Macabre Daily's PAPER CUTS! #102 : SUMMER SCARES 2026 With Becky Spratford, Allison Nellis, And Kate Federiconi

Right around this time of year, when the snow has melted, and the birds begin to sing, we here at PAPER CUTS think of one thing, and one thing only: “SUMMER SCARES” is coming! What is “SUMMER SCARES,” you ask? Well, it’s just the most wildly creative reading program from the Horror Writers Association in partnership with Book Riot, Booklist, iRead, and NoveList that provides a recommended reading list, which has been carefully chosen by a committee of six Librarians, best-selling author Jennifer McMahon, and Co-Chairs Konrad Stump and Becky Spratford. If you had a genie in a lamp, you couldn’t wish for a better crew of people to pick your books out for you! We were overjoyed to have creators and organizers Becky Spratford, Allison Nellis, and Kate Federiconi join us to discuss the fascinating process of choosing which books will be included for that given year, the astounding amount of work that goes into the program to provide a varied array of literary choices, and the phenomenal teamwork that happens to roll the reading program out everywhere. We’re not kidding when we call these amazing people superstars. Their tireless efforts not only put books in hand but also open new worlds to readers worldwide. After you listen to this interview, we’re sure you’ll have a newfound respect for the work that goes into this fantastic reading program. You can check out the ‘SUMMER SCARES” programming guide here. You can listen to Konrad Stump and Jennifer McMahon talk about the “SUMMER SCARES” program on “Books in the Freezer” here. NYPL’s “Best New Horror for Adults 2025” can be found here. Contact [email protected] if you’re interested in the “SUMMER SCARES” reading program.