Tag: horror

Women in Horror Interview Series: Holly Knightley

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Holly Knightley is a compelling horror writer, known for crafting dark, gripping tales that always deliver unexpected, sinister twists.

Can you talk about your latest book and what readers might find appealing about it?

My short story, Piggy, just came out on Feb 15th! It was an average day when Alley Faye found a five-dollar bill on the ground with a message: Here piggy, piggy, piggy. Greed is a sin, and you just let me in. This quick 38-page read will keep readers on their toes until the last page. This story has true crime vibes with a stalker who has a thing for the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs.’

What’s a book you can’t stop recommending?

We are talking women in horror, and I would be remiss not to say ‘Frankenstein’ by Mary Shelley. It is one of my favorite books, if not my favorite. Shelley explores themes of morality while giving her readers one amazing monster story where who is the ‘real’ monster is always in question. There is a reason this story still haunts readers today, it is simply brilliant.

Can you explain your writing process? What inspires you?

Most of my stories are inspired by my real-life experiences or moments that have made me pause. You know, that feeling that you get when something unsettles you? I explore why things make me feel the way I do, often using the supernatural to tell the story. My process usually goes the same. Something makes me pause to think and my brain whispers the story to me. If I have the time, I will outline the entire story the moment it pops into my head. If not, I will at least get down the vibe and characters and come back to it later.

Is there a snack or drink that gets you into a writing mindset?

Coke Zero. I am totally addicted to it and can’t start my day without it. I have a can in the morning, sometimes two—that’s when I know it’s going to be a good writing day.

Are there any horror tropes you especially love in books or films?

I love the haunted house trope. Nothing scares me more than a haunted house. When I was a child, I always thought: Just leave. As an adult, I realize you can’t just leave, which has made this trope and genre scarier for me. Throw in an unreliable narrator and buried secrets, and I’m hooked.

Who’s your favorite final girl?

This is a hard question, there are so many great final girls, but I am going with Ellen Ripley, Sigourney Weaver’s character from ‘Alien’. She’s badass and hot as Hell.

Are you currently working on anything new?

Yes, I have a new haunted house mystery thriller coming out July 16th entitled Cadbury House. This is such a fun mashup between the haunted house trope and haunted object trope. The story is pure chaos, in the very best way, and I can’t wait for it to be read!

You can keep up with her writing at: https://hollyknightley.com/

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Behind the Scenes: This Fever Called Living

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Juliette’s isolation is drawn from my own sense of disconnect as a teenager living in Sicily. Early readers of This Fever Called Living have noted how jarring it feels to encounter modern technology in a setting that seems steeped in history. The truth is, living in Sicily felt just as contradictory. You had modern conveniences like cell phones and the internet, but step outside, and you were surrounded by ancient ruins. Every town seemed like a remnant of whichever empire had once claimed it. This jarring mix was intentional, just as the repetition is. I often find certain phrases looping in my mind, or a song on repeat for hours. Repetition becomes a kind of self-soothing mechanism, a way of coping with the noise of the world.

The passage of time in the novella is intentionally ambiguous. In the present, everything unfolds between January and February, stretching into early March. The past, however, is set in the summer of 1998. As a teenager, time moved in strange ways—winters felt endless, while summers seemed to slip by in a blink. Time itself felt hazy and distorted, and I wanted to capture that sense of unraveling in Juliette’s journey.

This Fever Called Living is a fever dream drenched in tragedy.

The novella comes out March 3.

The Plot Summary:

A dark retelling/mashup of Carmilla and The Fall of the House of Usher.

Palermo, Sicily 1999.

Juliette suffers from a rare illness that keeps her hidden from the sun. Her winter days at Villa Astrid are filled with isolation and gnawing hunger, haunted by fragmented memories of a summer she can’t quite piece together.

Then Elenoire arrives.

Mysterious and magnetic, Elenoire captivates Juliette in a way that’s both thrilling and terrifying. There’s something dangerous about her, something Juliette can’t name. She knows she should keep her distance, yet all she can think about is kissing her.

Meanwhile, young women are turning up dead across Palermo. Whispers of a serial killer spread through the city, but Juliette suspects that something darker is at play. Something not entirely human.

You can pre-order the book HERE.

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Interview with Emma Arneil Podcaster of The Horror and Her

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Emma Arneil’s The Horror and Her podcast delves into the horror genre and pop culture with a focus on the the representation of women and non binary voices in the genre. She often brings a feminist perspective to the discussion and with her guests tries to explore what horror means to them on a personal level.

Can you talk about your podcast and how it differs from others that are out there?

My podcast The Horror and Her is a podcast that celebrates women, femme and non binary voices in horror. Each episode begins with my guest’s horror origin story, the film that made them first fall in love with the genre. From there we chat about how their relationship with horror has evolved through their life. What makes the show different is that we do not just talk about films we love; we talk about what horror says about power, identity and how this genre can be so personal and transformative and for so many of us, lifesaving.

Whats a book and film you can’t stop recommending?

I have just recently finished Scream with Me – Horror Films and the rise of American Feminism (1968-1980) by Eleanor Johnson and found it such a powerful and insightful read. Johnson links horror classics from the 60s to the 80s and how it was linked to second wave feminism with a real focus on reproductive rights, domestic and patriarchal violence and the war on women’s bodies.

A film I always recommend to anyone asking me for a horror recommendation is John Carpenter’s Halloween. A masterclass in atmosphere and tension and still holds up 47 years later. I could also listen to the soundtrack on repeat forever.

Can you explain how you choose what you decide to talk about on your podcast?

The podcast always starts with a conversation about the film that first sparked something for the guest and what the film says about power and identity.  From there we explore the themes of the film through a feminist lens. Even when we return to films that have been discussed before, each guest brings a new perspective. I love that so much! That the same texts can be constantly reframed and through different women experiences.

Is there a specific drink you like sipping on during your podcast?

I would love to say that I ensure that I am always hydrated and only drink water. Sadly, its nearly always Coke Zero!

Are there any horror tropes you especially love in books or films?

My favourite trope is a final girl but a final girl who is flawed and complex. A final girl who rescues herself and pulls herself out of whatever horror she finds herself in.

Who’s your favourite final girl?

My favourite final girl is Nancy Thompson from Nightmare on Elm Street, she is, for me, the ultimate final girl…a great friend, resourceful and brave as hell!



You can check out The Horror and Her podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6QBrXRe8ElJDR4Zkw2Xims?si=VN6uCYilS8-kgB5RQ0WnMg&nd=1&dlsi=445e907dd3ee47c9

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Interview with Viggy Parr Hampton

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Viggy Parr Hampton has carved out a prominent place in the horror world. With her spine-chilling books and the popular podcast Horror Humor Hunger, she’s become a go-to expert on everything from horror history to the darkest, most unsettling facts. Now, with her latest release, A Veritable Household Pet, she’s ready to haunt our nightmares in a whole new way.

Can you talk about your latest book and what readers might find appealing about it?

My latest book, A Veritable Household Pet, is horror of a different stripe than usual. Darla Gregory receives a transorbital lobotomy at the age of eleven, and she is never the same. The book follows her life in the aftermath of the surgery, as well as the life of her older sister Ellie, who acts as her caretaker and the reluctant scribe for her story, injecting her views where relevant. A Veritable Household Pet explores a suite of very real terrors, rooted in true history: medical malpractice, family trauma, toxic relationships, mental illness, caregiver fatigue, misogyny, the loss of autonomy and identity, and so much more. It’s my favorite book yet, because it will make readers feel for the characters incredibly deeply.

You always do so much research for your books, what’s something you found out when researching that was surprising or horrifying?

One of the most horrifying pieces of information I came across directly inspired the title of the book. While doing my research on lobotomies, I kept finding before and after photos of patients. In the before photos, the patients would invariably look unkempt and unwell, and in the after photos, while they looked well-groomed and might even be smiling, their eyes looked completely vacant. One such before and after photo even had a caption that said the post-lobotomy patient was ‘a veritable household pet.’ The way these patients were treated as infantilized, docile creatures is both heartbreaking and horrifying in equal measure.

What’s a book you can’t stop recommending?

My Lobotomy by Howard Dully is the memoir of a man who received a lobotomy at the age of 12. It was a pivotal source for my research, but it’s also one of the most fascinating books I’ve ever read in its own right. I will never stop recommending this one!

Can you explain your writing process? What inspires you?

Every time I sit down to start a new novel, I think: Wait a minute, what am I doing? Every novel feels like its own microcosm, but here’s my general process. First, I spend a few months (or even longer) letting the ideas build up and marinate. I keep a notebook with bits and pieces of ideas, and when those ideas start to outgrow the pages, I move them to a document in my writing processor of choice, Scrivener. Then, I make note of any research I’ll need to do—books to read, movies to watch, podcasts to listen to, etc. After I’ve done enough research that I feel ready—or, if the characters start knocking on the proverbial door too hard, whichever comes first—I’ll start writing. I’ve been a plotter in the past, but now I’m a certified pantser.

In terms of inspiration, I pull things from everywhere—articles I’ve read, stories I’ve heard, history I’ve researched, places I’ve been. All of my books have some thread of truth or history running through them, which I think makes them that much punchier.

Is there a snack or drink that gets you into a writing mindset?

Lately I’ve been really loving having a cup of hot green tea next to me. It’s relaxing, and it helps signal my brain that it’s time to get down to business.

Are there any horror tropes you especially love in books or films?

I love two things: an unreliable, complicated narrator and an unhappy ending! It’s horror, after all—I don’t want to come away from it smiling!

Are you currently working on anything new?


My fifth novel, Ripped Up the Middle in Two, will publish in late July, and I’m currently getting that one in shape. It’s a creature feature motherhood horror about a postpartum mom who thinks there’s an evil fairy in the woods that wants to steal her baby. I’m also about to start work on my sixth novel, which will be a time travel-spin on the haunted house story.

A Veritable Household Pet is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites.

You can keep up with her writing at: https://viggyhampton.com/

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Book Review: Hemlock and Silver by T. Kingfisher

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PLOT SUMMARY:

Healer Anja regularly drinks poison.

Not to die, but to save—seeking cures for those everyone else has given up on.

But a summons from the King interrupts her quiet, herb-obsessed life. His daughter, Snow, is dying, and he hopes Anja’s unorthodox methods can save her.

Aided by a taciturn guard, a narcissistic cat, and a passion for the scientific method, Anja rushes to treat Snow, but nothing seems to work. That is, until she finds a secret world, hidden inside a magic mirror. This dark realm may hold the key to what is making Snow sick.

Or it might be the thing that kills them all.

GRADE: C

REVIEW:

I’m not usually a fan of fantasy, but I’ve enjoyed every T. Kingfisher book I’ve read so far, so I decided to give this one a try. It also helped that it was marketed as a Snow White retelling—and I’m a total sucker for fairytale retellings.

The good:
Some readers felt the protagonist, Anja, had too much internal monologue, but I didn’t mind it at all. I found her engaging, and it never felt annoying to me. I also absolutely loved the character of Grayling, who easily became a standout.

The not-so-good:
Action-wise, it felt like not much really happened. The mystery surrounding the king’s daughter’s illness wasn’t especially compelling, and I couldn’t help feeling there was a lot of missed potential—particularly when it came to the mirror realm, which could have been explored much more deeply.

Overall:
I really enjoyed Jennifer Pickens’ narration of the audiobook, and I think her performance helped make the story feel more engaging than it might have otherwise. Still, from a plot standpoint, the book didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & MacMillan Audio for the audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Book Review: Hazelthorn by CG Drews

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PLOT SUMMARY:

Evander has lived like a ghost in the forgotten corners of the Hazelthorn estate ever since he was taken in by his reclusive billionaire guardian, Byron Lennox-Hall, when he was a child. For his safety, Evander has been given three ironclad rules to follow:

He can never leave the estate. He can never go into the gardens. And most importantly, he can never again be left alone with Byron’s charming, underachieving grandson, Laurie.

That last rule has been in place ever since Laurie tried to kill Evander seven years ago, and yet somehow Evander is still obsessed with him.

When Byron suddenly dies, Evander inherits Hazelthorn’s immense gothic mansion and acres of sprawling grounds, along with the entirety of the Lennox-Hall family’s vast wealth. But Evander’s sure his guardian was murdered, and Laurie may be the only one who can help him find the killer before they come for Evander next.

Perhaps even more concerning is how the overgrown garden is refusing to stay behind its walls, slipping its vines and spores deeper into the house with each passing day. As the family’s dark secrets unravel alongside the growing horror of their terribly alive, bloodthirsty garden, Evander needs to find out what he’s really inheriting before the garden demands to be fed once more.

GRADE: B+

REVIEW:

I experienced Hazelthorn as an audiobook, and narrator Michael Crouch did an excellent job bringing the story to life. His performance captured the gothic, moody atmosphere perfectly, and his character voices were distinct and engaging throughout.

I’ll admit that I didn’t really like the main character, Evander. While I understood the reasons behind his intense anxiety, his inner monologue often felt repetitive and grating. I was also not especially drawn in by the book’s opening, which initially presents itself as a murder mystery—an element that turned out to be far less interesting than the story’s true strengths.

What I did love was the writing itself. Drews’s prose is lush and atmospheric, vividly capturing the emotional pain endured by both Evander and Laurie. The concept of the deadly garden was fascinating, and I appreciated how its existence affected not just the main characters but everyone around them. Although the villains fell into the familiar trope of cruel, wealthy antagonists, it didn’t detract much from my enjoyment.

Overall, I liked the ending and found the book memorable for its mood and writing style. I’m definitely looking forward to reading more from this author.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & Recorded Books for the audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Book Review: The Graceview Patient by Caitlin Starling

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PLOT SUMMARY:

Margaret’s rare autoimmune condition has destroyed her life, leaving her isolated and in pain. It has no cure, but she’s making do as best she can—until she’s offered a fully paid-for spot in an experimental medical trial at Graceview Memorial.

The conditions are simple, if grueling: she will live at the hospital as a full-time patient, subjecting herself to the near-total destruction of her immune system and its subsequent regeneration. The trial will essentially kill most of, but not all of her. But as the treatment progresses and her body begins to fail, she stumbles upon something sinister living and spreading within the hospital.

Unsure of what’s real and what is just medication-induced delusion, Margaret struggles to find a way out as her body and mind succumb further to the darkness lurking throughout Graceview’s halls.

GRADE: B-

REVIEW:

The Graceview Patient was marketed as Invasion of the Body Snatchers meets Misery, and since I love both, I went in expecting this to be right up my alley. And in many ways, it was. That said, experiencing it as an audiobook added an extra layer of surreal intensity—especially since it’s narrated by Xe Sands, who also read Spread Me. Her voice turned an already disorienting story into a full-blown fever dream.

Meg has lived for years with a rare autoimmune disease that has slowly stripped away her relationships, her career, and any sense of normalcy. When she’s offered a spot in an experimental medical trial—one that will completely destroy her immune system before rebuilding it—she agrees. After all, she feels she has nothing left to lose (and getting paid doesn’t hurt). But as the treatment progresses, unsettling things start happening, and Meg begins to suspect that the experiment isn’t quite what she was told. Something else may be using her body as its test subject.

This is a deeply trippy, slow-burn descent into medical horror. If you enjoy unsettling atmosphere, creeping paranoia, and stories that blur the line between reality and hallucination, this one’s worth your time. Just be warned: if you’re not into slow burns, it may feel overly repetitive or too dreamlike to fully click.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for the audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Book Review: What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher

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PLOT SUMMARY:

Alex Easton does not want to visit America.

They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.

But when their old friend Dr. Denton summons them to help find his lost cousin—who went missing in that very mine—well, sometimes a sworn soldier has to do what a sworn soldier has to do…

GRADE: A

REVIEW:

This third installment in the Sworn Soldier series delighted me from the start—especially with its eerie West Virginia setting. One of the things I adore about Kingfisher’s work is how she blends dark, gnarly horror with just the right amount of humor, and this book is no exception.

Like the previous entry, What Stalks the Deep introduces a cast of quirky, compelling characters and builds a mystery that pulls you in deeper with every chapter. Following Alex Easton on another wild adventure was a blast, and the shift into the claustrophobic world of the mines adds an extra layer of tension. Mines are unsettling on their own—add Kingfisher’s imagination, and they become downright terrifying.

The audiobook deserves special praise. The performance brings the atmosphere, characters, and creeping dread vividly to life. Honestly, I think it may be the best way to experience this story.

If you’ve enjoyed the earlier books in the series, this is an absolute must-read. It expands the world in exciting ways, leans into cosmic horror with a hint of sci-fi, and delivers another gripping, weird, wonderful journey with Easton at the helm.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Book Review: Spread Me by Sarah Gailey

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PLOT SUMMARY:

Kinsey has the perfect job as the team lead in a remote research outpost. She loves the solitude, and the way the desert keeps her far away from the temptations teeming out in the civilian world.

When her crew discovers a mysterious specimen buried deep in the sand, Kinsey breaks quarantine and brings it into the hab. But the longer it’s inside, the more her carefully controlled life begins to unravel. Temptation has found her after all, and it can’t be ignored any longer.

One by one, Kinsey’s team realizes the thing they’re studying is in search of a new host—and one of them is the perfect candidate….

GRADE: B-

REVIEW:

This book is definitely one for the freaks—in the best possible way—as it boldly fuses horror with erotica. Imagine The Thing, but trade the Arctic ice for scorching desert sand. Kinsey’s research team stumbles upon a bizarre creature buried in the dunes and, against all common sense, brings it inside to study. That’s when the infection starts… and when the story takes its turn into unsettling, seductive territory.

Kinsey herself harbors a strange fetish: she craves the idea of being overtaken by a virus, of something alien curling its way inside her. As the infection spreads through the team, she finds herself terrifyingly close to getting exactly what she’s always fantasized about—if she’s willing to surrender to it.

It’s a weird, wild ride. I enjoyed the characters and the sheer audacity of the premise, but this is definitely not a universal crowd-pleaser. If you like your erotica served with a generous splash of body horror, this one might be right up your alley. Otherwise, consider yourself warned.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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Book Review: Bed Rot Baby by Wendy Dalrymple

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Her life is falling apart… like, literally.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Being a sugar baby isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. After a failed art career and a failed relationship, Baby has lost her way. She’s adrift in the post-Y2K, pre-Facebook world and stuck in her Florida hometown, selling stolen goods online and working as a sugar baby. Even though she’s hustling hard, there’s still never enough money to pay the bills, and her long-suffering roommate is ready to put her out on the streets. One night after a bad date with her sugar daddy, Baby is assaulted by a mysterious woman in a parking lot. The attack leaves her disoriented and exhausted, so Baby takes to her bed to lie there and rot, like, for real. With every passing day, Baby’s looks and health decline in strange and horrific ways. Soon, it becomes apparent that the strange woman who assaulted her had something to do with her declining state. Baby needs to find her attacker, reclaim her life and her beauty, and get her shit together once and for all. But at what cost?

Bed Rot Baby is a pink horror meditation of self-discovery through self-destruction, and the real cost of self-image, self-esteem, and beauty.

GRADE: A

REVIEW:

Bed Rot Baby is a strange, stylish little gem, eerie, satirical, and surprisingly tender. Wendy Dalrymple offers a fresh and unsettling take on themes of immortality and beauty, exploring what happens when the desire to stay young and untouched by time turns obsessive.

Rather than leaning on the usual tropes, Dalrymple injects the story with biting social commentary and dark humor. The idea of eternal youth is twisted into something claustrophobic, even grotesque, and the result is a story that feels both modern and mythic. It’s a clever reflection on sugar baby culture, the commodification of beauty, and the way society rewards women for staying small, still, and pretty forever.

The writing is sharp and compact, the tone shifting between dreamy and disturbing in all the right ways. It’s not a long read, but it lingers.

If you’re into offbeat horror with something to say, especially about the cost of being “perfect” forever Bed Rot Baby is well worth your time.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley & Quill & Crow Publishing House for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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