Really excited to talk in this episode to Alma Katsu. Alma Katsu’s books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal, been featured in the NY Times and Washington Post, been nominated, and won multiple awards.

Alma also writes novels of historical fiction with supernatural and horror vibes. The Hunger is a novel about the Donner Party, and was named one of NPR’s 100 favorite horror stories, was on numerous Best Books of the Year lists, and is considered by many as a new classic in the genre. Her debut novel The Taker was named one of the top ten debut novels of 2011 by Booklist.

Her new novel is Red Widow, her first spy novel, inspired by her 30+ year career in intelligence. As an intelligence officer. Alma worked at several federal agencies as a senior analyst where she advised policymakers and military commanders on issues of national security.

We have a really fun conversation about Alma’s career, learning writing from legends, doing research and writing historical fiction, a career in intelligence, getting a Stephen King blurb, and the nitty-gritty of writing a spy novel when you know what it is really like behind the scenes. Once we get into spoilers, we break down the nuts and bolts of crafting betrayals, writing realistic spies, and developing a plan.

You can find my books here: https://bookshop.org/contributors/david-agranoff

Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW

And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff

Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor

Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

If reading takes too long to consume my book reviews every month I gather up my book reviews and do a digest based on What I read over the month.  There was no digest in April because I was on a tight deadline for a screenplay, still working on it but the first draft is done, as always go to my blog or Goodreads for complete reviews.

Books covered in this episode:

Our War by Craig DiLouie

Fragments of a Revolution by Seb Doubinsky

My heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan

Later by Stpehen King

Dying is Easy by Joe Hill

John Constantine: Hellblazer, Vol. 1: Marks of Woe

Hella by David Gerrold

After the rain by Nnedi Okorafor, John Jennings

The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable by Amitav Ghosh

Red Widow by Alma Katsu

•You can find my books here:  https://bookshop.org/contributors/david-agranoff

Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW

•And me here:  Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff

Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor

Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

In this episode of Postcards,three-time we have a very special guest the three time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Good Neighbors.  Langan was also one of the judges for the inaugural Shirley Jackson Award and is currently on the Board of Directors.  She got her MFA in creative writing from Columbia University, and also received her Master’s in Environmental Health Science/Toxicology from New York University. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and daughters.

In this wide-ranging interview, we chat about writing horror as a woman, dodging the sexist and misogynist tropes of the genre, the writing of her debut novel the Keeper, being put in writer jail despite numerous awards, and a deep dive into her new novel Good Neighbors.

Good Neighbors resists tight genre distinction but if you really want to know what it is I would call it a horror social satire of suburban culture. Like a modern re-telling of the classic Twilight Zone episode, The Monsters are Due on Maple Street Langan updates the concept by replacing the cold with climate change.  Laced with thriller elements this novel lends itself to a deep discussion as it is a fine work of social commentary. I suggest you read it first but there is still much to get from this novel.

You can find my books here: https://bookshop.org/contributors/david-agranoff   

Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW  

 And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff   

Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor   

Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Sébastien Doubinsky is a writer and a poet born in Paris. Having spent part of his childhood in the United States he widely published writings in both English and French. He is a radical thinker with a background in the pioneer days of punk rock who writes radical protest fiction that is sometimes speculative and sometimes experimental.

In this episode, we discuss his roots, and career but mostly focus on his new release from Stalking Horse books the radical novel A Fragments of a Revolution. It is a short but thought-provoking slice of fiction composed in short but vivid vignettes of powerful prose. We also touch on Mexican radicalism, protest fiction, and writing in multiple languages.

•You can find my books here: https://bookshop.org/contributors/david-agranoff

Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW

•And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff

Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor

Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

If Richard Matheson is not one of the most important writers of the 20th  Century he is without any doubt the most underrated. A master of the short story,  the novel, television, and the silver screen. As his  longtime editor, Greg Cox is known for saying “you may not know his name  but you know his work.” The Thing on the wing of the plane, the button box, the Night Stalker, and I am Legend to name a few.  In this panel,  we discuss the career and impact of Richard Matheson. Almost two hours of personal stories, nerdy details, and career highlights this panel is great for super fans and people who want to know why they should care about this master of the craft of storytelling in all forms.  

 I am joined by David J. Schow the screenwriter and novelist well know as having written The Crow and Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, he is a  brilliant novelist his novels from The Kill Riff to the Big Crush are fantastic and his collection of horror shorts Seeing Red is a must-read classic. He has written two books on the Outer Limits and is an expert in that show, and knows more about the Creature of the Black Lagoon than anyone on the planet.  As an LA writer and friend of the Matheson family, he brings a lot to this panel.   

Greg Cox is a novelist and editor who has written tie novels in franchises from Batman, Iron Man, The librarians, and more. He has more  Star Trek Novels than most people who have pairs of underwear.  He was also Richard Matheson’s editor for 20 years and managed his back catalog through the gauntlet of Hollywood tie-in editions.   And we have John Scoleri was recommended to me by Mister Schow as the biggest collector of I Am Legend-related editions in the world. He is an author, collector, and publisher at Cimarron Street Books. John’s super deep details of Matheson collecting bring a lot to this panel.    So enjoy this Matheson tribute and hopefully will do a part two someday…  

 •You can find my books here:  

https://bookshop.org/contributors/david-agranoff

Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW   

 •And me here:  Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff  

Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor  

Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Craig DiLouie is an author of thrillers, apocalyptic/horror, and science fiction. He has been nominated for major literary awards such as the Bram Stoker Award and Audie Award, translated into multiple languages, and optioned for film. He is a member of the HWA, SFWA, International Thriller Writers, and IFWA.

Warning novels are important. So like Sinclair Lewis It Can’t Happen here felt like a well-timed warning 90 years after it was published. With Our War, Craig DiLouie was put in an uncomfortable place as the author of a warning novel that appeared to be coming true on January 6th, 2021. When right-wing seditionists tried to start the very conflict, he warned about it.

In this interview talk about his earlier novels but our main focus is Our War a novel set in a second modern American civil war in Indianapolis my home state. So, we talk about American politics, Indiana, the warning novel. The first half of the interview is non-spoiler but in the second half we drill down on the nuts and bolts of writing this book.

Check out Craig’s work at:

www.craigdilouie.com

•You can find my books here: https://bookshop.org/contributors/david-agranoff

Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW

•And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff

Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor

Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

If  reading takes too long to consume my book reviews every month I gather up my book reviews and do a digest based on What I read over the month. Full reviews are on my blog and Good Reads. Lots of great interviews coming up.

•You can find my books here:  https://bookshop.org/contributors/david-agranoff

Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW

•And me here:  Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff

Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor

Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/ 

Rio Youers is the British Fantasy and Sunburst Award-nominated author of  Westlake Soul and The Forgotten Girl. That 2017 novel was a finalist  for the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel. He is the writer of  Sleeping Beauties, a comic book series based on the bestselling novel by  Stephen King and Owen King. Rio’s new novel is a gonzo one-woman army  crime thriller Lola on Fire was published by William Morrow.   In this interview, we have a spoiler talk about Rio's early novels, and  influences. From Westlake Soul to Lola on Fire we talk about all the  books Rio has written. Writing the perfect action film as a novel, My  hometown Bloomington Indiana being in the novel, researching guns, and  much more.  Spoiler-free until the 48-minute mark then we go into full  spoilers for Lola on Fire.   

 Find Rio at: www.rioyouers.com 

Twitter: @Rio_Youers   

 •You can find my books here:    

https://bookshop.org/contributors/david-agranoff   

Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW    

•And me here:  Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff  

Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor  

Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

If reading takes too long to consume my book reviews every month I gather up my book reviews and do a digest based on What I read over the month.

•You can find my books here:  https://bookshop.org/contributors/david-agranoff

Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW

•And me here:  Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff

Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor

Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

When I was in high school there were several bands that I considered the  soundtrack of the youth if that era had a house band it was the  Louisville hardcore band Endpoint> Whenever I could I traveled to shows around the Midwest to Endpoint.  At the end of their 7-year run,  they played an emotional and compassionate style of hardcore that  evolved from their early days playing metal-influenced punk. They were an amazing band and at the core, the beating heart of the music was vocalist Robert Pennington. He has fronted 11 bands including Endpoint,  By the Grace of God, and Black Cross to name a few.

If you stick around to the 1:04 mark we talk about our favorite Vegan Restaurants when traveling.  

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/contributors/david-agranoff

Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW   

 •And me here:  Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff  

Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor  

Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/