| 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. |
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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!
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