Lorelei K. Hickman
"We have art in order not to die of the truth." - Friedrich NietzcheThe monster never dreamed of satisfaction, satiation, or contentment. Its relelentless drive for MORE was perhaps the most fundamental aspect of Its nature, and the hunt was the only motivation in Its life. Without the hunt, It was nothing and had no purpose. It lived to rend flesh and drink blood; to kill and destroy, and to eat and eat and eat until all that existed had been taken violently into Itself, digested and transubstantiated into more of It. THAT was Its purpose: to remake the world in Its own image, one bite at a time.---CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION
Work
YOUR OTHER FAMILY DOCTOR (2024): In the post-Covid era, the U.S. veterinary industry is in crisis, facing a massive problem with employee retention which makes it increasingly difficult for pet caregivers to access quality healthcare for their companion animals. The veterinary professionals who remain also suffer from widespread mental health and quality of life issues. As a bastion of public health helping to ensure food safety and control the spread of infectious diseases, the veterinary profession is vital to society, and we all have a stake in its well-being, whether we are pet owners or not.This memoir examines the industry with a critical eye, using the narrator's experiences to illustrate why the pandemic is not entirely to blame for the profession's struggles, which are rooted in widespread poor management practices. This story also serves as a cautionary tale to pet caregivers so they can better navigate the animal healthcare system and avoid common pitfalls in obtaining care. Finally, it discusses potential ways to overhaul and reform the industry, such as enhancing the legal status of companion animals, creating veterinary "candy striper" programs, and supporting labor unions for veterinary professionals. Readers are invited to accompany the author on a journey which begins with idealism and traverses the depths of disillusionment before turning toward the future with a blend of trepidation and hope.CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION (2026): In the doldrums following New Orleans' heady Carnival season, an unspeakable horror stalks the streets, tearing its victims apart and defying Detective Dave Somers' best efforts to understand it before another grisly scene of death is discovered. Wracked with guilt at his slow progress on the case, Somers feels himself beginning to spiral out of control.Veterinary nurse Ashley Grey doesn't have time to worry about the bizarre and gruesome murders happening practically on her doorstep. Her patients need her, and her hospital is in crisis. But when someone Ashley loves is torn away from her, she knows she must do whatever she can to help the police with their investigation- since no one else has seen the monster and lived to tell about it.Together, two damaged people will stand against an apex predator- one that strikes without warning. Together, they will learn they have more in common than they first believed.Together, they will stop the monster by any means necessary- or die trying.STONE BABIES: DARK STORIES FROM THE BEFORE TIMES (2026): What scares you? What creeps into your head when you're trying to sleep? Do you shudder at tales of ghosts, vampires, or witches? Serial killers or demons? Creepy carnies?Beware. They all lurk here... though perhaps not always in the forms you expect.Or is it a different kind of fear that really haunts you? A rare, disturbing medical diagnosis? Environmental devastation? Losing your grip on reality? Failure at your chosen craft or profession? Sliding into addiction and knowing you cannot trust yourself? Losing a loved one- in any of the many ways that people can lose each other?The characters that populate these stories are afraid of all those things, too.Join them. Step back into a time before social media, influencers, and AI with these ten dark tales, all written 25-30 years ago.These babies have waited a long time for someone to pick them up and love them.THANKS FOR VISITING. My books are available in paperback and e-book at a wide selection of online platforms, including Barnes & Noble, Apple, Tolino, Vivlio, Kobo & Kobo Plus, Gardners, Fable, Smashwords/Draft2Digital, Everand, & Amazon, as well as online libraries like BorrowBox. The links here may not always be updated, so if you don't see your preferred platform, contact me on social media and I'll see if it's possible for me to get it added.PLEASE NOTE: I write and publish what I do out of simple love for the craft of writing and good horror stories- or, in the case of my memoir, to attempt to shine a light into the "shadow side" of the U.S. veterinary industry.THAT WAS THE CATALYST FOR ME: a need to shout my truth from any rooftop I could find... or build myself, if need be. It wasn't a desire to be a professional author, and certainly not to become a small publishing business. This is why I haven't invented a realistic-sounding name like "____ Press" to list as my publisher when it's just me, myself, and I.I'm a "hobbyist" author now, but my original reason was veterinary patient advocacy (also a strong theme in my novel), and learning the additional art of self-publishing was simply a necessity to get my lived stories out to the world.I NEVER EXPECTED to be doing this at all until just two years ago (and I do it on a budget of almost zero), so I'm not afraid to admit that I'm still learning, and my publications thus far have ended up with a few formatting warts which some readers may object to. I've always been a bit technologically challenged. But as I improve this for future projects, I recommend checking out the sizable free samples of my work that are available to read on Amazon- even if you choose not to use Amazon for purchases of any kind. I get that! But it's a good way to try before you buy on any platform and decide if these formatting issues will be too much of a sticking point for you. It's also the best way to judge my books by their content and not just by their covers.What really matters to me as a reader is what the writer is saying with this work, and how they're saying it. The words themselves, more than anything else.And I will always stand by mine.
About
Ever since childhood, I've always loved ghost stories, horror stories, murder mysteries, and psychological thrillers. I've gravitated to these genres of entertainment almost exclusively. So when I first decided to try my hand at creative writing during and just after college, of course I wanted to write nothing else.After a bit of early success publishing short horror fiction in the small press of the late '90s- with appearances in genre 'zines such as Mindmares, The Ultimate Unknown, and The Blue Lady- I set writing aside to give my blood, sweat, and tears to the veterinary industry, which would later chew me up and spit me out. After being fired for trying to educate cat caregivers about the harmful effects of declawing, I appeared in The Paw Project, a 2013 documentary about the veterinary industry's prioritization of profits over patients.Further motivated by the poor treatment my cat and I received at the end of her life from two different veterinary hospitals, I returned to writing in 2023 with Your Other Family Doctor, a memoir about my vet-tech years and how they inform my current criticism of the industry.Since then, I've been rediscovering writing for enjoyment. Now I'm creating and publishing the same kind of dark psychological and supernatural horror fiction I loved reading & writing in my twenties- and breathing new life into some of the stories I wrote all those years ago.
My influences and favorite authors/screenwriters include (but are not limited to!) Sylvia Plath, Stephen King, James O'Barr, Poppy Z. Brite, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Gillian Flynn, Andrew Kevin Walker, Lionel Shriver, Anne Rice, Margaret Atwood, Anthony Burgess, George Orwell, Peter Benchley, Edgar Allan Poe, Kathe Koja, David J. Schow... and the '80s/'90s era of splatterpunk horror in general.I live in one of the weirdest and most haunted cities in America- New Orleans! I did my best to make it come alive as a character in its own right in my novel Conspicuous Consumption.Thanks for reading!
Contact
I'm most active on Bluesky.