Kathryn Healy
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khealy.bsky.social
Kathryn Healy
@khealy.bsky.social
1.2K followers 550 following 310 posts
horror author, narrative designer, weird doll collector, goth club haunter (she/her) kathrynhealy.com
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khealy.bsky.social
I had a three year relationship end last month so I’ve been playing a lot of Palia lately to feel better. And by playing I mean following Jel around. We shall have a summer wedding.
A screenshot from Palia, where the player character is standing so close to Jel that their models have clipped into one another.
December 19, 2024 at 2:51 AM
khealy.bsky.social
Hiiii I have a ton of new followers now so its time for another intro/disclaimer…. I’m a horror author and a game dev. Sometimes I talk about author stuff. Sometimes I talk about game dev stuff. Mostly author stuff rn bc that’s what goes faster atm but one day it’ll be dev again. This is my cat.
A fluffy tuxedo cat, blurry from moving mid photo taking. He’s standing on the couch and being petted by a skeleton hand.
November 16, 2024 at 4:40 PM
khealy.bsky.social
going to the art museum todayyyyyyyy 🤸🌈💕
A kitten tilting its head and winking, with the wink emoji below it
November 10, 2024 at 3:13 PM
khealy.bsky.social
#Saturdark looks fun! And the timing is perfect because I just picked #SeanceWIP back up today.

Koharu is not feeling very welcome in her new """governess""" position. It would help, perhaps, if her charge wasn't a 24 year old wannabe medium with a mean streak.
SATURDARK - Candle She climbed the stairs and entered her bedroom. Her bed was made, as if nothing had ever happened. The elusive maid must have come by while Koharu had been at dinner. Koharu changed, washed her face, and climbed into bed, relieved that it was both comfortable and empty of any unwanted men. She made the decision not to snuff out the candle at her bedside, though she felt very childish for indulging her sudden fear of the dark. Rolling over so that she wouldn’t have to look at the face in the locked door, Koharu nestled into the bedclothes and dropped into a deep sleep.
November 9, 2024 at 7:28 PM
khealy.bsky.social
Just bought what is perhaps the greatest t-shirt of all time
A black T-Shirt that reads “I Love Nosferatu.” In the middle of the shirt is an illustration of Nosferatu sitting in an electric chair. He is smiling, wearing a party hat, and holding a giant lollypop in one hand and an ice cream cone in the other.
November 9, 2024 at 1:48 AM
khealy.bsky.social
I’ve been playing so much Silent Hill this week I thought this doorstop was Pyramid Head
A brown wedge-shaped doorstop with a white tassel and black hook tied to it. It kinda sorta looks like Pyramid Head if you’re moving quickly and inclined to see him in random places.
November 7, 2024 at 6:48 PM
khealy.bsky.social
(shaky and covered in blood) I votedddd ahahahahaha
An “I voted” sticker stuck on a leather jacket
November 5, 2024 at 2:39 PM
khealy.bsky.social
I’ve got plans to start streaming again in the new year, and I’m already collecting weird spooky little games and art pieces to cover. My old stream with TF was fun, but this new version will be even better. The team and I have some exciting things planned :)
An old theatre intermission card from the Edwardian era. It features a woman bursting through the face of a clock and waving at the viewer. Text below the clock reads “Intermission of One Minute to Change Pictures.” The whole image is in black and white, and an ornate frame surrounds it.
November 5, 2024 at 12:51 PM
khealy.bsky.social
Oh boy, do I :) I literally do not have the space to type this list out bc of the character limit so please accept this beautiful screenshot from my notes app.

I would recommend breaking these up with other genres so that your brain doesn’t become mush like mine did. (Unless you want that ofc)
A list of Victorian Gothic novels reads: Modern Standouts - Fyneshade by Kate Griffin - The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden - Affinity by Sarah Waters - The Witchwood Knot by Olivia Atwater - The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling - anything Laura Purcell has ever written My Two Favorite Classics - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
November 3, 2024 at 3:49 PM
khealy.bsky.social
The wedding dress did end up making an appearance yesterday after all :) 👻👰‍♀️
A woman in a white wedding gown and veil. The gown has a splash of blood on the chest, and the woman is wearing ghostly makeup. She’s sitting in a chair with her hands folded, and is looking off to the side at something out of frame. (It was my friend’s cat)
November 1, 2024 at 7:28 PM
khealy.bsky.social
Look who I just ran into in the wild (and got to sign!) It’s at City Lit Books in Chicago! HURRY RUN GO GET IT it has my name very poorly scribbled in it because I was nervous but NOW ITS MORE EXCLUSIVE AND COOL
The green and gold cover of “Beyond and Within: Folk Horror” held up in front of a bookshelf. The book open to the first two pages of “The Lights Under Rachel” by Kathryn Healy (that’s me :D) My shitty scribble of a signature on the inside cover of the book. Also the shadow of my phone that I’m too lazy to crop out
October 27, 2024 at 8:21 PM
khealy.bsky.social
Here’s me at the launch party for “Spectacular, Spectacular!” proving I can read. My very first author event! Hopefully the first of many 👀
A long-haired woman in a red dress sits on a chair, smiling as she reads from a stack of paper. She has a run in her stockings that doesn’t look as intentional as she promises it was. A long-haired woman in a red dress sits on a chair, smiling as she reads from a stack of paper. She is glowing red from stage lights and also the power of a good horror story.
October 26, 2024 at 8:38 PM
khealy.bsky.social
I’m an indie narrative designer and caretaker for these things! They look deceptively peaceful in this photo.
Annie, a dilute tortie cat, and Kafka, a longhair tuxedo cat, curled up together on a green couch.
October 25, 2024 at 12:34 PM
khealy.bsky.social
NOW THAT I HAVE YOU ALL HERE……… these are my beasts :)
Antoinette, a very small and very round dilute tortie cat. She is all bunched up in preparation to jump onto the back of the couch, and then to look offended when I yell at her to stop scratching it even though I yell at her to stop every single time she does it. Kafka, a very long and very handsome mediumhair tuxedo cat. He is mid-step with his posture resembling that of some sort of show horse. There’s a small fruit sticker on the ground next to him that we both noticed at the same time, that I then had to wrestle out of his mouth right after this photo was taken.
October 21, 2024 at 11:03 PM
khealy.bsky.social
I actually just included this in my pinned post yesterday, but since you asked…

My sister snapped this pic when she was touring Oxford Castle’s prison. There was no gauzy white dress anywhere in the room. She has no photomanip skills. I don’t know what the hell this is but I’m scared 😅
A photo taken inside the prison at Oxford Castle. It shows a mostly empty room with a few stone arches and candles. On the right side of the frame you can see the white, wispy silhouette of an old-fashioned gown. It’s both terrifying and quite fetching.
October 21, 2024 at 4:35 PM
khealy.bsky.social
Writers: repost a random piece that you’re proud of.

My first ever pub’d horror short is now available for free on my website! It’s about the last inhabitant of a nuclear exclusion zone…. Still super proud of this one ☢️🖤

kathrynhealy.com/atomograd/ #horrorwriting
A hallway in an abandoned school in Pripyat. The windows are all wide open, the paint is peeling, and the floor is scattered with debris.
October 20, 2024 at 1:05 PM
khealy.bsky.social
Hi new people! I’m Kat, and I’m a horror author and narrative designer. I love historical fashion, silent films, and anything involving ghosts. Behold, this very freaky photo of a ghost my sister took in the prison at Oxford Castle. I’m going to pin this post so she can be my profile’s bouncer :)
A photo taken inside the prison at Oxford Castle. It shows a mostly empty room with a few stone arches and candles. On the right side of the frame you can see the white, wispy silhouette of an old-fashioned gown. It’s both terrifying and quite fetching.
October 20, 2024 at 12:34 AM
khealy.bsky.social
Also look how cute the case I got for it is!!! yaaaaay material objects yaaaaay
An e-reader case meant to look like a hardback copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It’s a dark green book with a faux-fabric texture reminiscent of antique binding. The classic illustration of Alice shying away from a wave of playing cards is bordered by the book’s title in loopy black script.
October 16, 2024 at 9:24 PM
khealy.bsky.social
The contract is officially signed so I can tell the world...

Guess who's going to be in Small Wonders???? MEEEEEEE

If you've ever wondered what side God would take in the Coke vs Pepsi debate, look out for my story "Southern Baptism" in @smallwondersmag.com's December issue!
A photo by Scott LePage of an old gas station in the country. The side of the building has an old-fashioned Pepsi-Cola advertisement painted onto the side. It reads "Red Lyon: Join the swing to Pepsi-Cola. Bigger, Better. 5 Cents." The building looks weathered, and the sky behind it is cloudy and grey.
October 12, 2024 at 4:45 PM
khealy.bsky.social
Just Kidding about the normal thing. I made a Pinterest board :-)
Screenshot of a Pinterest board titles “Book Launch Outfits.” There are four different images of runway models wearing eclectic gothic-inspired outfits.
October 3, 2024 at 8:22 PM
khealy.bsky.social
Alright! The contract is signed so I can OFFICIALLY say that my story, “The Lake Michigan Mermaid, and Other Freaks of Nature” will be published in The Dionysian Public Library’s upcoming anthology, “Spectacular, Spectacular!” It’s a huge collection of circus horror, dropping on Halloween. 🎡🎠🎪
The cover for “Spectacular, Spectacular: An Anthology of Circensian Horror” by The Dionysian Public Library. It’s a collage of scraps of paper forming an acrobat swinging on a trapeze. A spooky red and black vintage-style frame borders the collage.
October 2, 2024 at 8:03 PM
khealy.bsky.social
Submitted short stories to five different markets today! We are so back.
Kafka, a long-haired tuxedo cat laying upside down on a blanket. He’s looking up at the camera with a very pleased expression. His tongue is sticking out.
October 1, 2024 at 5:59 PM
khealy.bsky.social
My mom posted about the Folk Horror anthology I’m in and her church friends are astounded that I’m actually managing to make writing my career. Feeling very smug about this, as you can imagine.
A text thread between two people, OP and her mother: Mom: I posted on FB about the book so you are getting lost of impressed people OP: heheheheheh OP: they’re like “i didnt know she was being for real” Mom: Right Mom: You can be not normie and still survive successfully! OP reacted to the last message with a heart
September 25, 2024 at 11:25 PM
khealy.bsky.social
Went antiquing today and brought home a lovely art nouveau cat stand :-)
A wooden side table with three legs carved into the shape of dragonflies. The tabletop is shaped like a flower and has a marquetry dragonfly across it, but you can’t tell because it’s covered entirely by a fluffy tuxedo cat. Behind the cat is the head of another, smaller cat, peering up over the edge of the table. There’s also a couch in the background with far too many black coats tossed lazily onto it.
September 22, 2024 at 12:16 AM
khealy.bsky.social
YOU GUYS @cjbell.bsky.social’s debut is so good. It’s atmospheric and uniquely creepy and manages to stick the landing SO well. The last third of this book had me going “Oh God No” out loud every couple of pages. It feels like Over the Garden Wall if it wanted me dead.
A copy of of Crystal J. Bell’s horror novel, “The Lamplighter,” sitting on the music stand of an organ. The cover of the book features a young woman holding a lamp and surrounded by tree roots with skeletons entangled in them. Behind her are the masts of a few sailing ships, barely visible through the fog. The back cover of “The Lamplighter.” “IT'S AN HONOR TO BRING LIGHT TO THE DARK The nineteenth-century whaling village of Warbler is famous for its lucky ship figureheads-and infamous for people disappearing into the nightly fog. In this murky locale, the lamplighter is synonymous with safety and protection, and it's a position Temperance assumes when her father is found hanging from one of the lampposts. Though Tempe proves competent, the town is still hesitant to let a woman handle this responsibility.” (Alt text cont. in replies)
September 20, 2024 at 10:52 PM