Pretty Little Dead Girls: A Novel of Murder and Whimsy by Mercedes M. Yardley

“Run, Star Girl.” 

Bryony Adams is destined to be murdered, but fortunately Fate has terrible marksmanship. In order to survive, she must run as far and as fast as she can. After arriving in Seattle, Bryony befriends a tortured musician, a market fish-thrower, and a starry-eyed hero who is secretly a serial killer bent on fulfilling Bryony’s dark destiny. 

Mercedes M. Yardley’s Pretty Little Dead Girls: A Novel of Murder and Whimsy is a dark, lovely fairy tale with lyrical language and a high body count, and features a cover by Hugo award-winner Galen Dara. Pretty Little Dead Girls carries on the proud tradition of Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, and Aimee Bender

Includes “Oliver Bloom” by Ryan Johnson, a short story featuring characters from Pretty Little Dead Girls.

Proudly brought to you by Crystal Lake Publishing – Tales from the Darkest Depths

Interview with the Author:

How did you come up with such a unique character?

Mercedes: There’s a story to this. I was in line at a bank several years ago and a stranger grabbed my hand. He had tears in his eyes and said, “You’re the type of girl who gets murdered.”

Well. Well. I didn’t quite know what to say to that. I’m not certain there really is anything to say. I answered, “Yes, I know,” and to this day I’m not sure why.

That was the beginnings of Bryony Adams, a girl who is marked for murder. I wondered how a woman meant to die would choose to live. Would she regret it? Fear it? Would she take her own life because the waiting would drive her crazy? I very much wanted to explore her, and discovered a beautiful, caring girl. She’s quite a delight.

Are there more books in the Pretty Little Dead Girls universe?

Mercedes: Actually, there are! I love this world and the hungry, prowling desert so much that I have several stories that take place here. “Cactus Flowers and Bone Flutes” is a short story that takes place prior to Pretty Little Dead Girls. I have a short story called “The Container of Sorrows” that is an Easter Egg having to do with the serial killer. A spin-off of that, concerning the girl who never looks at him, is called “Black Eyes Broken.” One of the characters from Bryony’s high school makes a brief cameo in the second book in the Bone Angel Trilogy. And we meet Detective Ryan Bridger as a younger man in a book I have coming out titled Stormlight. These are fun things I do for me. I find a character and want them to live on. They have lives that continue outside of the original story and I want to explore that.

Why should readers give Pretty Little Dead Girls a shot?

Mercedes: Pretty Little Dead Girls is exceptionally unique. It’s a thriller/romance/horror/magical realism/lyrical story that breaks most literary rules. I usually explain it was a fairytale with a high body count. The prose is exceptionally lush, there’s a serial killer most people seem to be charmed by, and even though it’s about murder and loss, there’s something very innocent about it. It’s a book that makes you want to be a better friend. I recommend it when you want to read something that will make you feel better about society. When people seem cruel, read this book and realize the characters are based on people who stand up for what is right, and link their arms against a cruel fate in order to protect someone they love.

Pretty Little Dead Girls eBook Categories:

• Magic Realism
• Urban Fantasy
• Coming of Age Horror
• Young Adult
• Dark Fantasy
• Romance Thriller