Hi, Dear Readers, I attended a book signing last night at Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee. I want to share in all the excitement.

The signing was Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature edited by Becky Siegel Spratford. This event was special. The book was published on 9-23-25. Parnassus had permission to sell it early. I got a copy signed by editor Becky Siegel Spratford. To make the event even more special, it included talks with Alma Katsu. She is touring with her book Fiend, which came out on 9-16-25. It also included talks with Rachel Harrison. She is touring with her new book Play Nice, which came out on 9-9-25. Rachel Harrison and Alma Katsu each have essays published in Why I Love Horror, and read paragraphs from it.

They discussed the book Why I Love Horror. What influenced editor Spratford to compile these essays? She answered it was a long love horror, and with horror’s explosion in sales and library check-outs. She compiled this book as a guide. It helps booksellers and librarians better understand how to talk to people about horror.  Katsu and Harrison each read a portion of their contribution to the Why I Love Horror.

Rachel Harrison discussed Play Nice. It is about an influencer who lives a picture-perfect life. However, when she was younger, she lived in a haunted house. At least, that’s what her mother claimed and even wrote a book about it. After her mother’s passing, the house fell to her and her sister. They want to refurbish it, but will the house let them?  Harrison talked about the influence of Amityville Horror on the book. She questioned if the parents fabricated everything or if it was real. The crowd did celebrate Play Nice, making it on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Alma Katsu discussed Fiend. Which is about a family that runs the largest import-export companies in the world, and they’ve always been lucky. Natural disasters will harm the competitors but not them. The father always told his son and two daughters that they were blessed. After his death, they fight to control the company. During this struggle, they find out the family was not blessed. Instead, they were cursed by a thousand-year-old demon.  She did discuss the show Succession that served as an influence.

The group discussed some of their favorite current authors and books we should be reading. Nat Cassidy and his book When the Wolf Comes Home, Clay McLeod Chapman, Eric Larocca, Stephen Graham Jones, Hailey Piper and her novel A Game in Yellow, and Laurel Hightower and her upcoming book The Long Low Whistle. There was a good shoutout to Shortwave Media and Graveside Press. That was all the authors and presses that I can remember them mentioning, but there were probably more.

I visited Parnassus Books, which is owned by author Ann Patchett. While there, I took advantage of the visit and bought a signed copy of Bel Canto.  I have never read a book by Ann Patchett before. I looked through her titles and selected Bel Canto for my first. Bel Canto is about an opera singer. She sings for the Vice President of a South American country at his house. Then, the house is invaded by gun-wielding guerrillas. They take the party hostage. But a beautiful thing happens where the guerrillas and hostages form an unexpected bond. Bel Canto was on the New York Times Best 100 Books of this century so far. It appeared on both the list of critics and the list of readers. Bel Canto also won the PEN / Faulkner Award.  Please, in the comments, list your favorite Ann Patchett books.

I also got a signed copy of The Hunger by Alma Katsu. The Hunger adds more more horror to the Donner Party expedition. It takes the real events of The Donner Party and adds a supernatural twist. This is a book that I read when I first started the blog 7 years ago. I was not a good reviewer then and have gotten better since then. I rated The Hunger 3 stars, but I recommended it to my followers. It is a book that has stuck with me and I want to revisit it. To see if my review has changed on it. I share my books with my Father and Mother-in-law, and I think they will love the historical fiction/horror aspect. After getting The Hunger signed, I have most of Alma Katsu’s horror books signed. These books include The Hunger, The Deep, The Fervor, and Fiend.

I will be adding Fiend and Play Nice to my October TBR.

Brian Keene video recorded his essay for Why I Love Horror on Youtube. The essay is titled: Brian Keene’s Giant-Size Man Thing. It is about how Marvel comic The Defenders lead him to horror and writing. I will stick it below if anyone is interested.