Summer Reading Lists

Warm weather is finally here and the Summer Reading Lists are starting to come out. I've been thrilled to see WONDERLAND on two great lists in the last two days!

First, PopSugar's 30 Best New Books to Dive Into This Summer.

And then CrimeReads Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2020: Summer Reading Edition.

It is always an honor to have a book on lists like these - so many books are published, and so many books are submitted for consideration, hoping for a sliver of the publicity pie. In just under two months WONDERLAND will be out in the world!

Basic Lighting Tips for DIY Authors

Hey author friends! Seeing how we're all at home now doing online events and making our own promo videos, I decided to record a few tips on setting up lights. The arrangement described in the video is primarily meant to create a "flat" lighting look without major shadows. The softbox I purchased is a Mount Dog, and I neglected to mention in the video that it comes with its own lightbulbs (and also a carrying case).

I'm a big believer in "Making It Work" without a lot of expense or fancy whistles. Obviously you could invest a lot more - in lighting or video equipment - and produce more professional results. But at this point we all just need something to get us started.

I kept trying to post clips of this on Twitter, but it wasn't working. So you can watch the full video here:

All About WONDERLAND

At the request of my publisher, I made a little video to introduce readers to my forthcoming book, WONDERLAND. The book doesn't come out until July 14, but I figured I better make the video now before my self-trimmed hair gets even weirder. 

Virtual Author Event

I'll be doing my first virtual author event this Wednesday, April 29 at 6:30PM (EST) via Zoom. I was supposed to travel to Rochester, NY in March for the first Greece Reads! book event, but due to the pandemic obviously we needed to cancel that. I will be answering questions about BABY TEETH from the library moderator, as well as fielding audience questions. While this was originally set up as a live appearance for Rochester, NY there are more spots open if anyone else would like to "attend." Click here to register for the Zoom link.

Starred Reviews

In the midst of this strange time, life continues on (albeit in isolation). WONDERLAND is having quite the week, with new blurbs from fabulous authors, and not one but two starred reviews in trade journals: Booklist (link to come), and Library Journal.

When BABY TEETH received its starred reviews I was quite ignorant about the business and how things worked. This time around I knew that - for better or worse - WONDERLAND would be held up against BABY TEETH, and I've been metaphorically holding my breath for quite some time, wondering what the verdict would be. It means the world to me to see these early starred reviews come in! 

The Kids Are Not All Right

BABY TEETH is still finding its way to new readers, and I love seeing articles like Tor Nightfire's "The Kids Are Not All Right: Brian Evenson On Making Monstrous Children." I really appreciated their summary of BABY TEETH:

Baby Teeth, Zoje Stage

This 2018 debut novel concerns a girl, Hanna, who is exceptionally bright and also exceptionally manipulative. She refuses to speak and slowly tries to drive a wedge between her parents so that she can have her father for herself. Exceptionally deft in its depiction of child psychology, this might be a book that you’d put in the same category as The Bad Seed except that as it progresses you begin to see the mother’s legacy of damage from her own mother and how she might be passing it along, as well as the mother’s desire to have her husband all for herself.  After a harrowing ride, it’s all the more remarkable that Stage puts us in a position where we can understand and even warily sympathize with the potentially psychopathic Hanna.