On episode #38 of Josh’s Worst Nightmare Oddcast, host Josh Schlossberg risks infection with Jeamus Wilkes, author of “That Time Maggie Ghosted Me,” as they survive the ongoing biological horror that is COVID-19.
TRIGGER WARNING: Non-ideological discussion of every trigger warning I can think of.
Now that you’ve been cautioned, dark reader, I want to start off by admitting that I don’t have a problem with trigger warnings. I fully understand that some people have been traumatized by certain life experiences, and to read about them can make them feel anything from discomfort to extreme distress. And in my own writing, I’m completely willing to provide trigger warnings for any editors or publishers who ask for them.
But as a reader I don’t have much use for them, especially in horror, as dark fiction for me is about pushing through the shadow into the light. Personally, I’ve found that refusing to explore something that scares me only makes it loom larger in my life. Yet, mostly, I tend to skip them because I like to avoid anything remotely resembling a spoiler.
So, while I totally get the point of trigger warnings and honor those who advocate for them, the tricky question that no one wants to answer is: What subjects qualify?
On episode #37 of Josh’s Worst Nightmare Oddcast, host Josh Schlossberg gets ballsy with Tim Eagle, author of STOLEN SEED, to dissect the male reproductive system.
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THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR, the anthology I edited for Denver Horror Collective (DHC) in late 2021, won a bronze medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, a Silver medal in the 666 Awards, and had previously made it onto the preliminary ballot for another well-known award. Meanwhile, at a horror writers conference, I lost count of the authors who told me they loved the book, which sold well at the DHC table, as it has literally around the world.
While readers are hungry for Jewish horror as a unique exploration of the larger genre, I think I finally understand why THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR was one of the only Jewish horror anthologies ever released (all by small presses). And why nearly every working author who also writes Jewish horror tells me they have difficulty getting those particular stories published.
Because while pitching my Jewish folk horror novel (CHARWOOD was ultimately published in 2023 by Aggadah Try It, the Jewish horror imprint of Madness Heart Press) to the editor of a large, established horror fiction publisher, one of my sneaking suspicions as to what’s been turning off so many gatekeepers was finally confirmed.
On episode #36 of Josh’s Worst Nightmare Oddcast, host Josh Schlossberg gets decadent with Nicholas Kaufmann, author of THE HUNGRY EARTH, as they marvel at the impermanence of organic matter.
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by Jennifer Anne Gordon
(Livre Maison, 2021)
CONTAGIOUS VIRUS
ROTS HER FROM THE INSIDE OUT;
SHE IS NOT ALONE
Thanks to Mike Davis, Pete Rawlik, and friends for having me as a guest on Lovecraft eZine Podcast to talk about the Lovecraftian elements of MALINAE with a foray into Jewish horror.
Not long ago, I messaged a horror fiction “gatekeeper” to thank them for their work and to ask if they’d be open to reading more indie horror authors. They responded by listing a few well-known names they were promoting, including one whose “Big 4” published novel had years ago been made into a popular Hollywood movie. And then basically told me that all good writers eventually become famous, which is when this person will read and share their work.
As an author, editor, small press publisher, and reader, everything I write about horror fiction is a conflict of interest. That being said, I also have the privilege of seeing the landscape from a variety of perspectives. On top of that, I’ve interviewed scores of writers, followed their careers, and listened to podcast after podcast with some of the biggest names in the genre. The one thing most of them have in common? They were thinking about giving up until that one big break.
After years of processing this information, I believe I’ve come up with the essential elements for getting one’s horror book published and selling. I call them the three “CONS,” as in: CONTENT, CONTACTS, AND CONTEXT.
Continue readingOn episode #34 of Josh’s Worst Nightmare Oddcast, host Josh Schlossberg gets artsy with Don Noble, freelance artist and co-owner of Rooster Republic Press, as they gaze at the wonders of illustrating biological horror.
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Josh's Worst Nightmare 