The Ghoulish Times | 09.05.25
Hello and welcome to the latest issue of The Ghoulish Times. My name is Max Booth and this is our free spooky newsletter. Listen to me on the Lit Hub Podcast this morning talking about MAGA dipshits throwing a fit over our recent chalkboard sign (we also discuss the state of the horror genre! it’s a fun listen!).
As that episode downloads, let me get to the whole reason I am desperately writing this newsletter at 1:30pm on a Friday:
FIRST FRIDAY FRIGHTS
Tonight is our debut FIRST FRIGHT FRIGHTS event at the bookshop (Ghoulish Books in San Antonio, if you’re new here). This is an event consisting of three local-ish horror writers telling spooky stories to a crowd. Here is Betty Rocksteady’s wonderful event artwork advertising it:
Per the artwork, tonight’s roster consists of Josh Rountree, RJ Joseph, and Andrew Hilbert. We will have copies of their books for sale in the shop, which you can purchase and have signed. The event will take place at 8pm, BEHIND THE SHOP. Enter through the gate on the right side of the building. We will, theoretically, have lights outside by then guiding the path. We share this space with two other businesses and, like, five families that live above us in apartments, so please respect the property and don’t embarrass us. We are counting on you to behave. Feel free to misbehave literally anywhere else. In fact, we encourage you to go absolutely crazy. But not in our yard. And also not in our shop, tbh, unless you go “book-buying crazy”. You can do that in the shop any day. Except for Mondays. We are closed on Mondays. But also, tonight we are staying open after hours so people can go “book-buying crazy” after the event wraps up (should be over by 9pm at the latest).
It is free to attend, of course. Seating limited, though. So, maybe get here a little before 8pm. Gonna start setting up by 7:30.
COMING NEXT WEEK FROM GHOULISH BOOKS
This thing has experienced one delay after another but I am so relieved and excited to announce that our fourth issue of Ghoulish Tales is finally coming out—next week! Copies are on the way here from the printer and expected to arrive (hopefully) in time for our official September 9th release. September 9th is still summer! Stand outside our shop right now and try telling me it isn’t summer! It’s summer!
This issue, if you recall, features fiction from authors who (at least, at the time of acceptance) had never been published before. This is our NEW GHOULS edition. It features writing from Madelyn Lunnen, Melissa Nowark, Harrison Stypula, Miguel Villa, M.E. Wilczek, and M.M. Williams. Mindy Rose also joins as our new assistant editor with this issue (she even wrote the magazine’s intro essay!). The cover art was done by Betty Rocksteady. Check it out below:
Order a copy HERE.
BTW, you heard it here first: we’re re-opening submissions for our fifth issue on September 15th, and closing October 15th. More details soon, but nothing longer than 5,000 words and payment continues to be 10c per word. If you’re familiar with the magazine, you already know the kind of work we’re hungry to see. If not, well…you now have four issues to read. Get to it.
WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING: THE STAGEPLAY!
ICYMI, I wrote a stageplay adaptation of my novella We Need to Do Something for Bottle Alley Theatre Company in Austin, TX. It premiered last weekend. There are many, many pics to share from the play and I will probably share them all in due time, but this one is probably my favorite?
Its final weekend kicks off tonight (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and if you haven’t bought tickets yet…uhhh, it’s too late, because this thing already sold out? Like, holy shit?
Everybody involved in Bottle Alley has done such an incredible job bringing my script to life. I would even say this is the best possible way to experience the story. Maybe someday other companies in different cities will license it? Honestly not sure how this works. But I’m gonna find out.
I was interviewed in Dread Central about the play HERE. And the Austin Chronicle wrote up a terrific review of the play HERE. Very exciting!
GHOULISH BOOK CLUB
The GHOULISH BOOK CLUB continues with September's pick: JAWBONE by Monica Ojeda!
Copies are in stock at our shop (10% off)! We will discuss the book all month on the GHOULISH DISCORD and if you’re local we will do an in-person discussion at our shop on September 28th, Sunday 6pm. Let’s get reading, ghouls!
Find the discord on our linktree: https://linktr.ee/ghoulishbooks
Buy the book through our webstore and have it shipped to you or choose local pickup: https://ghoulish.rip/product/jawbone/
(use discount code "sept book club" upon checkout for 10% off)
OTHER BOOKS COMING SOON FROM GHOULISH BOOKS YOU SHOULD PRE-ORDER IF YOU LIKE KICKASS HORROR BOOKS AND WANT TO IMPRESS YOUR PEERS
Nadia Bulkin’s ISSUES WITH AUTHORITY
Bob Pastorella’s THE SMALL HOURS
Jess Hagemann’s MOTHER-EATING
Lor Gislason’s COSMIC DYKE PATROL
Get ‘em all if you want to unlock the secrets of immortality. Or just one of them. Whichever you prefer. Personally I vote for them all.
Okay goodbye for now.
—max