Horror author Isaac Thorne is excited to announce that his 2025 obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)-themed horror novel Tab’s Terrible Third Eye recently won a First Place recognition in Horror Fiction from the Chanticleer International Book Award (CIBA) Shelley Paranormal Fiction Division. In addition, Tab achieved Silver in the Fiction: Horror category of the 38th Annual Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Awards.
“This is the highest honor any of my work has achieved from either of these organizations,” Thorne says. “To say I’m excited is a bit of an understatement. I’d say I’m licking my teeth with glee. Mental health challenges are a daily horror tale for many people all over the world, some of whom have been quietly surviving since childhood.
“It was my hope in completing this novel that I could shed a little light into the dark corner of at least one of these closets. I’m honored that the IBPA Award has chosen Tab’s Terrible Third Eye for a Silver commendation in the Horror Fiction category, and I’m equally honored by the First Place recognition from the CIBA Shelley Division.”
This year, the IBPA Book Award winners were honored during a live dinner ceremony held on May 15, 2026, in Portland, Oregon. The ceremony was graciously sponsored by Ingram Content Group. The CIBA Awards were this year held in April in Bellingham, Washington.
In Thorne’s novel, Tab Beard is an anxious child prodigy who soothes himself by drawing. After he is supernaturally injured, Tab’s drawings either predict or cause disasters, including his father’s death. Simultaneously haunted by the ghost of a man with no eyes who lives in his closet, Tab begins to learn about sinister secrets within his family circle that may or may not be connected to his father’s demise, all while battling his own internal demons after being diagnosed with OCD.
“The book serves as both an indirect allegory about living with OCD as well as a direct exploration of how the disorder interferes with the affected person’s life,” Thorne says.
Isaac Thorne is the author of three horror novels, all set in the fictional small town of Lost Hollow, Tennessee. A Middle Tennessee resident for his entire life, Thorne’s work often explores the culture and politics of the region with both a loving and critical eye. When he is not writing fiction, Thorne enjoys running, reading, babying his formerly feral cat, and the company of his family.
For more information, or to request a review copy of Tab’s Terrible Third Eye, contact Isaac Thorne at Lost Hollow Books by using the contact form.
