A few weeks ago, we spilled the beans on the superstar Middle Grade Authors chosen for the 2026 Summer Scares Reading Program, and now we’re ready to unveil the Young Adult Authors, who are just as amazing as you’d expect! Ann Fraistat (“What We Harvest”), Linda Cheng (“Gorgeous Gruesome Faces”), Yamile Saied Mendez and Amparo Ortiz (“Our Shadows Have Claws”). bring the (moderate) scares to readers of all ages with fiction that feels custom-made for the turbulent times we live in. These authors bridge the gap between tween, teen, and beyond, but the honest truth is that their writing is for EVERYONE! Some of the best (and creepiest) fiction out there is coming from the YA community, and year after year it just keeps getting better.

Ann, Linda, and Amparo (Yamile was on deadline) joined us to talk about the thrill of being chosen for this year's Summer Scares Program, how they got into writing, the YA stigma, what kind of scares they love, and so much more. We had the best time talking with these powerhouse creatives, and you’ll love the deep dive into their backgrounds, inspirations, and their joy in crafting the perfect scare. Enjoy!

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with “She Wore Black,” an amazing deep dive into all things horror, gothic, dark romance, and dark fantasy, but she does it with some of the most incredible voices writing horror today! Lately, each episode has been doing a deep dive into a theme; that theme is then discussed by both Agatha and the guest, and book suggestions and read-alikes are laid out for the listener like the best buffet you’ve ever been invited to!. We are not worthy!

Agatha was kind enough to join us to discuss her amazing podcast, how it all came about, some of her favorites in the genre, and so much more. Along the way, we find out that Agatha is finishing up a book on the amazing cover art from the 60s and 70s that adorned gothic romance paperbacks, titled “Women Running From Houses.” We cannot wait to get our hands on this one. For now, sit back and listen to this remarkable horror icon, and enjoy!

You can follow Agatha Andrews on Instagram here.

You can listen to “She Wore Black” on Spotify and Apple iTunes.

Check out agathaandrewsauthor.com

This week’s PAPER CUTS Podcast is an incredible Indie Spotlight Two-fer of Dane Erbach, the author of “Meat Bees,” one of the best titles ever to see print, as well as a cover that will haunt your nightmares (what comes after the cover is pretty spectacular too), and Joshua Millican, author of “Dopefoot,” the trippiest Redwood Gothic to come out this year. These novels are two of the best reads of the summer and perfectly suited for this time of year. “Meat Bees,” with its classic “B-Movie” nature run amok, 70s creature features vibe, and “Dopefoot,” with just about everything else you could imagine. Y’all are not ready for these books, people.

Dane is up first with a great chat that covers his background in teaching, the beauty of growing up with a steady diet of TV horror, the inspirations that pepper “Meat Bees,” and so much more. Joshua follows that with a deep dive into the ups and downs of being an indie author (believe it, people, the struggle is real), what Redwood Gothic is all about (we’re officially obsessed), and how he came up with such a beautifully bizarre novel. Indie authors are the backbone of this weird, wonderful world of horror literature, and we’re so glad for you all to discover these two amazing talents.

You can purchase “Meat Bees” here.

You can purchase “Dopefoot” here

You can follow Dane Erbach on Instagram here.

You can follow Joshua Millican on Instagram here.

Make sure to check out daneerbach.com

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You want superstars? Well, we’ve got them right here! Check out these amazing, fantastic, remarkably creative Middle Grade authors whose books were chosen for the 2026 Summer Scares Reading Program. Bree Paulsen (Garlic the Vampire), Ally Malinenko (This Appearing House), and Ally Russell (It Came From The Trees) bring the (light) scares, the thrilling plots, the creepy locations, and the all-too-relatable characters. These authors have a special place in our hearts here at Paper Cuts because they’re the sherpas who guide young readers through the genre wilderness toward literary nirvana! Okay, maybe that got a little purple, but seriously, these authors are the real deal and their books are incredible, available, and just waiting for readers to gobble them up.

Bree and Ally squared joined us to talk about the thrill of being chosen for this year's Summer Scares Program, how they got into writing and horror in general, what kind of scares they love, and so much more. This chat got silly real quick, and that's our favorite kind of chinwag. If you don’t immediately fall head over heels in literary love with these three, then you need to get yourself correct! Have a listen to our romp and then head over to your local library to snag all their books!

You can get all the information you need on the 2026 Summer Scares Reading Program right here.

You can follow Ally Russell on Instagram here.

You can follow Ally Malinenko on Instagram here.

You can follow Bree Paulsen on Instagram here.

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Christopher Golden is our horror utility player. You can count on him to deliver scares no matter what he’s writing. Comfortable and confident with mystery, thriller, horror, adventure, and noir, just to name a few, Golden can whip up a cracking good tale in any and all of them. With his newest, “Carry Me To My Grave,” he blends damn near all those genres into a novel as heartstopping as it is heartbreaking. A two-fisted tale of terror that lights a fuse in the first few pages and doesn’t let up until the very last page. This is Golden’s best, and that’s saying something for an author with as remarkable a catalog as he has.

Chris joined us to talk about the influences that shaped the novel, and the chat goes all over the place in the most delightful of ways. We get into our shared love for TCM, classic film posters, the joy (and expense) of collecting, vampires, witches, the elegant beauty of train travel, and so much more. This man is a treasure trove of fantastic stories and instantly became one of our favorite guests. Do yourself a favor: after you have a listen, hit the link below to purchase this amazing novel (which has already been optioned for film, btw) and enjoy one of the most thrilling reads of the summer!

You can purchase “Carry Me To My Grave” here.

You can follow Christopher Golden on Instagram here.

Make sure to check out christophergolden.com

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Period piece horror has a special place in our hearts, especially westerns. There’s something romantic and ominous about the open plain's breathtaking mystery. The thoroughly researched detail of time and place adds depth and richness to the text, easily transporting us wherever the author wants to take us and, by proxy, however they want to terrify us. There’s a new favorite of this subgenre here at Macabre Daily’s PAPER CUTS, and that’s none other than author extraordinaire C.S. Humble. His weird westerns are easily among our favorite works of fiction from the last twenty years. His mastery of multiple genres places his work alongside greats like McMurtry, Portis, Lansdale, and King. If you’ve yet to pick up one of Seth’s novels, be prepared to lose yourself to a whirlwind of emotion. Like the very best of the authors mentioned above, these books are epics in their own right and will wreck you emotionally, while simultaneously thrilling you page after page.

Seth joined us for what became one of our favorite chats to date. We dig into his horror origins as a child, the complicated beauty of Texas as both a place and a culture, subverting tired stereotypes to create exciting new representations, spoiler-free tidbits about the “Amid The Vastness of All Else” saga, and a ton more. What makes Seth so endlessly entertaining is his ability to dazzle with anecdotes that would fit easily around the Algonquin Round Table, while cracking us up with the affable charm that seems innate in almost every Texan we’ve ever met. Enjoy this introduction to a stellar author, and get used to it, as Seth will be returning later this summer to discuss his groundbreaking work further. For now, sit back, have a listen, and enjoy!

You can purchase all of C.S. Humble’s novels here.

You can follow C.S. Humble on Instagram here.

Be sure to check out cshumble.wordpress.com

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What a year Daniel Kraus is having. When he’s not busy reinventing the perfect sci-fi horror mash-up, creating the claustrophobic nightmare of ending up in a whale’s gullet, or delivering the definitive expose on “Night of the Living Dead,” he’s racking up Pulitzers for Fiction, like a Boss! The man has no “off” switch, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Going through Daniel’s bibliography is a head-spinning fever dream of horror highpoints and collaborations we’d kill for. The man has Del Toro on speed dial for f*cks sake! (That’s a wild assumption, but we bet we’re right)

Daniel joined us to talk about his amazing new novel, “The Sixth Nik,” a deep-space, misfits-on-a-mission, body-mod, biomatter, acid-trip of a story that’s as audacious as it is appealing. This is the closest you’ll ever come to the most perfect issue of “Heavy Metal” never made. This book is a departure from what Daniel has done previously, or maybe it would be best to say what he just hadn’t gotten around to yet. The highest praise we can give it, other than it’s spectacular, is that we’re rabid to get back to this beautifully bizarre world he’s created. We had a blast talking to Daniel, and as always, he was amazing. Have a listen and enjoy!

You can purchase “The Sixth Nik” here.

You can follow Daniel Kraus on Instagram here.

Be sure to check out danielkraus.com.

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The Summer Scares Reading Program for 2026 doesn’t just recommend nine of the most diverse, delightful, and horrific reads you could possibly ask for; it also introduces you to the rockstar authors who’ve created these marvelous nightmares. The ringleader for these marvelous misfits and the Official Spokesperson for this year is none other than best-selling superstar author, Jennifer McMahon herself!

Jennifer has been chilling and thrilling readers for years with novels like “The Invited,” “Children on the Hill,” “Don’t Breathe a Word,” and “The Drowning Kind.” We couldn’t think of anyone better suited to help choose the line-up for this year's incredible offerings.

Jennifer joined us to share her joy at being chosen as this year's Spokesperson and to take us through exactly how the books are picked. We’ll let you all know right now: we’re glad she’s the one who has to do all that hard work, because we have no idea how we’d get the list down to nine from the dozens the panel has to choose from. Along the way, we talk about how great and inclusive the horror community is, the magic of a library, and some stellar books and films to put on your radar. Jennifer became an instant bestie, and once you listen to this episode, you’ll know exactly why. She’s simply amazing. Enjoy!

You can purchase all of Jennifer McMahon’s amazing books here.

You can follow Jennifer McMahon on Instagram here.

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Macabre Daily and the Paper Cuts column have always been champions of queer horror. We understand the power of the horror genre to offer catharsis and empowerment to marginalized communities and seek out opportunities to feature queer authors whenever we can. For Pride Month, we couldn’t simply rest on our laurels. We needed to find a way to step up our game, which is where Brian Finnerty, contributor and author of our Skeletons In The Closet column, comes in. 

Together with his fellow contributor Michelle Delgado, we reached out to some of our favorite queer authors to help us instigate a Pride Month takeover of the Paper Cuts Podcast. Joined by Avery Curran, Sarah van Os, and Luke Dumas, we were so excited to dive into the topic of queer horror literature.

These authors were so generous with their time and lived experiences, sharing how their queer identities influence their writing. We also dug into some of the reasons behind the recent explosion of queer horror writing, and the foundational question of why the horror genre is so intrinsically queer. 

Follow Avery Curran, Sara van Os, and Luke Dumas on Instagram to support them and learn more about their work.

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Macabre Daily and Horrorverse joining forces is a team-up for the ages, so we wasted no time getting Sarah Stubbs in front of a microphone to suggest some delightfully dreadful book recommendations for all our podcast listeners. For those of you new to Sarah, she’s an online content creator with a passion for all things pop culture, especially food and horror. Her mother taught her how to cook at a young age, fostering that passion. Additionally, she was instrumental in her love of horror movies, showing her movies like “House on Haunted Hill” and all of the Universal Monster movies before the age of 10. All of these passions played into the creation of her site, Sarahstubbssays.com, as well as her other projects. We loved all the fascinating places this conversation went, and we know you will too.

You can subscribe to the “Horrorverse Newsletter” here.

You can follow Sarah Stubbs on Instagram here.

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