscribe to never miss an issue (note: Exploits is always free for subscribers of Unwinnable Monthly). 

———

What would the world be like if one day, we found out all things supernatural were true? If there was a public declaration and suddenly necromancers had to get a job and witches helped develop governmental policy? This is the world that Victoria Dalpe has imagined in her newest book, Selene Shade: Resurrectionist for Hire. Thirty years after the public acknowledgement of the supernatural, Selene Shade, a steely, blue-eyed resurrectionist, spends her days raising the dead and her nights alone, missing her recently deceased business partner. But that all changes when a handsome cop, who happens to be a vampire, knocks on her door asking about the recent spate of murders. Over the next 200 pages, Dalpe unveils a world of magic and fantasy, featuring weather elementals, shadow demons, doors to other worlds and, potentially, the apocalypse.

While Dalpe’s characters are well developed and engaging, her true mastery is the world building developed across the book. The dynamics between how non-magical humans have had to adapt to their new, openly supernatural neighbors builds moments of delight and terror. Meanwhile, the difficulties that the magical world has had adapting to actually being part of society, in the open, offers some timely commentary on contemporary social norms. Dalpe’s clear explanations of how magic functions in Shade’s world, showing how a resurrectionist’s magic differs from a necromancer’s which differs from a witch’s, helps weave a tight story that has a world that feels fully fleshed out. And that doesn’t even get into the other planes, the pale ones and the shadow demon attempting to connect the two. With such a clear vision of this world, its history and its rules, it’s no wonder that Clash Books signed up a three-book series.

Ultimately, I had a great time diving into Dalpe’s new world. Her writing feels fresh, alive with new ideas about the relationships between the occult and the world, between life and death. Selene Shade offers an engaging and horrifying gothic noir that is both enticing and unforgettable. To be honest, the vision is so clear and the writing is so fun that I’d be a little surprised if a streamer isn’t already looking at this for an adaptation. It would certainly move to the top of my queue!

 Coming Soon and available for pre-order 

SELENE SHADE: Resurrectionist for Hire Book 1 COMING SOON 

release date September 10, 2024! 

"With a zesty heroine, a likeable style, and a touch of grue, RESURRECTIONIST FOR HIRE is the first installment in what looks to be a tremendously enjoyable series of dark thrillers. I ate it up like a zombie with a fresh plate of brains and am already hungry for more." -- Poppy Z. Brite author of Exquisite Corpse. 

link to preorder here! 

In the first installment of Victoria Dalpe’s new dark fantasy series, we meet Selene Shade, a resurrectionist for hire who might just have taken on the wrong case.
With the ability to restore life to the dead, “Zombie Queen” Selene Shade has earned quite a reputation. Not that it helps her get dates. Her bed may be empty but business is booming. That is until her life is thrown into disarray when a brutal killer comes to town and all signs point to her being the next victim.

Enlisted by the police department due to her unique craft, she must make new alliances, deal with old rivals, and maybe even save the world—whether she wants to or not—all the while avoiding the gruesome allure of dark magic and the sacrificial ritual of a mad cultist.

In Resurrectionist For Hire, Dalpe weaves a dire tale of magic, murder, and romance. To survive, Selene will have to harness her power of the dead and overcome her struggle to connect with the living.

"Dalpe wields literary black magic yet again. Cool, sardonic, and asking the big, pointed questions about life, unlife, and death. Selene Shade: Resurrectionist for Hire kicks off what promises to be a tremendous new series." Laird Barron, author of Not a Speck of Light (Stories)

Best of 2022

 So cool to get on someone's best of for the year lists! 

Les Femme Grotesque by Victoria Dalpe

I was a massive fan of Victoria Dalpe’s debut novel Parasite Life and I am delighted that this absorbing novel receives a well-deserved re-release in 2023 after an unfortunate spell out of print. Dalpe has been widely published in many collections and the full range of her impressive skill set can be enjoyed in Les Femme Grotesque. This exquisite collection has an impressive range of stories, with predominately female narratives, and I found myself marveling at the plotlines, changes of pace, varied settings and unsettling clashes of the everyday mundane with the supernatural. I usually read collections rather slowly, however, as I advanced through this book, my pace quickened and I found myself thinking “just one more”, which is always a good sign, being lured into a sinister shadow space, one both familiar and uncanny. This is a sly and silky exploration of the dark femininity where things often do not end well for the male of the species. Remind me to stay on the good side of Victoria Dalpe.

read whole list here- 

https://www.horrordna.com/tag/victoria-dalpe

Diabolique Review

 Read the whole review here

LES FEMMES GROTESQUES [BOOK REVIEW]

Posted by Tim Murr | Oct 9, 2022

When it comes to reading horror, I always love a good short story collection. I do tend to agree with Poe’s philosophy that horror works best when it can be read in one sitting. I do not believe that to be an absolute truth, but I’ll always reach for a short story collection or a novella before I reach for a giant doorstop of a novel.

Les Femmes Grotesques by Victoria Dalpe is a short story collection that I have fallen in love with. Not only is the writing highly accessible and engaging but the stories are both thought provoking and stab at an emotional center. I can be perfectly content reading stories about werewolves, ghosts, or cannibals, but my true happy place is when a horror writer can walk the line between B material and literary fiction (Kathy Acker, Clive Barker, Jack Ketchum, William Burroughs).

Dalpe achieves this balance with the agile grace of a ninja. Facing death in horror is about as common a concern as one finds in this genre, but I think it’s rare to find an author who can craft so many different perspectives on the subject without it feeling exploitative. I feel like Les Femmes Grotesquesis sharing rarefied air with The Books of Blood and I don’t say that lightly, as I believe Clive Barker remains the pinnacle of our genre and the one voice we are all still striving to either beat or be.