Sean Thomas McDonnell is a contest-winning Bay Area horror, noir, and speculative fiction writer who specializes in blending visceral imagery with moments of quiet dread. His stories delve into themes of powerlessness vs. agency, moral ambiguity, and human fragility. In 2024, he released Beneath the Valley Oak through Spareorgan, a collection of short fiction that sold out in just under 48 hours.
McDonnell’s debut novel, Cherry Kills, is available world-wide through Tiny Worlds Publishing.
“This book is a potent mix of fantasy, noir mystery, cosmic horror, and a dose of mythos. As the reader you will find yourself questioning what is real, and what is just in her head. Normal, sane, crazy, it's all the same in the world of Cherry Kills.”
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Introducing: Beneath the Valley Oak
I was twelve when I learned my dad rode a horse better than John Wayne. It was a beautiful summer’s day out on the Colorado trails, and I’d dressed accordingly, without giving more than a passing thought to the elements: Chucks, pegged jeans, a short-sleeved T-shirt with Julie Newmar as Catwoman on it—you know, trail wear.
