Shadowbound: A New Dark Supernatural Romance Magazine from Dark Holme Publishing

Dark Holme Publishing has always been, and will continue to be, a horror fiction publisher at its core.

Through Dark Descent: Whispers From Beyond, our horror anthologies, short story competitions, and editorial projects, we’ve built a home for unsettling, atmospheric, and emotionally resonant horror fiction. That foundation is not changing.

What is changing is the range of dark stories we’re choosing to support.

Expanding the Dark Holme Catalogue

As an indie horror publisher, we see a growing number of submissions that sit at the crossroads of horror and romance — stories where the supernatural shapes relationships, desire is dangerous, and intimacy carries consequences.

These aren’t traditional horror stories, and they aren’t conventional romance either. They are dark supernatural romance stories: emotionally driven, often obsessive, and rooted in power, longing, devotion, and moral ambiguity.

Rather than forcing these stories into a space where they don’t quite fit, Dark Holme has created a dedicated publication for them.

Introducing Shadowbound

Shadowbound is a new dark romance magazine and a sister publication to Dark Descent: Whispers From Beyond.

Where Dark Descent focuses on fear, dread, and the unknown, Shadowbound explores emotional danger — the risks inherent in love, desire, and connection when the supernatural is involved.

Shadowbound publishes short fiction that features:

• Dark supernatural romance

• Obsessive or morally grey relationships

• Power imbalance and emotional tension

• Vampires, immortals, monsters, curses, and other supernatural bonds

  
  

The supernatural must be central to the relationship, not simply aesthetic or symbolic.

Not a Rebrand — A Wider Niche

It’s important to be clear: Dark Holme is not rebranding.

We remain a horror publisher. Dark Descent continues as our flagship horror magazine, releasing monthly and showcasing horror fiction across a wide range of subgenres.

Shadowbound exists alongside it, not in place of it.

By publishing both magazines monthly, Dark Holme is able to:

• Support more writers working in adjacent dark genres

• Clearly signal editorial intent to readers and contributors

• Build separate but connected audiences for horror fiction and dark romance

  
  

This is a widening of our niche, not a shift away from it.

What This Means for Writers

For writers interested in supernatural romance submissions, Shadowbound offers a space where romantic tension is the focus, not a secondary element.

Stories do not need to prioritise scares, but they do need to prioritise emotional weight, intentionality, and the consequences of desire. Explicit content is permitted where it serves character and story, not shock value.

Shadowbound publishes monthly and will also form the basis of a yearly dark romance anthology, beginning in 2027.

What This Means for Readers

For readers, Shadowbound offers dark fiction that unsettles without relying solely on fear. These are stories that linger emotionally — stories about love, power, obsession, and the cost of connection in a supernatural world.

Together, Dark Descent and Shadowbound allow Dark Holme Publishing to explore darkness from multiple angles, without diluting its identity.

Looking Ahead

Shadowbound will release monthly as part of the Dark Holme catalogue and will remain closely linked to Dark Descent: Whispers From Beyond through shared editorial values, quality standards, and long-term vision.

Dark Holme remains committed to publishing horror fiction.

Shadowbound simply acknowledges that some of the darkest stories are not about what hunts us — but what we choose to bind ourselves to.

Interested in Submitting?

If you’re a writer working in dark supernatural romance and think Shadowbound may be the right home for your work, you can read the full submission guidelines here and decide whether it’s a good fit.

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