Wear the Bayou: A Look at What's in the Shop Right Now
A look at what's currently in the Bayou Bound Books shop, shirts, mug, and art prints, and why none of it feels separate from the stories.
Wear the Bayou: A Look at What’s in the Shop Right Now
I don’t talk about the shop enough, honestly. So today I will try and do a little better.
If you’ve been around here for the books and the stories but haven’t made it over to the merch page yet, here’s what’s actually in the shop section of my website at the moment.
The Shirts
There’s a black tee with the full swamp scene on the back. Spanish moss, cypress trees, a skull stacked on books, moonlight, and the words “Where the stories rot beautifully” across it. Comes in a classic unisex fit and a crop top, so wear the bayou however feels most like you.
There’s also a grey tee, a little more understated. “Ink dipped in soul, bound by the bayou” sits on the front where a pocket would be, and a bayou house on the back.
The Mug
For anyone who does their best reading with something warm in their hand. It is available in three different sizes. Whether you are a hot coffee or tea lover it will be perfect for you or make a great gift!
The Art Prints
Original pieces, born out of the same voice and atmosphere as the books. You may notice that my artwork may not look how my brand sounds and the honest reason for this is just because I create what I feel inspired to create and for some reason my visual art expresses itself a little differently than my stories. It is what it is kind of situation but a reminder that Bayou Bound Books is so much bigger than just a book brand, it is an entire creative world.
Everything in my shop ships straight to you. None of it is separate from the brand, it’s all just another way to hold onto the same world the books live in.
You can find all of it at bayouboundbooks.com.
The Books
If you have not noticed yet, I am sure you will notice soon. My books are not on there. Let me tell you why and where you can find them.
You can find my books on Amazon. They are not on my shop because I have not yet found a place where I like how the printing turns out and to be honest the best way I can get more blogs, merch, books, etc. for you guys is to not have my house turn into a full out fulfillment center. My books are currently only on Amazon because it allows me to have more availability and right now that feels very important to me while I continue to build the Bayou Bound Books brand. Never say never though because I am slowly working on a plan to make it to where I can also have my books on my website that I have worked so hard on.
Who knows, maybe there will even be special editions and signed copies available for purchase when they finally get here! For now I will just have to link them down below. Something else to note is that my 3 books are published under my maiden name, Isabelle McGee, for more information on that feel free to binge some of my blogs where I further explain why.
Chasing 25: https://a.co/d/03tanyvh
Get Out Of The Swamp: https://a.co/d/04gP2Hxg
Prompt To Grow: https://a.co/d/0aVPvrla
More soon. 🖤
The Outline Is Done. Now I Bury the Clues.
A Hint Before the Announcement
I'm not ready to tell you everything yet. But I'm also not able to stay quiet about it anymore, so here's a little bit.
The outline is done. That part's finished, sitting there fully mapped out, and now I'm moving into the part where I actually start fleshing out the chapters one by one. It's the stage where a story stops being a plan and starts being real, and I'm so excited I can barely sit still with it.
Here's what I can tell you. There's a full announcement coming next Sunday, and it's going to be worth the wait.
Here's what I can't tell you yet, but I can show you.
I've started a small series of miniature art pieces connected to this next project, little visual hints scattered out into the world ahead of the reveal. The first one is already made. It's small, it's quiet, and if you know where to look, it might tell you more than you think.
I've never really done anything like this before, and I have to admit, sitting on a secret this big is a special kind of torture. But I wanted to give you something to hold onto while the story comes together behind the scenes, something to turn over in your mind the way a good bit of folklore gets passed around before anyone can prove it's true.
So here's my challenge to you. Watch for the art. See what you can piece together. I'll be dropping more hints between now and next Sunday, and I'd love to see if anyone figures out what's coming before I get to say it myself.
Some things are worth burying for a little while before you dig them back up.
This is one of them.
See you next Sunday.
Bayou Bound Books Isn't Just a Book Brand. It's a Creative World.
Quick answer: Bayou Bound Books is the creative brand of Southern Gothic horror author Isabelle McGee (soon to be Isabelle Herrscher). It started with books, including Prompt To Grow, Get Out of the Swamp, and the upcoming Chasing 25, and has grown to include a monthly short story series (the Bayou Archive), branded merch, and original art prints. The books are still the core of everything. Everything else is an extension of the same creative world, not a separate business.
Why Bayou Bound Books Is More Than Just Books
I've spent the last several months building Bayou Bound Books as a full-time author brand, Southern Gothic horror, bayou atmosphere, Louisiana roots. That's not changing. Writing is still the center of everything I do, and it always will be.
But being a full-time author doesn't mean I'm only ever making one thing. I'm also a full-time creative, and that means the same world I write in shows up in more than just pages sometimes.
That's why Bayou Bound Books now includes:
Books: Southern Gothic horror and personal narrative, including Prompt To Grow, Get Out of the Swamp, and Chasing 25 (releasing July 2026)
The Bayou Archive: a monthly short story for readers who want a piece of this world every month
Merch: wearable pieces of the Bayou Bound Books world, fulfilled through Printful
Art prints: original creative pieces, now available as printed art, born from the same voice and atmosphere as the books
Are the Art Prints a New Direction for Bayou Bound Books?
No. The art prints aren't a pivot away from being an author. They're proof that the "author" part was never the whole picture. Bayou Bound Books has always been about building a full creative world rooted in Southern Gothic and bayou storytelling. The books are the foundation. The art is another room in the same house. You can shop them here: https://www.bayouboundbooks.com/shop/art
What's Next for Bayou Bound Books
The focus stays on the books first. Chasing 25 is releasing July 2026, with more Southern Gothic horror titles in progress after that. Everything else, the Archive, the merch, the art, exists to bring readers deeper into the same world, not to replace what got them here in the first place.