Runs In The Blood

By Matthew J. Trafford

A dark and funny short story collection that reveals poignant truths about queer chosen family

CW: DESCRIPTION OF ANIMAL ABUSE

A lesbian mother feels out of place taking her daughter to a princess party; a gay couple turns to unconventional means to create their baby; a grieving man winds up on a date with a centaur; an agoraphobic must make an impossible choice before time runs out. This is the unnerving world ofRuns in the Blood, Matthew J. Trafford’s sophomore story collection, and it pulses with humour, anxiety, and profound disquiet.

Darkly satirical and unflinchingly human, the stories ofRuns in the Bloodunsettle our notions of family, whether biological or chosen. Careening through the space beyond nature versus nurture, its characters – betrayed, wounded, unequipped – wrangle with their own worst instincts and the grotesqueries of the modern world, attempting to create families worth holding on to and to protect the children they love.

Delightful and disarming, odd and audacious,Runs in the Bloodannounces the return of a bold and fearless writer.

Paperback, 184 pages
Publishedby Arsenal Pulp Press (Sep 2025)
ISBN-13: 9781834050140
Dimensions:14.81 x 1.6 x 19.99 cm