R.M. Carpus's Blog

coming soon: thorn valley

This announcement is LONG overdue, but better late than never. The 2nd volume of Through the Woods is coming to your favorite ebook retailer on September 9, 2025! Pre-order is now LIVE!

This installment is dripping with '90s nostalgia horror and will release just in time for spooky season! All the stories take place in the same creepy small town, and like our other collections, they can be read in one sitting - the perfect read for a flight, a weekend getaway, or a cozy night at home as fall moves in. We hope you love it as much as we loved bringing it to life.

Welcome to Thorn Valley, where the dead make the rules and the living follow them.

Everyone knows what goes on at the Thorn Valley Cemetery. The locals never stray from the three sacred rules.

Don't speak when you enter through the gate.

Never visit at night.

Never visit alone.

Seems simple enough, but in this town, nothing is simple, and no place is safe. Don't let the white picket fences and cozy shops on Main Street fool you. Here, the dead don't sleep, and they're always in charge.

Escape to the small, eerie town of Thorn Valley in this fresh collection of spine-tingling tales from the much anticipated next installment of THROUGH THE WOODS.

A Few Words About Impossible Things Publishing . . .

If you've followed the Through the Woods and Under the Sea series since their launch in 2021, you'll notice that Thorn Valley is being brought to you by Wraith House.

Last year brought about a number of structural changes for the ladies of Impossible Things Publishing. At the onset of 2025, we re-emerged with revised goals and a brand new vision. I'm thrilled to announce that author D.M. Million and I are now WRAITH HOUSE, a new publishing partnership that will continue to bring you spooky supernatural suspense, horror, fantasy, and folklore! The new website is currently under construction, so we'll let you know when it launches, but in the meantime, we'd love for you to come find us over on Instagram @wraithhouseoffical and on Facebook.  

And so it begins.

The CIty Wife is now LIVE.  

Hey everyone,

If you’re reading this, thank you.

I’m thrilled to announce that The City Wife, the first book in The Isle of Burtonshire series, is officially LIVE, available in both paperback and ebook. This is a family saga with sci-fi elements. If you’re a fan of slow-burn suspense and domestic drama, this one might be for you. There are all kinds of undercurrents here: definitely some War of the Worlds, Alien, and Hunger Games influences, but ultimately, for me, it’s a women’s saga about family bonds that explores the idea of “home” and how we define our identity. What defines us? Our age, beauty, talents, or skills? Is home a physical place? A space in our heart? A construct of the mind? It’s also about trauma bonding and what that sometimes looks and feels like. It’s about my own mom, who died tragically and much too young. I’ll be sharing a lot more about Joanna and Florence’s story in the coming weeks to give you some more context and elaborate on what inspired the story, but read and interpret it for yourself.

I wanted to give a special shout out today to my editors, who endured last-minute requests and all kinds of unexpected hitches on the way to publication day. One of them even experienced a house fire (deadly serious: she lost her home to a fire and was hospitalized during the course of this project). I’m eternally grateful for these women and their grace, patience, and willingness to step in and share their skills to make the book the best it could be.

In addition to the series launch, I’m also celebrating the launch of this website, which far exceeds my wildest hopes and dreams! Caroline Schroback, you saved the day (and my sanity, because I barely have the patience to operate a flip phone, much less figure out how to code or design webpages). ;) So if you’re a first-time visitor, please take a look around and check out Caroline’s beautiful work, and also take a peek at the various ways we can connect.

  Drop A Line View Events About R.M.

UNDER the SEA Now Live Plus Review Team News

Well, I know most people grumble about Monday, but it’s my favorite day of the week. Especially when I’m celebrating a new release! I’m so excited to announce that my latest title with Impossible Things Publishing is now LIVE on all major ebook retailers. This is the 1st volume of our 2nd annual short story collection – a new volume of Under the Sea is tentatively scheduled for release each summer. The 1st volume of our other short story collection, Through the Woods (a tentatively-scheduled annual winter release), is still FREE on all ebook retailers, so if you haven’t snatched up a copy of that one, you can download it HERE. It’s a great starter-read if you haven’t read our work yet. I say “tentative” with these short story collections because all three of the ITP ladies are hard at work on other projects, so release dates may be subject to change, and we’ve yet to confirm the actual run-time for the collections (i.e. how many volumes will be published, and for how long.)

In other news, you can now sign up for Impossible Things Publishing’s Review Team! If you’d like to read ITP’s new releases before they go live, sign up HERE, and we will drop ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) in your in-box as they become available. Leaving a review is NOT required, but if you enjoy what you read, please consider leaving an honest review on Amazon or any other major book retailer site you wish on release day. We appreciate your time and thank you for your interest in reading our work.

Without further ado, Under the Sea BUY LINKS are below. Happy reading!

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Kobo
B&N
Apple
Smashwords

Entrancing Urban Legends. Mystery. Madness.
Strange things happen when the temps begin to rise . . .

People act differently. They tell peculiar stories, report bizarre sightings, and make puzzling claims. They say magic stirs beneath the surface, and nothing casts stronger spells than the summer heat. Accounts of seafaring ghouls, ancient merfolk, and lake dwelling creatures run rampant. It’s tempting to take a dip and find out if the stories are true. How will we know for sure unless we dive in?

Take the plunge! Hurry and catch your breath—these urban legends will latch on and pull you under.

Grab Your FREE Short Story Collection from Impossible Things Publishing!

Magic? Suspense? Drama? CHECK. The Ladies of ITP have put together a collection of FREE short stories for you! Check out some teasers below and instantly grab your free copy here.

[image error]

Excerpts from BEHIND GILDED WALLS …

All the Pretty Birds by C. C. Givans (Horror/Suspense):

The beast pauses at the landing; my heart is hammering away at lightning speed. He reaches above his head and pulls a string. A sick, yellow glow illuminates the dark, confined space. I take in the concrete floors beneath my feet, look up at the rotting joists above my head, and then attempt to absorb the madness around me. Cells, just like mine, line every slate gray wall of the underground room.  – All the Pretty Birds, by C. C. Givans

Magic Hackers by D. M. Million (Fantasy/Magic):

Chester was twenty-two when he discovered the secret to wizards’ magic. The wizards had been exposed when he was just a child, and he was fascinated by their abilities. He had watched them on a TV news documentary, flicking their fingers, making something appear out of thin air. There was even a reporter who was covering The War of 2130 in the Middle East, who captured a wizard killing an enemy instantly, from ten yards away, using only his mind. Chester became obsessed with figuring out how that was possible. Then, in his last year at Caltech, he had a breakthrough.  

The Soul’s Sonata by R. M. Carpus (Drama/Suspense):

I piled everything into the backpack, then rose and stood near the window to watch him in the tiny backyard. Tie loosened and sleeves rolled up, he sloppily plucked the rose bushes from the earth, dug his hands into the soil like an aimless buffoon, cursing under his breath. I pushed back the tears as I watched him jerk the blooms from their home, violating their only haven, where they grew and prayed to their pure gods. The stench of urine distracted me and suddenly drew attention to my pants. Hollow and leaving no room for barren thoughts, I shuffled toward the bedroom to change clothes. 

Through the Woods Now Available

Through the Woods: Whimsical Worlds, Chilling Thrills, and Magical Tales, the first installment of a new anthology collection from Impossible Things Publishing, is now available! Grab your copy here:

Amazon / B & N / Apple / Kobo / Smashwords

[image error]

Authors D. M. Million, C.C. Givans, and R. M. Carpus invite you THROUGH THE WOODS, where imagination intersects with the shadowy corridors of the human psyche to bring you a collection of spellbinding tales, whimsical adventures, and spine-chilling thrills. Dragons, genies, unicorns, and the deranged fill the pages for lovers of fantasy, magic, and horror in this first installment of a new biannual anthology series.

Stories from D. M. Million – Tales of the occult, magic, and charm that will dazzle your imagination and keep you turning the pages. Witches, vampires, and unicorns are just a few of the creatures you’ll encounter …through the woods.

Stories from R.M. CARPUS – Myths, mystery, suspense, and a little 1990s nostalgia come together in this blend of otherworldly tales to bring fantasy fans something old and something new.

Stories from C. C. Givans – Step inside the mind of a monster, spend time with fairies in the cove, and encounter a ghost with a vendetta in this colorful array of narratives.