The ARC Party

THE DEVIL BY NAME

I know, I know. You’re wondering why I’m posting an interview with Keith Rosson after the book is already available. Sometimes in life, plans change. In this case I was originally planning to talk to Keith several weeks earlier, but circumstances changed plans, and as we’re busy important folks, it took us a while to get a new date on the books. But there was no way I was going to miss a chance to talk about this book just because the timing doesn’t fit my usual format. So here we are.

During this conversation I hit on a point with Keith that is resonating with me. He is doing something that I really don’t see other people doing. FEVER HOUSE and THE DEVIL BY NAME are an epic horror stew of rock n roll, zombies, supernatural entities, crime, secret government agencies, and lots of evil. It’s not a wonder that Stephen King has been raving about them.

So it’s easy for me to encourage you folks who haven’t checked out these books yet to do so at your earliest convenience. They are well-told, entertaining stories, and under all that gristle is a hearty amount of heart, humanity, and hope.

SGJ Day

At the time of writing, it’s a little less than two weeks from #SGJDAY! What’s that? Well, it’s the day that Open Road Media is releasing five reissued books by Stephen Graham Jones. All five books are long out of print, and their return is a boon for fans of Jones. These include extremely rare books such as IT CAME FROM DEL RIO, and THE LONG TRIAL OF NOLAN DUGATTI.

Celebrate SGJ Day by picking up these books, and follow the SGJDAY hashtag on social media for other exciting things such as limited edition button sets, giveaways, and more.

For the folks who prefer YouTube:

PREORDER REST STOP

Nat Cassidy was kind enough to join me once more on the podcast to talk about his upcoming novella, out on Shortwave, called REST STOP (preorder link above the cover image).

While REST STOP is a quick read, and pretty chock-full of violence and creepy crawlies, we managed to get pretty deep into a conversation about generational trauma and survival - themes that are present throughout this depraved story.

We also talked about Nat’s upcoming novel from Tor Nightfire, WHEN THE WOLF COMES HOME, out on April 22nd of 2025, and a little bit about Nat’s two chapbooks that he also released through Shortwave, which you should absolutely go buy immediately.

Coming soon on the podcast: Keith Rosson returns to talk about the closing title in his FEVER HOUSE duology - THE DEVIL BY NAME. Later, I’ll be talking to Tim Waggoner about his novelization of Ti West’s X trilogy, of which I’ve read X and it’s fan-fucking-tastic.

For folks that prefer YouTube:

Pre-Order HERE

Content Warning: In this episode, we discuss suicide, depression, and self harm

Sofia Ajram joined me to talk about COUP DE GRÂCE, her upcoming novella, an intense, personal, existential, liminal nightmare that will make you think deeply about what life is all about.

In our talk, we cover myriad topics including liminal spaces and stories and how things like depression can be liminal, we talk about book covers and the creative process, I compliment the dense and poetic use of language in the book, the Elevator Game, body horror, and a lot more. It’s a lot of talk for a book that’s 130 pages.

I feel like we both went to some personal places in the conversation, and got vulnerable, and I feel like I needed to talk about things like how someone’s story can make you feel seen or understood. So, if you like when people get vulnerable and real, this is going to work out for you, I think.

We also talked about the COUP DE GRÂCE book trailer, which is fantastic and you should watch right now!

Sofia reading from COUP DE GRÂCE

AFTERPARTY!

This episode did spin off an Afterparty discussion which, if you’d like to hear it, you’ll need to be a paid subscriber (any amount) here on my Substack.

The paywall is my way of protecting people from hearing spoilers they maybe didn’t intent to hear. If you make it to an Afterparty, you had to do some work to get there.

It should go without saying, but the afterparty episode does contain spoilers for the book, but it was an amazing conversation and I really hope you choose to listen.

Finally, here’s the YouTube version of the main episode, for you YouTube lovers:

David James Keaton is a brilliant and hilarious author. He’s put out a hefty stack of books, and created some of the most entertaining podcast moments I’ve captured in the thirteen years I’ve been doing this.

For this episode, we’re looking at his upcoming release, SHALLOW ENDS, which may or may not ask “what would you do if you were on the back of a fire truck party bus and you realized that this bus has no plans to stop?”

Is there even an answer to this question?

The book switches between a night of ill-fated revelry, and flashbacks to the partygoers’ early lives, stories that challenge our sympathy for their plight in the current day. From shark people to prison crank calls, bar heists to assembly line mishaps. SHALLOW ENDS is jammed with wild stories and ridiculous situations, all anchored by Keaton’s ability to write stories that we all deeply relate to.

We also talk about a movie that is an influence on the book even though he wrote the book before learning the story even existed. It’s a film called THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY? Which has also been a book, and I believe a play. It’s about the dancing marathons that happened back in the post-depression era. Wildly exploitative, dangerous, and cruel never-ending events of misery.

I highly encourage you all to order SHALLOW ENDS now, and once you’re hooked on DJK, THE LAST PROJECTOR is an epic experience not to be missed!

Finally, I’ll be posting an Afterparty episode here on the website, which will be available for paid subscribers at any level. In it, we take a walk down memory lane, and talk about some of the writers we’ve known and readings we’ve attended over the years.

For the folks that prefer YouTube:

So many podcasts!

I thought I could make one podcast episode where I talked to some folks who podcast about horror, and it would be a one-stop-shop for folks looking for a new favorite commute time killer (hmm. commute-time killer? commute time-killer?)

Well, as is often the case, it wasn’t until I was in the middle of it that I realized two things:

* There are so many podcasts talking about horror books.

* Podcasters love to talk - so my 15-20 minute target often ended up going way longer than that.

* (I know I said two, but heck this deserves a bullet) There’s a ton of podcasts where the only topic is Stephen King and his books.

Episode One

Click above to check out the first episode, if you haven’t already. For this first installment, You’ll hear from Stephanie Gagnon from BOOKS IN THE FREEZER, followed by Michael David Wilson from THIS IS HORROR.

The Guests

Books In The Freezer - Stephanie Gagnon

This is Books in the Freezer, a podcast dedicated to the deliciously disturbing world of horror fiction. Our topical, bi-weekly episodes will cover those scary books that you might want to put in the freezer. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any of our recommendations!

This Is Horror - Michael David Wilson

The This Is Horror Podcast is a weekly show for readers, writers, and creators hosted by Michael David Wilson and Bob Pastorella. We interview writers, artists, publishers, editors, and creatives every week. We have interviewed over 100 creatives including Chuck Palahniuk, Joe Hill, Joe R. Lansdale, Charlaine Harris, Ellen Datlow, David Moody, Jennifer Lynch, Gemma Files, and Josh Malerman.

Episode Two

Neil McRobert kicks off the second episode, talking about his well respected podcast TALKING SCARED. Max Booth III follows, always fun to talk to Max, and we get into the various podcast projects they have going on. Finally, I included myself in this series - not out of vanity, but rather, in case a listener came to these episodes from an outside audience, I thought they might be curious about what I get up to at the ARC PARTY, so I brought in backup to interview me about this humble effort.

The Guests

Talking Scared - Neil McRobert

Conversations with the biggest names in horror fiction. A podcast for horror readers who want to know where their favorite stories came from ... and what frightens the people who wrote them.

Ghoulish & Dog Ears - Max Booth III

GHOULISH is a weekly comedy podcast celebrating all things spooky, hosted by Max Booth III.

DOG EARS is a podcast about publishing, writing, and dogs.

The ARC Party - Robb Olson (with Ryan McRae interviewing)

Your first look at upcoming books!

My goal with the ARC Party is to connect readers with books before they release! Much of the success of a new book is connected to pre-orders and early sales numbers, but sometimes people don't hear about a book until long after it's been released.

An episode typically consists of an author giving a quick description of their book, followed by a spoiler free discussion about it. We often talk about themes, characters, settings, etc.

But I'm careful to not talk about anything that would ruin the reading experience!

Subscribed

Hungry for more?

I asked the internet for recommendations of podcasts that they like that talk about horror books, and here is a giant list of their responses. (descriptions borrowed and sometimes shortened from their websites)

NOTE: I tried to focus on currently active podcasts and exclude any that seemed defunct, and I can’t be 100% sure that all of these are still publishing episodes.

* Behind Your Face There Is A Place: Host Johnny Compton has conversations with creative guests, broadly, but not strictly about one of three possible subjects: I LOVED THIS!, Author's Commentary, Studying the Scares.

* Bleeding Page: A bi-weekly podcast wherein authors Chad Lutzke & Jason Brant discuss self-publishing dark fiction and the craft of writing with special guests.

* Fearmongers: Bestselling author Clay McLeod Chapman hosts FEARMONGERS, featuring interviews with and readings by horror fiction's biggest stars.

Produced in cooperation with Verso Studios at the Westport Library.

* Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy is a podcast hosted by science fiction author David Barr Kirtley. The show features conversations about fantasy & science fiction in books, movies, games, and comics, as well as related subjects such as science, history, and critical thinking.

* Killer Mediums: Horror Podcast hosted by author William Sterling, examining how horror tropes manifest across different mediums of entertainment. Let'ss Get Spooky!

* Lifewriting: Authors and screenwriters Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due (and guests!) on writing, the writer's life, Hollywood, the work/family balance and relationships - the tools writers need to make themselves the heroes/heroines of their own story.

* Lovecraft E-Zine: A friendly horror podcast. Panelists are Bridgette Brenmark, Matthew Carpenter, Pete Rawlik, John Langan, Benjamin Handelman, Melissa Walsh, Michael DaBronzo, Stephen Mark Rainey, Alan Hughes, and Mike Davis.

* Postcards From A Dying World: Postcards from a Dying has been my blog for the last decade with more than 1,000 book reviews to promotional bonuses for my fiction. This podcast feed collections all the audio bonus materials for the blog, interviews and will include a monthly digest of my book reviews.

* She Wore Black: A gothic, mystery, and horror podcast.

* Sley House Presents: Sley House Presents is a podcast offered by Sley House Publishing. Our episodes are dedicated to discussing the best in genre literature, interviewing notable professionals in the field, reviewing movies, producing radio dramas based on your favorite classic and new short stories, and deep dives into your favorite horror topics.

And here are the ones that are, ostensibly, entirely focused on Stephen King and his writing:

* Chat Sematary: Chat Sematary will dive into the works and adaptations of the King of Horror, Stephen King. Hosted by Deanna Chapman.

* Dark Tower Palaver: Join hosts Tadd and Peter for in-depth discussion and analysis of Stephen King's Magnum Opus The Dark Tower series. Explore the Novels, comics, upcoming film/TV adaptations, and all things Dark Tower. Join in on both the Round Table Discussions covering the entire series, as well as the Book Club where each book is systematically read, analyzed and discussed in order from the first line to the last. Come let's Palaver Gunslinger!

* Derry Public Radio: Welcome to the basement of the Derry Civic Center. Pay no mind to the strange sounds coming from behind the Unfound Door. It's just your ka-tet, who are here to provide you with a variety of perspectives on Stephen King's work - ranging from the comfortably familiar to the frighteningly fanatic. Derry Public Radio is here to keep you up-to-date with all that's happening in Derry, Maine and "beyond."

* Just King Things: is a monthly podcast about reading the books of Stephen King in publication order. Join hosts Michael and Cameron, two cultural critics and horror fans who literally grew up reading this stuff, as they embark upon a quest to revisit and review a vast body of work spanning five decades, reading one book a month for… only ten years or so

* Kingcast: is a Stephen King podcast for Stephen King obsessives hosted by former film bloggers and rabid horror fans Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler. Each week, the pair welcome a notable guest to the show to discuss the King adaptation (or unadapted novel/short story) of their choice. It’s an unpredictable show, one that can turn on a dime between being legitimately emotional and outright hilarious, and always approaches the work of its legendary namesake with the love, respect, and top-shelf nerdery that it deserves.

* Loser’s Club: Founded in 2017, The Losers’ Club® is an award-winning weekly series that chronologically digs through the work of Stephen King with humor, irreverence, and a critical eye. Each episode, the Losers gather together to read between the iconic pages and share the latest in King’s Dominion, whether it’s the author’s oft-controversial tweets, the boldest Hollywood headlines, or his endless forthcoming projects. The series also regularly features special guests. In the past, the Losers have spoken to Mike Flanagan, Thomas Jane, Tananarive Due, Chapo Trap House, Owen Teague, Mick Garris, Mary Lambert, Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton, Joe Bob Briggs, and even King himself. Suitable for readers both Constant and casual. King says check us out.

* The Constant Reader Podcast: Everything Stephen King, from Carrie to The Institute, from the novels to the short stories, from the small screen to the big screen. Each month we take a deep dive into one book from the bibliography of the King of horror fiction, while also charting the byways of King's forays into other genres (The Dark Tower series, On Writing etc) and also casting an eye on the many TV and film adaptations of King's work.Recorded live from the UEA media suite, Richard Sheppard interviews writers, academics, superfans and anyone with a passion for the work of Stephen King.

* The Year of Underrated Stephen King: This is a one-woman, (lecture style) Stephen King podcast that analyzes Stephen King's lesser-known novels and short stories in depth and explores why Stephen King is the greatest fiction writer alive!

Applying what I teach my Fiction students, in this podcast we will examine: Strong Writing, Storytelling Principles, Genre, Literary Analysis, Stephen King Universe Nerdery and the Constant Reader Community at Large!

* Tower Junkies: A podcast celebrating the work of Stephen King with an occasional focus on his magnum opus, The Dark Tower series.

Subscribed

For those of you who prefer YouTube:

So many podcasts!

I thought I could make one podcast episode where I talked to some folks who podcast about horror, and it would be a one-stop-shop for folks looking for a new favorite commute time killer (hmm. commute-time killer? commute time-killer?)

Well, as is often the case, it wasn’t until I was in the middle of it that I realized two things:

* There are so many podcasts talking about horror books.

* Podcasters love to talk - so my 15-20 minute target often ended up going way longer than that.

* (I know I said two, but heck this deserves a bullet) There’s a ton of podcasts where the only topic is Stephen King and his books.

Episode One

This is now part one of what I’m guessing/hoping will be a series about horror podcasts. For this first installment, You’ll hear from Stephanie Gagnon from BOOKS IN THE FREEZER, followed by Michael David Wilson from THIS IS HORROR.

The Guests

Books In The Freezer - Stephanie Gagnon

This is Books in the Freezer, a podcast dedicated to the deliciously disturbing world of horror fiction. Our topical, bi-weekly episodes will cover those scary books that you might want to put in the freezer. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any of our recommendations!

This Is Horror - Michael David Wilson

The This Is Horror Podcast is a weekly show for readers, writers, and creators hosted by Michael David Wilson and Bob Pastorella. We interview writers, artists, publishers, editors, and creatives every week. We have interviewed over 100 creatives including Chuck Palahniuk, Joe Hill, Joe R. Lansdale, Charlaine Harris, Ellen Datlow, David Moody, Jennifer Lynch, Gemma Files, and Josh Malerman.

Episode Two

Neil McRobert kicks off the second episode, talking about his well respected podcast TALKING SCARED. Max Booth III follows, always fun to talk to Max, and we get into the various podcast projects they have going on. Finally, I included myself in this series - not out of vanity, but rather, in case a listener came to these episodes from an outside audience, I thought they might be curious about what I get up to at the ARC PARTY, so I brought in backup to interview me about this humble effort.

The Guests

Talking Scared - Neil McRobert

Conversations with the biggest names in horror fiction. A podcast for horror readers who want to know where their favorite stories came from ... and what frightens the people who wrote them.

Ghoulish & Dog Ears - Max Booth III

GHOULISH is a weekly comedy podcast celebrating all things spooky, hosted by Max Booth III.

DOG EARS is a podcast about publishing, writing, and dogs.

The ARC Party - Robb Olson (with Ryan McRae interviewing)

Your first look at upcoming books!

My goal with the ARC Party is to connect readers with books before they release! Much of the success of a new book is connected to pre-orders and early sales numbers, but sometimes people don't hear about a book until long after it's been released.

An episode typically consists of an author giving a quick description of their book, followed by a spoiler free discussion about it. We often talk about themes, characters, settings, etc.

But I'm careful to not talk about anything that would ruin the reading experience!

Hungry for more?

I asked the internet for recommendations of podcasts that they like that talk about horror books, and here is a giant list of their responses. (descriptions borrowed and sometimes shortened from their websites)

NOTE: I tried to focus on currently active podcasts and exclude any that seemed defunct, and I can’t be 100% sure that all of these are still publishing episodes.

* Behind Your Face There Is A Place: Host Johnny Compton has conversations with creative guests, broadly, but not strictly about one of three possible subjects: I LOVED THIS!, Author's Commentary, Studying the Scares.

* Bleeding Page: A bi-weekly podcast wherein authors Chad Lutzke & Jason Brant discuss self-publishing dark fiction and the craft of writing with special guests.

* Fearmongers: Bestselling author Clay McLeod Chapman hosts FEARMONGERS, featuring interviews with and readings by horror fiction's biggest stars.

Produced in cooperation with Verso Studios at the Westport Library.

* Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy is a podcast hosted by science fiction author David Barr Kirtley. The show features conversations about fantasy & science fiction in books, movies, games, and comics, as well as related subjects such as science, history, and critical thinking.

* Killer Mediums: Horror Podcast hosted by author William Sterling, examining how horror tropes manifest across different mediums of entertainment. Let'ss Get Spooky!

* Lifewriting: Authors and screenwriters Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due (and guests!) on writing, the writer's life, Hollywood, the work/family balance and relationships - the tools writers need to make themselves the heroes/heroines of their own story.

* Lovecraft E-Zine: A friendly horror podcast. Panelists are Bridgette Brenmark, Matthew Carpenter, Pete Rawlik, John Langan, Benjamin Handelman, Melissa Walsh, Michael DaBronzo, Stephen Mark Rainey, Alan Hughes, and Mike Davis.

* Postcards From A Dying World: Postcards from a Dying has been my blog for the last decade with more than 1,000 book reviews to promotional bonuses for my fiction. This podcast feed collections all the audio bonus materials for the blog, interviews and will include a monthly digest of my book reviews.

* She Wore Black: A gothic, mystery, and horror podcast.

* Sley House Presents: Sley House Presents is a podcast offered by Sley House Publishing. Our episodes are dedicated to discussing the best in genre literature, interviewing notable professionals in the field, reviewing movies, producing radio dramas based on your favorite classic and new short stories, and deep dives into your favorite horror topics.

And here are the ones that are, ostensibly, entirely focused on Stephen King and his writing:

* Chat Sematary: Chat Sematary will dive into the works and adaptations of the King of Horror, Stephen King. Hosted by Deanna Chapman.

* Dark Tower Palaver: Join hosts Tadd and Peter for in-depth discussion and analysis of Stephen King's Magnum Opus The Dark Tower series. Explore the Novels, comics, upcoming film/TV adaptations, and all things Dark Tower. Join in on both the Round Table Discussions covering the entire series, as well as the Book Club where each book is systematically read, analyzed and discussed in order from the first line to the last. Come let's Palaver Gunslinger!

* Derry Public Radio: Welcome to the basement of the Derry Civic Center. Pay no mind to the strange sounds coming from behind the Unfound Door. It's just your ka-tet, who are here to provide you with a variety of perspectives on Stephen King's work - ranging from the comfortably familiar to the frighteningly fanatic. Derry Public Radio is here to keep you up-to-date with all that's happening in Derry, Maine and "beyond."

* Just King Things: is a monthly podcast about reading the books of Stephen King in publication order. Join hosts Michael and Cameron, two cultural critics and horror fans who literally grew up reading this stuff, as they embark upon a quest to revisit and review a vast body of work spanning five decades, reading one book a month for… only ten years or so

* Kingcast: is a Stephen King podcast for Stephen King obsessives hosted by former film bloggers and rabid horror fans Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler. Each week, the pair welcome a notable guest to the show to discuss the King adaptation (or unadapted novel/short story) of their choice. It’s an unpredictable show, one that can turn on a dime between being legitimately emotional and outright hilarious, and always approaches the work of its legendary namesake with the love, respect, and top-shelf nerdery that it deserves.

* Loser’s Club: Founded in 2017, The Losers’ Club® is an award-winning weekly series that chronologically digs through the work of Stephen King with humor, irreverence, and a critical eye. Each episode, the Losers gather together to read between the iconic pages and share the latest in King’s Dominion, whether it’s the author’s oft-controversial tweets, the boldest Hollywood headlines, or his endless forthcoming projects. The series also regularly features special guests. In the past, the Losers have spoken to Mike Flanagan, Thomas Jane, Tananarive Due, Chapo Trap House, Owen Teague, Mick Garris, Mary Lambert, Jerry O’Connell, Wil Wheaton, Joe Bob Briggs, and even King himself. Suitable for readers both Constant and casual. King says check us out.

* The Constant Reader Podcast: Everything Stephen King, from Carrie to The Institute, from the novels to the short stories, from the small screen to the big screen. Each month we take a deep dive into one book from the bibliography of the King of horror fiction, while also charting the byways of King's forays into other genres (The Dark Tower series, On Writing etc) and also casting an eye on the many TV and film adaptations of King's work.Recorded live from the UEA media suite, Richard Sheppard interviews writers, academics, superfans and anyone with a passion for the work of Stephen King.

* The Year of Underrated Stephen King: This is a one-woman, (lecture style) Stephen King podcast that analyzes Stephen King's lesser-known novels and short stories in depth and explores why Stephen King is the greatest fiction writer alive!

Applying what I teach my Fiction students, in this podcast we will examine: Strong Writing, Storytelling Principles, Genre, Literary Analysis, Stephen King Universe Nerdery and the Constant Reader Community at Large!

* Tower Junkies: A podcast celebrating the work of Stephen King with an occasional focus on his magnum opus, The Dark Tower series.

For those of you who prefer YouTube:

Pre-Order HERE

I say it in the episode, and I’ll repeat it now. I’ve been ride-or-die for Zoje’s writing career since I read BABY TEETH in 2018. I think Zoje’s writing voice is so charming and consequential and relatable. At some level, I’d always hoped to hear what’s been going on with Hanna since BABY TEETH, but I never pushed it into he arena of hope. I guess Zoje has been so good at making all of her books as unique and powerful that I didn’t know if it was even a thought in her head.

Thankfully, it was. DEAR HANNA is a follow-up to BABY TEETH that takes place a good 15 or so year after the end of BT. Zoje wrote it in a way that it can be read on its own without having read BABY TEETH, which removes a big barrier to entry for readers that are new to Stage’s work. But it still does make references to the first book, and references things that happened in the interim between books, so there’s plenty to be had for a lover of BABY TEETH as well.

In this interview, I mention another book of Zoje’s which I truly and deeply love, and I really hope people read. It’s a dark fairy tale about a tween girl who is confronted with becoming a woman. It’s scary and sad and wonderful and hopeful and heartbreaking, and I can’t say enough good about it. It’s THE GIRL WHO OUTGREW THE WORLD, and I think you need to go get it immediately.

Another moment in this conversation that I loved was when we were talking about the idea of people being good or bad, and how it seems the more we define people as “other” than us, the easier it is to do horrible things to them. Or conversely, the optimistic way I choose to approach life, the more we are able to see ourselves in other people, the better we will be to all people. It was a validating and uplifting conversation, for sure!

Buy DEAR HANNA, buy THE GIRL WHO OUTGREW THE WORLD, and please do something to see the commonalities we all have, so we can love more and live more.

For you YouTube watchers:

It’s a hell of a time for horror stories, and it seems like camp slashers are especially making a comeback. Josh Winning is out with his latest book, HEADS WILL ROLL. Set in a digital detox camp, it’s a story of a sitcom star who gets cancelled for an off-color tweet, who decides to get away from the scandal for a little bit. What she’s not aware of is that this may as well be called Camp Cancelled, and someone out there is carrying a deadly grudge.

Josh is the fourth interview I’ve done since May where the author’s name is Josh, which means I’ll be taking a break from chatting with any more Joshes for a while. Apologies, other Joshes.

This final Josh and I had a great chat about camp slashers, pop culture, getting cancelled, formatting a la Paul Tremblay, the increase in availability of marginalized author’s stories, and more. Oh! We also spent a surprising amount of time discussing the movie Easy Rider.

A final note for those of you who read these posts: I’ve recently submitted this podcast feed to YouTube Podcasts, so if you find your podcasts via YouTube, you can find the podcast feed there, in addition to my usual video posts on the channel.

For you folks who like the YouTubes:

PREORDER HERE

First, I have to acknowledge that there were some serious technical difficulties with the recording of this episode. After a couple failed attempts to use the platform I regularly use, we finally switched to some old school Skypin’. Thankfully, I was able to cobble all of the various recordings together and it sounds really good.

What we did talk about is Josh’s upcoming novel, LETTERS TO THE PURPLE SATIN KILLER. An epistolary novel consisting of a series of letters written to the titular killer. It manages to cover a lot of ground, sometimes very serious and creepy ground, other times light and funny. Looking at the cultural phenomenon of a notorious serial killer through the lens of admirers, family of victims, childhood pals, law enforcement, and family of the killer gives us an opportunity to consider the growing obsession in society with true crime, and what kind of impact a serial killer really has beyond his victims.

Beyond the book, we talked about early negative reactions, glowing reviews, and how much a blurb on your book really helps. And finally, I have to acknowledge that Josh is very humble and vulnerable in his acknowledgements about his struggles with writing the book, and the self doubt he experienced in the process. It’s refreshing to see someone confront the less-fun aspects of novel creation in a way that I think can be helpful for other writers.

Please go preorder LETTERS TO THE PURPLE SATIN KILLER as soon as you’re able to, and I hope you enjoy the conversation!

For the YouTube watchers out there:

2024 is still here!

I know I’ve been planning my reading for the year for a while now. How about you? Are you in need of some recommendations? I have just the thing! It’s MORE of The ARC Party’s Horror Preview!

The reason this episode exists is because Emily Hughes aggregates a ton of information about forthcoming horror books every year, and posts a comprehensive, and frankly amazing list of them for everyone to use! You can find it here:

Becky wanted to celebrate the launch of the list by diving into some of the titles we’re excited about, so the three of us got together and did a month by month round table, talking about books we’re looking forward to.

Don’t worry! I know you’re going to want to do some shopping, so I made it super easy to pre-order these books, by putting together a list on bookshop.org. You can find it here, updated to include all of our new picks!

Here are all the books mentioned, their authors, and their current publication dates. If you want to read more about them, go to Emily’s list. If you want to preorder these books, go to my list!

July

Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles - July 2nd

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle - July 9th

I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones - July 16th

Stay on The Line by Clay McLeod Chapman - July 30th

It Came From the Trees by Ally Russell - July 30th

Heads Will Roll by Josh Winning - July 30th

August

Letters to the Purple Satin Killer by Joshua Chaplinsky - August 6th

House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias - August 6th

A Mask of Flies by Matt Lyons - August 6th

The Unmothers by Leslie J Anderson - August 6th

Dear Hanna by Zoje Stage - August 13th

Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pederson - August 20th

September

Horror For Weenies by Emily Hughes - September 3rd

The Devil By Name by Keith Rosson - September 10th

So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison - September 10th

This World is Not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa - September 10th

Sinophagia: A Celebration of Chinese Horror ed. by Xueling C. N - September 24th

Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton - September 24th

October

Good Dogs by Brian Asman - October 1st

Coup De Grâce by Sofia Ajram - October 1st

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister - October 1st

All the Hearts You Eat by Hailey Piper - October 15th

American Rapture by CJ Leede - October 15th

Memorials by Richard Chizmar - October 22nd

Three Miles Past by Stephen Graham Jones (reissue) - October 22nd

Zombie Bake Off by Stephen Graham Jones (reissue) - October 22nd

The Long Trial of Nolan Dugatti by Stephen Graham Jones (reissue) - October 22nd

November

The Keeper of the Key by Nicole Willson - November 12th

Sundown in San Ojuela by MM Olivas - November 19th

Candy Cain Kills Again: The Second Slaying by Brian McAuley - November 12th

The Map of Lost Places: A Horror Anthology ed by Thomas & Conner - November

December

After the People Lights Have Gone off by Stephen Graham Jones (reissue) - December 4th

The Vengeance by Emma Newman - December 3rd

Private Rites by Julia Armfield - December 3rd

hope you enjoy our discussion, and it gets you excited about some of the books coming in 2024. Pre-ordering is crucial to the success of new books, so I encourage you to do so generously.

Have a book you’re really excited about for the first half of 2024? Share it with me! I’d love to learn about more more more! You can reach out here, or I’m on all the social medias as @thearcparty

For all of you YouTube watchers: