Players’ Ring hosts book launch for Portsmouth author’s chilling debut, ‘A Light From the Nether’

PORTSMOUTH – The Players’ Ring Theatre will host a free, one-night-only, book release event on June 18, 2025, celebrating “A Light From the Nether,” the chilling debut novel from local author Molly Dowd Sullivan.

Set against the backdrop of coastal New England, “A Light From the Nether” weaves together body horror, psychic infection, and ghostly echoes of the Victorian past — all while unraveling a murder mystery and a tragic queer love story that refuses to be buried.

Blending eerie atmosphere with emotionally raw storytelling, the novel pulls readers into a phantasmic world where memory, grief, and longing twist in unexpected ways.

Advanced readers are already buzzing about the book’s unique setting and engaging characters.

“‘A Light From the Nether’ asks you to shed your assumptions and, perhaps, a few hours of sleep,” wrote Neil Czeszejko for The Subtext Review. “Dreamlike in places, nightmarish in others, it consumes and reconfigures from the inside out. There is nothing left to do but submit to the devourment.”

The June 18 event will feature live music, refreshments, a reading of the novel’s prologue by the author and some of the Seacoast’s finest actors, and the opportunity to purchase signed copies. Admission is free, but RSVPs are requested to ensure seating.

Sullivan says the book has been a labor of love.

“This novel took me nearly ten years to complete,” she said. It’s taken everything I have to bring to life. It was my outlet during a dark time of transformation. I can’t wait to share it with the world.”

Sullivan, who has long been a fixture in Portsmouth’s art and theater community, said she’s excited to debut her first novel at the Players’ Ring.

“This theater has always felt like home to me,” she said. “It’s a haven for expression where my creativity and oddness have been allowed to thrive. I can’t think of a better place to launch this novel, especially during Pride Month.”

“A Light From the Nether” is published by Wendelton Press and is currently available for physical and digital pre-order wherever books are sold. If you purchase a copy directly from the author’s website (mollydowdsullivan.com), you can pick it up at the event and get a free bookmark for your support. 

GO & DO
“A Light From the Nether” – Book Release Party
By Molly Dowd Sullivan
Where: Players’ Ring Theatre, 105 Marcy Street, Portsmouth, NH
When: Wednesday, June 18, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
Admission: Free – RSVP requested at mollydowdsullivan.com
Website: mollydowdsullivan.com