Announcing the Release of The Hobgoblin of Little Minds – A Stunning New Novel of Psychological Horror

Wicked Run Press is pleased to announce the release of The Hobgoblin of Little Minds, a stunning new novel written by Mark Matthews. The novel takes place in an abandoned asylum, a true setting near metro Detroit, and explores lycanthropy through the lens of mental illness.

You’ll not find any work of horror that “holds such strong roots in the real dilemmas of psychology and mental illness,” writes the Midwest Book Review. Matthews has tapped into his 20 years of personal experience working in mental health treatment, as well as extensive research, to create this dark but stunning portrayal of the implications of mental illness. The title is based on a famous Ralph Waldo Emerson quote, “foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” and the challenges faced in finding humane, effective psychological treatment that is not simply repetition of past failures.

Vincent Chong, an award-winning artist who has completed covers for the likes of Stephen King, has done the cover art. Thunderstorm Books published a limited-edition hardcover.

The novel follows a young woman who trespasses into the abandoned Northville Psychiatric Hospital, the last place her dad was treated, and finds some tragic truths about his experience. A roque psychiatrist, driven by her own wounds, had made it her mission to fix bipolar, not by eliminating its symptoms, but by harnessing its mania. The result is a deeply empathic tale for both those battling mental illness, as well as their loved ones.

“The best way to tell a dark truth is through a dark story,” explains Matthews, “and the true setting of this story only serves to make it more poignant and pertinent.”

Northville Psychiatric was a huge compound built in the 1950’s and closed in 2003. It remained vacant for 15 years and became legendary for urban explorers and trespassers. Much of the novel occurs in the famed underground tunnels, and the climax of the novel occurs during the building’s demolition in 2018.

Initial reception of the novel has been amazing. The Midwest Book Review calls it, “Powerful, compelling, hard to put down and impossible to forget.” Kirkus reviews calls it, “A fresh and eccentric monster tale” with “a contagious verve and psychological complexity.” Bram Stoker Award winning writer Kealan Patrick Burke states this “proves what many of us have known for quite some time—Mark Matthews is the reigning king of modern psychological horror.” Dr. Troy Rondinone, who chronicled the history of asylums in his work Nightmare Factories called it, “A shocking new asylum mythos.”

Matthews is a graduate of the University of Michigan, and has a Masters in Counseling. Much of his work has raised awareness of the horrors of addiction. Matthews edited, published, and contributed to the anthologies Lullabies for Suffering and Garden of Fiends, which included works by writers such as Caroline Kepnes, Gabino Iglesias, and the late Jack Ketchum. His articles on Addiction Horror have appeared in The Fix, Tor.com, and he wrote the lead article for The Horror Writers Association mental health awareness month

The Hobgoblin of Little Minds  has added to his unique and growing collection of fiction that portrays true challenges of the human spirit though works of horror.

For more information and media inquiries, contact WickedRunPress@gmail.com

The Hobgoblin of Little Minds is available on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound

About Wicked Run Press

Wicked Run Press
Because the wicked run when no one chases

Publisher of dark fiction including Garden of Fiends, Milk-Blood, On the Lips of Children, and All Smoke Rises