Swallerjaw by Tif Robinette
The swamp doesn't give gifts; only trades.
Like the swamp that surrounds it, the once prosperous town of Festus holds many secrets.
A pole dancer, Crystal, takes care of her granny as best she can and tries to keep a promise to her dead mother: to wait for her brother to come home. Seven years ago someone took the boy, and the case remains unsolved.
The officer assigned to that case died, leaving his widow, Athena, to do her best to raise their young son. When seven-year-old Early goes missing, she has to reopen old wounds and old case files to try to find him.
Gravedigger brothers Grant and Tick Bittergreen were always warned by their gatorwitch mother not to accepts gifts from the swamp. But the swamp has given up a skull, and it’s not long before its appetite claims a human victim, and it demands a new body.
As the novel builds to its extravagant, bloody conclusion, the twisted secrets of Festus’s past are revealed. To save themselves, the gravediggers, the stripper and the grieving mother must confront their cursed blood and the horror that the swamp has birthed.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Praise for this book
"Propelled by swamp-magic and spilled blood and the darkest of dark humor, this book’s a rare one - deft, ambitious, its people and sense of place entirely assured." -Keith Rosson
“Swallerjaw is a southern gothic grimoire, a bog novel belched directly out from the depths of hell, and Tif Robinette sure is akin to a succubus Carson McCullers, imbuing the book with enough bewitching imagery to summon the humidity straight off the page.”—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Mr. Lonelyhearts
“‘Never accept a gift from the swamp,’ but Tif Robinette has given us something impossible to pass up. Swallerjaw is a pure-dee treasure trove, lush with vivid characters, mystery, magic, strangeness, dark humor (think, a Carl Hiaasen True Detective), and prose that’s as gulpable as sweet tea on a hot day. I guarantee you won’t predict where this gonzo macabre tale is going, but you’ll have a blast getting there.”—Nat Cassidy
“Tif Robinette’s fantastic, sweat-soaked debut Swallerjaw is like a baptism in the mosquito-ridden swamps of central Florida; you’re not any closer to salvation once you’re out of the water, but you may have truly learned to hate God for putting you there in the first place. ”—Steve Shell, co-creator Old Gods of Appalachia
“Swallerjaw is a Southern-fried hell of a ride! It's as fun to say as it is fun to read. This sun-bleached, modern Southern gothic has immaculately crafted characters, whips-mart prose, and tactile atmosphere that initiate you into the world of the Green Hell. The Florida swamp comes alive like a swarm of mosquitoes and gets deep under your skin.”—Allison Mick, author of Humboldt Cut
About the AuthorTIF ROBINETTE was raised in a fundamentalist sect in West Virginia, homeschooled along with her eight younger siblings, and now lives with her partner and critters in an off-grid tiny home she built in the mountains of northern California. Tif spent her twenties in NYC working in blue-chip art galleries by day and performing in experimental art warehouse shows by night. Out of her art practice, she began filmmaking, which led to an MFA in Screenwriting. Her work has been published in various places, including The Southeast Review, Phile Magazine, Gingerzine, Black Hare Press and Feign. Her writing has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and the Bram Stoker Award for Short Fiction (2025).
Title: Swallerjaw
Author(s): Tif Robinette
ISBN: 9781250479723
Copyright 2027
Release Date: August 17, 2027
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: None available | Learn More about our supported formats
Dragonmount is a proud provider of DRM-free eBooks. By purchasing any eBook from our store, you are not only helping support our website, but you are helping small businesses thrive in a market traditionally dominated by large companies. Learn more in our eBook FAQ.
About Swallerjaw by Tif Robinette
Tif Robinette’s Swallerjaw blends swamp-drenched, occult horror with generational trauma and twisted faith in a stunning southern gothic horror debut.
The swamp doesn't give gifts; only trades.
Like the swamp that surrounds it, the once prosperous town of Festus holds many secrets.
A pole dancer, Crystal, takes care of her granny as best she can and tries to keep a promise to her dead mother: to wait for her brother to come home. Seven years ago someone took the boy, and the case remains unsolved.
The officer assigned to that case died, leaving his widow, Athena, to do her best to raise their young son. When seven-year-old Early goes missing, she has to reopen old wounds and old case files to try to find him.
Gravedigger brothers Grant and Tick Bittergreen were always warned by their gatorwitch mother not to accepts gifts from the swamp. But the swamp has given up a skull, and it’s not long before its appetite claims a human victim, and it demands a new body.
As the novel builds to its extravagant, bloody conclusion, the twisted secrets of Festus’s past are revealed. To save themselves, the gravediggers, the stripper and the grieving mother must confront their cursed blood and the horror that the swamp has birthed.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Praise for this book
"Propelled by swamp-magic and spilled blood and the darkest of dark humor, this book’s a rare one - deft, ambitious, its people and sense of place entirely assured." -Keith Rosson
“Swallerjaw is a southern gothic grimoire, a bog novel belched directly out from the depths of hell, and Tif Robinette sure is akin to a succubus Carson McCullers, imbuing the book with enough bewitching imagery to summon the humidity straight off the page.”—Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Mr. Lonelyhearts
“‘Never accept a gift from the swamp,’ but Tif Robinette has given us something impossible to pass up. Swallerjaw is a pure-dee treasure trove, lush with vivid characters, mystery, magic, strangeness, dark humor (think, a Carl Hiaasen True Detective), and prose that’s as gulpable as sweet tea on a hot day. I guarantee you won’t predict where this gonzo macabre tale is going, but you’ll have a blast getting there.”—Nat Cassidy
“Tif Robinette’s fantastic, sweat-soaked debut Swallerjaw is like a baptism in the mosquito-ridden swamps of central Florida; you’re not any closer to salvation once you’re out of the water, but you may have truly learned to hate God for putting you there in the first place. ”—Steve Shell, co-creator Old Gods of Appalachia
“Swallerjaw is a Southern-fried hell of a ride! It's as fun to say as it is fun to read. This sun-bleached, modern Southern gothic has immaculately crafted characters, whips-mart prose, and tactile atmosphere that initiate you into the world of the Green Hell. The Florida swamp comes alive like a swarm of mosquitoes and gets deep under your skin.”—Allison Mick, author of Humboldt Cut
About the Author
TIF ROBINETTE was raised in a fundamentalist sect in West Virginia, homeschooled along with her eight younger siblings, and now lives with her partner and critters in an off-grid tiny home she built in the mountains of northern California. Tif spent her twenties in NYC working in blue-chip art galleries by day and performing in experimental art warehouse shows by night. Out of her art practice, she began filmmaking, which led to an MFA in Screenwriting. Her work has been published in various places, including The Southeast Review, Phile Magazine, Gingerzine, Black Hare Press and Feign. Her writing has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and the Bram Stoker Award for Short Fiction (2025).
Title: Swallerjaw
Author(s): Tif Robinette
ISBN: 9781250479723
Copyright 2027
Release Date: August 17, 2027
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: None available | Learn More about our supported formats
Dragonmount is a proud provider of DRM-free eBooks. By purchasing any eBook from our store, you are not only helping support our website, but you are helping small businesses thrive in a market traditionally dominated by large companies. Learn more in our eBook FAQ.
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