As of today, the proverbial cat is out of the bag: I have a new book coming out in fall 2026! Meat Sweats is a vegetarian turns accidental cannibal type of situation–and I’m delighted this little nugget of young adult horror weirdness found a good home. You know me: I love a slightly ridiculous premise, and Meat Sweats lives up to that. I like call it Dexter meets Yellowjackets… with some animal rights advocacy tossed in. For the full description, maybe check out the book page.
I was talking to a friend recently after I signed the contract with Horrorsmith Publishing. She laughed when I told her about the book and said, “PETA is going to come after you hard.” I don’t know. I think maybe they will be on board by the ending, but what do I know? I’m often caught off-guard by what people find offensive about my ideas and how they play out in my books. I mean, I read a review of A Misfortune of Lake Monsters once where someone was convinced I was making light of sexual harassment and school shootings. Certainly not my intention (in fact, the opposite)–but if there’s one thing I’ve learned since A Misfortune of Lake Monsters came out it’s that once your book is out in the world, it (and it’s meaning) cease belonging entirely to you.
The other day I was a conversation partner to Emma Copley Eisenberg for an event to mark the release of the paperback version of her book Housemates (I know, I know: what was a young adult horror writer doing leading a conversation with someone who writes adult literary fiction? It does make sense when you know that both our books are set, at least partially, in rural Pennsylvania). She said the same–every interpretation is valid once your book is out in the wild.
Speaking of being out in the wild, I’ve got a busy month in June. Next week I’ll be presenting on the Horror As Therapy panel at StokerCon in Stamford, Connecticut, as well as doing a reading there on Friday the 13th! And I’ve got another panel at the American Library Association annual conferences–this time one called Bright Minds, Dark Reads about why YA horror is good for the teenaged soul, and why librarians should be expanding their YA horror collections. I’ll also be doing two signings of A Misfortune of Lake Monsters at the ALA conference, once on a Saturday at the Baker & Taylor booth, and one on Monday at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators table.
One Response
Well, you haven’t made it until you piss PETA off!
Congrats on the contract!!
I’m intrigued by the story, and if you need to bounce anything off a vegan peep, let me know!