Boston, MA — January 20, 2026
In an exclusive, Ruadán Books is pleased to announce that it has signed a nice deal with author Angel Luis Colón, via Jon Michael Darga of Aevitas Creative, for his original novel POP!.
About his signing, Angel says: “POP! is such a special book to me and it means a lot to collaborate with the folks at Ruadán Books, who seem to love Poppy Leathers and her world almost as much as I do.”
“Angel is a master craftsman and weaves a deliciously macabre, twisted tale that readers will love.”
R. B. Wood, Ruadán Books Founder and CEO
Meet POP!’s protagonist: Poppy Leathers works hard. Poppy Leathers is underappreciated. But worst of all, Poppy Leathers can accomplish so much more—if not for her boss, Atticus Garcia, a mediocre man promoted to an undeserved role, often leaving Poppy to work twice as hard to cover his ass alongside hers. Worse still, he’s planning on imminent retirement, rendering her job redundant. And when you’re the assistant to Brooklyn’s premiere artisanal hitman, privy to all his secrets, being redundant is a major health hazard.
POP! is an organized crime thriller for every assistant who has ever wished they could take out their incompetent boss, draped in dark humor that skewers everything from gentrification to the ethics of consumerism under capitalism. If you liked the wry comedy of Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan is Killing It and the dark tongue-in-cheek tone of Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, the Serial Killer, you’ll fall for POP!.
“I love noir, dark comedy, and horror, and POP! is a delightful mix of all three,” says Ruadán CEO R. B. Wood. “Angel is a master craftsman and weaves a deliciously macabre, twisted tale that readers will love.”
POP! Is tentatively scheduled for release in late 2026 or early 2027.
About Ruadán Books
Ruadán Books, founded in 2024 to publish unique stories from underappreciated talent, is bringing readers character-driven storytelling in dark speculative fiction, including dark fantasy, horror, thrillers, and crime fiction.
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About Angel Luis Colón
Angel Luis Colón is the author of the award-nominated novels Hell Chose Me and No Happy Endings, the Blacky Jaguar series of novellas, the award-winning young adult novel Infested, the hit middle-grade novel Minecraft: House of Horrors, and the short story collection Meat City on Fire and Other Assorted Debacles. He has spent time editing flash fiction for websites like Shotgun Honey and was the editor of the Latine-focused anthology, ¡Pa’Que Tu lo Sepas!. He’s also had multiple short stories appear in web and print publications, including Literary Orphans, The Molotov Cocktail, and the legendary crime fiction mag Thuglit.
When he’s not writing, you’ll find him baking bread or enjoying a scotch—mostly at the same time.
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