ONE HAND TO HOLD, ONE HAND TO CARVE - a novella by M.Shaw (eBook only)

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Winner of the Wonderland Book Award - Best Novel, 2022!

Two halves of a human cadaver awaken on a cold morgue slab. The two distinct personalities, Left and Right, remember nothing of their previous life as a singular body. Bound by necessity to carve out an existence on the fringes of society, the two brothers have very different ideas of the life they want. Their impending schism will lead each on his own frightening path; one forward to a new life, one backward to the origin of their struggle.

One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve is a Weird and surreal Body Horror journey that redefines familial bonds and what it means to be an individual.

Featuring interior illustrations and cover art by Echo Echo.

Praise for One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve:

"A haunting story that explores the blurred lines between the autonomous self and the intimate bonds of relationships. Distinctively revealed by a truly exceptional new voice, M.Shaw’s One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve will have you questioning your own existence in new and provocative ways."

- Ann VanderMeer, award-winning editor and anthologist

"On the one hand, M. Shaw's One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve is a feverish, jaw-dropping nightmare. On the other hand, it's a touching meditation on identity and attachment. Both hands hold each other perfectly."

- Nadia Bulkin, author of She Said Destroy

"A stunning debut, its blood-slick prose scrawling out a gripping, beautiful tale of weird fiction. his tight study of relationships first grabs you with the desperate horrors of the body, but soon slides into the grimmer horrors of each other."

- Hailey Piper, author of Queen of Teeth

“A bold, grotesque, and often oddly touching tale that pushes the edge of the Body Horror envelope. It's horror with a heart. Or hearts."

- Andy Davidson, author of The Boatman's Daughter

About the Author:

M. Shaw is a graduate of the Clarion Writers' Workshop (class of 2019) and an organizer of the Denver Mercury Poetry Slam. They live in Arvada, Colorado. Whatever you're reading, they probably wrote it in an empty art museum after midnight.