Boston, MA —April 1, 2025 — Ruadán Books is delighted to announce that it has signed a good deal with author J. R. Blanes for his forthcoming 2025 debut horror novel Portraits of Decay. 2025. and 2026. Blaines, a writer and musician, is excited about the opportunity a deal with Ruadán, saying “the team, especially editor Anna Koon has been wonderful to work with and I can’t wait until we unleash Portraits of Decay on readers of speculative fiction!”
“Featuring a debut speculative fiction novel like Portraits of Decay is why we do what we do,” says founder and CEO R. B. Wood.
The novel will appeal to fans of the unsettling suspense of Paul Tremblay’s Head Full of Ghosts, the body horror of Nick Cutter’s The Troop, and the ghastly humor of Grady Hendrix’s My Best Friend’s Exorcism.
“Featuring a debut speculative fiction novel like Portraits of Decay is why we do what we do,” says founder and CEO R. B. Wood. “J. R. has a talent for telling dark stories and his first full-length horror story doesn’t disappoint! And it’s set in New Orleans, a place with its own unique magic and personality, and J. R. captures the spirit of the city perfectly.”
Portraits of Decay tells the story of up-and-coming young artist Jefferson Fontenot.The hot New Orleans art scene has its eyes on him, and he’s found true love in the form of his muse, photographer Nevaeh Parker. The only problem: he doesn’t know how to break things off with his manipulative girlfriend, art scene influencer Gemma Landry. Gemma believes Jefferson’s talent holds the key to her seizing control of the popular Carondelet Street Gallery. But when Gemma discovers Jefferson’s infidelity, she decides to do the unthinkable to stop him from leaving: she poisons him with a unique, zombifying potion sold to her by swamp-dwelling witch Mirlande St. Pierre…
Portraits of Decay is scheduled to be released this Autumn from Ruadán Books. Pre-orders will be available this spring via ruadanbooks.com.
About Ruadán Books
Ruadán (pronounced ROO-ah-dawn) Books derives its name from the Irish god of Mystery and Espionage. Ruadán Books’ mission is to welcome new authors and inspire and tell unique stories from authors worldwide.
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About J. R. Blanes
J.R. Blanes lives in Chicago with his wife and neurotic dog. His short fiction has been published in several magazines and podcasts such as Tales to Terrify, The No Sleep Podcast, Thirteen, and Creepy, among others. In between bouts of writing and dog wrestling, he plays bass guitar and records music. Coffee is his nightmare fuel of choice.
