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GHOST MOTHER BOOK TOUR

September 2024 Events 

Some October 2024 Events

Southport Literary Fair
Southwest Library, 7979 38th Avenue, Kenosha,
October 5th, 11 AM--5 PM 
Free and open to the public
Panel, "Words that Haunt," 1 PM


Sadie Hartmann, aka Mother Horror, in conversation with 
Clay McLeod Chapman, Kelly Dwyer, and Richard Thomas
Live discussion over Zoom
Monday, October 7th, 
5 PM Pacific, 7 PM Central, 8 PM Eastern time
Free! Just join the Zoom link! 



October in-person book events in 
Southern California 

"Prepping for Publication" live event
Free, but you do need to register!  

Podcasts and YouTube Interviews

  • Shelley Mordini, "Tales of the Tour." On Spotify
  • Kelly Dwyer talks GHOST MOTHER With Jessica Kusito, link here
  • Kelly Dwyer talks "How to Get Published" with Jessica Kusisto, link here
  • "Women of Horror Spotlight: Author Interview with Kelly Dwyer," on Horror Realm with Travis Bruce, link here

Novels

Ghost Mother, forthcoming August 6, 2024, published by Union Square & Co.


Ghost Mother is a mesmerizing psychological ghost story that blurs the thin line between reality and delusion.

Lilly Bly desperately wants to have a baby. She is struggling with infertility and bad spending habits when her husband, Jack, gets a new job that moves them from Chicago to a small town in Wisconsin. Impractical Lilly falls in love with a decrepit mansion well out of their price range—she is convinced that she will finally get pregnant and have a baby in this house—and Jack reluctantly agrees to buy the wreck. But when Lilly learns that her dream house was the site of a gruesome triple homicide/suicide in the 1950s, she begins to experience strange occurrences that soon lead her to believe the house is haunted. Are her ghostly encounters real, or is this a cascading mental breakdown? As Lilly learns more about the deaths and her visions become increasingly vivid, her relationship with Jack deteriorates, leading to a dramatic and irreversible climax.

Perfect for fans of classic, gothic horror fiction, like Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw and Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, as well as contemporary suspense and horror fiction by everyone from Stephen King to Ruth Ware.


Editorial Reviews of GHOST MOTHER

Ghost Mother was a moving, thrilling ride! I was so caught up in the mystery of the narrator's possible haunting, I couldn't stop reading until I learned the story's many secrets. I've read ALL the best haunted house novels, but none of them have shocked me more at the conclusion than this mesmerizing plot! A must-read for those who love ghost stories...  

--Mona Susan Power , author of A Council of Dolls, National Book Award finalist


Ghost Mother has so many pleasures: a gorgeous old wreck of a house, a charmingly flawed and sympathetic heroine, supernatural goings-on so real they feel historical, an incredible sex scene, no spoilers, and an enthralling story. It's the perfect summer book. 

--Kate Christensen , PEN/Faulkner award-winning author of The Great Man and Welcome Home, Stranger 


OMG I ABSOLUTELY LOVED Ghost Mother! I couldn’t put it down and sobbed through the final twenty pages. It reminded me of du Maurier’s Rebecca and, of course, Edith Wharton’s ghost stories, though the style and tone belong purely to the singular Kelly Dwyer.  

--Joanna Rakoff, bestselling author of My Salinger Year


Ghost Mother is a captivating gothic horror novel that exudes tension and disquiet, building a wonderful sense of anticipation throughout…. [Lilly’s] history is as harrowing as the mansion’s, the unsolved mysteries of which gradually unfold as the narrative progresses, producing an intricate and engrossing narrative riddled with information, clues, and enigmas that barrel toward a dramatic climax… The end is chilling and disturbing, capping off a haunting and unforgettable read that would make a fantastic book club selection. ----Her Infinite Archive


Self-Portrait with Ghosts.  (Published by Putnam Berkely, New York; Hodder & Stoughton, London)

"Dwyer is a master at depicting the ghosts haunting modern life--loss, alienation, guilt--
without being maudlin. Highly recommended."
--Library Journal

"Even jaded readers will be moved by this novel of quiet metamorphosis."
--Publishers Weekly

"Dwyer writes beautifully ... a bittersweet story that's both graceful and rewarding."
--Alan Cheuse, NPR

"Dwyer paints a brilliant family drama that should be must reading for everyone."
--Midwest Book Review

The Tracks of Angels. (Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York; Warner Books, New York; Thorndike Large Print Press, New York.)

"The Tracks of Angels walks right into the heart of sorrow and forgiveness, the mysterious territory that surrounds one's own past history."
--Alice Hoffman

"A radiant, seductive coming-of-age story that captures all the wonder and high anxiety
of young adulthood."
--Kirkus Reviews

"A fine novel ... beautifully written."
--The Washington Post Book World

"The prose is heavenly ... a remarkable debut."
--The Milwaukee Journal

"A moving inquiry into the nature of loss."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Dwyer's style is engaging. She has an eye for the quirky detail, creates real,
likeable characters... this is writing you can trust."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review

Plays include:  

Bad Princesses, Little Fish Theatre Company, Chills and Thrills Halloween Play Festival, San Pedro, California, October, 2023.

Love Squared, Writers' Block Radio, Scotland, Spring, 2024. 

Just Waiting, Rum Diaries Presents, Strong Women Leads Monologue Festival, Glasgow, Scotland, June, 2019. And:  Forward Theater of Madison's "Someone's Gotta Do It" Monologue Festival. 

"Who's in Love with the Big Bad Wolf?" Kathie Rasmussen Theater Company, Mythical Creatures Ten-Minute Play FestivalMadison, Wisconsin, January, 2019. 

Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, Nylon Fusion Theatre Company, New York, New York, Redacted Play Festival, February, 2017.

Losing It, ten-minute play, produced by Theatre@First, Fractured Fairy Tale Festival, Sommerville, MA, July 2015.  

.. and many more...

Articles and Essays include:

Women's health issues in For Women First, travel essays in iExplore and Gateway, personal essays in Huffington Post, including "Black Flag's Henry Rollins Helped Me Become the Coolest Girl in School."

Flash Fiction includes

Kelly is currently working on a collection of flash fiction as well as her fourth novel.  The following piece was featured in the online 'zine "101 Fiction: 1 Word Title, 100 Word Story."

Dress
by Kelly Dwyer
I walked into that ball feeling like a princess, with the gown that brought out the blue in my eyes and my glittering glass slippers. As soon as the prince fixed on me, I knew I had a chance to change my life for good. Three days later, when he visited each house, I stared into his eyes, sure that he would recognize me. But he didn't. I had to try on that damned shoe to prove that I was me. He had fallen for a silhouette in a pretty dress and sparkling shoes. He didn't even know my name.




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