Hi, Alex! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I don’t usually like talking about myself, but I’ve won some awards for writing, and I’ve spent some time on a bestseller list or two. I have glasses because I can’t see very well, and my wife says they make me look smart. When I’m not writing, I’m reading, or walking my dog, or feeding my tarantula.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I’m not sure, but I recently found a couple boxes under the stairs in my basement that were full of plans for science fiction trilogies, and newspaper comic strips, and detective stories, and ghost stories, and really bad humor writing, all from my preteen years. Writing stories was clearly always part of my DNA.

Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!

I have a sort of Swiss cheese memory of my childhood. There are huge chunks missing. So the first book I remember reading was a little digest-sized collection of Sherlock Holmes stories. I must have been six or seven years old, sitting on the washing machine in our basement and geeking out over “The Red-Headed League” and “The Adventure of the Speckled Band.”

My goal was to write and draw my own comic strip until I read John Irving’s The World According to Garp early in high school. TS Garp got to stay home with his kids and play with them on the lawn, cook fabulous dinners for his family… oh, and he got to write books. That seemed like the perfect life for me. And it is!

Name one book I can’t stop thinking about? Impossible! I’m always thinking about books: The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, The Stories of John Cheever (and for that matter the stories of Ted Chiang, and Kelly Link, and Flannery O’Connor), Ethan Frome, Sarah Caudwell’s four books, The Man In My Basement by Walter Mosley, Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, The Wind In the Willows, Great Expectations, Atonement, everything Ross MacDonald ever wrote, and pretty much all of Vonnegut’s work… I could go on for days.

Your latest novel, Red Rabbit, is out September 19^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

A witch in the West!

What can readers expect?

Readers are a mercurial lot, but if I’ve done this right expect to identify with a well-meaning ghost, root for an independent-minded witch, tiptoe around all the arterial spray, and stay awake so you can find out what that damn demon’s going to do next.

Where did the inspiration for Red Rabbit come from?

I love a good Western, but my son hates them. I tried to change his mind by showing him some of my favorite Western movies, but the only one he liked was The Magnificent Seven. So I spent a little time thinking about why that story in particular might have appealed to him when Lonesome Dove, The Searchers, and Unforgiven didn’t. And that somehow led me to wonder what The Magnificent Seven might have been like if, after the villagers hired those mercenaries to help them, it turned out the mercenaries were on the wrong side. What if instead of bandits they were pitted against a victim of the villagers’ bigotry and hatred? Like, say, a woman living on her own that they accused of being a witch.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

There’s a character called The Huntsman who wanders in and out of the narrative. The method of his introduction surprised me because one morning he didn’t exist, and then he did. I never knew what he was going to do next. And there’s a scene in which some witch hunters come up the road to collect the bounty on Sadie Grace, and the way she greets them was a lot of fun to write.

With many of your works written within the mystery and horror, where did your interest in these genres stem from?

I think for most of us who write horrors or fantasies or mysteries, there’s a feeling that writing about the things that scare us or fill us with wonder is a way of taking hold of those things and controlling them.

What’s next for you?

I’ve (perhaps foolishly) written a sequel to Red Rabbit because I really wanted to stay in that world for a while. And I have a short story called “The Price of Rye” that’s free to read on the Tor website right now. I’m finishing up a novella, then I’ll finish another novel I’ve started called The Narrow House.

Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

I’m currently blazing through everything Kelly Link’s written, jumping from one anthology to the next, and they’re all brilliant. And there’s a horror novel coming out soon called Knock Knock Open Wide that knocked my socks off.

Will you be picking up Red Rabbit? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Alex Grecian, Author of ‘Red Rabbit’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover our picks and tell us in  the comments below if you will be picking up any!

The September House by Carissa Orlando
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A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison
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A cynical twentysomething must confront her unconventional family’s dark secrets in this fiery, irreverent horror novel from the author of Such Sharp Teeth and Cackle.

Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino
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In 1960, a young woman discovers a freedom she never knew existed in this exhilarating, funny, and emotional novel by the bestselling author of She’s Up to No Good.

Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian
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From bestselling author Alex Grecian comes a folk horror epic about a ragtag posse that must track down a witch through a wild west beset by demons and ghosts―and where death is always just around the bend.

And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott
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A mind-bending, razor-sharp look at motherhood and mental health that follows a young Indigenous woman who discovers the picture-perfect life she always hoped for may have horrifying consequences

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
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A new mystery is afoot in the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman.

Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons
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Bold, lyrical, and chillingly relevant, Fair Rosaline reveals the dark subtext of the timeless story of star-crossed lovers: it’s a feminist revision that will enthrall readers of bestselling literary retellings such as Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell and Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese.

Hush Harbor by Anise Vance
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A resistance group takes America’s racial reckoning into its own hands in this powerful, stirringly original debut novel.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
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A lighthearted whodunnit about a grandmother-mother-daughter trio of amateur sleuths. Think: Gilmore Girls, but with murder.

The Taken Ones by Jess Lourey
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Two girls vanished. A woman buried alive. Between two crimes lie decades of secrets yet to be unearthed in a pulse-pounding novel by the Edgar Award–nominated author of Unspeakable Things.

The Art of Desire by Stacey Abrams
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One doomed love affair after another has made Alex Walton swear off men. Now, she’s determined to try something that maybe she can succeed at: a writing career. Little does she know that a chance meeting with a strikingly handsome stranger, a mysterious obelisk, and a lost kingdom will change her life forever. As Alex is about to discover, truth can be stranger—and far more dangerous—than fiction.

Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown
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Emmy-nominated actress and producer MILLIE BOBBY BROWN’s debut novel, Nineteen Steps, is a moving tale of love, longing, and loss, inspired by the true events of her family’s experience during World War II.

Holly by Stephen King
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Holly Gibney, one of Stephen King’s most compelling and ingeniously resourceful characters, returns in this thrilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a midwestern town.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
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Two women from opposite sides of the country are brought together by violent acts of the same man, and become allies and sisters in arms as they pursue the justice that would otherwise elude them in one of the most acclaimed, highly-anticipated thrillers of the year.

Penance by Eliza Clark
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From the author of the cult hit Boy Parts comes a chilling, brilliantly told story of murder among a group of teenage girls—a powerful and disturbing novel as piercing in its portrait of young women as Emma Cline’s The Girls.

Her Sweet Revenge by Sarah Bonner
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Helena is successful, beautiful, and living in married bliss. But she has a secret that proves to be deadly – literally. Her best friend Thea knows Helena’s death wasn’t an accident. It was murder, and she is determined to make someone pay. And as they say… revenge is sweet.

Murder in the Family by Cara Hunter
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Mega-bestselling British crime novelist Cara Hunter makes her big American debut with a wholly immersive thriller like none you’ve seen before: written as the teleplay of a true-crime documentary, it has the reader puzzling away, reviewing photos, maps, coroner’s reports and other evidence as they read.

The Fraud by Zadie Smith
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From acclaimed and bestselling novelist Zadie Smith, a kaleidoscopic work of historical fiction set against the legal trial that divided Victorian England, about who gets to tell their story—and who gets to be believed.

Rouge by Mona Awad
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From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny comes a horror-tinted, gothic fairy tale about a lonely dress shop clerk whose mother’s unexpected death sends her down a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty. Can she escape her mother’s fate—and find a connection that is more than skin deep?

The Royal Windsor Secret by Christine Wells
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Could she be the secret daughter of the Prince of Wales? In this dazzling novel by the author of Sisters of the Resistance, a young woman seeks to discover the truth about her mysterious past. Perfect for readers of Shana Abe, Bryn Turnbull, and Marie Benedict. 

All You Have To Do Is Call by Kerri Maher
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A dramatic and inspiring novel based on the true story of the Jane Collective and the brave women who fought for our right to choose, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Paris Bookseller.

Perfectly Nice Neighbors by Kia Abdullah
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A twisty and consuming thriller, Perfectly Nice Neighbors asks: When your dream home comes with nightmare neighbors, how far will you go to keep your family safe?

The Golden Gate by Amy Chua
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Amy Chua’s debut novel, The Golden Gate, is a sweeping, evocative, and compelling historical thriller that paints a vibrant portrait of a California buffeted by the turbulent crosswinds of a world at war and a society about to undergo massive change.

The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin
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A social media influencer with a secret past buys a murder house to renovate, but finds more than she bargained for behind the peeling wallpaper in this gothic psychological debut.

What releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post September 2023 Fiction Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Read on to discover just a few of our picks and tell us in the comments below if you’ll be reading any of them!

Champion of Fate by Kendare Blake
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake is back with an epic duology starter that follows a young woman training to join a fabled order as she attempts to lead a hero to his critical first victory. A must-read for fans of Alexandra Bracken and Victoria Aveyard.

The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan
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The original heroes from The Lightning Thief are reunited for their biggest challenge yet: getting Percy to college when the gods are standing in his way.

The Fragile Threads of Power by V. E. Schwab
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V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, opens another door to a new fantasy series set in the dazzling world of Shades of Magic.

The September House by Carissa Orlando
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A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

Fly With Me by Andie Burke
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A sparkling and steamy opposites-attract romance, Fly with Me by Andie Burke is filled with sharp banter and that sweet, swooping feeling of finding “the one” when and where you least expect it.

Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis
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The Inheritance Games meets Ocean’s Eleven in this cinematic heist thriller where a cutthroat competition brings together the world’s best thieves and one thief is playing for the highest stakes of all: her mother’s life.

Penance by Eliza Clark
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

From the author of the cult hit Boy Parts comes a chilling, brilliantly told story of murder among a group of teenage girls—a powerful and disturbing novel as piercing in its portrait of young women as Emma Cline’s The Girls.

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
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A small town is transformed by dark magic when a strange tree begins bearing magical apples in this new masterpiece of horror from the bestselling author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents.

The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie
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A spellbinding YA fantasy from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kathryn Purdie, where fairy tales come to life with dark, deadly twists.

Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
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A sapphic rivals to lovers rom com for fans of Ted Lasso and A League of Their Own, where two soccer teammates are at odds before falling in love as their team gears up for the World Cup.

The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson
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An orphaned fortune teller in 18th-century England searches for answers about her long-dead mother and uncovers shocking secrets in this immersive and atmospheric saga perfect for fans of Sarah Waters and Sarah Perry.

This Spells Disaster by Tori Anne Martin
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Fake dating gets a magical twist in this enchanting queer romantic comedy where a witch worries that the real feelings brewing between her and her crush were sparked by an accidental love potion, and the only way out of the disastrous spell is a healthy dose of the truth–drink up, witches.

The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman
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A new mystery is afoot in the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman

Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian
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From bestselling author Alex Grecian comes a folk horror epic about a ragtag posse that must track down a witch through a wild west beset by demons and ghosts―and where death is always just around the bend.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
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Enter a land of gods and monsters, soldiers and mercenaries, secrets and wishes—the explosive #1 internationally bestselling fantasy debut in a new trilogy for fans of The Witcher and Gideon the Ninth.

Fall of Ruin and Wrath by Jennifer L. Armentrout
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From Jennifer L. Armentrout, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of From Blood and Ash, comes the beginning of a searing fantasy romance series for adults, Fall of Ruin and Wrath.

What September releases are you looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below!

The post September 2023 Book Releases appeared first on The Nerd Daily.