Amanda Hocking

If you’re looking for some longer series to keep you busy through the long nights of winter, may I recommend a few of my series?

❄️ Hollows is an ongoing zombie horror series that also has several short stories, a novella, and a prequel graphic novel
❄️ My Blood Approves is a vampire romance urban fantasy set in Minnesota, and the complete saga is available in an ebook bundle for only $8.99
❄️ The Complete Trylle Saga is my bestselling romantasy spanning nine books

On 12.13.14 I married the man who is beloved by almost every animal he meets, and so far, this has proven to be a very good decision. Happy 11th anniversary to us!! 🩷

Did you know I wrote a holiday story? It’s a sweet little epilogue to the My Blood Approves Saga with a touch of mystery, romance, and horror. It’s out now in ebook on its own, and it’s included in the paperback “Letters, Love, and Blood”

From the day that I met you, I knew that I would outlive you
And it seemed an easy price to pay
I was so wrong about the ease it would be
Though I would gladly pay it a hundred times more
And I would do it all again, even knowing there is only way for this story to end

Sawyer was surrendered to the Mower County Humane Society the day that I met him. He was slightly underweight and completely covered in ticks. I went with my aunt, who was looking at another dog, but the moment I met Sawyer, I knew he was meant to be with us.

When he moved in, he was confused by couches and stairs, and reacted like he had never seen a TV before. He would panic during storms, but from day one, all he wanted was to love his family and take care of them.

I honestly don’t have enough space to tell all the ways that he was wonderful and amazing, but I can say that over the next ten years, we had a really good life. His fear of storms went away when he realized I wouldn’t force him out in them. He loved blankets and pillows, and he’d make a big pile to sleep on. He barked maybe 20 times over the entire time we had him, and it was only ever a single loud “woof” like he was a human impersonating a dog.

The word empath is used too much I think, but Sawyer was absolutely an empath. Whenever I cried, he would immediately come over and cuddle me. I have had many animals over my life, but I can safely say I have never had a dog that loved the way Sawyer did. So completely, so generously, so utterly selfless. I honestly don’t think I realized how selfless an animal could be before Sawyer.

Six weeks ago, we found a mass, and it was already quite large. It was growing so fast, and in such a place, that at his age, surgery didn’t seem like the kind option for him. We did our best to keep him comfortable over the past weeks, and for the most part, I think we succeeded and we were able to spend those extra days soaking up all his love while we could.

Yesterday morning, he was declined quickly, and we were with him as he was peacefully euthanized. I love him and I miss him, and in the end, the kindest thing I could for him was say goodbye.

Since Hollow Valley is the fifth book in my bestselling zombie series, I thought I would share five facts about it.

•It’s the longest book in the series
•I consider it to be the middle book of a second trilogy - Hollowland, Hollowmen, and Hollow Stars in the first, and Hollow Child, Hollow Valley, and Hollow Night in the second
•The dedication is to Ada Blackjack and her cat Vic, who I read a number of books about before writing this one
•This is the first book series to feature to people, with Stella in the foreground, and Remy walking into the trees
I had a panic attack writing one of the chapters of this book
*And one bonus fact: I have a Spotify playlist for the series, and my favorite tracks for this book are “Walking In My Shoes” by Finger Eleven and “Everybody Scream” by Florence + the Machine

My latest book is out now!!!!

Thank you to everyone who has preordered HOLLOW VALLEY! I’m so excited for you see how the story continues!

The fifth book in the Hollows - HOLLOW VALLEY - is available for preorder now! I also have a bunch of sales going on for the first four books in the series, so now is the perfect time to catch up on the bestselling zombie horror series!

My writing companions dropped a new album yesterday.

Here’s my recs for my books for Halloween reading:
🧟‍♀️The Hollows - Zombie horror with lots of gore and elements of romance and sci-fi. Book 5 coming Halloween
🧜🏼‍♀️Watersong Saga - Sirens with romance and horror. Think “Jennifer’s Body” meets “The Lost Boys.”
🧛🏻‍♀️My Blood Approves - Vampire romance and horror in an urban fantasy. Think gory teen romance.
🥀Bestow the Darkness - Gothic horror with elements of romance and folk horror set in a 19th century abbey. Think gory, claustrophobic, and steamy.

I’m 41 and F’ing Fabulous! Today is my birthday, and the day I like to take stock of my life and the past year. And honestly? I’m pretty happy.

Physically, I am doing so much better than I was last year at this time when I was completely overwhelmed by stomach issues and agoraphobia. I can do so much more and I’m able to do everything I need to on a day to day basis, which doesn’t sound like that much but it really is life changing.

I have a little garden (lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans) and I even started to crochet! The shirt I’m wearing in the pics is actually a crop top I crocheted from a pattern called “Chickadee Crop Top” from Lion Brand Yarn. It ended up shorter than I meant for it too, but considering it was my first time making a shirt for myself, I’m still really happy with it and it looks cute as a shrug over a dress.

Work wise, I’ve been really happy with I’ve been writing. I do think that going forward, I am going to pivot more to horror, writing more things like the Hollows (also I have so many ideas for continuing the Hollows!). I’m going to finish the Muses of Wespen, but I think I’m taking a break from romance for a while.

Outside of myself, I feel like the world is falling down. I try to focus on the things I can control and making positive actions in the areas that I can.

So for my birthday, I’d love for you to do something to make yourself happy and be kind to yourself and those you encounter. Also, read a book if you get a chance 🙂

I feel weird promoting given all the things going on right now, but I’ve had this sale planned for awhile. With the long weekend ahead, I thought it would be nice to give folks something to escape into. The complete My Blood Approves Saga bundle is 50% off and the Hollows First Two Years Collection is nearly 50% off. Also: all through the weekend, the entire Hollows Redux editions of all four books are FREE on kindle. Now is the perfect time to catch up on all the horror before book five - HOLLOW VALLEY - comes out Halloween 2025.