J. Federle

I kind of want to turn this into a series. Women on horror book covers! No theme otherwise. Just a bunch of ladies ready to face down some demons (ghosts, werewolves, cosmic horrors, etc.).

What’s one of your favorite settings for horror?

I don't read a ton of fantasy. I'm more of a horror and sci-fi books gal. But a really impassioned recommendation can push fantasy books onto my TBR! I've absolutely loved all of these fantasy books. Not surprisingly, I think they all have subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) horror elements.

Strange dungeons stalked by mutated souls.

Forgotten deities lurking like ghosts.

Powerful entities stalking you across vast distances.

If you've got any passionate five-star fantasy recs, I'd love to hear them!

With some horror, it’s not just that you know you wouldn’t survive it. Your death is gonna be *uncomfortably memorable.*

What’s some truly shocking horror for you? Stuff that’s gritty, messy, or twisted? Love it or hate it, part of me always kinda respects that I’ll remember it.

It's my sincere hope that Our Hideous Progeny benefitted from all the energy around Del Toro's Frankenstein! It's such a cool take on the premise, loaded with great 19th-century details.

This April, I got my sci-fi/horror fix with Veil, my first Janz book. That cover has had me in a chokehold since I first saw it!

Veil was way more action-y than I expected, “creature-feature” versus “atmospheric cosmic horror.” But even though that’s not what I usually reach for, it had some super fun creative flourishes, and the absolutely fire pacing kept me glued to it.

Come Out, Come Out was my first book by Onyx 😂 Hot dog, talk about SPICE-FORWARD! I jumped on it hearing the premise: ghost falls in love with the depressed woman renting the house he’s cursed to haunt. Got surprised again, though! I felt it was way more “Bride of Chucky” vibes versus “sexy Gothic.”

Res Evil, ah! That scene where you have to navigate a “floor” of fragile glass windows in a collapsed office building 😱

I also read some fun articles for my own creative writing projects. Go check out the photos of that 1890s cabin!

How are we feeling this fine Friday? Got any weekend plans? (A good book counts as a plan!)

I know it's not for everybody, but I *love* a weird, open ending. Sometimes atmosphere and vibes can carry a whole book for me. I'd say "We Used to Live Here" falls loosely into this category too.

Do you prefer more concrete storytelling, or do you like more experimental stuff? Little bit of both?

I love books that blend genres, but with an eye to strange beauty and community, personal growth.

If a marketing exec would struggle to figure out where to put a book on a shelf in a book store, that's a good sign I'll like it.

I really loved all of these, even though most don't fit too cleanly in a single box.