We chat with author Josh Winning about Heads Will Roll, which is a gory, eerie and queer-positive new YA read that takes everything you love about summer-camp horror movies and turns them on their head.
Hi, Josh! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hey! I’m Josh and I love scary things! I live in Suffolk, England with my cat Penny, and when I’m not rewatching movies like Scream, Labyrinth, and Lisa Frankenstein, I’m reading books by Adam Cesare, Rainbow Rowell, Chuck Tingle and CJ Tudor. I also love to go on long walks to figure out what horrible thing I’m going to write next.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I don’t remember a specific moment, but it’s something I’ve always done. As a kid, I used to rewrite books I’d read to either change the ending or get rid of the scenes I didn’t like. I also wrote my own stories, hopping between fantasy and horror like a weird little frog demon. I’ve always loved storytelling—whether that’s movies, books or beyond—and I’m so grateful that I get to tell my own.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Grinny by Nicholas Fisk (terrifying)
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Whitby Witches by Robin Jarvis (exceptional)
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Maeve Fly by CJ Leede (eyeball)
Your latest novel, Heads Will Roll, is out July 30th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!
What can readers expect?
Heads Will Roll is about a sitcom star who gets cancelled for something she posted online, and so checks into a digital detox camp for cancelled people—but somebody there wants to cancel them FOR GOOD. *insert axe emoji* The book is a love letter to slasher movies like Friday the 13th and Urban Legend, so there are a lot of horror-movie Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout (I’m a sucker for an Easter Egg). I also really wanted to tell an upbeat LGBTQ+ story about confronting and overcoming shame, and drawing power from being true to yourself no matter what people may think of you.
Where did the inspiration for Heads Will Roll come from?
Nothing screams “HORROR!” to me more than social media. While I’ve made some fantastic connections on social platforms, I also find them hugely anxiety-inducing. When I was first brainstorming Heads Will Roll in early 2022, Twitter felt like such an oppressive, judge-y place where you’d get pounced on for every little thing you wrote. Virtue signalling, “cancelling” and public shaming were (and are) rife. That, to me, is terrifying—almost as scary as an axe-wielding maniac stalking a bunch of campers—which is why I decided to tell a story about the ramifications of cancel culture and how it could be taken to gory extremes.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
The main character, Willow, is a horror nut who somehow wound up being a sitcom star. She’s essentially living her life trapped in the wrong genre. That, to me, was such a fun idea to explore, and I loved watching Willow grow and change over the course of the book. In terms of moments I enjoyed writing, there’s a prolonged chase scene that is my homage to Sarah Michelle Gellar’s big moment in I Know What You Did Last Summer that was PURE JOY to do.
This is your third published novel. What are some of the key lessons you’ve learned as a writer and the publishing world since your debut?
Have fun! As a writer, you’re basically making stuff up and hoping people will read it. That’s it. I think it’s possible to get very serious about your “brand” and your sales. I’m really trying to focus less on the business pressures and more on having fun, telling stories, and getting to know more people who love the same things that I love.
What’s next for you?
I’m finishing up a YA book that I’m very excited about (think small-town weirdness and big-time 90s vibes), and then I’m diving into my next novel with Putnam, which is going to be very different from anything I’ve done before, but in the best way (think cats, think blood, think sunscreen…).
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Books I’ve loved: Cicada by Tanya Pell, Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle, Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay, This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno and Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend by WJ Wassmer. Books I cannot wait to read: Candy Cane Kills Again: The Second Slaying by Brian McAuley, I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones, Mewing by Chloe Spencer and Jackal by Erin E Adams.
