HeyJaredDr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde
News letter of novelist Alma Katsu, who writes both horror and spy novels. Insights on writing and what it's like to be an author from a former intelligence analyst
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 13
- Latest publication
- Sep 30, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Aug 10, 2026
Latest issues
“An American Psycho-like fever dream” (opens the original)
Read excerpt
The most interesting part of releasing a new book into the world is the chance to see it through others’ eyes. Readers find meanings that I did not see when I was writing it, which is to be expected as writing fiction is an exercise in channeling the subconscious. The review in the LA Review of Books (link below) made a lot of interesting points but the one that hit me between the eyes was “an American Psycho-like fever dream”. The reviewer isn’t wrong, even if my book is not as blood-spattered
Handing off the mic (opens the original)
Read excerpt
I hate doing the elevator pitch. And it’s the one thing you can count on doing when you have a book, from day one until the day you die. But you REALLY use it a lot at the launch of your book.I stupidly try to ignore it, kidding myself that the perfect one will just come to me in the heat of the moment. (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.) One great thing about the week your book comes out, however, is that all these great reviews come in that cut through the murk that has obscured my vision of what my
It Begins. Sort of. (opens the original)
Read excerpt
I originally wrote this newsletter a few days earlier, and it was different. I was focused on the beginning of book tour, thinking about what outfits I would wear to which events, the logistics of driving across Pennsylvania, what audiobook I’d download. You know, the usual.And then disaster struck (being a little dramatic here). I woke up in the middle of the night because the room was spinning. I’ve mentioned before that I have a condition that causes vertigo (if you haven’t heard the whole st
Big News (opens the original)
Read excerpt
It’s official: AMC and Ridley Scott have optioned The Hunger for a TV series, possibly a season of their blockbuster anthology series, The Terror. I couldn’t wait for an announcement to come out in the trades, so you’ll just have to believe me.<source type="im
One Week and a day away from pub day (opens the original)
Read excerpt
First, don’t ever move house anytime near publication of your book.I didn’t think we’d be moving this close to pub day for Incarnate. We’d assumed it would happen in June, mid-July at the latest. Here it is, a week away from Incarnate’s release, and I’m still spending oodles of time on the phone badgering tradesmen to call me back and trying to find new doctors. We still haven’t hung any art on the walls. All our kitchen stuff was put in “temporary” places that I suspect will soon become “perman
Publishing over time
Last 90 days. Choose a month to open its work.
Recurring subjects
Named in the text we hold. One piece can cover several.
Audience
No verified audience measurement yet.
About this data
Counts cover the work we have indexed. Tone needs enough text and a confident classification. Excerpts and episode notes are not full articles or transcripts.
Identity or attribution wrong? Suggest a correction.