Horrifically Well Read, Bled, and Said

Keala Kendall's new novel That Which Feeds Us is a brilliant Hawaiian Gothic that will keep you guessing and glued to the page to the very end. Join us for a really wonderful conversation where Keala tells us about her inspirations for the book, the true history of the settler colonization of Hawaii, and so much more!

Grace Reynolds has created the Honky Tonk slasher of your country music nightmares with Neon Moon, a brutal, emotional, thrill ride of a novella that will have you itching to throw on some cowboy boots and take a couple shots.In what might be our most unhinged, most insightful, and most fun conversation yet, Grace talks her inspirations, this hellish landscape we call our present reality, and all manner of varmints and critters.Visit Grace's website and buy Neon MoonHome – Author of Dark Poetry and Fiction

G.G. Silverman's debut story collection, The Blood Year Daughter, out tomorrow from Creature Publishing, is a rallying cry against the patriarchy. The stories inside range from timeless fairy tale like reimagining's, to modern day horrors that are all too real. Silverman is such an insightful, thoughtful, fun guest, and we think you'll have as much fun with this conversation as we did!Purchase the Blood Year DaughterThe Blood Year Daughter a book by G G Silverman - Bookshop.org USThe Blood Year Daughter by G.G. Silverman, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®The Blood Year Daughter: Silverman, G.G.: 9781951971410: Amazon.com: Books

Amber Dean's bravura and absolutely unhinged first novel, Hysterical, is a glitzy, drug fueled look at the social scene of New York City in the early 2010s. It gets violent, it gets crazy, and it's somehow both beautiful and gag inducing. Join us for a freewheeling conversation that fits the book perfectly.

Rebecca Cuthbert's work is an absolute joy to read, dark, smart, and creepy, and a conversation with her is just as amazing, as you will find out when you listen to this episode!

Annie Neugebauer has been writing incredible short stories and poetry for a long time, and we are lucky to be able to read them in one collection for the first time with You Have to Let Them Bleed. Join us as we talk about the stories and how they were chosen, as well as her trilogy of interconnected novellas, The Outsiders Sequence.

Cillian Black's debut novella, Holy Ghost, is a creepy, disturbing look at the lengths we would go to be able to say one final goodbye to a loved one. Listen as we discuss Catholic guilt, zombies, and surprisingly good direct to video sequels.

Carter Keane's excellent debut Novella Morsel will have you cheering to bring down the capitalist patriarchy. This book is fun, brutal, smart, and skillfully written. Our conversation was so much fun and we believe Carter is truly a talent to watch! We can't wait to see what they do in the future!

Multi-Stoker award winning, including the reigning Novel of the year The Haunting of Velkwood, Gwendolyn Kiste joins us to talk about her new story collection, The Haunted Houses She Calls Her Own. We talk about a number of the stories, which are all so different but absolutely excellent, as well as her previous work and upcoming releases as well. Kiste is one of the best working today, and has such fantastic insight!

Burn Down Master's House is one of the most vital and important books of the year, and we were truly honored to have Clay Cane on as a guest to talk about it. While not shelved in the horror section, Burn Down Master's House is a book that fits perfectly in with the purpose of literary horror, which is to shine a light on society, to look at the things that are ugly and scary, and to find ways to fight back, to see the truth and to spread that flame as far and wide as possible. Join us for an unforgettable conversation and read Burn Down Master's House as soon as you can.

The Curse of Hester Gardens is not just one of the best horror novels of the year, it's one of the best novels of the decade, period. Tamika Thompson is one of our favorite guests and this conversation will show you exactly why.

Paulette Kennedy is the queen of the modern gothic and her latest, The Two Deaths of Lillian Carmichael is a fantastic, suspenseful, romantic, and beautifully written example of her work. Listen as we talk about her work, her inspirations, and maybe even her special powers?!

J.H. Markert is writing some of the most exciting and frightening horror/thrillers and DIG is an absolute thrill ride. Listen as we discuss the surprising origins of this novel, other inspirations, and much more.

Erika T. Wurth's The Haunting of Room 904 is a scary, thrilling, and deep story of grief, trauma, and the paranormal. It is a must read that is now available in paperback, so if you don't already have it, now is the time! Wurth is a brilliant writer, professor, and thinker, and this conversation was so interesting and fun.

Frost Bite was a freaky sci-fi horror nostalgia trip that we loved so much, and Cold Snap is such a perfect sequel, going deeper into the characters and motivations while not sacrificing the humor and heart that made Frost Bite so special. Join us for a wonderful conversation with everyone's favorite Cheerful Goth.

Donna Taylor rejoins us with the second book of her San Nico Slayers series, Monsters in the Mountains, and she has upped the ante on scares, gore, and characterizations with this fantastic entry that has us screaming for part 3 already!

We have been waiting for a long time to gush over this brilliant book and the time has finally come. You love mushrooms? You love metal? You love cabins in the woods? You love unreliable narrators? Well, The Midnight Muse is definitely a must read. This book has it all and Jo Kaplan is here to tell us all about it and so much more.

Johnny Compton's Dead First blends supernatural horror and the hardboiled detective in a way that will satisfy your cravings for both in a big way. Compton is writing exciting horror, and this, his third novel is an ambitious and hugely entertaining work. This was such a fun conversation, featuring a cameo from our daughter to talk about Johnny and her hyper fixation, tornadoes!

Jacquie Walters' first novel, Dearest, was a favorite of 2024, and Turn Off the Light is a great follow up. A fresh look at the dual timeline novel, Walters has created a haunted house novel very different than you are used to, and that's a very good thing. Listen as we talk about this great book and so many other things!

Ghosts are a staple of the horror genre, and finding new ways to present them is a tough task, but Rebecca Schier-Akamelu has done just that with the creepy, thoughtful, and provocative Negative Images. Join us for a wonderful conversation about this book and all of the themes that it brings out!

Between her novels and anthologies, Lindy Ryan has established herself as a horror superstar and Dollface, coming tomorrow will further solidify that fact. Join us as we talk all things Dollface, Evans women, and so much more!

Rikki Goodwin has written the most heartfelt, sweet, emotional horror book of the year. It also has moments that will absolutely scare the crap out of you. In short, this is already one of Adam's favorite books of the year and we can't wait for you to discover how cool Rikki is and how much you need to buy this book!Buy Ghost Glasses Ghost Glasses a book by Rikki Goodwin - Bookshop.org US

Agatha Andrews has been a fierce lover and supporter of books all of her life. Learn with us in this great conversation about her history in the literature ecosystem and hopefully come away with some excellent recommendations for your new favorite reads!She Wore Black - A Gothic, Mystery, and Horror Podcast Listen weekly, wherever you get your podcasts!

Have you ever thought about how many horror movies feature pools? Well Cullen Wade sure has, and he has written an incredibly well-researched and written book about the swimming pool in horror films. The pool as symbolism, the pool as a plot device, or just as a cool visual tool, Wade is going to tell you all about it and it is fascinating as hell.

Horror Reader Weekend is the premiere event for horror readers and writers. And Christine Harrold is the reason for that. She is a passionate supporter of horror writers, and she thinks of everything when it comes to her events. If you've been you know, if you haven't, you will once you do. Listen to this delightful conversation and we know you'll be signing up for the next event. Christine's websiteHorror Reader Weekend

Saratoga Schaefer's Trad Wife is one of the most talked about books of the year for a very good reason. It is horrifying, exhilarating, and so much fun to read. This conversation is not horrifying, but was definitely a ton of fun and we hope you enjoy it, too!

We have two fantastic authors and artists on the episode today, Kailee Pedersen, author of Sacrificial Animals and the upcoming The Minimalist (out August 18th) and Briana N Cox, author of Indigent (out March 20th). This is a fascinating conversation about horror by BIPOC and Queer authors, by two rising stars of the genre. We hope you enjoy!

Erin Crosby Eckstine's extraordinary debut novel, Junie, was one of the best books of 2025 and a book that will be read for decades to come. It is a gothic ghost story set in the Antebellum South just before the Civil War begins. It is heartbreaking, it is filled with warmth, it is a book that just feels alive. The characters and events in this book will live with you for a very long time.Not surprisingly, Erin is just as thoughtful, engaging, and knowledgeable as her book, and this is a conversation that will be up there with the most impactful that we have had on this podcast. We hope you feel the same.Buy Junie in paperback, 2/3Junie: A GMA Book Club Pick a book by Erin Crosby Eckstine - Bookshop.org USJunie (GMA Book Club Pick) by Erin Crosby Eckstine, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble®

Alex Tucker is an exciting new voice in horror, and his book, Afraid to Feel is a frightening and all too real look at what happens when we hold in traumas and intense emotions for far too long. Join us for a very thoughtful and interesting conversation!

Chris Kauzlarich understands that the true horror lies within us and his short story collection Menagerie in the Dark shows us the wide-ranging ways that this can be seen in the world around us. Join us for a thoughtful and fun conversation, which you will hopefully walk away from wanting to read his work, and you might get a few other recommendations out it as well!

Middle Finger Rigor Mortis, the new novel by Andrew Adams from Mad Axe Media, is a delirious yet thoughtful book about a final girl that never wanted to be one, yet has found herself in that position EIGHT times. Teaming up with a psychiatrist, she begins hunting killers to give them a taste of their own medicine. Enjoy this conversation about serial killers, expanding short stories into novels, physical media, having a way to separate the darkness from the light, and why its a perfect time for a double middle finger salute.

Amanda Casile is not just an amazing K-Pop dancer, she's also a fantastic novelist! Her novel, Broken Trail, is available now on audiobook and ebook, and will be out soon in print. It is the story of the very complicated Clara, who finds herself on a hike with her friend and their children on the very same trail where her patient is accused of having murdered her fiance. This is a horror novel folks, so you can guess this hike does not go well.We are so excited that Amanda was the first guest of season 2, and this is such an insightful and fun conversation about parenting, hiking, psychology, as well as some really interesting topics around writing and publishing.Buy the audiobookhttps://libro.fm/audiobooks/9798228496453Buy the E-Bookhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKVDHL2N/?bestFormat=true&k=broken%20trail%20amanda&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k1_1_19_de&crid=1KI76OCL2FF3J&sprefix=broken%20trail%20amandaPreorder the Hardcoverhttps://bookshop.org/p/books/broken-trail-amanda-casile/cc3afa4ed3f516ca?ean=9780744312065&next=t

Hello everyone! We are back with a short preview of what to expect from Horrifically Well Read in Season 2! We will begin the new season on Thursday with our first guest, Amanda Casile!

If you're listening to this, you probably like weird stuff, but how weird? If you're looking for the best weird movie and book recommendations, you need to be following weirderthebetter on Instagram. She is the founder of Reel Weird Cult, which hosts amazing watch parties of some of the weirdest and most fun movies you can find.On the season finale of Horrifically Well Read, we got to sit down and talk all things horror and weirdness and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Andre Jordan (DreReadsSpooky on Instagram) is a breath of fresh air in the Bookstagram space, and we love that his reviews are not just traditional "I liked it" or "I didn't like it" but digs into the emotional reaction, the perception of the book in comparison to the reality and how that affects the enjoyability of it, Dre is making great content and you should definitely follow. This was such a fun conversation and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

It's cold (at least where we are), it gets dark early, and it's the perfect time for a bone-chilling horror novel. Well, Rebecca Rowland has you covered with Eminence Front, coming January 20th from Clash Books.Listen as we talk about all of the incredible research that went into the book, and so much more. Happy New Year, horror fam!Links -Preorder a signed copy of Eminence FrontEminence Front by Rebecca Rowland | Book Moon BooksRebecca's LinktreeRebecca Rowland | Instagram | Linktree

In what we hope will be an annual tradition, we ran a giveaway to cohost this end of year recap episode and our winner was Tasha (coqui.fox on Instagram) and she invited her husband Fernando and friend, Bridget (weirderthebetter on Instagram and a guest herself next week!). These are three wonderful people and we had an absolutely freewheeling and fun conversation that ranges from horror to fantasy and romance and everywhere in between. We hope you enjoy and have a great 2026!

Candice Vandenburg has an awesome story of how she used horror to heal from a tragedy in her life and an abusive upbringing. She is also a fantastic Bookstagrammer under the name HorrorHealsMe, and is hilarious, warm, and this is a great conversation!

We open our week of Bookstagram friends with AJ, who has so many fascinating and horrifying things to say about life, books, and so much more. This is such a wonderful conversation, and AJ has so many important things to say. Follow her at Reeder_Reader on Instagram!****Content Warning - SA, Religious Trauma********

If it wasn't for Books in the Freezer, Adam would have never read the books that got him back into the genre, and The Haunted Bookstagram really only exists because of her recommendations. It was really a full circle moment to interview Stephanie, and she was of course a delight to speak with. If you for some reason don't already follow her, you really should, and her podcast is required listening for anyone that reads horror. We hope you enjoy this fun and engaging conversation!

George Dunn is one of the go-to voices on horror Bookstagram for recommendations, and this excellent conversation will show you why! Listen to us talk about his history with horror, his favorite recent books and just how extreme we are willing to go in our pursuit of the most horrific of horrors.

Anna Rose Reads delivers great reviews and great interviews on the regular. If you read horror, you should be following her! She's also an incredibly cool person, and this conversation will show you that completely! Sit back and enjoy our conversation with Anna!

There Ought to be Shadows is a fantastic blend of folklore, socially conscious horror, and hauntings, and Krissie K. WIlliams is just a fascinating person with so much wisdom and knowledge. This conversation was such a joy and we hope you agree!

RJ Joseph is not only a brilliant writer, but one of the best minds to discuss, analyze, and teach horror that we have right now. This is a fascinating conversation, one that we enjoyed and took so much from and we hope you will, too.

Renee Thomasin is a rising star in the horror community. Her story "Best Friends Forever" was a standout in the Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night anthology, and she is back with "Pixel Perfect", a short story available now on Kindle Unlimited! Listen as she talks about early 2000s nostalgia, the standards placed on women, and so much more in this great conversation!

Kristi Demeester unleashes Dark Sisters on us December 9th, a primal scream of feminine rage in this wasteland of horror that 2025 has become. It is one of the best books of the year and a fitting goodbye to a year that has reflected the darkness of the title. But, in this conversation Demeester will help you find the hope, the humor, and the strength that we all have inside us. Buy this book, read it, and enjoy this insightful but interesting and fun conversation.

Tamika Thompson's upcoming novel, The Curse of Hester Gardens, is our number one most anticipated book of 2026 and after listening to this conversation you will know why. Thompson's story collection, Unshod, Cackling, and Naked is brilliant and a must read for any horror fan. We hope you enjoy this one as much as we did recording it!

Robbie Dorman has built up a backlist of excellent horror novels, and his newest book, Words of Christ in Red, might be his best work, and is one of Adam's favorite books of the year. Sad, Honest, and very horrifying, it's the kind of book you could talk about for an hour. And that's just what we do in this episode, amongst a ton of other cool stuff!

Like a hearty stew for the horror fan, Wendy Dalrymple and Grace Reynolds are going to give you an end of the year present in Poisoned Soup for the Macabre, Depraved, and Insane, an anthology of Stories, Poems, Essays, and more!This is such a fun conversation and also includes sneak peek talks about Wendy and Grace's summertime slashers coming in 2026!

Wendy Dalrymple is the Queen of Pink Horror, and she's just getting started. This year we have gotten Birthday Party Demon, Credenza, and the soon to be released Christmas Party Demon, and 2026 is going to be just as jam packed!Listen as we talk about all the horrors that she has in store for us and so much more!