ash.reads.horror | Vampire Books

\ \ Welcome back to another author interview! Today I'm joined by author Mikayla Randolph as we talk about her debut novel, Not Your Final Girl.\ \ \ \ 1. I always use this first question as a chance for you to introduce yourself. Say as much or as little as you want.\ \

Hello! I’m an author based out of California who writes horror, fantasy, and thrillers. My favorite stories blend genres, invert tropes, and feature complicated characters, all while being a bloody good time. Beyond writing, I love adding too many books to my TBR pile, reading while cuddling with my dogs, and waffling between wanting to travel the world and wanting to never leave the house.\ \ 2. Your debut book Not Your Final Girl released May 5th. How have you been feeling? Excited? Overwhelmed? Everything in between?\ \ Yes! Absolutely everything, and it changes by the second. I’m frazzled, but mostly I’m feeling incredibly grateful. It’s a lifelong dream coming true, and I’m blown away by the support I’ve received. Close friends, family, former teachers, authors I've never even met, and so many members of the horror community, like you, have been so kind. The generosity and camaraderie have been astounding, and I appreciate it all so much.\ \ 3. What made you choose a slasher for your debut novel?\ \ A slasher has been on my bucket list for a long time. My first stab at it was in college, and I think it frightened my poor roommate, who was not a horror fan. Since then, I’ve written a few other novels, from a post-apocalyptic story to a western, but once this idea clicked, there was no turning back. It was such a smooth writing process, too; it bled right out of me.\ \ 4. Any specific films or media that helped influence your novel?\ \ There were so many influences, and most don't seem like they belong together. Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’urbervilles was a primary inspiration, with this being a partial retelling. Beyond that, Scream, Heathers, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, and Men, Women, and Chainsaws by Carol J. Clover. Plus every slasher novel, movie, show, or game that I’ve enjoyed since I was far too young for them to be appropriate.\ \ 5. What was your favorite scene to write? The hardest? \ \ Oh, that is difficult to answer and remain spoiler-free! For my favorite, I’ll say there is a scene with a shed, a wheelbarrow, and a surprise that was a lot of fun to write. The hardest was most likely the opening pages because I wanted to immerse the readers in that epic Final Girl climactic moment while introducing new characters.\ \ 6. Who was your favorite character to get inside the mind of? \ \ I loved them all, and bouncing between them was such a fun experience. It felt like I got to write five books in one! If I had to choose, I'd say Ashley because she challenged me the most. She is so confident and unrelenting that writing her perspective made me question how I phrase things and second-guess myself. I hope a bit of her spirit has stuck with me.\ \ 7. Are you currently working on any other projects at the moment? If so, can you drop us any hints?\ \ I’m currently querying my next novel, which I think of as a witchy X-Men horror noir. I'm also revising an "Eat the Rich" haunted house novella.\ \ 8. Tell us what you've been reading lately? Your favorite 2026 book? What books are on your backlist?\ \ I finally caught up on Something is Killing the Children and am enjoying Look What You Made Me Do, the Taylor Swift inspired horror anthology from Sobelo Books. My favorite book thus far is probably King Sorrow by Joe Hill. Sadly, I have far too many on my backlist, like Little Eve by Catriona Ward, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Gr a ham Jones, and Writhe by Abby Vail. I'm a terribly slow reader and can't seem to stop buying more books. But I refuse to feel bad about it because even if I can never read them all, they look pretty on my shelf, and I’m supporting those authors and publishers.\ \ 9. What books are you looking forward to releasing this year? How about movies?\ \ I’m so excited for Worry Box by Chris Panatier, Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle, and, of course, Kiss Slay Replay from Rachel Harrison, who is an autobuy author for me. Movie wise my most anticipated was Ready or Not 2 and I loved it! I’m also looking forward to Supergirl though Woman of Tomorrow wrecked me at times.\ \ 10. Did you have a playlist that you listened to when writing your book?\ \ Yes, and I have a Spotify playlist available for it here. In particular, Chvrches’ Screen Violence album features a lot.\ \ Thank you again, Mikayla, for allowing me to do this interview! You can follow Mikayla on Instagram at mik_randolph.\ \ Join for free or login](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/hpT2JVTsc25eJQ6nRMiO/)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Mikayla Randolph

13 books

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Apr 17

\ \ I'm bringing author interviews back on Bindery! Today I'm joined by the amazing Annie Neugebauer. Neugebauer is the author of several horror books that we will be talking about today!\ \ \ \ I have read both The Extra and The Other and loved them! I will definitely be checking out You Have To Let Them Bleed.\ \ Let's Dive into the interview!\ \ 1. I love to use this first question as an introduction. Feel free to tell us as much or as little as you want 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? Was it always horror or did you write genres as well?\ \ 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. @blankets_books from instagram/bindery would like to know What was your inspiration behind The Extra? Any books or media that helped influence the book?\ \ 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? If so, what has been your favorite trail/campground?\ \ 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. You also have a short story collection called You Have to Let Them Bleed that released in March. Care to tell us a little more about that one? Do you have a favorite story from it?\ \ 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 say, 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 (releasing 3/9/27), the third book in The Outsiders Sequence? \ \ 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 any writing routines or rituals that help you write?\ \ 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.What have been your top three 2026 horror releases? Movies?\ \ 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. Movies are the same way. Recent favorites were Sinners and Weapons.\ \ 9. What are a few of your 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. (At this phase in my life, the only time I’m on top of a trend is if I’m lucky enough to set one.)\ \ 10. Any upcoming horror books you're excited about? Movies?\ \ 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. (It’s not cool, but it’s a pretty effective screening process.) I’m cautiously optimistic about two of my favorite scary books being adapted for film: Josh Malerman's Incidents Around the House and Paul Tremblay's A Head Full of Ghosts. I have that book-lover’s fear of a movie not doing my mind’s vision of a beloved book justice.\ \ Use the space below to add in anything else you'd like to say! \ \ I have a couple of really big pieces of news coming any day now, so be sure to follow me online @AnnieNeugebauer and subscribe to my blog newsletter here https://annieneugebauer.com/subscribe/ to get the good stuff. :)\ \ Special thanks again to Annie Neugebauer for the opportunity to interview her! All books mentioned here can be found below. If you have not read any of Annie's works, be sure to pick up The Extra (out now) and pre-order The Other (June).\ \ Join for free or login](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/Gk3QQWupgqWgsqwYTC7E/)

Author Interview: Annie Neugebauer

15 books

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Mar 29

\ \ Nothing seems to get under my skin as much as bugs. They're gross and get into everything. The below books will be sure to stir up some buzz.\ \ Nestlings by Nat Cassidy--This book made me feel itchy. I felt like I needed to take a Raid bomb and bomb out my house!\ \ Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher-- SO MUCH BUG body horror. Brace yourself near the end!\ \ The Troop by Nick Cutter-- I cannot think about this book without thinking of WORMS.\ \ ITCH! by Gemma Amor-- The ants go crawling one by one hurrah!\ \ Shockwaves by Matt Kurtz--Amusement Parks and giant man-eating bugs! Nuff said.\ \ Cicada by Tanya Pell-- A movie festival, small town ritual, and giant cicadas? HECK YEAH.\ \ Join for free or login](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/RMaTY0Bs5mWLWtWPg5fx/)

Bug Horror

6 books

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Nov 14 2025

\ \ It's time for another author interview! Last week we talked with author Julia Jackson about her debut novel Powder & Poison. If you haven't read that interview you definitely should! Along with my interview with Stephanie Rose.\ \ This week help me in welcoming author Kelly Dwyer! Kelly Dwyer is the author of Ghost Mother, a chilling psychological/ghost horror.\ \ \ \ The book follows Lilly Bly and her husband as they take on a fixer-upper of a house way out of their price range. After purchasing the house, Lilly discovers the house has a dark history. Strange occurrences begin happening. Lilly begins to wonder if they are real or if they are all in her head.\ \ 1. Use this first question as an introduction. Tell us a little about yourself and your book.\ \

My name is Kelly Dwyer, and I am the author of GHOST MOTHER, a psychological ghost story. I'm a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and I currently divide my time between Los Angeles, where I grew up, and Wisconsin. I am married with a young adult daughter and a really cute pug named Roman.\ \ 2. You released Ghost Mother a year ago. It was such a powerful read. What inspired you to write it?\ \ Thank you so much, Ash. :) The day my husband and I were about to close on our first house, we found out there had been a murder in it. This was in Baraboo, Wisconsin, where the Ringling Brothers were from. Their first cousins were the Gollmar Brothers, who also owned a circus. Our house (a modest Craftsman, not a run-down mansion) had been built by one of the Gollmar Brothers, and when he died, his widow lived there by herself, and used to feed transients during the Depression. One night, during a robbery gone wrong, one of these men murdered her. My husband and I had a decision to make--knowing this, should we still buy the house? We decided that since it happened so long ago (in the 1930s), and since the woman who had lived in the house seemed really nice, we would go ahead, and indeed, we never felt any sort of haunting in the eight years we lived there. But it made me think--What if there had been the kind of tragic murder there that would make someone not want to buy a house? What if someone who bought the house did feel a haunting? What kind of person would that be? It was when I reread Henry James' "The Turn of the Screw" and I started imagining the ambiguity of--is the house haunted or is the protagonist losing touch with reality?--that the novel really came together for me.\ \ 3. I absolutely love the "couple moves to a new house that needs repairs in hopes it'll save their marriage' trope that is featured in Ghost Mother. What are some of your favorite horror tropes? Any favorite books that feature these tropes?\ \ Yes, it's so fun to write--and read--books that dig into tropes or put a new spin on them! When I was writing GHOST MOTHER, I read a lot of haunted house books; I think my favorites, besides James', are The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, Rebecca by Daphne du Maruier, and The Shining by Stephen King. (See The Most Classic Haunted House books by Kelly Dwyer for an article I wrote on the subject.) I was also inspired by films like "Rosemary's Baby" and the TV show "The Haunting of Hill House." I think the thing that interested me the most about that trope was the question, "What is haunting you?" Two people--as you say, in this case, a couple--could move into a house, and one person will feel haunted, while the other doesn't sense anything. Is that because one person is more open to the supernatural? Is that because ghosts seek certain people out? Or is it because someone is so haunted by their past--their losses, their traumas--that they are prone to sense a haunting where maybe there isn't one? I don't know, but I love the question, and as a writer, I love the ambiguity involved\ \ 4. What was the most difficult part of writing Ghost Mother?\ \ The most difficult part of writing GHOST MOTHER was getting the backstory of the 1950s tragedy in the house right. It had to be compelling. I knew I wanted a nod to the circus, which had been a part of our former house's history. But it also had to be thematically resonant. I wrote three completely different backstories before my agent said, "Yep, this is it." Now, looking back, it seems so obvious, but wow, it took me a while!\ \ 5. Were there any scenes or characters that were harder to write than others? Any that were easier?\ \ Getting Jack and Lilly's relationship to feel real and be complicated was a challenge for me. Bobby Shawcross was the easiest character to write! I don't know where he came from, but everything about him--his speech, his voice, his appearance--just landed in my head fully formed.\ \ 6. Were there any scenes that you had to edit out of Ghost Mother that you wish you had left in?\ \ I love this question, because the short answer is, No! I sold GHOST MOTHER at a 100 pages longer than it is now. My editor asked me to make it tighter. She didn't tell me what to cut, or suggest a word count, but I knew I wanted it to be shorter than 350 pages. (I think it came in at 336 by the end.) To cut those hundred pages, I cut any repetitious scenes, started the story moving quicker, and cut out any unnecessary backstory. At the time, I thought maybe those scenes from the past were important so that the reader could understand and sympathize with Lilly, but after I cut them, I realized that I need to write them to understand and sympathize with Lilly, but the reader didn't need to read them. My new mantra is, When in doubt, cut!\ \ 7. Do you have any other projects in the works?\ \ Yes indeed! I am working on a new novel inspired by fairy tales, Hollywood, and a mansion with a bg, dark secret. It's a lot of fun!\ \ 8. 2025 has been a great year for horror. What have been your top three reads that you've read so far?\ \ Oh, boy. So many--and I'm so behind! I'm reading The Buffalo Hunter now, and it's taking me a while, because I read and reread Stephen Graham Jones' sentences again and again. He's amazing. I also really enjoyed and admired Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix, Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, The Lamb by Lucy Rose, and--one that was written a few years ago, in 1872, but I just read for the first time-- Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. Give me a gothic lesbian vampire story set in an isolated castle and I'm in!\ \ 9. Do you have any special routines that help you get ready to write?\ \ I like to set candles, set an intention. Like Proust and Edith Wharton, I write in bed.\ \ 10. If Ghost Mother was ever adapted into a film, do you have a dream cast?\ \ GHOST MOTHER is in pre-pre-pre-pre... production, meaning, my film agent introduced me to a director I really like, and she's interested in writing the screenplay and making the film. I would love to see this novel on the screen, and I feel like there are so many women actors about Lilly's age (37 or thereabouts) who would be amazing in the role: Emma Stone, Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman (think of her in The Black Swan), Anna Taylor-Joy... maybe Florence Pugh wouldn't be too young by the time it was cast. :) I always pictured Jack as looking like Theo James. Anybody free?\ \ 11. Bonus question from Kelly: I'd like to ask you and your readers a question now, if you don't mind. Do you like horror books about horror movies? If so, what do you like about them? If not, what do you dislike? Do you have any favorites/ any recommendations? \ \ Thanks for the question, Kelly! I am a huge fan of Hollywood horror! There are several books I just love such as Night Film, Curse of The Reaper, Burn The Negative, Silver Nitrate, and more. I'll drop a few links to posts on my instagram where I showcase some more horror set on movie screens/ hollywood.\ \ Film/Hollywood Horror\ \ Hollywood Horror\ \ Special thanks again to Kelly for taking the time to talk with me! Be sure to pick up a copy of Ghost Mother if you haven't already read it. It was one of my favorites last year!\ \ You can follow Kelly on Instagram or on her website.\ \ Join for free or login](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/7nf3tTvIGO7Y4eK8lvTb/)

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: KELLY DWYER

14 books

ash.reads.horror\ \ ash\ \ • Nov 5 2025

\ \ Hi all and welcome to my review of One Bad Night published by Aardvark Bookclub. \ \ In case you're unfamiliar with Aardvark Bookclub, they are a monthly subscription box similar to Book of The Month. Not only do they have fantastic book selections each month (including horror books), but they also do a fantastic job with their social media. I love trying to decode the hints they drop each month of what their books will be. Last month they dropped their first ever short story collection. A horror themed anthology featuring some fantastic names in horror fiction. All the authors previously had a book featured in the Subscription Box.\ \ I LOVED this anthology. There was not a single bad story featured.\ \ Below, I plan to break down each story and give my thoughts. I'll do my best to keep this spoil free!\ \ Two Observers of The Slaughter Rights On Gannet Island by Kay Chronister\ \ \ \ To kick off the collection we follow an anthropologist and his wife as they look for a new and groundbreaking discovery for a book. They catch wind of an island where once a year a mysterious ritual is preformed. The couple is allowed to stay and view the ritual as long as they don't interfere.\ \ Kay Chronister is the author of The Bog Wife and Desert Creatures. Chronister's short story featured was a great way to open! I found myself enthralled by this mysterious, isolated community and the strange ritual they do. For animal lovers be warned there is cattle sacrifice in this one. I think this story is perfect for fans of Midsommar.\ \ My Lithopedia by Del Sandeen\ \ \ \ This one helped me learn a new word! In My Lithopedia, a woman learns that she had an unborn twin sister that was extracted as a stone baby during her mother's autopsy. The woman decides to take the stone baby home and things quickly go awry from there.\ \ Del Sandeen is the author of This Cursed House. This one gave me chills. Can you imagine carrying a calcified fetus in your body for decades? And the medical gaslighting in this one is the most horrifying thing of all. Why are pains often dismissed and not investigated? Anyway, this story was wild. I loved the slow descent into madness the story told. I love a good unreliable narrator!\ \ Lady Jawbone by Kylie Lee Baker\ \ \ \ Imagine a world so dark that the only light you see could also be your demise. This is the world Baker has built in Lady Jawbone. It follows Lilou who works in a hellish phosphorus match factory. The only light comes from dim candles and the scalding oven. One day a strange, new worker appears promising an escape to a world full of light.\ \ Kylie Lee Baker is the author of Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng ( a favorite of mine). Lady Jawbone captures isolation and bleakness perfectly! I loved the shimmer of hope this stranger offered the characters in this dark world.\ \ A Necromancer’s Guide to Reconnecting with Your Ex by Rachel Harrison\ \ \ \ What better way to reconnect with your ex than death? Roxanne is able to see and communicate with the dead. When her ex appears out of the blue after years without talking, they take a little time to reconnect. Especially since he's dead...But when he ask Roxanne to resurrect him, she has to grapple with what it means to truly let go.\ \ Rachel Harrison is the author of several horror books such as Black Sheep and So Thirsty. Harrison does a fantastic job capturing grief and the what ifs. Death hits us hard. We do questionable things out of grief--something Pet Sematary by Stephen King captures so well. While this story isn't the scariest out of the collection, it definitely packs a punch for all the people who think "what if I did this instead of that?"\ \ Red Tide by CJ Leede\ \ \ \ This story will make you think twice about working in an aquarium. A woman running from her past gets a job at an aquarium in a small town. When the red tide rolls in, she learns about the mythic "spectre fish" which is a carnivorous mer-fish. When everything around her starts going wrong, she starts to wonder if this legend has some truth behind it.\ \ CJ Leede is the author of American Rapture and Maeve Fly.This one was creepy! It definitely gave me some Into The Drowning Deep vibes with the killer mer-creatures! Leede does a fantastic job capturing beautiful yet gruesome imagery in her work. \ \ 47 Pineview Way by Jennifer Thorne\ \ \ \ An anxious mother drops her son off at his first ever sleepover party. The next morning when she goes to pick him up, the house is gone. The other parents begin losing their memories of their children, but she holds strong in hopes of find her son.\ \ Jennifer Thorne is the author of Diavola. This story captures the anxieties of parenthood perfectly. Sometimes intrusive thoughts pop into our head. Things like--maybe it would've been easier if they were never born. But if given the opportunity would we actually allow that to happen? Or would we fight for the ones we love?\ \ A Meditation on the Existence of Certain Cutlery (There is No Spoon) by SA Barnes\ \ \ \ Commander Janna Field is on a covert mission to the lunar south pole—or so she thinks. Toggling between two realities, Janna must determine whether she’s trapped on the moon’s surface, struggling to breathe in a damaged space suit, or whether she’s actually the victim of an immersive training simulation gone wrong.\ \ SA Barnes is the author of several space horror novels including Ghost Station and Dead Silence. This one messed with my mind! It was so hard to tell what was actually happening. I love a good psychological horror and this did not disappoint. And the isolation of space made it even more chilling. \ \ One Bad Night by Stephen Graham Jones\ \ \ \ And the last story in this collection is One Bad Night by Stephen Graham Jones. Just a heads up animal lovers, this one does deal with a sick, old Corgi! Steck, an aging, lonely man becomes fixated on a sinister green parrot after it predicts the death of his beloved dog. Torn between his dying father and dog, Steck is confronted with an impossible choice.\ \ Stephen Graham Jones is the author of over 35 novels/novellas. This one was just sad for me. The difficulty of losing both a father and a beloved family pet at the same time is something no one should ever have to face--but we do anyway. I think the true horror of this one is how closely it resembles the horrors of real life.\ \ Thanks for reading this review! If you've read this collection let me know your thoughts down below!\ \ Join for free or login](https://ashreadshorror.binderybooks.com/item/ka6RzE5eAypN2R7EL2A1/)

One Bad Night: A Deeper Dive

12 books