This darkly funny, atmospheric folk horror is set in a small, isolated community in the woods and is full of unique and memorable characters, from the delightfully earnest narrator Jane and her mischievous grandmother, to a cheerful pastor with a bizarre obsession, some very peculiar neighbors, and two unsettling dolls.
The novella releases on February 18th, 2026, but you can grab your copy now from our Apex catalog with a special preorder discount of 30% off both the paperback and ebook editions.
For booksellers and reviewers, information for ordering ARCs or wholesale copies for your bookstore can be found below.
DESCRIPTION: The Cellar Below the Cellar by Ivy Grimes
A playfully dark folk horror inspired by the fairy tale "Vasilisa the Beautiful" and the mythology around Frau Perchta, set under the blazing sky of endless auroras.
When a wild solar storm wipes out all electronics and traps Jane at her grandmother’s house in the woods, she is forced to start a new life off-grid as part of a small, isolated community.
However, there is something very strange about her new neighbors, and the longer she lives under the eerie glow of the auroras, the more she feels her grandmother may be hiding unsettling secrets.
To have any hope in her new world, Jane must find the courage to step into her power and claim her identity, but that would mean facing whatever hides in the cellar below the cellar—a place that seems to be waiting for her.
Full of delightfully weird surprises and off-kilter characters, this adult coming-of-age story explores themes of female empowerment, spirituality, identity, and community. For fans of Kelly Link, Karen Russell, Ottessa Moshfegh, and Leonora Carrington.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ivy Grimes is originally from Birmingham, Alabama and currently lives in Virginia. She has an MFA from the University of Alabama. Her stories have appeared in The Baffler, Vastarien, hex, Maudlin House, ergot., Potomac Review, and elsewhere. She is the author of the collection Glass Stories (Grimscribe Press) and The Ghosts of Blaubart Mansion (Cemetery Gates). To learn more, please visit www.ivyivyivyivy.com.
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ISBN: 9781955765411
MSRP paperback: $18.95
MSRP ebook: $9.99
Page Count: 180
Trim: 8.5 x 5.5
Rights: U.S. & Canada
Distributor: Independent Publishers Group
