NOVELS

Goddess of Thunder — Leopard Moon Press, 2012
Available at: Amazon + B&N + Apple + Kobo + Scribd + Overdrive
San Francisco, 1987. Life is awesome as the frontwoman for Bay Area thrash upstarts Enspelled, or so Danae thinks. Ascending from grimy local bars into the burgeoning death metal pantheon is a grueling dream come true, wishes granted in fierce camaraderie and erotic fire...until a pomegranate-laced invitation tempts her into the rockstar underworld. But fighting her way to her true calling is no easy feat, not when caught between a tribal-industrial temple and a house of diabolical notoriety, when true love glitters from the heart of a rival, and kindred spirits threaten to silence Danae's voice forever.

Unfolding from the late 80's through the mid 90's, this is a rock'n'roll odyssey of fairy gothmothers, backstage intrigues, occult grotesqueries, catty but hot metal guys, fabulous outfits, mudfights, riots, love triangles, brutal riffs...and the coven of chosen family.

SHORT STORIES

“Glamours (O is for Oasis)“ — F is for Fairy, from Poise and Pen Publishing, May 2019
—Nominated for a Pushcart Prize!
The Balcony. Just one staircase in a sparkling metropolis that always moves upward. But to Lisette, the most glittering ascent possible, into the most elite nightclub realm in existence. With fellow model Clair, she attracts the attention of mirrorball royalty above. But after-dark playtime comes with prices, the kind that can damage a fledgling career where image is everything. The path to the stars is lined with gold, often fleeting—and in the ordinary, often hides the most exclusive place of all.

“Dishabille (L is for Lingerie)“ — E is for Evil, from Poise and Pen Publishing, May 2018
Confections, a charming intimates boutique nestled within the shoppes of a touristy villa. Where three sisters await your arrival, ready to size up your waist, your hips, your self-esteem. There’s a dressing room open—right this way. Let us bring you a few pretty things to fix your figure, spice up your marriage, make you look your best on social media. There. Don’t you look lovely. Don’t you look so…sweet…

“Menagerie (M is for Makeup)“ — C is for Chimera, from Poise and Pen Publishing, April 2016
Fierce go-getter Candace steps inside Jolique, the frenetic makeup megastore that deals in glamorous transformations. Aiming to purchase a look that will help her conquer a tense investor dinner, she ends up in the chair of a chic alchemist, who is brilliant at bringing out faces her customers never knew they had. But even within the stunning discovery that blue eyeshadow actually looks good on her, business always takes top priority, and Jolique is a place where you should probably let that call go straight to voicemail.

“Fragile (Y is for Yesterday)“ — B is for Broken, from Poise and Pen Publishing, June 2015
Glittering antiques and gleaming motorcycles…vagabond worlds gentle and brutal, and slowly disappearing…neoVictorian Charla tends to her twinkling market table full of rescued porcelain and fading gilt, trying to keep vintage treasures safe from careless hands. But teatime may be over forever when a biker steps into her delicate world, looking for answers about a dazzling memorial of his own. Lace gives way to leather in this short piece of magical realism.

“Wallflowers“ — Dark Tales from Elder Regions, from Myth Ink Books, November 2014
—Voiced by Jennifer Carter for The Kaleidocast, October 2018
CBGB’s…the Yaffa Cafe…the Bowery Poetry Club…as the days pass, modern-day Manhattan loses yet another beloved institution and becomes more of a posh glass graveyard. The ghosts of the Limelight, however, are ravenously curious about these elite new residents taking over the neighborhood.
”Wallflowers” by Lilah Wild is a tale of the horrors and banality that comes with neighborhood gentrification and the young vapid things that are hired to act as clerks for boutiques that don’t ever seem to sell anything. Wild achieves a sort of Rod Serlingness to her tale, one that I would have loved to see brought to life on a darker, grittier Version of The Twilight Zone, or perhaps even Night Gallery. If I were to pick a dark horse for best story in this anthology, it would be Wild’s “Wallflowers.” – Peter Rawlik, intro

“Pedikill“ — Hellnotes “Horror in a Hundred”, September 2014
A flash piece about a salon called Vamps, who will leave your feet looking…delectable.

“Necropolis By the Sea (W is for Water)“ — A is for Apocalypse, from Poise and Pen Publishing, August 2014
—Included in the full rec list for Best Horror of the Year, Volume Seven!
It was an unlikely place to find true love: the loud, flashy, drunken world of the Jersey Shore. But Nicky and Kristen claimed it as a paradise of twinkling games and ocean chill…until a violent storm tore up the boardwalk and sent killing floods into summer homes. With no sign of his girlfriend and an evacuation closing in, Nicky sets out to find her in a night full of dangers.
“Lilah Wild’s W stor(y) touch(es) upon the lengths some people will go to save the ones they love…thoughtful.” – Hellnotes

“Dancefloor Tragedy“ — Drops of Crimson, July 2009
To shake the hand of a shy, fashion-impaired peasant—goth queen Ravina would rather die than defile herself with nightclub commoners. Too bad she’s wearing her lovely red boots tonight: stylish Achilles heels meant to inspire envy, but instead drag her off to a blistering lesson in common courtesy.

“Infectious“ — Not One Of Us, June 2009
—Reprinted in Niteblade, May 2013
Bordello? Or hospital? A visitor to Kue’s dingy boudoir may not be asking for mere fantasy play when he wants to be healed—especially not when the rest of the girls break out in gruesome diseases.

“American Nightmare“ — originally published in Well Told Tales, May 2009
—Reprinted in Tales of World War Z, May 2013
—And in Spinetinglers, September 2015
Small-town misfit Trisha is awakened from her grave by mysterious forces, and there are only two people in the whole world she needs to see: her also-undead boyfriend Sammy, and her still-alive best friend Soraya, all alone in a town that took its post-9/11 terrorist hysteria out on her family. With gun-toting bullies aiming for her head, Trisha has to be sure her friend is strong enough to handle the latest panic—while craving a bite of her brains herself.

“Let Them Bleed“ — Pseudopod, December 2008
They started out wanderers, leaving their hometown in search of adventure. Tragedy turned four into three, and the boardwalk offered a sordid refuge for the desperate, a corrosive world of hopeless addictions and sadistic saviours lurking beneath the neon lights. The dream of a better life dances within reach, but the way out is a path of knives and needles. Escape promises deep scars—how much will they sacrifice when they run away, this time?

“Sweetwater“ — Fantasy Magazine, July 2008
A small act of rescue opens the dark marshes of Atlantic City to Shawna, where a mermaid's hidden cove becomes a sanctuary for grief. One small price, though: the waters stay warm and welcoming as long as Shawna gives up her voice.

nonfiction

“Rozz Forever“ – Morbid Curiosity, issue #9, 2005
A wander through a Hollywood cemetery in search of a deathrock icon’s resting place stirs up thoughts on alternate memorials, ostentation in death, and how to tell the future what your life was all about.

“Working in Luck“ – Morbid Curiosity, issue #6, 2002
It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness. True-life tales from one of the nation’s oldest occult shops, a Philadelphia pharmacy that opened in 1917 and went on to sell candles and herbs.