Dark urban fantasy/folk horror featuring a disaster coven held together by vices, trauma, and spite. LGBTQ+ and BIPOC themes, lore, and endless sass. The second novel + soundtrack of the Southwest Gothic series, from the creator of Star Cross'd Destiny.
Five thousand years of beauty sleep, and the Scion of War wakes up choosing violence. Typical.
Pledge Reservations Are Available!
Shiny art with embedded shiny sparkles!?
Want some super exclusive art? For just $3, you can reserve your pledge between now and September 10th. Doing so will get you a special mini poster of a witch power scene with amazing cold foil inlay!
Southwest Gothic Book 2 : Seven Plagues of Sa'stoh
Limited Edition. Numbered. Signed.
The much-anticipated follow-up to Southwest Gothic's Harvesting Angel of the Plains will take off on its broomstick in Spring of 2027, along with another installment of the series' original soundtrack.
Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Book 2 will feature a spot varnish dust jacket, sprayed edges, special interior, and bonuses.
Volume Plateau of the Southwest Gothic soundtrack includes some of Bladen's most ambitious compositions, combining a fully scored symphony with haunting choir, electric guitars, and drums.
Southwest Gothic Book 2 : Seven Plagues of Sa'stoh
Fading magic, missing loved ones, and now a demigod throwing a temper tantrum. Round 2 is off to a great start.
Five thousand years ago, he was buried. Now, the Scion of War is awake—and he’s thirsty for blood.
Six months after avoiding the Harvest’s world-altering Reaping, witches Remy and Vincent are still hunting for missing legends and loved ones. What they find instead across the haunting deserts of New Mexico is a nightmare: Lucio Sa’stoh, an ancient entity with god-like power, has broken free from his tomb with a singular, bloodthirsty purpose: to slaughter his own siblings.
To stop the tyrant from tearing the world apart, Remy and Vincent must form an uneasy alliance with the enigmatic but powerful Sam and Lilith. In a realm drenched in desert sun, folklore and fading magic, stopping the wrath of a god might cost them everything they have left.
Fear the Desert Sun.
Latest from the Creator
Bladen Mercutio
1 day ago
Manuscript Has Left the Nest
Off to Editing
The manuscript went off to its new editor last week and I'm not gonna lie: I was pretty emotional. Book 2 has had one hell of a journey. I wrote it across multiple states, in campgrounds, on trains and planes, and in a few living situations. It's where the heart of the series was truly born.
Book 1 was intended to stand alone but when I finished it, new characters snuck their way into my brain. One of them (Sam), has ended up becoming one of my absolute favorites. His tragedy, addiction to productivity, and sweet but mysterious manner is sure to win your heart. His, Lilith's, and Lucio's talismans will be available as backer rewards with this campaign and I'm so excited about them!
This One Counts
Books 3-5 have already been written. Book 6 is in progress as we speak. This campaign is the pinch point for the series, so every pledge, share, interaction counts. If you read Book 1, please consider leaving a review on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, etc. If you follow me on social media, comment or reshare posts--the algorithm notices. I'm a very small creator with an incredible amount of distance from the success of Star Cross'd Destiny, so I am very much dependent on these small acts to get in front of new people. You're the heroes of Southwest Gothic. Thank you so much for helping it get this far.
so shiny. so sexy.
Pledge Reservations are Open for Only 11 More Days! This is your only chance to get a mini-poster with sparkly foil inlay--the shiniest art I've ever offered. You'll get your choice of character doing an epic power move but only if you opt in before the campaign launches on September 10th.
Incentives and Pledge Reservation Bonuses Announced
I had a pseudo psycho-billy freakout this morning when I woke up when I realized that the campaign for Book 2 launches in 15 days--a little over two weeks!
Pledge Reservations Are Available!
Shiny art with embedded shiny sparkles!?
Want some super exclusive art? For just $3, you can reserve your pledge between now and September 10th. Doing so will get you a special mini poster of a witch power scene with amazing cold foil inlay!
I've searched for a year for a printer who could pull these off and I'm beyond excited to get to work with them for this. These are ONLY available through the BackerKit Pledge Reservation.
Follower, Early Bird, and Returning Backer Incentives
For the amazing folks who followed the project pre-launch, I've got a stained glass bookmark lined up for you that I am SO excited about and a delicious page overlay of our villain, Lucio Sa'stoh.
Pledge within the first 48 hours and you'll receive an exclusive sticker and Villain Tarot-Style Trading Card.
Returning backer from Book 1? You get the Desert Lore Dossier, a field guide with maps, coven compendium, and even pages from each of the witches' grimoires, plus a Villain Tarot-Style Trading Card.
