Our new spooky obsession

We've been super busy since open day. Making sure our shelves are nicely stocked, brainstorming new ideas; it's been an exciting ride so far.

One of the big things we're trying to do here is showcase indie authors. The indie vs trad publishing dance will go on, but we can do our bit to make things a little easier along the way.

A new favourite of ours is Cailynn Brawffe, an author diving right into eerie tale-weaving to really wake up your fight or flight. We've partnered up with Cailynn to support her on her indie author journey. An upcoming interview, social media spotlight, newsletter swapping and more! Find all of Cailynn's links here.

Cailynn draws inspiration from the likes of Gillian Flynn, Agatha Christie and Joyce Carol Oates. She has a number of stories on Wattpad and we've had the pleasure of reading Popcorn so far. We'd like to talk about it. Read Popcorn yourself!

Upon entering the office, the Employee is greeted by a greasy, buttery bag of popcorn on their desk, oozing team spirit and potential. The note attached reads "We Appreciate You" with a sinister smiley face, judging them without subtlety or shame.

Their colleagues eat it up. Of course they do. There's a collective shift in the atmosphere. Buzzwords become their own language and productivity increases. It's almost as if this was calculated. Planned. Orchestrated with care and attention-to-detail.

The Employee lets their bag of popcorn leak across their desk. It turns stale, mirroring their work environment. They're the only one who's not eaten it...

They notice. They make it clear they notice. The same message leers at the Employee. A gentle reminder or a threat?

They now know what they must do. Suddenly, their life has meaning.

Popcorn is a fun, unsettling short story guaranteed to stay with you long after you've finished reading it. We spoke to Cailynn about this; it's an incredible skill to be able to invoke an emotional response with far fewer words. I read it in one sitting, absolutely hooked!

Cailynn has a lovely way of making you laugh while also wondering if your heart's going to fall out your butt. This was such a relatable story with a dark "good for them" moment I absolutely loved. I'm here for it. Let's face it, we've all had thoughts at some point about how we'd dismantle a toxic workplace if we could get away with it. Cailynn is our validating friend, bringing our most intrusive thoughts to life.

What a wild ride!