Sley House Presents

Trevor is joined again by best-selling author Erika T. Wurth to talk about her new novel, The Haunting of Room 904 , now available from Flatiron Books. Together, they talk about the book and its ideas regarding history, about indigenous futurism as a creative impulse, about the importance of craft and how craft is addressed within various fictions, and a whole lot more. You can support Erika by re...

Joining Trevor this episode is Saratoga Schaefer, the debut author of Serial Killer Support Group , available from Crooked Lane Books on March 18! Together, they talk about the book's serial killer surprises, about how the book posits ideas about the American justice system, about our cultural fascination with true crime and serial killers, and about who we tend to overlook in addressing instances...

In this episode, Trevor visits with Leslie J. Anderson, author of The Unmothers , which released from Quirk Books in August 2024. They talk about the book's major themes and ideas, including a dive into its anger and anxiety over issues pertaining to small towns, closed secrets, pregnancy, and parenthood. They also talk about the importance of demystifying the secrets everyone keeps surrounding bi...

Trevor and Sley House intern Amelia Hirsch join in for a conversation with Rebecca Thorne, the author of the best-selling Tomes & Tea cozy romantasy series to talk about her novels and publishing goals. Together, they explore what makes a book cozy, how Rebecca transitioned from self-publishing to traditional publishing, how her books evolved from online criticism, and a preview of the conclus...

Trevor and Sley House intern Anna Bisbee are joined by author Amal El-Mohtar, whose new book The River Has Roots is available from Tordotcom on March 4, 2025. Together, they talk about the book, about its origins as an audio project and its relationship to music, about the structure and nature of art, about magic as mundane and wonderful, and a whole lot more. For more joyous things from Amal El-M...

In this episode, Trevor talks to Kerstin Hall about her latest novel, Asunder , published by TorDotCom in 2024. Kerstin shares her ideas about complex fantasy worldbuilding, about honesty and authenticity in telling the story you want to tell, and with Trevor explores how art as metaphor can address complex issues with nuance while remaining fun and engaging intellectually and creatively. You can...

In this episode, Trevor sits down with author Emily H. Wilson to talk about Inanna , the first novel in her Sumerians trilogy, published in 2023 and 2024 by Titan Books. Together, they talk about rereading one of the world's oldest extant epics, The Epic of Gilgamesh, and about Wilson's work in bringing the epic alongside other ancient Sumerian myths to modern audiences. You can find more from Emi...

In this episode, Trevor sits down to talk with Clay McLeod Chapman about his new book, Wake Up and Open Your Eyes , available January 7, 2025 from Quirk Books. They talk about flailing in the dark, about not knowing what the future might hold and the importance of striving for good anyway, and share intimate fears about what this book means to Clay and to one of his readers. Content Warning: This...

In this mega super long episode, Anna Dupre joins Trevor from fanfiaddict.com and her own YouTube channel Anna Rose Reads to talk about their favorite books of the year. They go through their top ten favorite books from 2024, as well as reflect on their feelings about literature and the year. Content Warning: There is a very frank discussion in this episode about suicide and suicidal ideation, so...

In this episode, we host David Corse and Alex Ebenstein to talk about Corse's Mother Is Coming Home , a novellette featured in Split Scream Vol. 6 , edited by Alex Ebenstein and published by Tenebrous Press. Together, they talk about the niche appeal of the novellette as a form for literature, about writing unlikable characters, and touch on the repeatability of reading unpleasant stories. You can...

Lora Senf is back to talk about her novel The Loneliest Place , the conclusion of her Blight Harbor Trilogy. Together, they talk about awe, about neurodivergence and loneliness, about their love of story and the place for authenticity in literature, plus a whole lot more. You can find more Lora Senf online at lorasenf.com and order books like The Blight Harbor Trilogy at your local bookseller or r...

In this episode, Trevor sits down with Angela Sylvaine to talk about Chopping Spree , her newly updated and re-released novella from Dark Matter Ink. Together, they explore the need for horror and comedy and community, and they reflect on how personal growth can reflect on one's art and one's reaction to art. Above all, they explore their friendship and reiterate its importance in what feels like...

In this episode, Trevor talks with author Sarah Henning about her latest novels, Monster Camp (a nominee for the Bram Stoker Award) and The Lies We Conjure , available in bookstores now from Tor Teen. Together, they talk about the meaning of art to young audiences, the thrill of writing for youth and teens, the challenges of writing for younger audiences in today's publishing climate, and a whole...

Join in with award-winning author A.C. Wise as we discuss her novella Out of the Drowning Deep , published by Titan Books on September 3, 2024. In this episode, we discuss what it means to seek truth in a world of divergent perceptions, talk about deity and divinity and how these systems interact with human civilizations, and contemplate the performativity of self in acts like prayer--alongside ma...

In this episode of the show, Trevor sits down with Brenda Peynado, the award-winning author of The Rock Eaters and Time's Agent , her new novella available from Tor Dot Com. They talk about writing near-future science fiction, about daring to have hope, about navigating the cooption of art and academia for other purposes, and much more. You can find more from Brenda Peynado at her website, brendap...

In this episode, Trevor talks with Katrina Monroe about her latest novel, Through the Midnight Door . They talk about dealing with its heavy themes, about writing characters with authenticity, and also about Katrina's forthcoming writing projects and the joy they bring to her creative process. Content Warning: This episode contains a frank discussion about dealing with depression and self-harm, an...

Join Trevor this week as he talks to Emma E. Murray, the author of recent books When the Devil and Crushing Snails , both available from Shortwave Books and Apocalypse Party (respectively). Together, they talk about Emma's psychologically complex characters and themes, the exercise of empathy in horror fiction, about chasing utopian longings through disturbing media, and how transformative simple...

In this week's episode, Trevor converses with author Matthew Lyons about his new book A Mask of Flies . They talk about the beauty and importance of awe in feral places, in what differentiates niceness versus kindness, and about giving a damn in fiction and in life. You can support Matthew Lyons by following him at matthewlyonsauthor.com or by reading or requesting A Mask of Flies, now available f...

In this episode, Trevor sits down with Lor Gislason and Shelley Lavigne, the authors of The Flesh of the Sea , a novella of pirate adventure and goopy monsters, now available from Hedone Books. Together, they talk about writing a novella in tandem, about their love of queer and goopy horror and monsters, about Trevor's peculiar reading habits, and about why horror remains so important to both Lor...

In this week's conversation, Trevor is joined by author Ally Russell, whose latest middle grade novel It Came from the Trees is full summer scares and trips into the woods. They talk about writing for younger audiences, about trusting in the wisdom of young readers, and about discernment in horror readership among other topics. It Came from the Trees is now available wherever you buy your books, a...

Trevor visits with author Cynthia Gómez to talk about her new collection of short stories, The Nightmare Box and Other Stories . Together, they explore some of the deeper ideas embedded within Gómez's anti-capitalist fiction, alongside what it means to write anti-capitalist art in an age of ever-present capitalist ideology, and the importance of maintaining craft in service to the art as opposed t...

In this episode, Trevor sits down with Paulette Kennedy, the bestselling author of Parting the Veil, The Witch of Tin Mountain, and the recently-released The Devil and Mrs. Davenport . Together, they explore the importance of the Gothic and how The Devil and Mrs. Davenport responds to both midcentury Gothics and contemporary politics. They talk about women and agency, the importance of community,...

In this episode, Trevor is joined by writer and poet Ananda Lima to talk about her debut collection of short stories, Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil. They talk about the significance of art as a reader and an artist, about the meaning of craft in both fiction and as applied to meaning-making in life, about the source of the Devil's wisdom in guiding the creation of story, and much more. Craf...

Trevor is joined by author Constance Fay, whose novels Calamity and Fiasco are now available from Bramble. They talk about space adventure and romance, about constructing heroines that exist within and outside of traditional romance tropes, and about building believable narrative tension between strong heroines and their romantic counterparts. You can find more of Constance Fay's work at her websi...

Dinosaurs on the loose! Come join with Alex Ebenstein as he talks about his latest novella, Reanimated Rex , published May 14, 2024. We talk about dinosaurs, about rediscovering wonder and joy through literature, and about why that recovery matters. Alex Ebenstein can be found at alexebenstein.com, where you can also order your copy of Reanimated Rex . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...