The Monster She Wrote Podcast

Lisa Kroger and Melanie R. Anderson, authors of MONSTER, SHE WROTE (Quirk Books), discuss women in the horror genre.

An Interview with Jennifer McMahon 08/18/2026

An Interview with Jennifer McMahon Jennifer McMahon is the New York Times Bestselling author of thirteen novels including The Winter People and Stay Buried. She’s written about ghosts, demons, serial killers, shape-shifting monsters, an evil fairy king, a terrifying swimming pool, and more. She lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with her partner, Drea. When not writing, she spends time growing tropical fruit, exploring the wilds of Florida and seeking out haunted places, real and imagined. Recommended in this episode: by Jennifer McMahon, by Becky Siegel Spratford, by Ann Dávila Cardinal and by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: by Jennifer McMahon Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/42309660

Linda Hamilton's The Fourth Wife 08/04/2026

Linda Hamilton's The Fourth Wife In Linda Hamilton’s , Hazel Russon finds herself in an arranged marriage to Jacob Manwaring, a man who lives in the Utah wilderness in the crumbling Manwaring manor with his three other wives and their children. Hazel doesn’t know what to expect of her new life, but she never expected a manor home full of mysterious sounds, specters of women, and a terrifying attic that holds too many secrets. For more from author Linda Hamilton, including her research into Mormon history, check out her . Recommended in this episode: Neil McRobert’s and by Rebekah and David Ian McKendry NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: An interview with author Jennifer McMahon! Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/42026630

Darcie Little Badger’s “The Scientist’s Horror Story” 07/21/2026

Darcie Little Badger’s “The Scientist’s Horror Story” In Darcie Little Badger’s “The Scientist’s Horror Story,” three friends at a scientific conference meet up and tell ghost stories. One is pure fiction and one is not: which one is scarier? This short story can be found in the anthology (The is available for preorder now and will be out in bookstores this August.) Recommended in this episode: and NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/41849960

Lindy Ryan's Dollface 07/07/2026

Lindy Ryan's Dollface TW: This novel includes depictions of death by suicide and harm/death to an animal. We mention it in this episode but do not discuss in depth. Be advised. What happens when a horror author moves into the suburbs? Murder, of course. In , new resident Jill finds herself at the heart of a slasher plot, straight out of one of her novels. Recommended in this episode: and NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: “The Scientist’s Horror Story” by Darcie Little Badger (found in the anthology Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/41792825

This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud 06/23/2026

This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud In , Maggie, a young woman trying to survive the Great Hunger in Ireland, is rescued from a workhouse by the enigmatic Lady Catherine, who brings Maggie back to her estate home. She promises Maggie a roof over her head, food to eat, and, eventually, a shockingly ample plot of land to call her own–with one catch. Maggie must pretend to be Lady Catherine’s daughter Wilhelmina. It seems too good to be true–and Maggie may be in more danger than she realizes. Recommended in this episode: Widow’s Bay on Apple TV and The Other Bennet Sister on BritBox NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO DANIEL KRAUS ON HIS PULITZER WIN! UP NEXT: Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/41361770

Interview with Maria Tureaud 06/09/2026

Interview with Maria Tureaud Join us as we interview author Maria Tureaud on her Irish Gothic This House Will Feed. Maria Tureaud is an editor and acclaimed author of middle grade and adult fiction. Born and raised in County Clare on the west coast of Ireland, she now lives with her husband and son in New Jersey and can be found online at . Recommended in this episode: and and the ultimate Gothic novel NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/41400590

"Perdita" by Hildegarde Hawthorne 05/26/2026

"Perdita" by Hildegarde Hawthorne In , Silvia and Jack settle into their newlywed lives on Alfalfa Ranch, owned by Silvia’s Aunt Agnes. Things would be perfect, except for the little ghost child who can’t quite leave them alone. Recommended in this episode: NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/40954185

Anne Rivers Siddons’s The House Next Door 05/12/2026

Anne Rivers Siddons’s The House Next Door In Colquitt and Walter Kennedy are living their dream life. They have flourishing careers, a thriving social life, and a home they love in an affluent Southern suburb. But when an architect builds a house on the lot next door, immediately Colquitt worries that their quiet life will be disrupted. Unfortunately, the house has something much worse in store for the Kennedys–and anyone else who dares to step inside its walls. Recommended in this episode: NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/41160090

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore 04/28/2026

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore In , the idyllic setting of the Adirondack mountains conceals something sinister. One child going missing is a tragedy–but two children–and from the same family is a disturbing pattern. A young investigator is pretty sure that the wealthy Van Laar family is concealing something, if only she can get close enough to the family to find out what they are hiding. Recommended in this episode: and preorder (out in September) NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/40756930

Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House 04/14/2026

Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House Heads up, listeners. The ghosts of Hill House invaded this recording, so you might hear some audio glitches. In , Eleanor Vance has just buried her ailing elderly mother when she is invited to be part of a psychic investigation at a notoriously haunted house. The plan is to rent the home out for the summer and see what evidence of ghosts they can collect. What could possibly go wrong? Recommended in this episode: and NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/40696965

Mo Moshaty's "Dandelion Wine" 03/31/2026

Mo Moshaty's "Dandelion Wine" In , a long married couple have a fight over a plum cake won in a bingo game that just might be the end for the two of them. Recommended in this episode: , , and NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: The Haunting of Hill House with special guest and podcast favorite Crystal O’Leary Davidson Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/40526055

Rachel Harrison's Play Nice 03/17/2026

Rachel Harrison's Play Nice In , carefree Clio Barnes’s life is interrupted when her estranged mother dies, and she and her sisters inherit their childhood home. Her plans to renovate the old place and sell it quickly fall apart when the demons from her past refuse to be ignored. Recommended in this episode: Good Boy, streaming on Shudder NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/40175580

Sarah Orne Jewett's "The Landscape Chamber" 03/03/2026

Sarah Orne Jewett's "The Landscape Chamber" In Sarah Orne Jewett’s short story “The Landscape Chamber,” a woman travelling alone, in search of adventure, finds herself off the beaten path. When her horse is injured, she seeks help at an old manor tucked away in the country, seemingly forgotten by time. There, she meets an old man and his lonely daughter. While they welcome her in, it seems that something in the home does not want her there. STORY LINKED HERE: “ Recommended in this episode: Sam Raimi’s Send Help and NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/40086765

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 02/17/2026

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia In Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Gothic horror , three different women across three timelines are interconnected by mysterious disappearances, murder, and dark magic. In 1998, graduate student Minerva researches the real events that inspired Beatrice Tremblay’s most famous novel. In 1932, Beatrice Tremblay is caught up in the disappearance of her friend and roommate. And in 1908, Minerva’s great-grandmother Alba has to fight for her family when a witch takes control of her life. Recommended in this episode: by Liz Moore and by Lindy Ryan NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. And check out this list of to support. UP NEXT: “ by Sarah Orne Jewett Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/40020975

Melanie Tem's Prodigal 02/03/2026

Melanie Tem's Prodigal In Melanie Tem’s Prodigal, eleven-year-old Lucy is grappling with the mysterious death of her older brother–a suspected drug overdose–when her older sister Rae mysteriously disappears. The losses alone are too much for her family, but now Lucy is visited by the ghost of her brother, leading her into a dangerous supernatural world. Recommended in this episode: by Jacqueline Harpman and by V. E. Schwab NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: by Silvia Moreno Garcia Buy our books , including Monster, She Wrote and our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/39924575

Majorie Bowen's "The Crown Derby Plate" 12/23/2025

Majorie Bowen's "The Crown Derby Plate" Marjorie Bowen’s short story “The Crown Derby Plate” opens as “three elderly, cheerful women” sit around a fire for a cozy Christmas. They talk of a nearby estate that is rumored to be haunted when one of the women remembers that they had beautiful Crown Derby china that she wants for her antique shop. So, she makes the journey to the house, only to discover a little more than she bargained for. Recommended in this episode: Listen to , discussing the Valancourt re-release of Rosalind Ashe’s Moths. NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Melanie Tem’s Prodigal Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/39077590

E. Nesbit's "The Shadow" 12/09/2025

E. Nesbit's "The Shadow" In E. Nesbit’s story “The Shadow,” a vibrant Christmas party has gone late into the night, and everyone stays over at the manor house, given the late hour. Three women are sitting up around the fire with cocoa in hand, gossiping about boys and telling spooky stories. One woman, though, has an especially frightening tale to tell. Read “The Shadow” . Recommended in this episode: NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/38992580

Mariko Koike's The Graveyard Apartment 11/25/2025

Mariko Koike's The Graveyard Apartment SPOILERS ABOUND as we discuss Mariko Koike’s . Be forewarned! A young married couple has found the perfect apartment for their growing family. It’s beautiful and spacious. It’s close to shopping, the train, and their daughter’s school. The only problem? It is surrounded by a cemetery. A bit weird, yes, but not a problem–until strange and troubling events begin forcing out the tenants one by one, leaving the Kano family to fight by themselves. Recommended in this episode: by Kelly Foster Lundquist and by Simone St. James ALSO: Charlotte Riddell is in the ! NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: “The Shadow” by E. Nesbit (Read online ) Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/38928645

Mary Wilkins Freeman's Luella Miller 11/11/2025

Mary Wilkins Freeman's Luella Miller In Mary Wilkins Freeman’s short story “Luella Miller,” a tale is told about a woman named Luella, who is prone to hysterics and drains the energy from everyone around her. Is she just a woman in need of help? Or something much, much more sinister? Read Freeman’s story on the Library of America site or listen to it via the Podcastle podcast, here: Recommended in this episode: and NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/38495460

Jen Julian's Red Rabbit Ghost 10/28/2025

Jen Julian's Red Rabbit Ghost Last episode, we welcomed author Jen Julian on podcast. And this episode, Mel and Lisa discuss her book in more detail. College Freshman Jesse Calloway returns to his hometown of Blacknot in North Carolina after receiving mysterious anonymous texts in a college social media app with clues about his mother’s unresolved death. She died when he was an infant, so he doesn’t remember much of her–and he will do anything to learn more. Unfortunately, layers of secrets cover this small town tragedy (and other aspects of its past as well), and it will be hard for Jesse to uncover the truth while simultaneously facing his unresolved loss. Recommended in this episode: by Mo Moshaty NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Mary Wilkins Freeman’s Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/38407725

Interview with Jen Julian 10/14/2025

Interview with Jen Julian Today, we welcome writer Jen Julian to discuss her book . Jen Julian is a writer from Eastern North Carolina. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and an MFA in Fiction from UNC Greensboro. Her short story collection, , was the winner of the Press 53 Fiction Prize and was published in 2018, and her debut novel, , is out now through Orbit/Redhook, 2025. Recent work has appeared in Gulf Coast Magazine, , , , , Third Coast Magazine, , and , among other places. She has won numerous awards, been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best Small Fictions, and Best of the Net, and had her work recognized as notable in The Best American Short Stories 2023. Recommended in this episode: Alisa Alering’s and Rebecca Baum’s forthcoming NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: We discuss in more detail. Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/38265525

Elizabeth Hand's A Haunting on the Hill 09/30/2025

Elizabeth Hand's A Haunting on the Hill In Elizabeth Hand’s , Holly Sherwin is living every writer's dream. She has grant money to finish her new play, which she uses to rent a mansion in the woods so that she can work in peace. The only problem? The mansion is Hill House, a living, breathing bad place that promises to turn Holly’s dream into a nightmare. Recommended in this episode: Laura Purcell’s NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Interview with author Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/38238870

Tanith Lee's "Where All Things Perish" 09/16/2025

Tanith Lee's "Where All Things Perish" “She looks through water, / She looks through air, She leaps at the moon / And she looks in. Give her silver, Give her gold, / And bind her eyes With a brick and a pin.” “Where All Things Perish” by Tanith Lee was first published in Weird Tales #325 (Fall 2001). It’s available in full on , which also links to an interview with Lee by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer. Recommended in this episode: by Lindsey Fitzharris NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: by Elizabeth Hand Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/38141730

MSW Classic: "The Summer People" by Shirley Jackson 08/19/2025

MSW Classic: "The Summer People" by Shirley Jackson We are on a summer hiatus, but we will be returning with brand-new episodes soon! Please enjoy this classic episode on "The Summer People" by Shirley Jackson. Shirley Jackson once again proves that she is the queen of creepy short stories, this time with her story “The Summer People.” The story starts idyllic, like many of Jackson’s stories. The Allisons are a wealthy older couple who summer in a cabin by a lake in rural New England. Their picturesque existence quickly turns nightmarish, however, when they decide to extend their trip and stay past Labor Day. /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/36924425

MSW Classic: "Summer" by Tananarive Due 07/15/2025

MSW Classic: "Summer" by Tananarive Due We are on summer hiatus! So please enjoy this MSW Classic episode on Tanarive Due's "Ghost Summer" Tananarive Due’s “Summer” (from her story collection Ghost Summer) is set in her fictional town of Gracetown, Florida, where the humid and murky swamps hide bodies and demon leeches. It’s not a place to raise a baby–or maybe it is. /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/36924400

Interview with R. A. Busby (Part 2) 06/10/2025

Interview with R. A. Busby (Part 2) Author of , the eco-horror YOU WILL SPEAK FOR THE DEAD, and the Stoker-nominated story “Ten Thousand Crawling Children,” R.A. Busby spends her spare time running in the desert with her dog and thinking about weird things to write about. Recommended in this episode: and by R. A. Busby NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Summer HIATUS! Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/36615195

Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games 05/27/2025

Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games Every year, two children from one of twelve districts in Panem are chosen to participate in the where they will fight each other to the death for the entertainment of the Capitol–and the chance to bring undreamt of wealth back to their poor families. When young Primrose is chosen as one of the tributes, her older sister Katniss sacrifices herself to go in her place. But now, 16-year-old Katniss must learn how to survive–and how to kill. Recommended in this episode: Julia Bartz’s and Paulette Kennedy’s Thanks to Fox and Wit for sending us their Nightshade . NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Summer HIATUS! We will be back with new episodes soon! Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/36669930

MSW Classic: R. A. Busby 05/13/2025

MSW Classic: R. A. Busby Please enjoy this re-run of a classic Monster, She Wrote episode. Author of the novella Corporate Body and the Shirley Jackson Award-winning story "Not the Man I Married," R.A. Busby spends her spare time running in the desert with her dog and finding weird things to write about. /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/36487195

Interview with Tracy Cross 04/29/2025

Interview with Tracy Cross Tracy Cross is a dealer in dark fiction, her gripping stories featured in a range of podcasts and anthologies. Her debut novel, the gripping "Rootwork" (Dark Hart Publishing, November 2022), explores the strong bonds of family and draws on her own heritage in hoodoo. This is followed by "A Gathering of Weapons" (October 2024), the second book of the Rootwork series. Tracy resides in Washington, DC, where she is an active member of the Horror Writers Association. When she's not busy writing scary stories, she's dancing to disco. Keep up with her news and musings at her blog: . You can also follow her on Instagram @tracycrosswrites, on Bluesky @tracycrosswriter.bksy.social, and on Threads: @tracycrosswrites. Recommended in this episode: and by Tracy Cross NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: by Suzanne Collins Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/36096900

Reading Banned Books 04/15/2025

Reading Banned Books (launched in 1982) is normally in September/October, but given the state of things, we thought it was a relevant topic. Buying physical copies of books, when you can, seems to be a smart thing to do. PEN estimates that book bans have doubled in the past year; h Some of our sources: Data from the ; ; ; ; Recommended in this episode: and NEWS: We have a now! Find all of our favorite books at our shop–and help out small businesses. UP NEXT: Buy our books , including our newest /episode/index/show/monstershewrotepodcast/id/36066595

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