Try Not to Die By Your Own Hand
* “Try Not to Die By Your Own Hand is a harrowing, disturbing, honest, deep-dive into all-too-real horrors ably demonstrating that the right choice isn’t always so easy to make. Renee DeCamillis pulls no punches and writes with integrity and a survivor’s hope and heart.” ~ Paul Tremblay, NYT Bestselling Author of Horror Movie and The Cabin at the End of the World
* “A beautiful, powerful, un-put-downable novel that dives deep into music, despair, literature, abuse, love, and— above all—hope. Read it, share it, read it again. You won’t be sorry. It just might save your life, or someone else’s.” ~ Elizabeth Hand, author of Generation Loss and A Haunting on the Hill
* “In Try Not To Die By Your Own Hand, Renée S. DeCamillis offers not one, but many cautionary paths away from enacting permanent solutions to temporary problems. I had an ever-growing pit twisting in my guts the entire read. Most importantly, Dahlia’s story explores the devastating effects making such a choice can bring, offering hope and a lighted path out from the bleakness.” ~ John Palisano, Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of Requiem and Ghost Heart
* “Try Not to Die, by Renee S. DeCamillis, is a novel only someone with a cutting edge as Renee could write. Deeply personal. Comes out the gate rocking and forces the reader to navigate through choices or suffer at their own hand. Took guts to write, takes guts to read. Available now!” ~ Mark Matthews, Author of Milk Blood and Kalie’s Web
Chisel the Bone
* “This one digs deep – bone deep, you could say. If you weren’t already gritting your teeth from the blade.” ~ Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians and The Angel of Indian Lake Trilogy
* “Chisel the Bone is beautifully vicious, both in story and writing. What resonates here is how DeCamillis imbues all of her characters with distinct personalities. Each rocks their scenes and punctuates the horror in a way that speaks of a talented hand. The writing is as cutting as the tools the cults utilize. The words dig deep, and her prose is electric. For those expecting ‘quiet horror,’ look elsewhere. This is ‘loud horror,’ if that term actually exists. That doesn’t mean it isn’t quality — it holds plenty, but this is metal in style: beats pumping, staccato rhythms with smooth breakdowns, and lyrics that bounce off the page. Recommended.” ~ Cemetery Dance, David Simms
Link here.
* “CHISEL THE BONE is a gruesome, gritty tale in which DeCamillis creates a stark, tense atmosphere of unease, dread, and pervasive and increasing madness. She shows evil in its big, bad, brutal glory, but also at its most insidious, often understandable, and inevitably tragic. Echoes of Laird Barron and Poppy Z Brite within a voice uniquely her own, DeCamillis flays the skin of polite society and exposes for all to see the sharp edges of desperation, need, and survival. This book will get under your skin in all the best ways.” ~ Mary SanGiovanni, author of THE EVERYWHERE HOUSE
* “Chisel the Bone by Renee S. DeCamillis cuts deep down. DeCamillis is an exceptional voice in horror, and Chisel the Bone is a fast-paced, dark and delightfully maniacal ride. You do not want to miss this or anything by DeCamillis. She’s a writer to watch!” ~ Cynthia Pelayo, Bram Stoker Award Winning Author of Crime Scene
* “Chisel the Bone is by turns hallucinogenic, tough, rough, and unexpectedly tender. Lovecraft meets Nope on Renee DeCamillis’ long, strange, trip into a bone-dark nightmare. If you love books written in blood, you’ll turn the pages so fast your fingers will splatter. Sequel!” ~ Nancy Holder, New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award
* “Brilliant and disgusting, Clive Barker meets Supernatural, the TV series…Sick, twisted, and demented…I like it! Give me more, please.” ~ Michelle Schmer, Author and Award-Winning Podcaster @ Coffee Fueled Stories
* “For all the readers, including myself, who did not want to see DeCamillis’ novella, The Bone Cutters, come to an end, we are in luck. The anticipated sequel comes to us in the novel, Chisel the Bone. And Renee DeCamillis does not disappoint. Dory finds herself in another nightmarish battle for survival. Chisel the Bone takes horrific things that can happen in real life and blends them with the supernatural. Follow the blood trail to the very end. You’ll be glad you did.” ~ Cindy O’Quinn, Bram Stoker Award-winning author
* “A fresh new voice in horror, Renee S. DeCamillis knows how to write tales that get under your skin. Chisel the Bone offers a macabre and unique brand of dark storytelling that will keep you turning the pages. This one is a fast-paced carnival ride that brings you on a wild journey full of twists and turns.” ~ Morgan Sylvia, Author of Abode and Carrion Harvest
* “Chisel the Bone by Renee S. DeCamillis is exactly the kind of book I’m putting in the hands of the next generation of readers who are just cutting their teeth on the horror genre. This vampiric tale of mutilations, graverobbing, and addiction places Dory (aka Dabbler) and her best friend Irie on a race to bring a cabal of “Dusters” to justice before they can drag her into their sinister cult of unnatural chemical dependency. For the people who were supposed to be caring for her at the mental institution are actually perpetrators in an unholy communion of bone dust, blood, and formaldehyde. CTB is breakneck paced and left me absolutely impressed with this clever twist on vampire fiction. It arrives on Amazon in July 2024.” ~ Peter Dudar, author of The Goat Parade & Blood Cult of the Booby Farmers
* “Renee DeCamillis’s slashy, visceral novel, “Chisel the Bone”, is a wild literary ride. It stars the Dusters, or Bone-Cutters, as a mysterious trio of three: The Carver, The Collector, and the Stitcher. They gather bone shavings (called Dust) from their victims for actual human consumption. It’s an interesting and amazing twist on cannibal characters, but well-thought out.
“Dory, the main character, has left the psych ward and suffers from nightmares caused by the Dusters. Can you blame her?! Her only reprieve is a fun friendship with her roommate, Jill. While Dory has escaped her “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” style situation, she can’t escape from her fate to be ‘dusted’ (turned to bone shavings) by the Dusters. Grave robberies, disappearances, and other suspenseful telltale signs of the Bone-Cutters raise suspicion about their presence. Once her and two other characters stage a stakeout in order to catch the Bone-Cutters in a cemetery, the twists and turns will keep any reader very interested. Will Dory be able to overcome her own fears and anxieties enough to catch the Bone-Cutters? Or will she meet her cannibalistic fate like so many others from the psychiatric hospital?
“DeCamillis’s writing is really fun, super descriptive, and highly entertaining in such a dramatic way. It recalls similar writers like Christopher Moore, Joe Lansdale, and Carl Hiaasen. Each chapter could be its own short story. The chapters are short enough to keep my attention, and the pacing is excellent. The characters are theatrical in nature, with both their names and personalities creating colorful imagery as they deal with the horrific antagonists’ motives. This story would make a great play or movie. Definitely R-rated, but teenagers would love it!” ~ Meg North, Author of The Transformation of Charlotte Poole
The Bone Cutters
March 14, 2025
* “The Bone Cutters is one of the most original horror stories I’ve ever read. Renee DeCamillis delivers a dark, gripping tale that pulls you in from the first page and doesn’t let go. The atmosphere is intense, the characters are richly developed, and the horror elements are both visceral and psychological—exactly what I crave in a great horror novel.
“I devoured this book in just two days because I simply couldn’t put it down. The pacing is relentless, the twists kept me guessing, and the sheer uniqueness of the story left me in awe. Now, I’m diving straight into the next book, and I can’t wait to see where DeCamillis takes this chilling world next. If you’re looking for a horror novel that stands out from the rest, The Bone Cutters is a must-read!” ~ Daniell LaCarak, Author of The Garden of Wives
* “This story grabbed me by my throat and squeezed harder and harder with each chapter until I thought my head was gonna pop right off!! IT WAS AWESOME!! Relentless, aggressive, I felt like I was experiencing a panic attack with each turn of the page. I love this story, everything about it is perfect. Everything. Pure insanity.” ~ Five-star Amazon & Goodreads Review by Brad Tierney
5/5 Duster Skulls
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September–Friday the 13th, 2019:
I’m quite stoked to read another great review of my debut book, The Bone Cutters. It’s on Monster Librarian, written by David Simms.
To read the review in its entirety go to the link above. Here’s just a piece of it:
Review Excerpt:
“This has been a banner year for introducing stellar new horror writers to the world. Renee S. DeCamillis shows she is one of these with her novella The Bone Cutters, one of the strangest, but coolest, entries of 2019. Fans of Gwendolyn Kiste or Cody Goodfellow will definitely want to seek this out. The novella is a wonderful form for horror, giving the reader and author just enough time to grow into the story, fall for the characters, and then leave both with a scar on the soul… Her writing is as razor sharp as the cutting tools the patients use. Not a word is wasted in this lean tale that grabs hold from the get go, and drags the reader through a surreal experience that evokes One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, if written by Clive Barker. A recommended novella to be added to a fine 2019.”
~David Simms of Monster Librarian 9-13-2019
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July 5, 2019
With my debut book–The Bone Cutters–a little less than two months away from its release day (September 1st), I’m here to share that there are two reviews already out. I’ve highlighted some snippets from each. Click the links below to check them out in their entirety.
Ginger Nuts of Horror, Excerpt from review by Joe X. Young:
“It’s actually refreshing to be able to enjoy a book so much that you were miffed when it was over. … As the debut novella from Renee S. DeCamillis it’s a fantastic beginning to what could prove to be a career to watch. …
On our beloved Gingernut-O-Meter I’m giving this a solid 4 out of 5 … considering that I’ve never read anything which rated a 5 I think The Bone Cutters is doing just fine.”
https://gingernutsofhorror.com/fiction-reviews/the-bone-cutters-by-renee-s-decamillis-book-review
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Kendall Reviews, May 22, 2019, review by Miranda Crites:
Excerpt: “I immediately fell in love with Dory, the writing style, the story … This is a terribly heart-wrenching story with a bit of a haunted house/ghost vibe where you’re also being chased by a bunch of crazy people who want to devour your bones. I didn’t want to put this book down.”
The Bone Cutters: Renee S. Decamillis (Kendall Review)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________ July 3, 2019 Feature on Kendall Reviews:
Renee S. DeCamillis 