Advertise on podcast: Horrifically Well Read

Portrait of a Haunting is one of those debuts that makes you an immediate fan and turns the author into an autobuy for life. It is a book that does so many things well it's almost shocking. It's scary, it's romantic, it's thrilling, it's thought provoking, it's emotionally honest, it's just simply a great book. Madison is also a fascinating and wonderful conversation partner, and we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did making it.

Isabel Cañas is one of the great writers of our time, no matter what genre she is working in. Her first YA novel, House of Gardenias, is a must read for anyone that loves historical fiction, horror, Gothic, and just plain fantastic writing. She is also an incredibly insightful and intelligent person, and while we were truly intimidated and starstruck initially, this was such a fun, flowing, and wonderful conversation. All of Cañas' books are brilliant, but we especially loved this incredible, unconventional haunted house tale.

Michael Wehunt writes scary books. Like, seriously, truly frightening books and we love him for it. Nightjars is an absolute masterpiece in tension and slowly deepening dread. Our conversation on the other hand, was much less scary and a great time! We hope you enjoy and definitely read Nightjars

Appalachian setting - Check. School with Secrets - Check. Infamous Haunting - Check. Laura Creedle delivers a book that checks so many of our favorite boxes in horror with this fantastic offering. From finding your power to uncovering ancient secrets, The Girl in Green is a book in which you will find so many things to love. And Laura Creedle is a fantastic conversation partner, with wide ranging topics and fascinating discussion about this great book and so many other things!

It's rare for a book to truly surprise and shock us, but In the Woods They Wait did just that and we absolutely loved it for that! This book is one that is best to enter blind, but we promise that it is a journey worth taking. The story of a park ranger, whose brother went missing in the same park where she works as a child, is emotional, terrifying, and a must read. Listen as we do our absolute best to talk around spoilers but still have an amazing conversation about parks and the woods, parrots, and so many other things!

Alma Katsu is one of the most impressive writers and people working today. It truly is such a joy to just listen to how much knowledge and experience she has and we always step away from a conversation with her feeling like we learned so much. This conversation was no different as we discuss Incarnate, an extremely timely novel about the dangers and horrors of AI and technology in general. We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed having it!

Gwendolyn Kiste is one of the best writers working today, and to celebrate her brilliant new continuation and reimagining of The Great Gatsby, In These Gilded, Ghostly Hearts from Creature Publishing, we are doing something a little different. This is the first in a three-part series about the novella and a very special even that will be happening on October 10th to celebrate it at The Haunted Whimsy in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. This book and this event are so special and we are honored to bring conversations about both to you! First up, we talk to Gwendolyn about the novella itself, her history with The Great Gatsby, and so much more. Tickets for the event The Green Light Summoning | The Haunted Whimsy LLC

Lindsay Merbaum is not only a wonderful writer but a high priestess of mixology and her new book Witches of the Wheel brings those two passions together with a story about a bar that only makes itself known to women and is filled with incredible sights and delights (like a bathroom that never has a line), but it comes with a price, sometimes a very steep one. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did, Lindsay is truly a delight!

Our Cut of Salt is one of the best books of the year and one of the best debuts we have read in many years. It is a book that is absolutely vital to read in this moment, and listening to the passion that Deena has for the story and the messages it contains is incredible. We hope you enjoy this conversation and that it inspires you to read this fantastic book.

Ally Russell is one of our favorite authors and people. All of her books are the exact kinds of stories that would have made us fans of horror and reading if we had found them in Elementary school. As adults, they are pure joy and worlds that we could live in forever. We are in desperate need of authors like Ally Russell to create the next generation of spooky kids to carry the torch of this art form that we love so much. Listen as we talk about the final entry in the Mystery James duology, our love of cats, and so much more.

American Nightmare is one of the best horror novels of the year. It's a vital and important book that deserves to have the widest possible audience. It's a brilliant historical reimagining. It's a compelling and suspenseful look at the very real events of heroic white passing Black people travelling to southern states to report on lynchings and violence towards Black people. It's also incredibly horrific and dives into one of our favorite things that horror does, using the genre to examine the realities of the horrors we inflict on each other. Kelly is an absolutely incredible writer, and this year we are blessed not just with American Nightmare, but her gloriously creepy Lovecraftian YA novel Noone Leaves the Manor. Pick them up, you will not be disappointed!

Frank Reddy's Ghost in the Grove is a Southern Gothic religious horror that dives into some of our favorite topics and regions. Frank is such a wonderful guest and this conversation runs from explorations of evangelical beliefs to money and power. We hope you enjoy and pick up Ghost in the Grove today!

Rachel Harrison, one of the masters of modern literary horror, returns to the podcast to talk about her new novel Kiss Slay Replay. We talk about time loops, slashers, anxiety, depression, and so much more. It's always such a pleasure talking with Rachel and this was such an inspiring conversation.

Are you ready for a Party of a Lifetime?? Henry Corrigan is going to send you on an unforgettable trip through hell as a group of teens trying to recreate the prom night stolen from them a year ago end up on a literal highway to hell. Join us as we talk about growing up, all manner of monsters both human and supernatural, and why Henry loves torturing these characters so much!

Markus Redmond's Blood saga is a brilliant re-imagining of early 1700's North America. It is the revenge and justice filled story that we need in this cursed timeline we find ourselves in. It's also inspiring, horrifying, action packed, and filled with the kind of hope we really need. We were also lucky enough to be joined on this episode by our dear friend author and Cemetery Dance editor Haley Newlin, who might be an even bigger fan than us! Enjoy this deep, fun, moving conversation about a series of books you absolutely need!