Macabre Daily's PAPER CUTS Podcast: Courtney Summers (THIS IS NOT A TEST) April 2026

Zombies refuse to die! Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Much like the decaying monstrosities they represent, the zombie subgenre keeps shambling along, reinventing itself every few years to expand on what is easily one of the most beloved of all horrors. Now, we’re treated to an exciting new take on the trope, with Courtney Summers novel, “This is Not a Test.” Granted, this book came out a few years ago, but with the recent film adaptation and the new, expanded edition (which we highly recommend), there’s renewed interest. You can’t keep a good corpse down! Courtney joined us to talk about her book, which is a remarkably entertaining and thrilling mix of John Hughes crossed with George A. Romero, with a dash of Danny Boyle sprinkled on for good measure. We have the best time talking about her horror origins, when she realized horror was a direction she felt she’d explore, and some of her favorite books and films. Courtney immediately became one of our all-time favorites to chat with. Her enthusiasm for the genre and her love for creating thoroughly engrossing tales of terror are infectious. We could have talked for hours. Have a listen and see for yourself why Courtney Summers is the new face of fear! You can purchase “This Is Not A Test” here. You can follow Courtney Summers on Instagram here. Stay up to date by following Macabre Daily on Instagram, Facebook, and BlueSky!