Look Who’s In Esquire!
Look whose ugly mug made it to Esquire Magazine! So wild. You can read the article here.
July 11, 2023
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Ssh… QUIET PART LOUD just got announced!
So… The word is out. Surprise! Jordan Peele and Monkeypaw Productions presents QUIET PART LOUD, a 12-part horror podcast series with immersive audio and sound design, written by me and Mac Rogers, exclusively on Spotify 11/15. This show truly redefines the term ‘earworm.’ It stars Pulitzer-winning playwright/actor Tracy Letts (Bug), Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Milly Shapiro (Hereditary), Taran Killam (SNL), Nikohl Boosheri (Altered Carbon), Arian Moayed (Succession) and so many more. Hearing Tracy Letts perform monologues I wrote is an absolute career highlight…
The story is all about a deplatformed conservative radio personality who uncovers a supernatural conspiracy that nobody believes… Mac and Me have been working on this since March 2020 (cough, cough) & nobody is ever going to believe we wrote it prior to… well, everything.
The series was directed by the astonishing Mimi O’Donnell and pristinely assembled by Gimlet Productions. Immense thanks to Jordan Peele, Win Rosenfeld, Geoff Foster, Amy McLeish, Jasmyne Peck-Bailey and everyone at Monkeypaw Productions for letting Mac and Me run wild with this epic horror tale. Working on this series with Mac Rogers and everyone else has been a feverish dream come true. We got to tell a truly frightening story, with or without sonic parasites, with the full creative support of MonkeyPaw, Gimlet and Spotify. You’re not ready for this show. It burrows in your brain.
QUIET PART LOUD. A MonkeyPaw Productions podcast. Written by Mac & Me. Directed by Mimi O’Donnell at Gimlet. Exclusively on Spotify 11/15/22.
November 10, 2022
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The reviews are in for GHOST EATERS!
Look at what folks have been saying about my new novel GHOST EATERS…
One of Tor Nightfire’s Horror Books We’re Excited About in 2022
September 2022 LibraryReads Pick
An October 2022 Indie Next Pick
“A keenly observant narrative that, with a mix of body horror and just plain horror, plucks at the raw nerves of the grieving process.”—SCI FI Magazine
“Rife with body horror and hallucinations…the narrative sucks readers into its dark, disorienting world. It’s equal parts moving and gruesome.”—Publishers Weekly
“Chapman has created an experience so anxiety inducing, immersive, and intense that readers will feel like something is actually there, lurking over their shoulder as they turn the pages. A great choice for fans of A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Orphans of Bliss, edited by Mark Matthews.”—Booklist, starred review
“A high anxiety, utterly original, and compelling contemplation of what it means to be haunted.”—Library Journal
“Chapman twists addiction into its ultimate form in this thrill ride of ghosts, grief and god complexes explored through a Southern Gothic lens.”—Rue Morgue
“Clay McLeod Chapman is quickly becoming the go-to author for hard-hitting horror that doesn’t flinch.”—This is Horror
“Reading Chapman’s work is always a test of stomachs and hearts in equal turn, and Ghost Eaters is no different.”—Daily Grindhouse
“Fans of body horror will rejoice as Chapman leads readers through a trippy world.”—Book Riot
“This excellent horror novel examines being addicted to grief and the lengths some go to hang on to those they love.”—Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune
“A Gothic-punk graveyard tale about what haunts history and what haunts the human soul. An addicting read that draws you into its descent from the first page.”—Chuck Wendig, New York Times best-selling author of The Book of Accidents
“Clay McLeod Chapman’s guided tour of a shroom-and-gloom ghost world, where everyone is addicted to death, reads like a scared straight program that horrifies you into choosing life.”—Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of The Final Girl Support Group
“A terrifying meditation of the horrors of modern life and our collective fixation with death. Clay McLeod Chapman’s Ghost Eaters promises to fix what ails you, existentially speaking. But be warned: follow Chapman down this rabbit hole and you will see dead people.”—Alma Katsu, author of The Fervor
“Ghost Eatersis one of those rare horror novels that have everything: a dash of humor, real life demons, complex characters, a heavy dose of the supernatural, and the kind of ending you never forget. This is high-grade horror, and Clay McLeod Chapman is the real deal.”—Gabino Iglesias, author of The Devil Takes You Home
“Clay McLeod Chapman is a weaver of nightmares and Ghost Eaters is his darkest creation yet. A non-stop thrill ride, all you can do is strap in and prepare to be haunted. Chapman is the 21st century’s Richard Matheson. He’s that good.”—Richard Chizmar, New York Times best-selling author of Chasing the Boogeyman
“A quintessential ghost story with a fresh, trippy twist. Chapman weaves hair-raising, goosebump-inducing horror through a sharp exploration of loss, addiction, and grim history. Haunting guaranteed.”—Rachel Harrison, author of Cackle and The Return
“Richly observed, thoroughly entertaining, and incredibly surprising, Ghost Eaters will be the horror novel of 2022 to read. A dark, gripping tale that is by turns snarky, horrifying, and brutal—this book is as good as modern horror gets.”—John Hornor Jacobs, author of A Lush and Seething Hell
October 20, 2022
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Dive into the UNKNOWN…
The news is out! Deadline announced today that Craig and I are teaming up once again with our psychological horror anthology series… UNKNOWN! We’ve teamed up with the creators of Westworld (!?), Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s Kilter Films, to develop the series for Amazon Studios.
Unknown is is a psychological horror anthology series that plunges into the corners of the American landscape, probing the intersection of folklore and our bloody history of true crime. The first season is centered around an estranged brother and sister, who return to the Texas Killing Fields, only to encounter a dark spirit that inhabits the region from their childhood. To read the article at Deadline, you can click here. Check back here for more announcements!
May 6, 2021
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The Reviews Are In For WHISPER!
Whisper Down the Lane doesn’t hit the shelves for another three weeks but already the reviews have been rolling in. Check out what wonderful things these fine folks have to say…
“[A] spellbinding psychological thriller…a suspenseful tale of paranoia that will keep readers riveted until the last surprise is sprung.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Chapman’s latest is a full-throttle, twisty (and twisted) horror mystery… This clever, creepy roller-coaster ride is perfect for fans of fast-paced horror with the flavor of true crime.” –Library Journal
“Chapman’s deeply unsettling and unputdownable latest… Creepy and engaging, this is a tale for readers who enjoy true crime like We Believe the Children by Richard Beck (2015), horror like Grady Hendrix’s My Best Friend’s Exorcism (2016), and intensely disorienting psychological suspense like Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin (2017).”—Booklist
“...a wild, uncertain, and profoundly uncomfortable read.” –Rue Morgue Magazine
Whisper Down the Lane “echo(es) the emotional intensity of our age” and “provides a slow motion car crash suspense, a growing sense of dread.” –Nightmare Magazine
“A profoundly psychological type of horror.” –Cultured Vultures
“Chapman is a maestro at building grim suspense to the point of unimaginable consequences, proving genuine horror dwells in the world we live in today.”—Mystery and Suspense Magazine
“Chapman writes in an unadorned manner and with a sharp eye toward the underside of American popular culture. This is a novel sure to please those who love horror and mysteries, plus it is a nice mixture of classic and modern thrillers.” – New York Journal of Books
“Devilishly good. In Whisper Down the Lane, Clay McLeod Chapman has given us a diabolically creepy hybrid of horror and psychological suspense that thrills as much as it unsettles. You’ll keep turning the pages even as your hands shake.”—Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Home Before Dark
“In Whisper Down the Lane, Clay McLeod Chapman has gifted readers a novel that is darkly compelling, deeply discomfiting, and achingly human. We squirm as the dread and terror mount, but we can’t stop reading. We’re under the spell of a true storyteller, and bound to follow him wherever he takes us. Prepare to surrender some sleep for this twisting tale of family, memory, identity, and the weight of old sins.”—Shaun Hamill, author of A Cosmology of Monsters
“A ruthlessly compelling novel, where two stories close on each other like a claw - a truly diabolical nightmare that daylight can’t dispel - all the more terrifying for what it tells us of ourselves.” – Ramsey Campbell, Author of The Wise Friend and The Searching Dead
“A beguiling page-turner brimming with dread, Whisper Down the Lane is diabolical fun.”—Rachel Harrison, author of The Return and Cackle
“Chapman’s latest allows us to deal with horrors we don’t often get to see depicted like this. The horror of our past selves, the horror of guilt and consequence, the power of a mass delusion. Terrifying, sad, and even a tiny dash hopeful. I loved it.”—Adam Cesare, author of Clown in a Cornfield and Video Night
“Scary, compelling, heartbreaking, Whisper Down the Lane dredges our generation’s collective past and turns up the worst monsters of all: us. A fantastic read.”—Andy Davidson, author of The Boatman’s Daughter
“I waltzed into Whisper Down the Lane confident that I wasn’t going to let a little Satanic Panic get to me. Instead I fearfully devoured chapter after chapter….Chapman’s 80s-inspired horror will crawl under your skin and shake you silly, and you’ll like it.”—Molly Pohlig, author of The Unsuitable
“Whisper Down the Lane is a twisting maze of deadly secrets and dark, dangerous shadows. A nail-biting exercise of psychological terror…I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Clay McLeod Chapman has outdone himself.”—Richard Chizmar, author of Chasing the Boogeyman
“Whisper Down the Lane is a brilliant nightmare. Chapman will ensnare you in a terrifying web deftly woven with lies, good intentions, childhood fears and local hysteria. From the very first chapter, you’ll be caught.”—Mallory O’Meara, best-selling author of The Lady from the Black Lagoon
March 15, 2021
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Whisper Down the Lists!
My upcoming novel WHISPER DOWN THE LANE has been popping up on a lot of different lists for upcoming horror books in 2021. Here’s a lovely little breakdown of what we all need to read this year:
“Top New Horror Books in April 2021,” Den of Geek.
“13 Horror Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2021,” Bloody Disgusting.
“9 Libros de Terror para Engancharte en 2021,” GQ México y Latinoamérica
“10 New Horror Books to Scare Your Pants Off in 2021,” Cultured Vultures.
“The Scariest Horror Books We’re Most Looking Forward to in 2021,” The Lineup.
“All the Horror Books We’re Excited About in 2021,” Tor Nightfire.
“30 Most Anticipated Horror Books of 2021,” Read By Dusk.
“Top 10 Tuesday: Most Anticipated Books Releases for 2021,” Bookshelf Fantasies.
Thanks to Bloody Disgusting, Cultured Vultures, The Lineup, Tor Nightfire, Read By Dusk, and Bookshelf Fantasies for placing my novel in such great company! Now I know what I’ll be reading next… and next… and next. Whisper Down the Lane is available on April 6 wherever books are sold!
February 6, 2021
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Whisper Down the Lane on Quirk’s Inside The List!
Learn all about Whisper Down the Lane with Quirk’s Editorial Director Jhanteigh Kupihea in this Spring 2021 #InsidetheList preview! Click here to watch.
Inspired by the McMartin preschool trials and the Satanic Panic of the ‘80s, the critically acclaimed author of The Remaking delivers another pulse pounding, true-crime-based horror novel.
Richard doesn’t have a past. For him, there is only the present: a new marriage to Tamara, a first chance at fatherhood to her son Elijah, and a quiet but pleasant life as an art teacher at Elijah’s elementary school in Danvers, Virginia. Then the body of a rabbit, ritualistically murdered, appears on the school grounds with a birthday card for Richard tucked beneath it. Richard doesn’t have a birthday—but Sean does . . .
Sean is a five-year-old boy who has just moved to Greenfield, Virginia, with his mother. Like most mothers of the 1980s, she’s worried about bills, childcare, putting food on the table . . . and an encroaching threat to American life that can take the face of anyone: a politician, a friendly neighbor, or even a teacher. When Sean’s school sends a letter to the parents revealing that Sean’s favorite teacher is under investigation, a white lie from Sean lights a fire that engulfs the entire nation—and Sean and his mother are left holding the match.
Now, thirty years later, someone is here to remind Richard that they remember what Sean did. And though Sean doesn’t exist anymore, someone needs to pay the price for his lies.
Preorder Whisper Down the Lane (out 4/6/21):
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LUxG3C
BN.com: http://bit.ly/2XJzhME
Bookshop.org: http://bit.ly/3ihcPUf
Books-A-Million: http://bit.ly/3qpMG8Q
January 18, 2021
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Starred review for WHISPER!
Publishers Weekly in their divine wisdom bestowed my new novel WHISPER DOWN THE LANE with a hallowed star review and I couldn’t be more gobsmacked! They went on to say such nice things as calling the book a “spellbinding psychological thriller… a suspenseful tale of paranoia that will keep readers riveted until the last surprise is sprung.” I can’t wait for you to read this one! On shelves April 2021.
November 19, 2020
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Cover Reveal for WHISPER DOWN THE LANE
It’s with great pleasure that I reveal the final cover art for my new novel WHISPER DOWN THE LANE, compliments of Entertainment Weekly! Thanks to Clark Collis for the exclusive story… Hitting shelves April 6, 2021! Click here to check out “Get a first look at Clay McLeod Chapman’s new novel Whisper Down The Lane” at Entertainment Weekly!
October 20, 2020
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Library Journal’s Day of Dialog
Penguin Random House is participating in Library Journal’s Virtual Day of Dialog and they invited me to join in their “Meet The Author” video series to chat about my new novel Whisper Down The Lane! Watch the video here.
September 26, 2020
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Come Join Us Around the Fire announced!
The news is out! Tor Nightfire announced their second season of “Come Join Us By The Fire,” an audio anthology of short stories… And I’m in there! Not only did they include my spooky story “the fireplace,” but they let me read it to! You can listen to it for FREE on October 15th. Find out all the gory details by clicking here. Check out this awesome roster of authors!
- Cassandra Khaw, “Some Breakable Things”
- Sarah Langan, “The Changeling”
- Shaun Hamill, “Music of the Abyss”
- Caitlín R. Kiernan, “Standing Water”
- Tade Thompson, “Bone”
- T. Kingfisher, “Origin Story”
- Silvia Moreno-Garcia, “The Sound of Footsteps”
- Laird Barron, “Jōren Falls”
- Damien Angelica Walters, “Tooth, Tongue, and Claw”
- Sunny Moraine, “If Living is Seeing I’m Holding My Breath”
- Matthew Lyons, “Blood Daughter”
- Jessica Guess, “Mama Tulu”
- Daniel M. Lavery, “Prodigal Son”
- Seanan McGuire, “Emergency Landing”
- Indrapramit Das, “You Will Survive This Night”
- ‘Pemi Aguda, “Things Boys Do”
- Kelly Link, “The Specialist’s Hat”
- Clay McLeod Chapman, “The Fireplace”
- Nibedita Sen, “Pigeons”
- Camilla Grudova, “Ghost Bread”
- Catherynne M. Valente, “The Days of Flaming Motorcycles”
- Brian Evenson, “The Cabin”
- Maria Dahvana Headley, “The Krakatoan”
- Craig Laurance Gidney, “Spyder Threads”
- Mariana Enriquez, “Things We Lost in the Fire”
- Gabino Iglesias, “The Song of the Lady Rose”
- Nick Antosca, “The Quiet Boy”
Stories are narrated by Fajer Al-Kaisi, Clay McLeod Chapman, Frankie Corzo, Deepti Gupta, JD Jackson, Daniel M. Lavery, Rich Miller, Greer Morrison, and Natalie Naudus. Produced by Steve Wagner, with sound design by Sal Barone, Patrick Smith, Ethan Donaldson, and Steve Wagner.
September 17, 2020
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Virtual Graveyard Shift: She Dies Tomorrow and The Remaking
Aah! The Alamo Drafthouse has a book club and they’re pairing up The Remaking with She Dies Tomorrow! This is a total dream come true!
Virtual Graveyard Shift: She Dies Tomorrow and The Remaking! Join us for a virtual screening of SHE DIES TOMORROW, the new film from director Amy Seimetz. This event begins at 9 PM with a Book Club discussion of THE REMAKING. We’ll be reading the first half of the book and chatting about it from 9 PM to 10 PM. At 10 PM, we’ll chat about SHE DIES TOMORROW: Amy is ravaged by the notion that she is going to die tomorrow, which sends her down a dizzying emotional spiral. When her sceptical friend Jane discovers Amy’s feeling of imminent death to be contagious, they both begin bizarre journeys through what might be the last day of their lives.
August 5, 2020
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Drive-In & Spooky Story!
Join us on Wednesday July 8th at the Vineland Drive-In for a free screening in partnership with IFC Midnight and ArcLight for an advance screening of the spectacular new horror film RELIC directed by Natalie Erika James. This is an expertly crafted, emotional and absorbing feature film debut that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year, one we were sad not to have been able to showcase at our original festival dates.
In true Overlook fashion, attendees will have their drive-in experience enhanced with a vintage pre-show for early arrivals, along with a downloadable soundtrack of spooky audio stories for the drive to and from the screening courtesy of our frightening friends at TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE and THE PUMPKIN PIE SHOW. Video Q&A to follow with director Natalie Erika James, and stars Emily Mortimer, Bella Heatchote and Robyn Niven, moderated by executive producers the Anthony & Joe Russo.
Availability is Limited! RSVP NOW at [email protected]
WEDNESDAY JULY 8TH
Gates Open: 6:45pm
Screening: 8:30pm
VINELAND DRIVE-IN
443 N. Vineland Ave.
City Of Industry, CA
July 7, 2020
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The Remaking paperback cover reveal!
Look who’s got a new cover! The paperback edition of The Remaking will be hitting shelves this September. Preorder your copy now:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2V7Ig9k
BN.com: https://bit.ly/3fOhScC
Bookshop.org: https://bit.ly/3fM28Xj
Books-A-Million: https://bit.ly/37Ref2J
June 23, 2020
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Chattanooga goes virtual!
No bug is gonna keep the 2020 Chattanooga Film Festival down! This year, everything is going… virtual! This revolutionary online genre festival includes a lineup of electrifying and provocative features, shorts, events, and surprises, including notable guests: Ernest Dickerson, Joe Bob Briggs, Alex Winter, and… THE PUMPKIN PIE SHOW!?
The Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF) along with its presenting sponsor Gunpowder & Sky’s ALTER and media partner Bloody-Disgusting.com, are thrilled to announce their innovative lineup of features, panels and live events set for May 22 to May 25. In unprecedented times, the festival is offering a full-access badge price of $30 and divvying up a portion of the proceeds back to participating filmmakers.
CFF 2020 will see the triumphant return of screenwriter and author Clay McLeod Chapman, who will be back to present THE PUMPKIN PIE SHOW, an event that was without a doubt the sleeper hit of last year’s festival. Chapman will also conduct a writer’s workshop.
5/23 at 11 AM: THE PUMPKIN PIE SHOW: For more than 20 years, author Clay McLeod Chapman and performer Hanna Cheek have offered a view into the minds of the most depraved Southern Gothic monstrosities with The Pumpkin Pie Show. Sometimes darkly humorous, sometimes strangely heartbreaking, and most definitely always in-your-face, these tales of madness and macabre explore the domestic horrors of the everyday, finding terror within our very own households. This one-of-a-kind performance delves deep into the darkest recesses of those madmen and women who drift along the periphery of humankind. Don’t miss it!
5/24 at 11 AM: WRITING/STORYTELLING WORKSHOP WITH CLAY McLEOD CHAPMAN: Come join Clay McLeod Chapman, author of The Remaking and Marvel Comics’ ongoing series Scream: Curse of Carnage, to discuss the hunting and gathering of new narrative material to tell our own spooooky stories. Whether it’s for film or fiction, comics or something even crazier, this workshop lays down a very simple foundation for spinning out a yarn around the campfire, no matter what the medium may be.
For more info about the fest and how to get tickets, click here: https://www.chattfilmfest.org/
May 14, 2020
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Gather Round the Campfire!
Gather ‘round the campfire. Things are about to get spooky. Visit Quirk Book’s YouTube channel every day this week at 3pm ET to see #horror authors discussing their books! On Monday, 4/20, I’ll be kickstarting things off with a reading from The Remaking! #CampfireConversations
April 20, 2020
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Fantastic Fiction on Youtube!
Weren’t able to catch last night’s livestream reading of The Remaking? Have no fear, Youtube is here! Now you can watch the Fantastic Fiction event at KGB Bar with guests Michael T. Cisco and Clay McLeod Chapman, hosted by Matthew Kressel and Ellen Datlow by clicking here.
April 16, 2020
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Fantastic Fiction LIVECAST!
FANTASTIC FICTION at KGB reading series, hosts Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel present a reading by Michael Cisco (The Narrator) and Clay McLeod Chapman (The Remaking)! The event will be live-streamed on YouTube. Link forthcoming. Hope you are staying healthy and safe, and that you can join us! Due to the COVID-19 shutdown of the KGB Bar, this event will be live-streamed on YouTube. The link will be posted before the event.
April 15th, 2020, 7 PM. Catch it!
April 3, 2020
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ORIGINS cover reveal!
Guys! Did you see this?! Comic Book Resources just revealed the cover for ORIGINS, a new graphic novel by me, Arash Amel, Joseph Oxford, Lee Toland Krieger, Jakub Rebelka, Patricio Delpeche and Jim Campbell. From BOOM! Studios, on shelves Oct 2020. Check it out by clicking here.
March 2, 2020
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Inside The Lines Interview
Look who’s coloring! I discuss The Remaking for “Coloring Carnage With Clay McLeod Chapman.” Watch the interview at To Tony Production’s page by clicking here. On this week’s episode of Inside The Lines we sit down with Clay as we discuss getting a publishing deal straight out of college, writing for Marvel/Spider-Man comics, having his work adapted into film, his upcoming graphic novel/future works, and being at the Sundance film festival! Inside The Lines is hosted/directed by Daniel Hess.
February 3, 2020
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“A deeply eerie and evocative portrayal of what it's like to stare into the abyss and find something there waiting for you. A memorable, disquieting ghost story about stories, rendered inside a Möbius strip.”
— Kirkus
