Joshua Chaplinsky's Blog
March 12, 2026
The Man in the Watch Still Visits Me At Night: Fangoria First Look!
“The Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at Night”
Cover by Matthew Revert
Out September 22, 2006 from CLASH Books
House of Leaves meets David Lynch in a surreal horror novel exploring generational trauma and the monsters it breeds, from Joshua Chaplinsky, cult author of Letters to the Purple Satin Killer.
The lives of three unlikely women unfold to reveal a shared history of neglect and abuse. At the center looms the Vogel House, a facade of rotten wood and sagging eaves that plays host to a parasitic dream—the malevolent entity known as The Man in the Watch.
After spending the night in an abandoned house, Jenna Thomas returns home haunted by someone else’s past. She revisits the scene in the hopes of exorcising her dreams, only to uncover something far worse. Mrs. Vogel receives an unexpected letter from her estranged daughter. It fills the old woman with hope for the future, even though her daughter is long since dead. Meanwhile, a young woman contends with the legacy of her father while simultaneously fighting for the future of her unborn child.
The Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at Night thrusts readers into a nightmarish dead zone of overlapping realities, presided over by a malignant force that manipulates memory and delights in human suffering.
Check out this first look over at FANGORIA.COM, including an exclusive excerpt from the novel.
PRE-ORDER NOW!
October 16, 2025
New Novel Announcement: “The Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at Night”
The Man in the Watch Still Visits Me at Night coming October 2026 from CLASH Books.
From the author of Letters to the Purple Satin Killer comes a surreal examination of generational trauma as filtered through the lens of the modern haunted house novel.
August 16, 2024
Dear Reviewers...
August 2, 2024
‘Letters to the Purple Satin Killer’ is out now!
I’ll be compiling as much press as I can here.
PODCASTS
—The ARC Party w/ Robb Olson
—Paper Cuts Live Ep. 78
—Ruminations of Redrum
—Legends of Tabletop Ep. 205
INTERVIEWS
—Fangoria w/ Meredith Borders
—Bobby Miller Time
—The Madhouse Review w/ Stephanie M. Wytovich
REVIEWS
—FanFiAddict
—The Horror Maven
—Publisher’s Weekly
—Heavy Feather Review
—The Library Ladies
—Stranger Sights
—The Next Best Book Blog
—Reader Views Book Review Blog
—Legends of the Tabletop
—Ghostvillehero
—Fiendfully Reading
—Volume 1 Brooklyn
GUEST POSTS
—A Brief History of the Epistolary Novel at Writers Digest
—Why the Epistolary Format Works So Well in Crime Fiction at Crime Reads
—10 Books that Influenced Letters to the Purple Satin Killer at Ginger Nuts of Horror
—My Top 5 Movies About Serial Killers (that influenced LTTPSK) at The Next Best Book Blog
—The Page 69 Test at The Next Best Book Blog
—Letters to the Purple Satin Killer Spotify Playlist
—Excerpt: A Letter from Judith Williker at Read By Dusk
“Letters to the Purple Satin Killer”
I’ll be compiling as much press as I can here.
PODCASTS
—The ARC Party w/ Robb Olson
—Paper Cuts Live Ep. 78
—Legends of Tabletop Ep. 205
INTERVIEWS
—Fangoria w/ Meredith Borders
—Bobby Miller Time
—The Madhouse Review w/ Stephanie M. Wytovich
REVIEWS
—FanFiAddict
—The Horror Maven
—Publisher’s Weekly
—The Library Ladies
—Stranger Sights
—The Next Best Book Blog
—Reader Views Book Review Blog
—Legends of the Tabletop
GUEST POSTS
—My Top 5 Movies About Serial Killers (that influenced Letters to the Purple Satin Killer) at The Next Best Book Blog
—The Page 69 Test at The Next Best Book Blog
'Letters to the Purple Satin Killer' come out Today!!!
I’ll be compiling as much press as I can here.
PODCASTS
—The ARC Party w/ Robb Olson
—Paper Cuts Live Ep. 78
—Legends of Tabletop Ep. 205
INTERVIEWS
—Fangoria w/ Meredith Borders
—Bobby Miller Time
—The Madhouse Review w/ Stephanie M. Wytovich
REVIEWS
—FanFiAddict
—The Horror Maven
—Publisher’s Weekly
—The Library Ladies
—Stranger Sights
—The Next Best Book Blog
—Reader Views Book Review Blog
—Legends of the Tabletop
GUEST POSTS
—My Top 5 Movies About Serial Killers (that influenced Letters to the Purple Satin Killer) at The Next Best Book Blog
—The Page 69 Test at The Next Best Book Blog
July 24, 2024
July 8, 2024
Purple Palahniuk Prize Pack!
https://x.com/JaceyCockrobin/status/1...
Prize pack includes:
-My personal ARC of Letters to the Purple Satin Killer, marked w/ my final notes & edits
-The last known Kanye West—Reanimaor glow-in-the-dark t-shirt (small)
-Postcards From the Future DVD: a Chuck Palahniuk documentary I co-directed, signed by Chuck!
-A Whispers in the Ear of A Dreaming Ape sticker!
July 2, 2024
Letters to the Purple Satin Killer comes out in 1 Month!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Maybe even consider preordering! Paul Tremblay called it "a unique satire of an American nightmare." Clay McLeod Chapman said you "better wear rubber gloves when you crack open this brutally captivating book."
https://www.clashbooks.com/new-produc...
Jonas Williker is considered one of the most sadistic serial murderers of the modern era. This epistolary novel explores the aftermath of his arrest and the psychological trauma of those who lived through it.
The Pennsylvania native brutalized his way into the zeitgeist during the early part of the new millennium, leaving a trail of corpses across five states before his eventual arrest. All told, Williker was responsible for the rape and murder of 23 women, and is suspected in the deaths of dozens more. His calling card—a torn piece of fabric found on or inside the bodies of his victims—helped popularize his now ubiquitous nickname.
The Purple Satin Killer.
In the years following his arrest, Jonas Williker received hundreds of letters in prison. Collected here, these letters offer a unique glimpse into a depraved mind through a human lens, including contributions from family, the bereaved, and self-professed “fans.” They represent a chilling portrait of the American psyche, skewering a media obsessed culture where murderers are celebrities to revere. What you learn about the man from these letters will shock you, but not as much as what you learn about yourself.
