If Only a Heart and Other Tales of Terror

"A captivating collection of creepy tales, infused with loss and pathos, about the most terrifying organ in the body—the human heart." — Brian Asman, author of Man, Fuck This House

"Caleb Stephens is a hell of a writer, certainly. But he's also a diabolical magician. In If Only a Heart, he populates his tales with characters so familiar at first glance, so seemingly comforting, you'd swear they were your own family, friends, neighbors…even yourself. But while you're distracted, he lets dread and terror seep in until they've sawed your heart in half. 'How'd he do it?' you ask; but it's too late, the next trick's about to begin." — Patrick Barb author of Helicopter Parenting in the Age of Drone Warfare and Gargantuana's Ghost

"If Only A Heart is a series of rich and vivid nightmares. Caleb Stephens powerfully weaves inhuman terrors into all-too-human tales of fraught relationships and personal suffering. Gorgeous prose. A breathtaking collection." — Christi Nogle, author of Beulah

"If Only A Heart, at its core, has many stories that focus on family—found families, chosen yet unwanted families, families that are not actually family—and drags us on journeys that are filled with tension and often also with betrayal. A chilling, heart-wrenching collection perfect for reading under the covers—but don't forget to come up for air." — Ai Jiang, author of Linghun

An unlikely friendship is born in the red clay dirt of a trailer park. Two latchkey kids who will do anything to hold onto one other, despite the consequences.
A disabled boy and his sister move into a house by the sea, one haunted by a demon living in the walls.
A father on a camping trip in a remote section of Appalachia wakes to find his daughter missing, taken by something not quite human.
A traumatized teenager stumbles across a strange slide at a waterpark—one only he can see.

If Only a Heart and Other Tales of Terror is a visceral collection of thirteen stories that explore what happens when we open ourselves to others and dare to let them in. There are monsters on these pages, yes, ones whose teeth cut deep, but never as deep as the teeth of the monsters in the mirror.