In this episode of The Book House podcast, Liz Alterman chats with Amanda Casile whose debut novel, Broken Trail, comes out December 9, 2025. Amanda writes speculative horror in both long and short form. Her words have appeared in publications like Quill and Crow, Bag of Bones Press, Hungry Shadow, and Eerie River Press.

Amanda lives in the New Jersey suburbs with her husband and two daughters. When she isn’t writing you can often find her wandering the woods looking for ghosts, which is exactly what inspired Broken Trail.

In the novel, a young mother finds herself and her children trapped in a forest full of malevolent spirits and must find the strength to outsmart whatever prowls the woods if she wants to return her family to safety.

Offering a look at her process, Amanda shared what drew her to the horror genre, where and when she makes time for her craft, and how writing short stories keeps her motivated and inspired between longer projects.

For more, listen to the episode or check out Amanda’s website or follow her on social media.