Portraits of Decay

Reveling in occult rituals gone wrong, body horror, and the creeping dread of the Southern Gothic, Portraits of Decay paints an enthralling tableau of obsession, revenge, and a thirst for control that asks the question: why ruin a painting when you can ruin a soul?

Up-and-coming young artist Jefferson Fontenot has everything going for him: The hot New Orleans art scene has noticed him, and he's finally found his true love, Nevaeh Parker.

But Fontenot’s bright future hides a darkness known as Gemma Landry―the artist’s lover and art scene influencer. Gemma believes Jefferson's talent holds the key to her seizing control of the popular Carondelet Street Gallery. But when Gemma discovers Jefferson's infidelity, she enslaves the artist with a poison she acquired from swamp-dwelling witch Mirlande St. Pierre.

Now trapped in a rotting body and plagued by hellish visions, Jefferson finds himself reduced to a zombie-like servant for his unhinged ex, while Nevaeh is forced to embrace her past, hoping to save the man she loves. As the dark curse courses through Jefferson’s veins, everyone involved soon discovers―in the most brutal of fashions―the terror that awaits when you cross Gemma Landry.

J.R. Blanes lives in Chicago with his wife and neurotic dog. His short fiction has been published in several magazines and podcasts such as Tales to Terrify, The NoSleep Podcast, Thirteen, and Creepy, among others. In between bouts of writing and dog wrestling, he plays bass guitar and records music. Coffee is his nightmare fuel of choice.