| Authors HATE self-promotion. They despise posting book photos with links to pre-order, loathe telling you about good reviews, and cringe announcing the deal the publisher is running. Most authors are happy with their laptops, sitting in their little writing room, alone with their characters and a glass of wine. Whenever you see an author promote their book on social media, know they just died a little inside. And yet. Yet promotion is a huge part of a book’s lifecycle. Pre-orders are tremendously important, reviews are critical, and buzz is often how bestsellers are made. Moreover, the author is part of a team of professionals striving to create as much financial success around a title as possible; they can’t just sit back and assume their job is done after the book is written. They need to work closely with their PR and marketing teams to give the book its best shot at thriving once it’s in the wild. All that being said, you’re gonna see me hype up my upcoming thriller The New Neighbor over the next couple of months. And you know what? I’m unapologetic for it. I love this book. It’s got a wonderful creep factor, a main character who becomes justifiably VERY paranoid, and a spooky fucking house. But don’t take my word for it! Take a look at what some others have said about The New Neighbor. |
| “The New Neighbor is a dizzying descent into a Byzantine maze of psychological suspense. Carter Wilson proves once again why he is one of the best, most inventive thriller writers working today.” ― S. A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author of Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland “Damn you. Wilson! I was up all night with this book. The mysteries of Bury are perfectly placed, the tension is thick enough to drown in, and the pages fly by. Brilliant escapism. I can’t recommend it highly enough.” ―Stuart Turton, internationally bestselling author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water “A truly suspenseful and gripping read. I was filled with anxiety and on the edge of my seat throughout. Bravo!” —Alice Hunter, author of The Serial Killer’s Wife “There’s no denying Wilson’s power to weave a dark web and keep making it darker and darker.” —Kirkus Reviews “Some truly frightening scenes lead to a gripping and satisfying conclusion, but not before a twist that will leave readers’ heads spinning. Marlowe is memorable ―single dads in thrillers aren’t that common―but mainly he will stay with readers because of his offbeat vulnerability and the determination that shines through his grief. Wilson’s (The Dead Girl in 2A) unusual psychological thriller is one for fans of Stephen King who are open to reading mysteries.” ― First Clue “Fast-paced, beautifully written and with the requisite heart-pounding moments, Carter Wilson’s The New Neighbor hits all the right thriller notes. Add this to your to-read pile immediately!” —Catherine McKenzie, USA Today bestselling author of You Can’t Catch Me and Six Weeks to Live “I can never resist a book with a well-written, unreliable narrator, and Carter Wilson nails just that in his tautly written thriller, The New Neighbor. I couldn’t bear to put this page-turner down until I figured out every single detail in Wilson’s suspenseful and twist-ridden story of loss, mourning, and new starts that asks if money can ever buy happiness and even if it does―at what cost?” ― Emily Bleeker, Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author |
| You can pre-order here, and I sure would love it if you do! |
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| Making It Up Newly added episodes of my conversation series Making It Up are out! This month I chatted with award-winning novelist Amanda Kabak (The Mathematics of Change), domestic-suspense novelist Lynne Reeves Griffin (The Dangers of an Ordinary Night), and USA Today bestselling thriller writer Allen Eskens (The Stolen Hours). All episodes are available on my YouTube channel and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Check them out now here! |
| Making It Up clip of the week! NY Times bestselling author and Edgar-award nominee S.A. Cosby and I make up a noirish short story beginning with a random sentence from Stephen King’s Nightmares & Dreamscapes. |
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| What I’m Reading They Drown Our Daughters, Katrina Monroe (Sourcebooks, 2022) I was asked to read this book (coming out in July) to see if I wanted to blurb it. Very happy I agreed! This is a dark and creepy tale about generations of women haunted by the same ocean-dwelling ghost. Make sure to check it out when it releases. Here’s the blurb I provided: “At turns chilling, evocative, and beautifully tragic, THEY DROWN OUR DAUGHTERS is a mesmerizing tale of familial sorrow. Katrina Monroe plays this one just right, drawing you in gently before unleashing the full force of her power…just like her wraith of the water. Moreover, Monroe will have readers more afraid of the sea than any author since Benchley. A superb read.” |
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| What I’m Watching LuLaRich (2021, Prime). I’m a sucker for any documentary series about greedy people doing awful things, so I was very happy to stumble on LuLaRich. From Prime: “LuLaRich is a four-part docuseries that chronicles the unraveling of LuLaRoe. Known for their buttery soft leggings, the infamous multi-level marketing company went viral promising young mothers a work-from-home salvation. LuLaRoe’s eccentric founders recruited an astonishing army of independent retailers to peddle its increasingly bizarre and defective clothing products…until it all went wrong.” Now, I’d never even heard of LuLaRoe but that didn’t matter. This series rules. It will fulfill all your desires to hate on delusional and predatory pyramid-scheme vultures. Oh. And the crazy. There’s so much crazy. |
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| Photo of the Month Spotted this little fella sitting on top of my hanging chair in the backyard. Turns out he’s a Cooper’s Hawk. Love the tail. |
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| Update from My Kids Good news – Sawyer got his driver’s license! And with it, all the freedoms a young man craves. Like the freedom to drive to a friend’s house and hang out with all his buddies on a Friday night. Well, of the six kids hanging out that Friday, six came down with Covid…INCLUDING SAWYER. So, yeah. Sometimes that precious driver’s license isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. |
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| Update from My Cat This is the face of a cat running through a list in his head of who should live and who should die. |
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| Fresh Ink! Six months in the planning and four (painful) hours in the execution, I’m excited about my new ink! Skeleton key with mandala and compass. And the top of the key explodes into a murder of crows. I’m loving it. |
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| Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month |
| I love how beautifully staged this photo is. |
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 That’s it for now! See you next month.  |
