The ARC Party

Pre-order HATCHET GIRLS, and why not also grab SMALL TOWN MONSTERS while you’re at it?

HATCHET GIRLS is a book I’ve been looking forward to since I started this podcast at the beginning of the year. It landed on my radar super early, and I immediately started the process of setting up an episode. The premise sounded great, and I definitely need to do my reading in the YA arena.

Not only was the book entertaining, scary, and fun, but there is so much more to the history and setting for it than I ever imagined! That area of the world has seen some shit, historically speaking, and it lent a wonderful backdrop for the book - both aesthetically and historically.

I’m so grateful I got an early look at this book, and I’m actually headed out the door now to pick up my copy of Diana’s previous book, SMALL TOWN MONSTERS!

Cheers!

For those that prefer watching video:

Pre-order COLD, BLACK & INFINITE directly from Cemetery Dance!

With his new collection of short stories, Todd Keisling made sure to have something for everyone. Zombies? Check. Black eyed kids? Check. Creepy mannequins? Check. Conspiracy theory radio shows? Check. Being slowly ground down to nothing under the gears of a corporate job that just happens to be for a company run by a cosmic horror? Check.

What I’m saying is that there’s a lot going on. Some of it is light and entertaining, and some will obliterate your heart, but all of it is written by a man who obviously knows what he is doing. It’s a great collection and a hell of a ride, and it’s pretty much guaranteed to make you pick up more of Todd’s books.

Be sure to head to the Cemetery Dance link above to pre-order either a paperback OR hardcover copy!

Tubes, for some of Youse:

May as well pre-order The Angel of Indian Lake while you’re here, right? Also, grab some of Stephen’s other books!

I first read Stephen Graham Jones way back in 2011, and all of my bookish friends convinced me that I was late to the game. I interviewed Jones in 2012 for his then-new book ZOMBIE BAKE-OFF. It was in that interview where Stephen, off the top of his head, spend about six minutes explaining the entire history of zombies in fiction (movies, books, etc.), which was awesome.

Another stand-out moment of that interview was when Stephen said that, in a zombie apocalypse, it’s not about surviving, it’s about having the best death. Fuck yeah.

That was when I knew I’d be an enthusiastic reader and supporter of Jones for a long, long time.

That was 12 years ago. In the mean time, he’s published a ton of books, and gained a ton of readers, and I got to read a bunch of great stuff and chat him up about slashers, mannequins, spectral fathers, serial killers, vengeful elk, and so much more.

Trouble is, Jones is now so popular, it’s tough to get on his calendar! Getting him on for Don’t Fear the Reaper proved to be too tough, so I thought I could (and I did!) sneak in a chat about an obscure book from the beginning of Stephen’s career.

My ride or die besty Jesse Lawrence joined us for two reasons. First, he’s my ride or die. Second, Jesse and Stephen have known each other for far longer than I’ve known either of them, and beyond that Jesse is probably the biggest and most knowledgeable fan of Stephen’s writing that exists in the world. If someone was going to add value to the talk, it’s Jesse.

I hope you enjoy a bit of history, blowing some dust off of a pivotal moment in the career of Stephen Graham Jones - the release of a book whose DNA can be found in all of his subsequent writing - DEMON THEORY.

If you’re a YouTube watching type, here’s the video:

Signed bookplate Pre-order offer from Simon & Schuster

PERSONALIZED signed pre-order offer from Exile in Bookville (When you order via Exile in Bookville, when you see a ‘notes’ field, type in who you want the book to be signed to)

Get a bunch of Daniel’s books on my curated list at Bookshop

After totally losing all information about what day and time it was supposed to happen, I eventually managed to get my act together, use a website contact form, and reconnect and plan out this episode, in which Daniel Kraus joined me to talk a bit about his upcoming book WHALEFALL.

Having authors on who have huge CVs of impressive titles is always intimidating, and when you fuck up the process of getting together, that intimidation multiplies. However, Daniel was super chill, and very kind, and I had a great hour talking with him about Whales, father/son relationships, and how there’s a whole world underwater that most of us have no knowledge of.

WHALEFALL is an intense, white knuckle adventure - through a whale in a literal sense, and through grief, reconciliation, and forgiveness in a metaphorical sense. It’s fast-paced, entertaining, scary, and will challenge you about what’s really important in life. Of the 20-ish books I’ve read this year, I’d say it’s on top of my “can’t miss” list.

I hope you enjoy the episode, pre-order the book, and make sure to find Daniel on his upcoming book tour!

CLICK FOR BOOK TOUR INFO

YouTube version, for you folk who prefer to watch:

Pre-order SPIN A BLACK YARN and shop all of Josh’s book on my bookshop page!

I missed Josh, and you’re going to get that pretty much right from the beginning of this episode. I Met Josh back in 2014, when BIRD BOX was recently released, and nobody knew yet what a sensation it would become.

It’s easy to fall in love with someone’s books, and Josh’s stories are no exception. I really, genuinely love the books he’s put out, and I think he’s a rare talent. I am lucky enough that, over the years, I have also had the privilege to get to know the people. I count Josh among a small group of people that are bonafide friends, beyond any fandom or podcasting interaction. So, I missed Josh.

Josh loves stories, and his enthusiasm fuels him as a writer - exploring ideas and stretching boundaries to capture what’s possible. It also fuels him as a fan. He can be effusive about the art that he consumes that he’s in awe of, and it’s a very inviting thing to witness. With Josh, it always feels like we’re going along on an adventure - whether it’s a story I’m reading or an episode of a podcast we’re recording.

I hope that his enthusiasm pulls you along, and I hope mine does as well.

Now, go buy his books!

Here’s the YouTube version, for those (such as Elton John) that prefer watching:

(Come Back soon, 2.5 hours of 4K video takes a LONG TIME to render and upload)

Pre-order signed copies of FEVER HOUSE here!

And check out all of Keith’s books here!

Recently, I was not only lucky enough to read an advanced copy of Keith Rosson’s upcoming behemoth of a tale, FEVER HOUSE - but I also cajoled him into getting onto the internet and chatting with me about it.

FEVER HOUSE is big. It’s over 400 pages, and it packs a lot of story into it. Criminal leg breakers? Check. A shady government agency? Check. A world-famous rock group? Check. An angelic being? Check? A severed hand that makes anybody in close proximity to it go into a violent rage? Hell yes!

A sequel!? CHECK!

It was great to get Keith on to talk about everything from the gorgeous cover of the book, to zombies, to researching just enough to bullshit your way through things sometimes.

Keith was a great guest, FEVER HOUSE was a great book, and hopefully you have a great time listening.

While I have your attention, be sure to pre-order the book! If signed editions are your thing, and supporting local independent book shops is also your thing, Keith is partnering with Broadway Books in Portland for pre-orders of signed copies. Link is above, or contact the store if you have questions.

Thanks once more to Mr. Rosson for a great, entertaining, and gnarly read!

Like Video? Here’s the YouTube version of the episode!

Pre-order 101 HORROR BOOKS here, and while you’re at it, grab a copy of Sadie’s anthology!

If you know the name Sadie Hartmann, I don’t have to explain anything. You get it.

If you don’t, it’s real easy. Sadie is (in no particular order), a huge horror book influencer, a rabid horror fan, a voracious reader, and a good person. Likely other good qualities as well.

We’re here because Sadie put in a ton of work to pull together recommendations for some of the best horror books that have come out in the last two-ish decades. No small feat!

In this book, you’ll find tons of books to read, passionate essays about horror from some of its top authors, author spotlights, where Sadie looks at author’s larger bodies of work, and lots of fun little things. It’s not just a boring list or reference book, it’s got a lot of personality, and it’s fun to engage with.

In our conversation, we talk a lot about the structure of the book, and what’s inside, but we couldn’t resist just going on tangents about our love of books, sharing books, and seeing someone enjoy a book we loved. So if you’re in to people being huge fans of books and reading, this episode is certainly for you!

You can find links to Sadie’s Linktr.ee in my Linktr.ee, if you want to follow her on social media, subscribe to her Patreon, find her substack, etc.

Here’s the YouTube version of the episode:

Check out my Philip Fracassi list on Bookshop, and pre-order BOYS IN THE VALLEY. While you’re there, shop all of his books!

It’s a name that’s always been in my atmosphere, but for reasons that aren’t good or bad, really just reasons of being human, I’d never gotten around to reading his stuff. That ends now!

BOYS IN THE VALLEY is kinda everything? Meaning, a well-crafted story, that’s quick and entertaining, AND manages to establish connections with the characters, which lead to me feeling all sorts of things when things started going wrong. What kinds of things? Anxiety, claustrophobia, fear, revulsion, hope, and others that I’m not thinking of. In other words, a great book.

Philip was nice enough to join me for a bit, and talk about the book, writing, and a whole bunch of other things. It was a fun conversation and I’m excited for you to hear it!

BOYS IN THE VALLEY releases July 11, so you have plenty of time to get in a pre-order (link above). If you’re new to Fracassi, like I am, feel free to browse his back catalog as well.

Episode on YouTube:

The mother of all book releases!

This is a party I’ve been anticipating for some time, now. Craig Clevenger’s third book, MOTHER HOWL, has arrived! For those of us who are familiar with Craig, we know that this is a big moment. For people new to his writing, you’re in for a transformational experience!

We sat and talked for a while about MOTHER HOWL and the themes found in the book. Conversation wandered to the short film SMOKE & MIRRORS, which was adapted from a part of the book.

Craig answered some listener questions, including talking about his short stories, and tackling the topic of him being (mis)labeled “transgressive”. Oh! And we talked about his pandemic-era series of writer’s workshops with some serious heavy hitters.

It’s always a huge pleasure to talk to Craig, and I hope you enjoy this discussion as well. Below, I’ve gathered links to Craig’s available short stories (that I’m aware of), AND to the videos that exist from Craig’s writer interview series.

Time to explore the world of Craig Clevenger. Enjoy!

Craig’s Short stories:

Act of Contrition - Warmed and Bound: A Velvet anthology (out of print/kindle)

The Confession of Adelai Shade - The Booked. Anthology (print/ebook)

The Numbers Game - San Francisco Noir 2 (print)

Sensitive Skin Magazine issue #3 (print/pdf)

Vapor Trail - The Rumpus (online)

Sunder - In Filth it Shall Be Found (print/ebook)

Obsolescence - In Search of a City: Los Angeles in 1,000 Words (out of print, ebook)

Drunk & DC - Barrelhouse (out of print)

Craig’s Writer’s Workshop interview series:

Joshua Mohr

Vanesa Vaseleka

Brian Evenson

Stephen Graham Jones

Sara Gran

Lidia Yuknnavitch

It’s on YouTube!

Pre-order NIGHT’S EDGE and FIRST LIGHT on my bookshop LIZ KERIN LIST

Liz Kerin was nice enough to join me on the podcast recently, to talk about her upcoming coming of age vampire book NIGHT’S EDGE. It’s a very personal story about a young woman and her mother, and the sacrifices that they make to keep a dark and dangerous secret.

And the best news is that Liz is not only already working on the sequel book, but there’s also a TV adaptation of NIGHT’S EDGE in the works, with Liz involved as a writer!

So join us as we talk about vampires, family secrets, growing up, mother/daughter relationships, and a lot more. It’s a great conversation, and hopefully it inspires you to support Liz!

As mentioned in the episode, if you want to do something to support the WGA members who are on strike, here is the website to the Entertainment Community Fund. If you’re looking for somewhere to give, this is a great start!

YouTube video: