Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen 

Forced to pull strings under the floor for her mama’s seances, Roo discovers that she’s not alone. Another poor girl is there with her. A girl that only Roo can see. A ghost. An apperation. But Roo’s mama discovers her new talent of connecting with a spirit and forces her above the floor to assist in deceiving their clients. After years have passed, an affluent woman comes to commune with her dead husband. Seemingly convinced, she requests that Roo become her companion, offering mama an amount of money that she can’t refuse. Roo is whisked away to a crumbling estate where an old woman is dying, morbid furniture graces the unused rooms, and attraction to her guardian grows. Soon, Roo will do anything for her love, even trying to bring back the woman’s dead husband. All doesn’t go to plan, though. Soon someone is dead and Roo is left to prove that’s she’s not insane or the murdered. 

Kait and CJ discuss their difference with the book, whether or not Ruth was real, and if the book scared them. 

For our next book, we’ll be reading How to Make a Horror Move and Survive by Craig DiLouie.  

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @darksideoftheword and FaceBook to stay up to date.

You can also find us as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. 

A Well Read Tart: ⁠⁠https://www.wellreadtart.com/⁠

Developmental Editing: https://darksideoftheword.com/developemental-editing

CJ: 

Blog - https://www.wellreadtart.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/awellreadtart/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/awellreadtart 

Kait:

Blog - https://darksideoftheword.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaitarmada/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/darksideoftheword 

Since CJ’s foray into hybrid publishing, we thought we’d share the good, the bad, and the ugly in this month’s industry topic episode. CJ dives into her experience talking with two different publishing groups, what to look out for, and what separates hybrid publishing from vanity presses. We also delve into whether this option is better than self-publishing, or if you should cough up the cash. Join the conversation and make sure to leave your own experiences in the comments. 

Additional research on hybrid publishing:

https://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/vanity/

https://hotsheetpub.com/2022/05/imho-a-nuanced-look-at-hybrid-publishers/

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @darksideoftheword and FaceBook to stay up to date.

You can also find us as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. 

A Well Read Tart: ⁠⁠https://www.wellreadtart.com/⁠

Developmental Editing: https://darksideoftheword.com/developemental-editing

CJ: 

Blog - https://www.wellreadtart.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/awellreadtart/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/awellreadtart 

Kait:

Blog - https://darksideoftheword.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaitarmada/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/darksideoftheword 

Wondering what to watch and/or read next? In this episode, we sit down to discuss what content we’ve consumed over the past month. We’ll weed out the bad from the good so that you don’t have to. CJ has a solid movie recap this year and puts up a surprising nonfiction book for her recap. Kait finally watched Lisa Frankenstein and talks about all the books she’s been binging lately. We’ll also be discuss Brain on Fire, The Exorcist: Believer, Demonic, Brain on Fire, Muderbot series, and Dream Scenario. 

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @darksideoftheword and FaceBook to stay up to date.

You can also find us as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. 

CRITICKER: https://www.criticker.com/

A Well Read Tart: ⁠⁠https://www.wellreadtart.com/⁠

Developmental Editing: https://darksideoftheword.com/developemental-editing

CJ: 

Blog - https://www.wellreadtart.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/awellreadtart/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/awellreadtart 

Kait:

Blog - https://darksideoftheword.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaitarmada/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/darksideoftheword 

It’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing for the past month. CJ spills on getting her first YES and talks about her foray into hybrid publishing. Kait talks about feeling safe to create and why moving was the best step for her. And together, they remind you why it’s important to find a critique partner that know your genre. We hope you can either relate to our psychotic babble or gain some wisdom for your creative journey. 

Make sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook @darksideoftheword to stay up to date.

You can also find us as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. 

CJ: 

Blog - https://www.wellreadtart.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/awellreadtart/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/awellreadtart 

Kait:

Blog - https://darksideoftheword.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaitarmada/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/darksideoftheword 

Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick The Woods All Black by Lee Mandela. 

Leslie is on a new nursing assignment in Spar Creek, a town nestled in the Appalachia mountains. After serving in WWII as a nurse and finding his sexuality in Paris, he thinks he can handle a lot. That is until he meets someone like him in Spar Creek. Someone else who feels like a failed woman. The town blames Leslie for bringing evil ways with him. They want him gone. They don’t want his modern medicine. They don’t want to hear about contraception. But something more sinister lurks in the shadows. Something that is beginning to terrorize the town, and Leslie doesn’t want to leave the poor defenseless boy to the superstitions of the townspeople. He keeps delaying leaving until he’s given no choice but to face the truth.

Kait and CJ discuss their love of Appalachian folklore, whether or not this book could be considered horror, and how much they loved its diversity. 

For our next book, we’ll be reading My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen.  

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @darksideoftheword and FaceBook to stay up to date.

You can also find us as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. 

A Well Read Tart: ⁠⁠https://www.wellreadtart.com/⁠

Developmental Editing: https://darksideoftheword.com/developemental-editing

CJ: 

Blog - https://www.wellreadtart.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/awellreadtart/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/awellreadtart 

Kait:

Blog - https://darksideoftheword.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaitarmada/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/darksideoftheword 

As promised, this week’s discussion delves deeper into the rumors Kait and CJ have heard about word counts. Are agents looking for shorter manuscripts? Well, it might not be just a rumor. CJ has received a few query responses that blow the lid on the topic. She too seems to be hitting a wall in terms of word count. Join the conversation and make sure to leave your own experiences in the comments. 

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @darksideoftheword and FaceBook to stay up to date.

You can also find us as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. 

A Well Read Tart: ⁠⁠https://www.wellreadtart.com/⁠

Developmental Editing: https://darksideoftheword.com/developemental-editing

CJ: 

Blog - https://www.wellreadtart.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/awellreadtart/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/awellreadtart 

Kait:

Blog - https://darksideoftheword.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaitarmada/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/darksideoftheword 

Wondering what to watch and/or read next? In this episode, we sit down to discuss what content we’ve consumed over the past month. We’ll weed out the bad from the good so that you don’t have to. CJ talks about one of her favorite cozy horror authors, her new obsession with Fallout, and the podcasts she’s fallen into. Kait gives her final thoughts on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and which romance books she’s been binging lately. We’ll also be discussing The Stroke of Winter, Stranger Things Season 4, Damsel, and Argylle. 

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @darksideoftheword and FaceBook to stay up to date.

You can also find us as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. 

A Well Read Tart: ⁠⁠https://www.wellreadtart.com/⁠

Developmental Editing: https://darksideoftheword.com/developemental-editing

CJ: 

Blog - https://www.wellreadtart.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/awellreadtart/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/awellreadtart 

Kait:

Blog - https://darksideoftheword.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaitarmada/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/darksideoftheword 

It’s time to catch everyone up on what we’ve been doing for the past month. CJ discusses her latest query responses and updates everyone on her progress with Ghost Children. Kait announces her plans for Praeses, discusses her “morning pages”, and announces her new book reviews. All of this comes with a good side tangent about some hilarious book-buying stories. We hope you can either relate to our psychotic babble or gain some wisdom for your creative journey. 

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @darksideoftheword to stay up to date.

You can also find us as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. 

CJ: 

Blog - https://www.wellreadtart.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/awellreadtart/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/awellreadtart 

Kait:

Blog - https://darksideoftheword.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaitarmada/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/darksideoftheword 

Join us in discussing this month’s book club pick Murder Road by Simone St. James. 

Off on their honeymoon, April and Eddie take a wrong turn onto the infamous Atticus Line though they don’t know it yet. They drive past a girl walking along the side of the road with a jacket pulled tight around her. But why would someone be walking alone in the middle of the night? Being the good samaritans that they are, they offer to help not realizing that she’s hurt until she’s already climbed into the back of the car. Soon after, headlights flare up behind them and they speed to the nearest little town. Little are they prepared for the detectives to be calling them the killers. Did they kill the girl on the side of the road or has something more sinister been happening for the past 20 years?

Kait and CJ discuss true crime in the horror genre, why this book had no meat, and the latest trend in the book world. 

For our next book, we’ll be reading The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo.  

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @darksideoftheword and FaceBook to stay up to date.

You can also find us as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. 

A Well Read Tart: ⁠⁠https://www.wellreadtart.com/⁠

Developmental Editing: https://darksideoftheword.com/developemental-editing

CJ: 

Blog - https://www.wellreadtart.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/awellreadtart/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/awellreadtart 

Kait:

Blog - https://darksideoftheword.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaitarmada/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/darksideoftheword 

CJ leads this week’s discussion on Women’s Fiction. What is it and why is it such a big conversation? Kait and CJ discuss the current climate of the genre, the title, and how much of it is slipping over into Horror. But the main question on this episode is… Are we too afraid to say that we write Women’s fiction? Kait discusses her thoughts on writing in Science Fiction and Horror and clearly shows how she can’t do math. 

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @darksideoftheword and FaceBook to stay up to date.

You can also find us as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and iHeart. 

A Well Read Tart: ⁠⁠https://www.wellreadtart.com/⁠

Developmental Editing: https://darksideoftheword.com/developemental-editing

CJ: 

Blog - https://www.wellreadtart.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/awellreadtart/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/awellreadtart 

Kait:

Blog - https://darksideoftheword.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kaitarmada/

Bookshop Affiliate: https://bookshop.org/shop/darksideoftheword