ash.reads.horror | The Extra (The Outsiders Sequence)

The Extra (The Outsiders Sequence)

Author: Annie Neugebauer
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Overview:
“Very effective... A nearly perfect, claustrophobic novella. Make room for The Extra.” —The Wall Street Journal
Ten people head out on a backpacking trip, but the first night eleven set up camp. Everyone remembers everyone else. Who is the extra? The Extra is the first book in the Outsiders Sequence series. This edition features a special preview of The Other, Book Two in the Outsiders Sequence. "Annie Neugebauer pedals in the same alpine paranoia as John Carpenter’s classic The Thing, manifesting a sense of dissociative anxiety that only mounts with every turn of the page. The Extra is exceptional in every way: Extra unnerving, extra eerie, extra tense.” —Clay McLeod Chapman, author of Wake Up and Open Your Eyes.

Author Interview with Annie Neugebauer

1. Introduction about yourself
Hi! Right now most people know me as the author of The Extra, a novella from Shortwave that has expanded into The Outsiders Sequence, a shared-universe sequence of novellas consisting of The Extra, The Other (this June), and The Spare (next March). I’m also the author of You Have to Let Them Bleed, a short story collection that’s out now. I’m also a poet, blogger, and novelist.

2. When did you first start writing?
I've always been writing, even as a young child, but I began pursuing it seriously when I graduated from college in 2007. I’ve written many novels, but I’ve built my way toward publication with poems and short stories. I love writing in many genres, but I’d say horror is my home base. I’ve been drawn to the dark side for as long as I can remember.

3. What was your inspiration behind The Extra?
The Extra wasn’t directly influenced by any other media, believe it or not. I had not yet even seen The Thing, its most common comparison. (I have now; it’s stellar!) The idea of an extra person came to me organically, and the protagonist and situation were inspired by my husband’s former job.

4. Do you go camping and hiking?
I love camping and hiking! I’m never happier than when I’m outside somewhere beautiful. Camping in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado is by far my favorite area to return to. I’ve also had beautiful experiences in Austria, Hawaii, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Minnesota. One of my most memorable hikes was the Glacier Gorge trail (9 miles) in the Rocky Mountain National Park.

5. About You Have to Let Them Bleed
You Have to Let Them Bleed brings together some of my most successful short fiction from almost two decades of publishing stories. It’s framed by a “collector” who’s gathering shadowlings and sorting them by color. Probably the most well-known story is "So Sings the Siren." I don’t have a favorite per se, but I’m really proud of and excited about the original in the collection, “The Baby.” It’s just wackadoo in the best way. Folks are loving it.

6. What can you tell us about The Spare?
The Spare takes place in the Texas Panhandle at a family camping reunion. As with each of these novellas, the less you know about it going in, the more enjoyable the actual read is. I will say that it, like The Other, is not a direct continuation of storyline and characters from the first two books, but it does bring in elements from each in a way that makes them all most satisfying when read in order. It shares the same tense vibes and unsettling concepts as the first two.

7. Do you have writing routines or rituals?
I wish! I prefer to write at home in a quiet setting, no music or background noise, with my computer setup that includes a special mouse that helps my wrists/shoulder. Other than that, I write when I can through the hecticness of parenting and working. Weekends, evenings, mini-trips, nap times, days off, whatever I can pack in.

8. Your top three 2026 horror releases?
I don’t know that I’ve read any 2026 releases so far this year. I’m a backlist reader for sure. My most recent favorites are all at least from last year: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones, and Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker. Recent favorites were Sinners and Weapons.

9. Favorite backlist horror books?
Kind of working my way back from when I read them: Nestlings by Nat Cassidy, We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer, Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman, the whole Cal Hooper trilogy by Tana French, The Reformatory by Tananarive Due, Mister Magic by Kiersten White, and then I get so far back everyone probably knows them all.

10. Upcoming horror books or movies that excite you?
I love Paul Tremblay and hate A.I., so I’m really looking forward to Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep, and Rachel Harrison’s Kiss Slay Replay sounds super fun. I’m even further behind the curve on movies than I am on books, so I usually wait until something is so good that my close friends literally force me to watch it. I have that book-lover’s fear of a movie not doing my mind’s vision of a beloved book justice.

Additional Thoughts

I have a couple of really big pieces of news coming any day now, so be sure to follow me online @AnnieNeugebauer.