Free Virtual Program with Horror Authors for All Ages Through Anderson County [SC] Library System and a Chance to Get on the HWA Libraries Mailing List

Popping in today with an invitation for every single one o you and your patrons-- all ages of patrons. Join me and best-selling authors Rory Power (YA), Lisa Springer (MG/YA), Andrew Joseph White(YA and Adult), and Nat Cassidy (Adult) as we have a conversation about horror hosted by Anderson County (SC) Library System. And it is 1 week from today! Tuesday, April 15th from 6-7:30pm eastern.

While anytime of year is the perfect time of year to talk about Horror, April does mark Halfway to Halloween making this month a great time to have horror programming.

I want to give a shout out to Cash from the library. She emailed "libraries at horror dot org" asking for help increasing her horror based programming. She was noticing an uptick in horror readers at all age levels in their library system and knew more programming was needed to satisfy demand.

After a phone call and a few more emails back and forth, Cash sent me a "wish list" of authors (see some of those above) and I helped to organize this event for her.

This is all part of the work the Horror Writers' Association's Libraries Committee does each and every day. As part of the HWA's 501c3 status, we provide free programming to libraries includingconnecting them to authors.

The HWA Libraries Committee is currently in the midst of a strategic planning process as well. It is going well and we will have more to share with the world by September, but in the meantime, we are gathering names of people who want to be a part of our work. We have a short form where you can share your interest and expertise with us. Click here to access that. You do not have to be a library worker to fill it out. Library supporters are welcome as well. Again, click here.

We are in the process of starting a HWA Libraries newsletter [target Fall 2026], and if you share your info with us now, we will get you on the list ASAP.

Back to next week's program-- any and all are welcome to join us, but you need to register here to get the link.

From the registration page:

Description

It's never too early to celebrate Halloween! Start the countdown by joining us for this exclusive online event, as best-selling authors Rory Power, Lisa Springer, Andrew Joseph White, and Nat Cassidy discuss the horror genre and share insights into their writing processes, moderated by horror advocate and author Becky Spratford! Now, that's something to scream about!  

While we cannot promise that every burning question will be answered, we encourage you to email us your best ones to eccstaff@andersonlibrary.org before the discussion.

I hope to see many of you there.

The Annual Shelf Care Podcast [via Booklist] Featuring Everything You Need to Know About Summer Scares

After a few days of more serious posts, today I want to focus on one of my favorite annual Summer Scares  resources-- our annual visit to Booklist's Shelf Care Podcast. We have a whole bunch of Sumerm Scares folks, including the announcement of New York Public Library joining our team as an official partner with Summer Scares. WOW!

See the full post here or below, including this link to access the audio.

Finally, click here to access the Summer Scares resource page, where you can find also find Summer Scares 2026 Programming Guide

Booklist's Shelf Care 

Booklist's bookish library podcast

Welcome to Booklist’s Shelf Care, where we bring all things readers’ advisory, collection development, and reference right to your earbuds. Hosted by Susan Maguire, Senior Editor, Collection Management and Library Outreach, each episode of Shelf Care will introduce you to rock star librarians, hot topics in publishing, and books you need to know from colleagues at Booklist.

Subscribe to Booklist’s Shelf Care on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app. 

Listen to the Latest Episode: 

Folks are probably well into planning for summer reading programs, so now is the perfect time to talk about Summer Scares! On this Episode of Shelf Care: The Podcast, host Susan Maguire talks to the folks involved. First, this year’s celebrity spokesperson, author Jennifer McMachon, joins Susan and readers’ advisory and horror expert Becky Spratford to talk about the adult and YA Summer Scares titles, and Jennifer’s journey from misfit girl to capital-H horror writer. Then, Booklist’s Julia Smith talks to Susan about the middle-grade Summer Scares titles. Finally, Susan sits down with HWA Library Committee co-chair Konrad Stump along with New York Public Library’s Allison Nellis and Kate Federiconi to talk about programming and NYPL’s best-of lists.

Here’s what we talked about:

(* indicates a Summer Scares 2026 title)

Readers’ Advisory survey (it’s quick!)

Summer Scares Resource Page (RA for All)

Summer Scares Middle-Grade Panel (March 12)

Summer Scares YA Panel (March 23)

Summer Scares Adult Panel (March 26)

*A Botanical Daughter, by Noah Medlock

*Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology, edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr.

*Maeve Fly, by CJ Leede

iRead Summer Reading 2026: Plant a Seed, Read

*What We Harvest, by Ann Fraistat

*Gorgeous Gruesome Faces, by Linda Cheng

*Our Shadows Have Claws: 15 Latin American Monster Stories, edited by Yamile Saied Méndez and Amparo Ortiz, illustrated by Ricardo López Ortiz

Stay Buried, by Jennifer McMahon (coming August 2026)

“Monster Girl: How Horror Gave Me a Place to Belong,” by Jennifer McMahon, in Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature, edited by Becky Siegel Spratford

*This Appearing House, by Ally Malinenko

A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness

*It Came from the Trees, by Ally Russell

*Garlic and the Vampire, by Bree Paulsen, art by the author

The Lion’s Run, by Sarah Pennypacker

Max in the House of Spies, by Adam Gidwitz

Max in the Land of Lies, by Adam Gidwitz

Summer Scares 2026 Programming Guide

NYPL’s Best New Horror for Adults 2025

Dollface, by Lindy Ryan

Headlights, by CJ Leede

Kiss, Slay, Replay, by Rachel Harrison

Japanese Gothic, by Kylie Lee Baker

Abyss, by Nicholas Binge

Thirty-Two Words for Field: Lost Words of the Irish Landscape, by Manchán Magan

 

Books in the Freezer Summer Scares Episode with Konrad Stump and Jennifer McMahon (Plus a Booklist Webinar Reminder)

Books in the Freezer is the official podcast partner of Summer Scares. This past week,   the host, Stephanie, had Konrad Stump, my Summer Scares and HWA Libraries Committee Co-Chair, and Jennifer McMahon, our 2026 Spokesperson, on to talk about the program in general and this year's titles in particular.

You can listen and get access to the show notes here. Or wherever you listen to podcasts. I have also added a direct link to the Summer Scares Resource Page.

You can also use this link to go back and listen to the Books in the Freezer Podcasts Stephanie has centered around Summer Scares from previous years as well. 

And since you are here, reading this post about Summer Scares resources, I wanted to also remind you that our series of FREE webinars centered around each age level of Summer Scares begin today!

• Thursday, March 12, 2026, at 2pm Eastern, featuring our Middle-Grade authors and moderated by Julia Smith. Click here to register.
• Monday, March 23, 2026, at 2pm Eastern, featuring our Young Adult authors and moderated by Kelly Jensen. Click here to register.
• Thursday, March 26, 2026, at 2pm Eastern, featuring our Adult authors and moderated by Jennifer McMahon. Click here to register.

And if you cannot make it, do not worry. Recordings will be available for on demand viewing after the live events at https://www.booklistonline.com/webinars-archive.

I will be in the background of each webinar to answer any questions you have about the program as well.

We are all in the thick of Summer Reading planning and Summer Scares is here to help make it easy for you to incorporate Horror into those plans. And remember, if you are using iREAD, we have 1 book per age level that is directly connected to their 2026 theme-- Plant a Seed, Read.

Reach out to libraries at horror dot org with questions of if you want help connecting our Summer Scares authors with your libraries.