About Haunted Holler Press
Haunted Holler Press is a tiny but mighty indie imprint devoted to dark, lyrical, Appalachian-rooted fantastical fiction.
Think - haunted woods, stubborn-hearted heroines, cryptids in the treeline, and fae who don’t sparkle, they burn.
Based in the foothills of the South and fueled by coffee, chaos, and late-night writing sprints, Haunted Holler Press exists for readers who want their romantasy with mud on its boots and starlight in its teeth.
Jacqui Stepp (pen name: J.A. Stepp) is an indie romantasy author powered by iced coffee, Appalachian folklore, and questionable decision-making. She writes fae romantasy with a Southern Gothic twist, think haunted hollers, cryptids, cursed bargains, flirtation under a full moon, and at least one morally gray man who needs therapy. Inspired by Appalachian folklore and her own chaotic life, she blends dark magic with heart, humor, and the kind of homespun superstition your grandmother warned you about.
When she isn’t writing, she’s a wife, mom, small-business owner, and occasional gremlin. She lives in North Georgia, collecting strange stories, cool rocks, and reminding her characters they do, in fact, have to suffer before they get a happy ending.
If you hear strange noises in the wood, mind your business. She’s probably writing.
Her debut novel Old Blood Black Earth is coming in 2026, ready to haunt your bookshelf and maybe your dreams.
Rise for ALS
The Hollow has its own villains. In the real world, mine is ALS.
In my family, the disease has taken five lives, and now it has its hands on my mother. Every book I write, every page I publish, I do with the hope that one day no one else has to watch someone they love fade to this brutal illness.
Because of that, I’ve committed to donating 10% of all Haunted Holler Press profits to the ALS Association. Their work funds research, supports families in crisis, and fights every day for a future where ALS is no longer a death sentence.
If you pick up Old Blood Black Earth or anything I create, you’re not just supporting an author, you’re helping me battle the monster that has haunted my family for generations.
Thank you for standing with me.
