Breathe in, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley
On Sale September 2, 2025 | Trade Paperback | 9781464238208
The preorder campaign includes a signed bookplate from Brian, a die-cut title sticker, and a 16x24 poster of the book cover.
The slasher genre is having a moment. In a world that feels increasingly chaotic, readers are craving stories that deliver fear they can control—stories where the rules are clear, the villain is tangible, and the final girl gets to fight back. In Brian’s latest slasher, the beloved classic horror genre meets the self-help industry that Gen Z has clocked for its hypocrisy in preaching empowerment while profiting off insecurity.
Hannah has been running from her demons ever since she emerged from a harrowing wilderness trip without her fiancé. No one knows exactly what happened the day Ben died, and Hannah would like to keep it that way... even if his ghost still haunts her with vivid waking nightmares that are ruining her life. So when her friend group gets an exclusive invitation to a restorative spiritual retreat in Joshua Tree, Hannah reluctantly agrees in search of a fresh start.
Despite her skepticism of the strange Guru Pax and his belief in the supernatural world, Hannah soon finds healing through all the yoga, sound baths, and hot springs offered at the tech-free haven. But this peaceful journey of self-discovery quickly descends into a violent fight for self-preservation when a mysterious killer starts picking off retreat attendees in increasingly gruesome ways. As the body count rises and Hannah's sanity frays, she'll have to confront her dark past and uncover the true nature of a ruthless monster hellbent on killing her vibe for good.
PRAISE FOR BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT
“Brian McAuley keeps you guessing the whole gory, satisfying way through this one. Come to this retreat for the blood. Stay for the healing.” —Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of
I Was a Teenage Slasher
"I found my bliss in BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT's bloodshed and you can, too. Brian McAuley will forever be my slasher sage,
my guru of all things gruesome, my purveyor of tantric panic, my phobic yogi. He brings such a joie de vivre to his holistic homicides, you can practically feel the back spatter splatter off the page." —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes
“I absolutely inhaled this holistic horror hack-em-up. Brian McAuley knows how to twist the knife and have us scream for more.
This is sharp, witty, compulsive slasher storytelling at its finest.
Check in and bliss out.” —Josh Winning, author of Heads Will Roll
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BRIAN MCAULEY’S debut novel Curse of the Reaper was named one of the Best Horror Books of 2022 by Esquire and is currently in development for a film adaptation. His 2023 holiday slasher novella Candy Cain Kills earned praise from Booklist, Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews, leading to the 2024 sequel, Candy Cain Kills Again: The Second Slaying. His next novel Breathe In, Bleed Out will publish on September 2nd, 2025 from Poisoned Pen Press. Brian is also a WGA screenwriter who has written everything from family sitcoms (Fuller House) to psychological thriller films (Dismissed). He teaches as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Screenwriting at ASU’s Sidney Poitier New American Film School. Connect with him on social media @BrianMcWriter