A woman builds her lover from carefully scavenged pieces and parts. A young girl is groomed for madness by one who loves her most. A neurodivergent boy organizes his life, and loss, by the ticking of a clock. And love can be the most splendid and destructive force in the entire world. Love is a Crematorium and Other Tales is a collection of seventeen stories that are both bleak and beautiful, devastating and sweet. Enter the crematorium to experience grief, starlit nights, and gorgeous tragedy that make our souls burn from the inside out. Mercedes M. Yardley is a whimsical dark fantasist who wears red lipstick and poisonous flowers in her hair. She is the author of numerous works including Darling, the Stabby Award-winning Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear A Tale of Atomic Love, Pretty Little Dead Girls, Detritus in Love, and Nameless. She won the Bram Stoker Award for her stories Little Dead Red and “Fracture," and was a nominee for "Loving You Darkly" and the Arterial Bloom anthology. Mercedes lives and works in Las Vegas. You can find her at mercedesmyardley.com.