One of the best reading experiences of the year, Saratoga Schaefer’s Trad Wife is a romp through social constructs of today’s modern age. I am SO thankful Saratoga joined me to unpack all that they accomplish in this wonderful novel from the trad wife movement, new spins on demonic babies, the fun of writing this kind of horror, and so much more. If you’re interested in keeping up with Saratoga on socials, ordering a copy of Trad Wife, or looking at upcoming tour dates, check out the links below:

* Saratoga’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saratogaishere/

* Saratoga’s Threads: https://www.threads.com/@saratogaishere

* Saratoga’s Website: https://saratogaschaefer.com/

* To Order Trad Wife: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807398/trad-wife-by-saratoga-schaefer/

Debut author Sarah G. Pierce joins me to chat about her novel, For Human Use, one of the more unique and entertaining reads I’ve encountered in recent history. We chat about the nuances of social participation, the horrors of dating in every iteration, the need for deeper conversations around our big problems, and the corpse-shaped AI-dilemma this book confronts. For Human Use is on shelves TODAY, February 10th, from Run For It. If you’d like to keep up with Sarah or order a copy for yourself, check out the links below:

* Sarah’s Website: https://www.sarahgpierce.com/

* To Order For Human Use: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/sarah-g-pierce/for-human-use/9780316586535/

To match this year’s freezing start, Rebecca Rowland comes on the show to discuss her latest release, Eminence Front from CLASH Books! We chat about this wintery scene, how such a place creates claustrophobia, the horror and drama that unfolds behind closed doors, and all the violence that spreads in such a horrific storm’s wake. Plus how much we really don’t like teeth-related horrors. Yick. To keep up with Rebecca on socials or to order a copy of Eminence Front, check out the links below! The biggest thanks to Rebecca for such a lovely conversation!

* Rebecca’s Website: https://rowlandbooks.com/

* To Order Eminence Front: https://bookshop.org/p/books/eminence-front-rebecca-rowland/2fdb0faa7e21bfba?ean=9781960988850&next=t&next=t%2Ct

* Rebecca’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Rebecca_Rowland_Books

Joining me to unpack one of my favorite reads of the year thus far, Yah Yah Scholfield discusses her debut novel, On Sundays She Picked Flowers! We talk about the debut author experience, the Southern Gothic, why denial seems to thrive amongst families, returning home to face your demons, and the conversation being had with Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. Having Yah Yah as a conversation partner was an absolute dream, and I BEG everyone to grab a copy of On Sundays She Picked Flowers from Saga Press which is on shelves now! Check out the links below:

* To Order On Sundays: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/On-Sundays-She-Picked-Flowers/Yah-Yah-Scholfield/9781668091210

* Yah Yah’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fluoresensitive/

Here to kick off 2026, John Fram joins me in chatting about his two novels, The Bright Lands and The Midnight Knock! We chat about queer small town horror, the places these kinds of stories can take us, and how unique they feel within the landscape of The Bright Lands. We also venture into themes of claustrophobia, the uncanny, and breaking conventional rules when we discuss The Midnight Knock. I absolutely love the places John’s writing goes and the deeper examinations it offers about our own human horrors while still feeling grounded in compelling mystery. To keep up with John or to order a copy of his books, check out these links:

* John’s Website: https://www.johnfram.com/

* John’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john.fram

* To order The Midnight Knock: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Midnight-Knock/John-Fram/9781668069424

* To order The Bright Lands: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-bright-lands-john-fram?variant=39307413454882

A very, very big thanks to John once again for his time!

Welcome to the Anna Rose Reads mega-episode of the year! A very good friend, Trevor Williamson of the Sley House Presents Podcast, joins me to unpack 2025 in FULL. This is a big episode folks - we go off on some very fun tangents and talk about our biggest bookish influence these past twelve months. From Stars Wars to splatterpunk, we have lots of thoughts, and I do hope you all enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed having this conversation. Trevor is such a wonderful conversation partner, and I am oh-so thankful he joined me for this episode. To keep up with Trevor, check out the links below that were mentioned during our chat:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleyhousepresents?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

* Threads: https://www.threads.com/@sleyhousepresents

* Website: https://www.sleyhouse.com/sleyhousepresentspodcast

* Trevor’s Phenomenal Interview with Chuck Tingle:

This week, I’m sharing my conversation with Kristi DeMeester, author of Such a Pretty Smile and Dark Sisters which is hitting shelves today. We talk about how the novel came to be, Kristi’s decision to focus on distinct time periods within the novel, the plights her female characters face, and how they feel oh-so cyclical when looking back through history. I absolutely adore this book, and I am so thankful for Kristi’s time. If you’d like to order a copy of Dark Sisters or keep up with Kristi on social media, check out the links below:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristimdemeester/

* Website: https://www.kristidemeester.com/

* To Order Dark Sisters: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/dark-sisters-9781250286819/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGnZ4bSRLg4XhdU1Aw2be-rSmprL9tK8kNPzJt_CvOdcPreVNAhUdlxkY5xOu8_aem_rTiFL1UqiC9mGGtmzwCISw

The alpha and omega, Clay McLeod Chapman returns to the podcast to chat about his 2025 releases, Acquired Taste, Shiny Happy People, and more. While we kicked off the year chatting about Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, it’s a real delight to begin to bring this year to a close talking about first loves, tragedy, maintaining self, healing, Dave Matthews, REM, and axolotls. And then some. As always, getting to chat with Clay is a treat, and if you wanna keep up with him on socials/order his books, check out the links below:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claymcleod/

* Threads: https://www.threads.com/@claymcleod

* BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/claymcleod.bsky.social

* Website: https://www.claymcleodchapman.com/books/

* To order Acquired Taste: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790250/acquired-taste-by-clay-mcleod-chapman/

* To order Shiny Happy People: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/769642/shiny-happy-people-by-clay-mcleod-chapman/

Get your movie snacks ready and put the car in park at the drive-in. Haley Newlin joins me to chat about her latest release, The Film You Are About To See, horror in ever era, and where we hope to see the genre grow. Haley has an incredible voice, and I am so stoked I got the chance to talk to her about this story in particular. If you wan to order your own copy of The Film You Are About To See or keep up with Haley on socials, check out the links below:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleynewlin_author/

* Threads: https://www.threads.com/@haleynewlin_author

* BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/haleynewlin.bsky.social

* Haley’s Website: https://www.haleynewlinauthor.com/

* To Order The Film You Are About To See: https://madaxemedia.square.site/product/the-film-you-are-about-to-see-paperback-preorder-exclusive-packaging-/IRY2Y5PFMGBTDSQSM47YJZMZ?cs=true&cst=custom

Happy Friday, friends! Here’s a bonus episode I recorded with a very good friend of mine, Konrad Stump! He co-chairs HWA Libraries, including the Horror Writers Association’s summer reading program Summer Scares, and StokerCon Librarians’ Day, a full day of continuing education that connects authors and librarians and provides both with the necessary tools to engage communities with the horror genre. He also coordinates the Springfield-Greene County (MO) Library’s long-running “Oh, the Horror!” series, an annual celebration of the horror genre. His work has appeared in Library Journal, NoveList, and Booklist, and has been featured in Book Club Reboot: 71 Creative Twists (ALA) and The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, third edition (ALA). We chat about his work with all of these programs, his own relationship with horror, and so much more. I’ve got links for you to check out below as well regarding a few things we mention during our chat! Huge thanks to Konrad for coming on the show!

* Follow Konrad on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konradmstump/

* 2026 Summer Scares Press Release: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2025/10/hwa-announces-summer-scares-reading.html

* Oh, the Horror! Webpage and Newsletter Sign-Up: https://www.thelibrary.org/event/oh-the-horror

* Reach out to HWA Libraries Co-Chairs Konrad Stump and Becky Spratford via email at [email protected]