So how do I choose books to promote or stock?

This was the focus chosen by members for this exclusive post, and honestly, the answer is: it’s a lot.

There are endless books. I’m sent titles from publishers big and small, indie presses, and self-published authors. I’m also seeing books from authors, bookstagrammers, readers, publicists, publisher imprints, and my own very haunted internet digging. For example, Tor Nightfire is an imprint of Macmillan, so even one publisher can have multiple imprints with their own titles, vibe, and focus.

A lot of bookstores have websites where you can search almost any book, kind of like Amazon. I decided not to do that with Death by TBR Books. That does mean the website won’t have every book. It also means the books listed there are chosen on purpose.

Death by TBR Books is curated. I wanted the freedom to focus on books I actually want to recommend, books I’m excited about, books I think horror readers will want to know about, and books recommended by people I trust. Sometimes that means a big publisher release. Sometimes that means a small press book. Sometimes it means a self-published author I think deserves more attention. Sometimes it means a book I haven’t stopped thinking about.

It’s not a perfect system, and I know there are always books missing. That’s the hard part of being curated instead of being a giant search engine. But it’s also the point.

I don’t want Death by TBR Books to just be a place where any title technically exists. I want it to feel like someone is actually behind it, choosing, reading, listening, paying attention, and trying to get the right books in front of the right readers. A virtual bookshop experience if you will. :)

And if there’s a horror book you think should be listed, especially from a small press or indie author, you can always send it my way.

It’s been another long, weird, exciting week over here, which seems to be the theme of my entire life at this point.

Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology is officially out now, and I’m still in that strange post release fog where I’m excited, exhausted, grateful, and also wondering why my brain thinks we should immediately move on to the next thirteen things. A very normal and healthy system, clearly.

Thank you so much to everyone who preordered, ordered, shared, posted, reviewed, or said anything kind about the anthology. Small press releases are a lot of work, and every single bit of support really does matter. I know I say that all the time, but it’s true. Books do not magically find readers. They need people screaming about them in the woods, or, more realistically, posting them online and leaving reviews.

If you’ve read Twisted Tales 2 already, reviews are incredibly helpful. Even one sentence helps the book reach more readers, especially on places like Goodreads, Amazon, and StoryGraph.

This week I’ve also been deep in I Wish I Was a Vampire, my upcoming middle grade Halloween horror book. This is my middle grade debut, which feels surreal in a different way than my adult horror books. It’s spooky and funny and full of plastic chompers, school costume drama, late 90s Halloween energy, and a girl who really does not want to be cute when she could be scary instead.

I’m also sharing a sneak peek at the cover here first. 🖤

I’m so excited about this cover because it feels exactly like the kind of book younger me would have grabbed immediately. Autumn Parker only wants one thing for Halloween: to be scary instead of cute. Unfortunately, once the vampire teeth come out, pretending starts to feel a little too real. I've spent 30+ hours and counting on the cover!

This book has been really freeing to write, but also more emotional than I expected. Autumn is not me, haha just kidding, most of me is in there. I even base the school on the cover and layout in the book like my own elementary school. The kid who wanted to be understood. The kid who felt too weird, too much, too intense, too different. The kid who would have loved a spooky book that said one good best friend, one person who really sees you, can be enough.

I’m also getting ready for Small Town Slasher, which releases August 4th. Woods Bay is my cursed little town full of slashers, local legends, old secrets, and supernatural problems no one should be solving after dark. Naturally, Jenna is going to try anyway. I'm doing my last round of edits.

I also have my Village Books event coming up on July 9th at 6pm in Bellingham, so I’m trying to prepare for that. Nervous but excited.

Behind the scenes, I’m still working on the Yuletide Horror anthology too. It is very weird to be editing holiday horror while it’s hot outside, but honestly, terrible weather, forced cheer, family tension, and people pretending everything is fine is always in season.

The next Death by TBR Books open call for a novella is coming this summer, along with the summer slasher anthology open call for the 4th (4th?!) of Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night. I’m very excited and already a little scared of my inbox.

BOOKS
Slasher Summer by E. L. Chen
Moonflow by Bitter Karella
The Summer Fun Massacre by Craig DiLouie

Currently reading: Witch Season by Julia Bianco and The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives by Barbara Truelove

SHOWS

NEW
MasterChef
Widows Bay
Something Bad is Going to Happen

FILMS - I'm on LetterBoxd - horrormaven13
Sleepover
Hungry
Unknown Visitor

Rewatches that I'm enjoying as I pretend to live in the late 90s/early 00s.

TV
Gravity Falls
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The X-Files
Law and Order: SVU
Owl House

FILMS
Midsommar
Disturbia
The Stepfather

That's all for this week! Please share what you've been reading and watching! Next week is a double post week since there will be an exclusive post the paid tier. The poll is closed and I can share that I'll be discussing how I choose which books to promote!

xoxo

Spooky Girl

It's been a long, tiring, but also incredibly exciting week. I've been working on the second draft to my upcoming middle grade novel, I Wish I Was a Vampire, and will have it ready for beta readers in July! It's been really freeing to write this book. I went through a lot of what the MC goes through, but I thought, "What if she had a mom who actually cared?" or "What if the girl realized having one best friend who accepts you for you is enough?" Through these characters, I'm able to have hope and closure with different times of my life.

Also, as of this afternoon I have shipped ALL of the preorders for Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology along with other pending orders. This weekend I'll be editing one of the Yuletide Horror stories, writing/editing the middle grade book, and continuing my grassroots effort to gain readers for Death by TBR Books titles. Sunday is Litha (Summer Solstice), so I'll be doing a ritual and rewatching Midsommar. I'm definitely excited for the upcoming week with the release, but also fewer packages NOT that I'm complaining over sales. I'm incredibly grateful. :)

I love the summer solstice because it gets darker and darker every day after that. Muahahaha!

BOOKS
The Elsewhere Express by Sotto Yambao
The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy
How to Be Okay When Nothing is Okay by Jenny Lawson
Ask for Andrea by Noelle W. Ihli

Currently reading: Witch Season by Julia Bianco and Moonflow by Bitter Karella

SHOWS

NEW
MasterChef
Widows Bay
Something Bad is Going to Happen

FILMS - I'm on LetterBoxd - horrormaven13
Deep Water
Swapped

Rewatches that I'm enjoying as I pretend to live in the late 90s/early 00s.

TV
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The X-Files
Law and Order: SVU
Owl House
Cruel Summer
The Golden Girls

FILMS
Evil Dead Rises
Enough
Maternal Instinct

That's all for this week! Please share what you've been reading and watching! The next exclusive post (a week from Wednesday) will be decided by a poll. :)

xoxo

Spooky Girl

I wanted to talk about StokerCon a little more here because I’ve had a lot of feelings about it.

StokerCon is something I look forward to every year. I know it’s one of the biggest events in the horror world, and for those of us who write, publish, sell books, review books, or are just trying to be part of this genre in whatever way we can, it means a lot.

I’ve learned so much from the panels over the years. I’ve found new authors, learned more about publishing, listened to conversations I never would have been able to be in otherwise, and felt a little less alone in this weird little horror life I’m trying to build.

This year was also special because I got to be part of a virtual panel, which I really appreciated. I would love to do that again.

But I also have to be honest. The virtual side of StokerCon was frustrating.

Virtual tickets are not just a cute extra option for people who don’t feel like traveling. A lot of us attend virtually because we have to. Disabilities, money, work, family, health, travel, anxiety, all of it. There are a lot of reasons someone can’t just get on a plane and spend several days at a convention.

For me, virtual attendance is still attendance. I plan around it. I clear time for panels. I try to watch live when I can. I make notes. I save recordings. I treat it like a real convention because it is one.

This year, it didn’t feel like the virtual attendees were treated that way.

The recordings were delayed. Communication was almost impossible. One of the two recorded rooms had audio that was hard to understand, even after the recordings went up. And honestly, for an event this size, having only two rooms available virtually already felt limited.

I don’t think anyone set out to make virtual attendees feel forgotten. I know everyone running the in-person event is busy. I know conventions are a lot of work. I know there are always going to be problems.

But when people pay for a virtual ticket, especially when that ticket is being offered as an accessible option, there needs to be a better plan.

There needs to be someone virtual attendees can actually contact. There needs to be clear communication when recordings are delayed. There needs to be audio that people can hear. And if virtual access is going to be part of the convention, it needs to be treated like part of the convention.

Not something to deal with later.

This also ties into why I didn’t renew my HWA membership this year. Part of it was the lack of disability accommodation I’ve felt overall. The other part was the mentor program. I waited two years and was never assigned a mentor.

During the Stoker Awards, I heard people say more than once that you get out of the HWA what you put into it. I understand why people say that. But that has not been my experience.

I did try.

I joined. I attended. I waited. I reached out. I tried to be part of things in the ways I could.

And after a while, it starts to feel bad to keep showing up to spaces that say they want people included, but don’t seem ready for what that actually means.

I’m not saying this because I hate StokerCon. I don’t. I love what StokerCon can be. I love that it brings horror people together. I love the panels. I love seeing the genre celebrated. I love that for a few days, horror gets to be the main thing in the room.

I just wish the people who can’t physically be in that room were treated like they mattered too.

If virtual tickets are offered again, I really hope they’re handled with more care. Because for some of us, that’s the only door we have.

I'm not sure where this week went. Oh right I think I shipped out over 50 packages between the preorders for Headlights and Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology. I've been working on a lot. As of today A LOT of our own preorders are now open! Check them out on our website to preorder now HERE! Preorders help so much especially during the slow summer. <3

Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology 6/23
Small Town Slasher (Woods Bay 1) 8/4
I Wish I Was a Vampire by Stephanie Rose 9/15
Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Yuletide Horror Anthology 11/17

2027
Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Slasher Horror Anthology 4/27
Werewolf Summer (Woods Bay 2) 5/11

BOOKS
Dead & Breakfast by Kat Hillis & Rosiee Thor
It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell


Currently reading: I'm almost done with the audiobook for The Elsewhere Express by Sotto Yambao and The Devil and Mrs. Davenport by Paulette Kennedy. The second is a buddy read with @Ashly

SHOWS
NEW
MasterChef
Widows Bay
Something Bad is Going to Happen

FILMS - I'm on LetterBoxd - horrormaven13
3 Ninjas
The Babysitter's Club
Find My Friends

Rewatches that I'm enjoying as I pretend to live in the late 90s/early 00s.

TV
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The X-Files
Law and Order: SVU
Owl House

FILMS
River Wild
The River Wild
The Shallows

That's all for this week! I'll be putting up an exclusive post about StokerCon on Wednesday. I hope you get some time to read and watch and relax.

xoxo

Spooky Girl

If you're reading this, that means you have this benefit! If you haven't already, please email info@deathbytbrbooks.com for eBooks of any or all of the following titles.

Hiding Lies
Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Halloween Horror Anthology
Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology
Small Town Slasher (Woods Bay #1)

Thank you so much for supporting me as an author and Death by TBR Books! <3

I finished up the cover wrap and formatting for Small Town Slasher. I know some people read it and may never give this one a chance if they didn't like the first one but I'm glad it's now a novella AND part of a new series, Woods Bay. I didn't plan on the title being similar to a new show I hadn't heard about but oh well that might help! I'll be sending away for one copy to line edit the whole book one more time. I just announced the next anthology theme SLASHERS and it's great to see so many people excited about it!

I've been attending StokerCon virtually since Thursday and have learned a lot and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to attend online. It still has a long way to go to be better for the virtual attendees but I'm grateful I can attend. It's my third year and I put time aside to attend virtually. I'm exhausted and will definitely have a whole separate post sharing what I've learned, a review and reflection of it if you will.

BOOKS
Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne
Platform Decay by Martha Wells
Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay

Currently reading: The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives by Barbara Truelove (It's a novella and I'm super slow reading print but I do love it so far) and I'm almost done with the audiobook for Dead and Breakfast by Kat Hillis & Rosiee Thor.

SHOWS
NEW
24 in 24
Next Level Chef
Pop Culture Jeopardy
Euphoria

FILMS - I'm on LetterBoxd - horrormaven13
Erupja
Hokum
16 Wishes

Rewatches that I'm enjoying as I pretend to live in the late 90s/early 00s.

TV
Buffy the Vampire Slayer RIP Giles :(
The X-Files
Law and Order: SVU
Owl House

FILMS
The Parent Trap

That's all for this week! I hope you get some time to read and watch and relax.

xoxo

Spooky Girl

The press release for Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology has been sent out! I am finishing up editing the submissions for Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Yuletide Horror Anthology, and at the end of June, I'll have the stories from the invited authors to read and edit. It's releasing THIS November AND I am starting to contact potential authors for the next anthology.

In addition to working on these anthologies and beginning book 2 of the Woods Bay series my super secret project is a children's chapter book! I'll share more soon!

BOOKS

I'll Watch Your Baby by Neena Viel
Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker (relisten)
The Last Time We Drowned by Saratoga Schaefer
Kill All Wizards by Jedediah Berry

Currently reading: The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives by Barbara Truelove (I wasn't able to read print this week but I'm so grateful for audiobooks, Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne.

SHOWS
NEW
24 in 24
Next Level Chef
Widows Bay
Euphoria

FILMS - I'm on LetterBoxd - horrormaven13
Over Your Dead Body
Contact
The Mummy

Rewatches that I'm enjoying as I pretend to live in the late 90s/early 00s.

TV
Daria
Twin Peaks
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The X-Files
Law and Order: SVU
The Hills

FILMS
Promising Young Woman
The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride

That's all for this week! I hope you get some time to read and watch and relax. Oh and I started a new Instagram for my personal nerdom. If you're interested my handle is: stephanieisspooky

xoxo

Spooky Girl

I have recently started rewatching a lot of my favorite shows. For some I had started the series but never finished it. I thought I had seen all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but I definitely hadn't. I watch some new shows but watching Buffy, The X-Files, Twin Peaks, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Daria, and more are keeping me sane right now. Nostalgic posters along with DVDs and VHS tapes are helping too. So here are 31 thoughts I had while rewatching season 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This show definitely is and will continue to influence my Woods Bay series including Small Town Slasher.

1. The first pilot is better than the one they went with. It matches the film the show is based on way more.

2. I will never skip this intro. It's still gold.

3. I wish we had The Bronze in my town.

4. I had the sunglasses Buffy has in The Harvest episode.

5. Ahhh early Buffy and Angel moments.

6. So that's where I got the idea of the high ponytail with a few loose strands in front of my face.

7. Adorkable Willow and her computer.

8. Love combining cheerleading with the first witch we meet on the show.

9. I want Giles' car.

10. Ahhh 1997 fashion. /chefskiss

11. I love the idea of putting a spirit into a trophy. So cool!

12. The library shots are done so well.

13. Cheerleader on fire!

14. Totally thought of Joe from You when I saw the cage in the library.

15. It's such a great twist that the mother was the one evil not the cheerleader.

16. Preying mantis sexy teacher.

17. Ewwww the sandwich scene totally reminded me of the similar scene in The Girl Who Cried Monster by R.L. Stine.

18. Even during my rewatch I was shocked by The Master.

19. Xander acting like a hyena is awesome. It also makes me want to go to the zoo.

20. One of the actresses from the Angel episode is in Dexter.

21. The chemistry between Buffy and Angel. Oh my.

22. The Willow and robot episode was just okay but fun cheesy.

23. A dummy and the organs it wants to harvest.

24. Worst nightmares coming true. That's terrifying.

25. Hey it's the girl from The Faculty.

26. Loved the dress she wore in the finale.

27. Even though you know Buffy is going to be okay it's still horrible to watch her die.

28. A short first season but still excellent.

29. I feel bad that I totally forgot about Ms. Carpenter I love her.

30. I think the white dress and leather jacket is a nod to the final showdown in the film.

31. Not one skip of the intro or outro. EGH so good!!

I took the final pass of Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology and placed a BIG order. It's always a bit scary around this time. Early reviews start to come in (which I'm trying to stay away from) and all the other pieces fall into place. I'll be sending some copies to those who are part of the upcoming Bookstagram Tour, as well as writing and sending a press release out.

I am also starting to edit the stories that will be in Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Yuletide Horror Anthology releasing THIS November AND I am starting to contact potential authors for the next anthology.

I am going on a day trip tomorrow to do some research for the Woods Bay series, and I just finished my outline for book 2!

BOOKS
Tea You At the Altar by Rebecca Thorne
Caller Unknown by Gillian McAllister
Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle
The Dorians by Nick Cutter

Currently reading: The Secret Lives of Zombie Wives by Barbara Truelove and I'll Watch Your Baby by Neena Viel.

SHOWS
NEW
24 in 24
Widows Bay
Euphoria

FILMS - I'm on LetterBoxd - horrormaven13
Mother May I - A big of a let down
Lee Cronin's The Mummy
The Tingler
The House at the Edge of the Woods

Rewatches that I'm enjoying as I pretend to live in the late 90s/early 00s.

TV
Daria
Twin Peaks
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The X-Files
Law and Order: SVU
The Hills

FILMS
The Swan Princess
The Terminator
Fly Away Home

That's all for this week! I hope you get some time to read and watch and relax. Oh and I started a new Instagram for my personal nerdom. If you're interested my handle is: stephanieisspooky

xoxo

Spooky Girl