A Santa Rosa teenager with a lifelong love of horror films and books is making his mark on the genre with a self-published novel that took five years to complete.
Brendan Li, 17, debuted “Those That Cry In The Dark” in August, self-publishing the 290-page paperback through Amazon.com. The coming-of-age monster story, which retails for $15.50, is available online and at Santa Rosa’s Barnes & Noble, where Li will be signing copies and talking to readers from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Santa Rosa author Brendan Li recently self-published his debut horror novel, “Those That Cry In The Dark.” (Cover art by Ginelle Helene Nikkel)
Santa Rosa author Brendan Li recently self-published his debut horror novel, “Those That Cry In The Dark.” Li will be signing copies of the book at Barnes & Noble in Santa Rosa, Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. (Dakota Rodriguez)
Santa Rosa author Brendan Li poses with a copy of his debut horror novel, “Those That Cry In The Dark,” at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Santa Rosa. (Lorenzo Trefry)
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Santa Rosa author Brendan Li recently self-published his debut horror novel, “Those That Cry In The Dark.” (Cover art by Ginelle Helene Nikkel)
For Li, the obsession with horror goes back to when his mom introduced him to scary movies at a young age.
“For some parents, that might seem irresponsible,” Li said. “But in retrospect, I actually think it was really cool, because she taught me the difference between reality and fiction through horror movies. Because fear is such a strong emotion, it really resonated with me.”
The high school senior’s love of writing goes back just as far as his love of horror. He said he got serious about writing at age 12 in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic kept him home with time on his hands.
Inspired by his favorite author Stephen King’s novels of childhood adolescence and monsters, especially the 1986 best-seller, “It,” Li’s novel tells the story of a teenager, Aiden Baker, who moves with his mother to the small fictional California town of West Devil, which is partly based on his own upbringing in Kenwood.
Li said the novel’s plot, in which Aiden forges friendships while uncovering a dark secret hidden beneath the town’s peaceful setting, follows the universal hero’s journey plot that made him fall in love with literature at a young age, while the story explores deeper themes of growing up.
“I don’t think horror is just to scare people, I also think it’s to get a point across,” Li said. “‘It’ isn’t just about a clown named Pennywise terrorizing children; instead, the novel is about a group of kids conquering their real-life fears, whether it is bullying, racism or sexism. Very real stuff.”
Li has also made copies of “Those That Cry In The Dark” available for booksellers like Copperfield’s Books to sell the paperback online through the self-publishing platform Ingram.
Currently, the book is available at Barnes & Noble in Santa Rosa and Li said he’ll be talking to other local bookstores about carrying the book when he has time between school, extra-curricular activities and writing his next novel, a slasher in the vein of “Scream” with a political message, set to come out next fall.
For now, Li said that seeing sales of his debut online and hearing feedback from people who have read it has been surreal.
“I didn’t know going into this what people would think because horror is such a niche genre, whether you love it or you don’t,” he said. “But to see people go out to make time to buy my book and read it, that’s the biggest compliment.”
If You Go
What: Book signing with Brendan Li, author of “Those That Cry In The Dark”
Where: Barnes & Noble, 700 4th St, Santa Rosa
When: Saturday, Oct. 25, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: The book retails for $15.50
More info: instagram.com/brendanli_writing_music/
Originally Published: October 22, 2025 at 12:38 PM PDT