Sarah Langan's Blog

Behind the Door # 11 (Maybe??)

Hi, folks!

Two big things

1) My novella PAM KOWOLSKI IS A MONSTER! is out from RDS Press. You can get it directly from the publisher, or from any of the usual suspects, in hardback, paperback, ebook, and audio book (audio is coming in about a week). Hopefully you’ll check it out.

Reviewer and author Lindy Ryan (BLESS YOUR HEART) wrote in The Chill Quill: “Langan delivers an unabashedly, brutally fun thrill ride in this totally unhinged, absurdly delightful ripper of a novella.”

To my delight, three other writers I greatly admire also lent words of support:

“I couldn’t have loved this more. Funny, smart, disturbing, creepy. The novella that 2025 deserves.”– Paul Tremblay, author of Horror Movie

“…simply genius in the way it explores the changeable nature of memory and whether it’s possible to escape a traumatic past. No one writes defiant, damaged characters like Sarah Langan; no matter how they try to hide it, you see every bruise.” —Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor

“A high school reunion is the end of the world in this slap-happy, upbeat carnival ride into the Apocalypse.” –Grady Hendrix (that guy in the suit with all the bestsellers!)

The reviews are almost entirely positive. About half the people on Good Reads are calling PAM’s ending ambiguous. Two people called it a cliffhanger, like a Superman comic. I’m picturing Annie from MISERY freaking out about cliffhangers.

To me, the ending is very clear. This comment puzzled me so deeply that I went back and read the ending three times, worried that a page had been lost or I’d had a stroke. But the novella’s exactly as I intended, and to me, clear.

I’m reminded of the movie “Back to School,” where Rodney Dangerfield pays Kurt Vonnegut to write a paper on Kurt Vonnegut, and the teacher (Hot Lips Sally Kellerman) flunks him, saying whoever wrote it knew nothing about Kurt Vonnegut.

*I only told that story to compare myself to Kurt Vonnegut.


2) My story “Squid Teeth” went live on Reactor , and got a mention in BookRiot thanks to reviewer Liberty Hardy.   

In other news–I just finished the introduction to the US re-release of my third novel, Audrey’s Door. More on that soon.

I recently finished Nat Cassidy’s WHEN THE WOLF COMES HOME and liked it very much. It’s horror that acknowledges the past, but moves forward. I highly recommend.

Last year, I read Kate Folk’s story collection OUT THERE and was blown away. It’s fresh and brave and funny. I’ve just started her new novel, SKY DADDY, about a woman in love with a plane and so far it’s wonderful.

My friend’s Sarah Pinborough’s new novel WE LIVE HERE NOW came out this week in the US and I’m looking forward to reading it. For you Long Islanders, she did a signing at the Carle Place B&N!

I recently saw the movie WATCHER (2022, Dir. Chloe Okuno), about a woman who moves to Romania for her husband’s work, and begins to think she’s being watched. It’s excellent. 

A couple of things worth mentioning. The art for Squid Teeth and Pam K were made by humans. 

Chloé Biocca illustrated “Squid Teeth” and I think it’s the best covers Reactor’s ever had. She read the story, visually translated the story, and rendered something beautiful. Ellen Datlow was the acquiring editor. Nancy Lambert coordinated the story’s production. It’s a bizarre, angry story about what it takes to be an artist in this world. It takes pot-shots at the Bread Loaf Writer’s Colony, which Bread Loaf absolutely deserves. There are not many venues for this type of story, and few places where professionals would put in so much of their time.

Scott Cole created the cover for PAM KOWOLSKI IS A MONSTER! I cannot imagine anything better than what he devised. It’s exactly right. Jennifer Barnes was the acquiring editor to whom I owe so much thanks. Billie Jo Konze performed the audio book. I got ten ten options and picked Konze, who I knew would do a great job.

Short stories and novellas are often hard sells. They don’t fit easily into the machinery of the big five (where I’m lucky and grateful to be publishing novels with an excellent team). I’m so glad Pam and Squid Teeth landed where they did. I hope Reactor and RDS continue to thrive. They’re doing an incredible service for writers and readers.

Okay! Have a good rest of your week!

Behind the Door #10

Hi, folks!

A few updates–

PAM KOWOLSKI IS A MONSTER! is up on Netgalley and GoodReads and people seem to like it. If you put Mona Awad’s BUNNY in a blender with Ari Aster, you’d get my novella, about a woman coming of age, and learning to accept the person she has become.

My novelette “Does Harlen Lattner Dream of Electric Sheep?” was published in two parts this month at Lightspeed Magazine, and republished on Gizmodo, which called it, “one of the best short stories in years.” Thank you, Gizmodo! 

You can get both of the above in hard copy or audio, which is cool.

The climate out there feels a lot to me like the 1970s. Sort of grim, but if you’re paying attention, there’s a lot more room for artistic freedom. I’ve started adapting Pam Kowolski for a feature. 

Though I’d like to go to all the conventions and events coming up, I’m hard at work on my next novel, TRAD WIFE, which is due with my editors in late July. I’m thrilled to report that my US editor acquired the book, so it’ll be coming out in the US from Atria, from the UK via Tor, and in foreign languages, too! 2026.

Also of note– Good Neighbors is coming out in France next year!

Anyway, I’m in the weeds, working on Trad Wife and not letting it go until it’s done. But I thought I’d write a note about the above shorter pieces. I’m deeply appreciative of Jennifer Barnes and John Joseph Adams, their acquiring editors.

Random other events–

The family saw Top Dog, Underdog at the Pasadena Playhouse. It’s very good. A friend in my writing group (Chris Terry) wrote a book called BLACK CARD that references it, and that I think is very worth reading. 

I’ve been obsessing over Immanuel Kant’s CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON, mostly because my main character in Trad Wife is obsessed with it.

I read INTERMEZZO. Between that and ALL FOURS, I needed a brain enema. Fortunately, Danzy Senna’s COLORED TELEVISION was the perfect remedy.

I read Paul Tremblay’s kids’ book ANOTHER, and it’s haunting.

For reasons that may only be clear in hindsight, nobody wants to talk about or even read about the pandemic. But a lot of people lost their minds during that time, and never got them back. I think this is some of the reason horror is filling the silent spaces in popular culture. 

Sincerely,

Sarah

Behind the Door #8

Hi, folks!

It’s been a minute.

I hope you’re all in good shape. I know for many of you, these are unusual times.

A few announcements — all of them good.

1) A Better World is out in paperback! Spanking new font!

2) TRAD WIFE, my next novel, is coming out in 2026, via Atria and Tor UK! The press release calls it “Get Out” meets “Behind her Eyes,” with shades of “The Yellow Wallpaper.” ALL TRUE. 

*PARENT TRAP, my other novel, is still happening. I just know I can do a good job, quickly, with TRAD WIFE.

3) My novella PAM KOWOLSKI IS A MONSTER now has a cover and is up for preorder— it’s in hardcover! It’s also up on Netgalley for reviewers. It’s a genre-bending dark comedy. A little horror, a little sci-fi, a little fantasy, about a reporter who decides to exact revenge against her high school frenemy, now a famous online psychic.

4) Tomorrow, I’m heading to Lido Village Books in Newport Beach at 7pm to talk with Sophie Stava about her page-turning, GMA Bookclub pick COUNT MY LIES. It’ll be great fun and I’m signing books as well.

 5) “I Miss you Too Much” came out from the Anthology Elemental Forces in December. A reviewer called it the scariest story of the year– perhaps the decade. I can vouch. You can get it here.

6) “The Devil’s Children” was happily accepted into Chris Golden and Brian Keen’s anthology based on Stephen King’s novel The Stand– THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT. We’ll be launching it in Los Angeles at Skylight Books on August 19, so mark your calendars!

7) “Does Harlen Lattner dream of Infected Sheep?” is coming out from Lightspeed Magazine as a two-parter in April. Like the source it references, Philip K Dick, it’s sorta nuts.

8) “Squid Teeth” is coming out from Reactor in May. Like all of these new pieces, it’s very much from the heart. 

Summer Touring

Hi, folks!

The last few weeks have been terrific. The family and I spent a wonderful week at the beach with relatives. We moved to Los Angeles eight years ago. The move was great for our work and for the kids’ school. But we very much miss family. So it’s warming to see everyone together on these trips.

After the beach, JT and I celebrated our 16th anniversary by spending the weekend in Doylestown, PA. I attended a panel at Doylestown Books while there, and had a blast. The bookstore brought an all-day, standing room only crowd of people, many of whom had driven for hours.  As always, it was great to see Paul Tremblay, whose novel Horror Movie hit the bestseller list (!). Doylestown is Chuck Wendig’s hometown, and I was excited to tell him how much I love his work in person. It was also great to hang out with so many rising stars of horror, including Rachel Harrison and Nat Cassidy. After the panels, we all went out for dinner and drinks. Special thanks to Margeurite Turley, Violet McMaster, and Kristi Elisii, who put the event together and welcomed us all so warmly.

From there, I headed to the UK, where I met with my publisher at Titan, signed stock (including the UK editions of The Keeper and The Missing), and had an interview with Forbidden Planet. Aside from New York, London is by far my favorite city. I also met with a producer at ITV, thanks to a good friend who made phone calls on my behalf, despite being on vacation with his family.

This was at Titan/Forbidden Planet. 

When I was two years old, my family lived just outside of London for a year. My father, a surgeon, had a fellowship with Dr. Charnley, the guy who invented the prosthetic hip. I remember very little about that time, except for the night before we moved back to the States, when I got very scared about such an abrupt change. My brother reached down from our bunk bed and held my hand all night, which my mom captured in a photo.

Below are my favorite pieces from the Tate Modern, by Belkis Ayon, who lived a fascinating and tragic life. 

From London, I went to Glasgow for my first WorldCon, a massive science fiction and fantasy convention held every year at a different location. They were kind enough to put me on seven panels and events, which kept me busy. The highlights were the panel on sex work in SFF, Female Rage in SFF, and future fuel sources to reduce climate change. That last one was filled with PhDs in the field. I did my best to hold my own! The upshot of their work: re-icing the arctic might buy us some time; space solar panels seem, right now, like the cleanest option to fuel the future. 

It’s never clear to me whether going to all these conventions is worth the effort and expense, but in this case, I’m glad I went. I got to see an old friend from the UK, whom I haven’t sat down with for over fifteen years. We came up together and in that time, her career has soared. I’m so happy for her. Shout outs to Ellen Datlow, Liza Trombi, JS Breukelaar, Kat and Ian Rogers, Sarah Pinborough, Nick Mamatas, Cat Ward, and Daryl Gregory. Also to the entire Titan Books team, particularly my UK editor Cath Trechman.

A crazy thing happened in my hotel. Because it was fully booked, they put me in the handicapped room. The room was oddly spaced, with all the lights very low, the furniture in unexpected locations. During the night, I got up. I was still jet-lagged, I guess, and thought I was back home, because as I got back into bed, I leaped up and backward, like I do at home. I used to be a high-jumper, so picture that.* But it turns out, there was no bed into which to leap. I’d estimated wrongly. So I fell, body-slamming the floor with my upper back. As I lay there, stunned, I wondered: how did this happen? It was a miracle that I had not hit my head or neck on the sharp night table, a miracle that I’d landed on the high, muscular side of my back. 

The pain was so great that it took about an hour before I was able to fall asleep again.I wound-up with a large blood bruise. But that’s all. Otherwise, no damage. I was up in the morning like nothing had happened, walking 8-10 miles a day per usual.

Over the week or so since it happened, I’ve been thinking about that fall, thinking about all the good luck I’ve had in my life. It’s easy to notice the bad things– the stuff that didn’t work out. I’ve only ever written exactly what I wanted to write, and for the most part, it’s been published. No bestsellers yet, but I have the good fortune of time and more books to write and publish, which can only increase the odds. This is extraordinarily lucky.

Was that too “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy?” I thought so.

Anyway– I finished One Flew Over The Cuckoo;s Nest and there’s a reason it’s a classic. Whoo-boy, as McMurphy would say. I also just finished Maeve Fly by CJ Leede, a smart slasher horror novel that reminds me of both Brett Easton Ellis and Chuck Palahniuk. 

I’ll be at Bouchercon in Nashville at the end of the month. I’ve got a 3pm panel on August 28, and Alma Katsu and I will also be dropping by Parnassus books and signing stock. 

Also! Barnes and Noble is discounting A Better World from now through September 2. Tell your neighbors! Tell your friends!

Thanks for reading. If you’ve taken anything away from this newsletter, it should probably be: body-slamming the floor in the dark is a bad idea. 

Yours sincerely,

Sarah

*Why would anyone leap backward and up into their bed like a high-jumper, you ask? It’s likely my husband asks the very same question.

Behind the Door, #8

Hi, folks!

Much has happened since I last wrote, and I am tired but delighted.

Most importantly: stuffies! I’ve randomly picked two more winners, and I’ll announce their names next week, once they give me the go-ahead. JT and I did a stuffy photo shoot (as couples do). We made a calendar! April’s is below.

The tour! Thursday’s event at Village Well Books in Culver City, CA was great fun, and Village Well is a bookstore I highly recommend. The genre guy there, Colin Hinkley, talked some of the other employees into buying my book, which is above and beyond. Instead of a Q&A, Colin gave me a nice introduction, I did a longer that typical reading, and then answered lots of fun questions. My friend Valerie Gordon, who owns Valerie Confections was so giddily excited that I got excited. Note below the Buffy the Vampire Slayer t-shirt, crossed with They Live, and gifted to me by my daughter Frances and JT. Photo was taken by Chris Terry (from my writing group!), who’s been touring with his anthology Black Punk Now.

Afterward, JT, Meg Howrey (also from my writing group!), fellow Atria author Nova Jacobs, and I had dinner at Lillie’s in the Culver Hotel, known famously as the hotel in which the Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz stayed (and possibly trashed!).

I was nervous about coming to New York. With my parents gone, I no longer have a home there. So big thanks to cousins Mike and Leigh Dickman for the crashpad, plus Anne McDermott and Peggy and Mike Garland for getting me to the Rhinebeck Center for Performing Arts on time.

I stayed at the Beekman Arms Hotel in Rhinebeck, way in the back, in this weird, impossible to find old house — the only place that didn’t allow dogs, to which I’m allergic. While waiting for Hilarie Burton to meet me for dinner in the lobby, Neil Gaiman walked in. Rhinebeck! It’s crazy! I regret not telling him that Coraline is the only movie that has ever terrified my children. Then again, is that terror the fault of Gaiman, or the scary real-life mom???

I don’t have words for how wonderful the event at Rhinebeck went. Hilarie is an excellent person in every way and I very much hope we can work together. She stayed afterward to host a fundraiser for the Center.

Old (and much beloved) friends drove for several hours to surprise me, and we all went out to lunch, then rushed to the train. It was additionally excellent to finally meet Jennifer Fawcett, author of Beneath the Stairs.

When I got back to Manhattan that night, I got to sit in on a Pen Parentis board meeting at Jack’s Wife Frida, a bar where they know how to make a tequila gimlet, a drink that might possibly be fictitious, but is nonetheless what I ordered. Pen Parentis is a nonprofit organization that supports writers with children. I’ll be reading there with climate change writer Emily Raboteau on May 14, 7pm EST.

The following morning, I signed A Better World stock at Mysterious Bookshop with my most excellent publicist David Brown. It’s a gorgeous shop, a kind of shrine to the best types of fiction and I felt awed to be there (and also indebted, as they were so incredibly nice). David and I walked around and David recorded a TikTok video, in which I pulled out some favorite books (Elmore Leonard, Megan Abbott, Grady Hendrix, Laura Lipman, Gabino Iglesias) and also confessed that I’d lost my toothbrush, and was using chewing gum as substitute. Did it work? Only David can answer that! Don’t answer that, David!

That night, my incredibly dedicated editor Loan took us all out for dinner before the big event at the special collections room at The Strand, which turned out to be an excellent idea, because I’d been so nervous all day that I’d forgotten to eat.

Lots of good friends came out, and a few fans, too. I was overwhelmed and very happy. Special thanks to my Uncle John and family friend Marilou, who took the train up from Virginia, my high school friends, all the very many writers, and the Union Temple Pre-school Parent crew, who showed STRONG. And of course, to Patrick Keefe, who’s got a billion tv shows and articles and books in the pipeline, but found the time to do an amazing conversation.

The Strand is a special place for me. When I was a high school kid on LI, my dad once took me there.

I was pretty stressed about all that, and once it was over, happy to celebrate. This resulted in the closing of a bar. Thank you, bar.

Following night, I got to catch up with my former NYC writing group: Ben Francisco Maulbeck (whose debut novel is now out), Nicholas Kaufmann (whose novel The Mind Worms also launched April 9) Alexa Antopol, M. M DeVoe, Victor LaValle, and Who Wants Cake guest star Grady Hendrix.

After closing the restaurant, Milda and I closed the bar. There is a theme, here. The rest of the trip was all about seeing old and new friends and it was wonderful. It was nice to know that New York is, was, and ever shall be, New York. I love you, New York, and you have never brought me down.

A crazy thing happened, in that while having lunch with my agent Stacia, we received my NPR Review, which I was too nervous to look at, so she read out loud. This felt like a surreal Nora Ephron moment, but in fact really did happen. The review was good. I started crying. But then I stopped crying because, come on.

I have Gabino Iglesias to thank for this great review. He is a great advocate of genre, and a very generous reader.

I got back to LA just in time to figure out the parking at the LA Times Festival of the Book. This was not easy! At the festival, I got to see Tananarive Due win her award for outstanding work in speculative fiction. At the cocktail party afterward, someone approached Jane Smiley and said, “Your name sounds familiar. Name some of your books!” This person, happily, was not me.

The following day, I got to share a panel with Johnny Compton, Alix Harrow, And Ashley Winstead. Lesley Klinger did some FANTASTIC moderating, and the whole thing was a blast. For some reason, I have no pictures. But it happened, I swear! Afterward, Johnny and I met up with Amanda and Daniel Krauss for dinner. I got this ridiculously large burrito that had been fried on the outside in cheese. Thank you, USC neighborhood, for the cheap cheese.

Following day, Leslie Klinger, Lisa Morton, and I signed books at the MWA Booth. I spent a lot of time strolling the stalls during the festival, heartened by so many book lovers. It feels to me like a fight is coming — over literacy, over books, over the value of art and the written word. It was nice to see so many people ready for the fight.

I plan to go back to writing about other stuff, like how annoying (and dystopian) apps are, and why is all the wheat germ sold by grocery stores raw instead of toasted? Who even wants raw oatmeal when they could have toasted? So thanks to the indulgence on this tour debrief.

In addition to the NPR review, a column I wrote for The Week came out, in which I recommended six novels. I love all of them. My caveat being, I left lots of loved novels off the list because I was selfishly gathering themes related to A Better World.

Bookstores where you can get signed copies of A Better World:

Mysterious Bookshop (NYC)

The Strand (NYC)

Village Well Books (Culver City, CA)

Book Soup (West Hollywood, LA)

Tour stuff:

May 2, 6-7:30pm Chevalier Books – I get to put J Ryan Stradal in the hot seat for the paperback launch his excellent novel Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club

May 8, 7pm: A Better World event at The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs

May 9, 10am: I get to put keynote speaker Paul Tremblay in the hot seat for Library Journal’s Day of Dialogue.

May 15, 7pm, Gillian Flynn graciously hangs out at Exile in Bookville, Chicago, to talk A Better World with me.

Are you still reading? God bless you. You’re a hero. The Missing’s UK reissue is out from Canelo. The Keeper’s UK reissue has been out for a while, but I thought maybe you’d be interested in the author’s note, which I’ve put below.

“Dear Reader,

What you’re holding is my first novel. I spent the majority of my twenties working on it. During that time, I queried every agent in New York. Twice. No one wanted it. Deterred, depressed, but nonetheless obsessed, I worked on it constantly. And then one day, through a strange serendipity, I met a film agent who championed it. Ten years after I’d started it, The Keeper was published.

Nearly twenty years since its initial publication, Canelo has reissued The Keeper. It’s a book about heartache, power, familial bonds, societal bonds, and capitalism. At its center are sisters with twined fates during a cold and rainy week in a defunct paper mill town. Our villain/hero is the town outcast. Everyone watches her as she walks alone at night, but no one talks to her. For one, she’s nuts. For another, being around her makes them uncomfortable. Something’s gone wrong. And maybe it’s their fault.

I grew up on the 1990s. It wasn’t a great time to be a woman. I frankly don’t like remembering the strange ways we were forced to conform; the unapologetic and critical gazes to which we were subject. Much of the rage in this book is a reaction to that very palpable misogyny of my upbringing, that flourished in suburban American. I hope that rage feels accessible to a new generation.

Jack Ketchum (Dallas Mayr) is quoted on the cover of this book. I loved Dallas. He was a thoughtful, decent person and an exceptional writer. For a long time, Dallas propped up the bar at a certain Greek restaurant on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I loved visiting him there. About a year before he died, he took me out to a fancy lunch, just because. Thanks, Dallas. I miss you.

Finally, this book contains a scene of graphic sexual violence. The things we write at twenty-five are not necessarily the things we would ever write at forty-nine. But that’s what twenty-five-year-olds are for: to rage and tear and break shit into pieces. So that scene stays. You’ve been warned.”

That’s it, folks. Next week there will be less news and pictures and hopefully more snark. Thanks for playing.

Sarah

Behind the Door # 7

There’s so much to say this week!

First, the stuffy caladrius winner for last week was Kristi Peterson of Puerto Rico, Kristi– I hope you got it by now!

Though A Better World officially comes out Tuesday, April 9, I had a signing at Dark Delicacies on Saturday, as Los Angeles is enormous and it made more sense to have a Burbank event on a weekend, when it would be easier for people to drive over. Film critic Amy Nicholson hosted the Q&A. She’s so good! No wonder she’s at the top of her field! There are Q&A partners, and then there are experts in their field who are incredible at what they do. So that was awesome. Amy’s podcast “Unspooled” is likewise awesome.

Friends and readers packed the house, the book sold out, kids played in the aisles, and a good time was had by all. Afterward, the librarian from my daughters’ former elementary school (Wonderland) hosted snacks and cocktails at her house. This was amazing. The kids all played poker with almonds (?); the grownups relaxed and talked. I can’t imagine anything better. If you’re reading this and you’re like: I went to the dumb event but nobody told me about the after-party! Blame me. Myrtle volunteered and when I saw the wonderful turnout, I thought: This is too many people. She doesn’t want so many people! But Myrtle is the coolest librarian on the planet and was like: Should I have done an old-fashioned Texas shout out once your reading was done? Because I was ready for all 80 people!

What was especially nice about Dark Delicacies is that Del and Sue, the owners, have known my family (and the kids) for many years. That bookstore feels like home. What was also nice was having my husband JT show up early with flowers. And our kids. Nice all around.

After dinner that night (grilled cheese and tomato soup!), the family dropped me off at LAX. I took the red eye to Baltimore so I could sign with Cynthia Pelayo and Todd Keisling at Vortex Books and Comics, a new bookstore owned by writers Mary San Giovanni and Brian Keene. These two banged their drums– the turnout was spectacular, and I was so happy to meet so many readers.

Vortex Books and Comics is a gorgeous store. Mary and Brian know their clientele and acquire on their behalf. They also have meet-ups for writers, D&D games, and all the good stuff you dream about, when you imagine a local bookstore. The town of Columbia, PA, is also worth a visit. It’s right on the Susquehanna River, no relation (or maybe a relation?) to the Susquehanna Hat Company.

Before heading back to the west coast, I had the good fortune of visiting nearby relatives. We watched today’s eclipse together. They’re smart– both in education and as autodidacts, so they knew to poke holes through paper, and watch the shadows turn into crescent moons. We also got to look through their neighbors’ goggles. What was especially neat– they have a pond full of frogs that began to sing, thinking it was twilight. Also, man– it got cold!

The eclipse got me thinking about that 1883 Krakatoa Volcano eruption, whose particulate matter surrounded the globe for weeks and months, making the world dark. What did people think when that happened? How did it change their understanding of their place in the world?

Anyway, I’m heading back home to LA for the next event – Village Well Books at 7pm this Thursday in Culver City. I’m hoping the genre guy there, writer Colin Hinckley, puts me in the hot seat.

Speaking of genre! It’s been hard for people to figure out whether they’re supposed to call my books thrillers, horror, sci-fi, or literary. It’s been hard for me, too! I love all of these genres.

More stuff –

Whut? A New York Times Review. Highlight- “As with any good satire, the real subject of this novel is not the morally bankrupt town of Plymouth Valley but our own culture, and how the most privileged among us so often ignore the misery of those outside our own walls. “A Better World” is a dark and unsettling mirror.”

But also – a hometown review with an interview through the Los Angeles Times!!! The other highlighted author is Nova Jacobs, whom I know a little, and is a very nice, very smart person.

LA Times reviewer Paula Woods said: “A Better World” is a cautionary tale of a family’s sacrifice gone wrong and a high-water mark in the career of a novelist who’s already won three Bram Stoker Awards. My only warning: Don’t start this book on a school night. Beware the sacrifice!

ABW also got mentions in the Center for Fiction newsletter (!), The Washington Post, and Crime Reads.

So, that’s cool!

The tour is getting smaller!

Thursday, April 11, 7pm, Village Well Books: 9900 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA.

Sunday, April 14, 11am: Rhinebeck Center for Performing Arts, in conversation with Hilarie Burton:

Monday, April 15, 7pm: The Strand, NYC (828 Broadway, New York City, NY), in conversion with Patrick Radden Keefe.

Saturday, April 20, 4:30-5:30pm: The Los Angeles Festival of Books Panel — Haunted: The Contemporary Gothic Novel.

Wednesday, May 15, 7pm: Exile in Bookville, in conversation with the excellent and awesome and very cool Gillian Flynn.

More to come. The hotels I’m staying at are weird. Thanks for playing.

Yours sincerely,

Sarah

Behind the Door #5

It’s me! I’m back! Or else in your spam.

Happy Easter. I hope you and yours are all excellent. At this very moment, my husband and eldest are boxing with some director friends in Echo Park and my youngest is sleeping. A great time to write a newsletter.

Stuffies! I’m using a random number generator and notified two people this week. More stuffies mailing out soon.

I got some good news that I should probably not announce, but will hint at. I’ve subscribed to a news magazine for several years. My daughter reads it every morning before school. Anyway, I’ve hoped for a while now that they’d review my next book, as my daughter would open the magazine and be like: that’s my mom! Last week, the magazine did one better, and asked me to write a column. I’m DELIGHTED.

In other news, it’s spring break. The kids got stir-crazy, so we took them to an air B&B between Joshua Tree and 29 Palms for two nights. In a wild stroke of luck, they had their own guest house with a pool table and record player complete with ABBA’s greatest hits. As seen below, the house was in the middle of nowhere, and reminded me a little of “The Hills Have Eyes.”

We climbed rocks in Joshua Tree National Park. In a reversal of the typical, the rocks had great traction and were much easier to climb than they appeared. Highly recommend. Also of note, the shrubbery was littered with Western Tent Caterpillars. I noticed that they shake their heads a lot. Wikipedia informs me that this is to avoid parasitic flies. Who knew?

In other news, my youngest’s soccer game was canceled yesterday because of a highway closure. But the team was already in Griffith Park and the coach had reserved the field, so we played parents against kids. GREAT FUN! I also learned three things: 1) Running a field for an hour is actually pretty hard. 2) There’s a really good reason parents aren’t supposed to shout instructions from the sidelines. I mean, I knew I was supposed to kick the ball! 3) It’s a million times easier to tell when a player is off sides when you’re actually playing the game. I was rarely able to figure it out as a spectator.

I would, 100%, play in adult soccer league. I would do this badly but with great enthusiasm. I also had a moment, while playing, where I thought: This is a good time. It’s nice when you know a good thing as it happens.

But no more of that! Pretty soon I’ll be talking about gratitude and making prayer hands like some nut from Plymouth Valley.

The above is the new trailer Atria made for A Better World!

Also — The tour is still happening! If you want to go to Rhinebeck or The Strand, they’re asking people to get tickets in advance.

Saturday, April 6, 2:30 pm at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA: a conversation with film critic Amy Nicholson, immediately followed my a 3-4pm signing: you can preorder the book and I’ll sign it there, then they’ll mail it to you.

Sunday, April 7, noon-4pm: Vortex Books and Comics, Columbia, PA pre order it and I’ll sign and they’ll ship.

Thursday, April 11, 7pm: Village Well Books in Culver City, CA. Preorder here.

Sunday, April 14, 11am: In conversation Hilarie Burton at the Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck, via Oblong Books. Get yer ticket here.

Monday, April 15 at 7pm: In conversation with Patrick Radden Keefe at The Strand in NYC. Tickets Here.

Saturday, April 20 4:30-5:30: panel, Haunted: The Contemporary Gothic Novel at the Los Angeles Festival of Books, Norris Theater

We’re working on a Chicago date in May and I’m excited to announce the person I’ll be in conversation with. She’s very cool! So cool!

Until next time — thanks for playing.

Behind the Door #5

It’s the fifth installment of this newsletter! 

Good news — so far two winners have been drawn. Jim Freund, of Brooklyn New York and Erik Ferguson (who writes as Keech Ballard), of Roswell, Georgia should by now have received their stuffies. Next drawing is next week. 

A Better World comes out soon! A reminder on tour dates–

Saturday, April 6, 2:30pm / Burbank, CA / Dark Delicacies / in conversation with Amy Nicholas

Sunday, April 7, 12noon / Columbia, PA / Vortex Books / w/Cynthia Pelayo and Todd Keisling

Thursday, April 11, 7pm / Culver City, CA / Village Well Books & Coffee

Sunday, April 14, 11am / Rhinebeck, NY / Oblong Books @The CENTER Rhinebeck in conversation w/Hilarie Burton Morgan

Monday, April 15, 7pm / New York, NY / The Strand / in conversation with Patrick Radden Keefe

Saturday, April 20, 4:30pm / Los Angeles Festival of Books / “Haunted: The Contemporary Gothic Novel,” with Johnny Compton, Ashley Winstead, Alix E. Harrow

Wednesday, May 8, 7pm / Palm Springs, CA / Best Bookstore

Wednesday, May 15, 7pm / Chicago / TBA

It is an odd serendipity that Hilarie and I have struck exactly the same pose (above).

In other news, I returned last night from a trip to Santa Fe with my childhood friends, whom I met at the respective ages of 4, 5, and 10. It has been about twenty years since we’ve all been together (maybe more?). We laughed harder than I can remember laughing. My stomach actually hurt. Every day, we’d make up a rough plan, then mostly wander around, laughing.

There is nothing better than old friends.

I tried to introduce myself at a local bookstore, but they seemed to believe I was a crazy lady who maybe was self-published and writing about the power of crystals or the second coming, but not in a good, Tom Perrotta way. I gave them my galley, which surely they’re all fighting over at this very moment.

The above is a cool painting I spotted in a gallery, by Santiago Michalek.

Reviews continue to come in for A Better World and except for the one-star on good reads, saying it should have been about zombies (?), they’re strong.

What I’m noticing is that some early reviewers need to put the book in a context — it’s post apocalyptic, it’s dystopian, it’s literary, it’s a psychological thriller. The work is then evaluated according to how well it fits into its box.

I’m grateful to the readers who’ve made the effort to do this work. They do it because they love reading. They genuinely help writers and they value the written word. I do wonder, though, if boxing things robs them a little, of the joy of discovery. 

Then again, I may be totally wrong about that. 

Thanks for playing. Talk to you next week. Mean time, don’t get none on ya.

Yours sincerely,

Sarah

Behind the Door #4

Hi, folks! 

Good news! I’ve drawn two winners for Caladrius stuffies. As soon as I get their okays, I’ll announce their names in the next newsletter. I’ll keep drawing emails until publication day, April 9. 

Below is Holly the Rabbit, under attack! Never bring pets to Plymouth Valley!

The tour is shaping up–

Saturday, April 6, 2:30 pm at Dark Delicacies in Burbank, CA: a conversation with film critic Amy Nicholson, immediately followed my a 3-4pm signing: you can preorder the book and I’ll sign it there, then they’ll mail it to you.

Sunday, April 7, noon-4pm: Vortex Books and Comics, Columbia, PA pre order it and I’ll sign and they’ll ship.

Thursday, April 11, 7pm: Village Well Books in Culver City, CA. Preorder here.

Sunday, April 14, 11am: In conversation Hilarie Burton at the Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck, via Oblong Books. Get yer ticket here.

Monday, April 15 at 7pm: In conversation with Patrick Radden Keefe at The Strand in NYC. Tickets Here.

Saturday, April 20 4:30-5:30: panel, Haunted: The Contemporary Gothic Novel at the Los Angeles Festival of Books, Norris Theater

A Chicago event is in the works, so stay tuned. 

Sasha Graham’s spooky story interview with me is up.

It’s been busy here with pre-pub stuff, so I’ll keep this brief. I hope to see you on the tour. 

Into the Labyrinth, #3

Hi folks!

Lots of things happened in the last two weeks. I went to Nashville to meet up with an old college friend. Two highlights were The Time Jumpers at 3rd and Lindsley (great band!) and a bar on the East Side called Dee’s.

Apropos of the era in which we live, there was also a low point– about twenty-five men in face masks dressed as Nazis, holding Nazi flags and shouting, marched right through Nashville’s main Broadway strip. Some people thought it was a joke. Nobody was exactly sure what to do. I was very close, and very aware it wasn’t a joke. These men radiated rage. They were afraid and charged and angry and looking for a fight. There was something very wrong with them.

All I could think, after they passed, was: the world would be terrifying if guys like this were in charge.

So, let’s avoid that.

Book news! Good reviews for A Better World continue. If you’re a reviewer in need of a copy, let me know.

The tour! Please mark your calendars!

I’ll be at Dark Delicacies in Burbank either Saturday, April 6, or Tuesday, April 9, for the launch (the book officially comes out April 9, but it’s so hard to get anywhere in LA on a weeknight!). Even if you won’t be at the launch, you can preorder the book and I’ll sign it there, then they’ll mail it to you.

I’ll be at Vortex Books and Comics on Sunday, April 7. Same deal– pre order it and I’ll sign and they’ll ship.

April 10, I’ll be in Culver City at Village Well Books in Culver City. Preorder here.

April 14, I’ll be in conversation with the very generous and generally awesome Hilarie Burton at the Center for Performing Arts in Rhinebeck, via Oblong Books. Get yer ticket here.

April 16, I’ll be in conversation with Victor LaValle (!!!) at Mysterious Bookshop in NYC.

More tour dates to come.

In other news, my office flooded again! Who knew that after a decade of drought, we’d suddenly have atmospheric rivers? So, all that drywall I installed will have to come out. And then we’ll have to figure out where the leak is coming from. It’s hard to tell, given the house was surrounded by a literal river. Could be anywhere! Ahhh!!!!!

Meantime, I’m back writing in the kitchen again. So many snacks; pants keep getting tighter.

My sad garage office ceiling ( above).

Writing news:

Stories–

“The Upgrade” will be coming out from Lightspeed Magazine sometime this year.

“Squid Teeth” will be coming out in 2025! I can’t announce where, yet, but it’s a sale I’ve been hoping to make for a very long time.

“I Miss you too Much” will appear in an anthology called ELEMENTAL FORCES out of the UK, ed. by Mark Morris.

Brian Keene and Chris Golden are putting together an anthology dedicated to Stephen King’s THE STAND. My story is due at the end of the month, which means I should write this story. Death Valley was a lot of good inspiration. I plan to set it in the desert, after the nuke.

I’m revising my novella “Pam Wolinski is a Monster” this week.

The total word count of all that is about 70k. A Better World swallowed all my attention the last few years. It’s been a relief to work on so many new things.

Goodies! I had stuffies made in the likeness of the caladrius in A Better World. They’re awesome, right? Anybody in this newsletter is entered to win (unless your last name is Langan or Petty. Sorry!). I’ll draw in a few weeks.

Last night, I attended the reading series Noir at the Bar, which was a lot of fun. Duane Swierczynski read from his bestselling CALIFORNIA BEAR. The bar in question, The Mandrake, was recently sold, so the future of Noir at the Bar is uncertain. I hope they keep doing it. In a town were writers are not just disposable, but pitted against one another, this series is food for the soul.

Finally, I recently realized that Brian Keene (co-owner of Vortex Books) has a newsletter called Letters from the Labyrinth. Which is not so different from Into the Labyrinth. You’d think I would have noticed this sooner, as I subscribe to Brian’s newsletter. Oh, boy. Brian!!!! The name search continues.