M.P. Callender

I'm delighted to announce I've signed with Lori Colvin @LoriBirchLit at Birch Literary @BirchLiterary!

In THE BONE QUEEN by @WillShindler Jenna searches for her daughter who disappeared from their London home. Led to a mysterious village, she uncovers buried legends & learns of the bone queen & her victims; getting tangled in the dangerous & deadly lore along the way. Solid read.

THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP by Grady Hendrix was a bit of a let down - maybe it was over hyped as one of his best. Think it was a swing & a miss, trying to do too much & be too clever with slasher connections. Characters ran together. Unlikeable, annoying protagonist. Scattered.

@JamesMarkert Thank you for the story and the ride!

Thanks so much!!

SPIDER TO THE FLY by @JamesMarkert is part cat-&-mouse-serial-killer-thriller and part crime-fiction-twisty-whodunit. Great read. Multiple POV done right with solid pacing, characters you care about, and a complex story the reader wants to stick with. Quality fiction right there.

@AlyssaMatesic This seems like a surreptitious way to collect quality pitch ideas.... ha

So tell me: what's the pitch for your book?

As an editor, I've heard THOUSANDS of book ideas. Some brilliant…others boring. But I've realized something: The issue often isn't in the idea itself, but in the pitch. Most ideas can turn into great books. It's all about how you execute and pitch it. Let me show you what I mean. Would you read this novel? "A man throws parties hoping his ex-girlfriend will notice." Doesn't sound very interesting, but I just described The Great Gatsby. To avoid a flat pitch, watch for these two common mistakes: 👇

BLOOD LIKE MINE by @stuartneville was a mother daughter on the run horror/thriller making sure it never said the word vampire (like in Midnight Mass). Quality characters you root for, even when they keep getting knocked down. Fun ride. Solid read.

@grady_hendrix departs from horror & jumps into redneck sci-fi in BADASSTRONAUTS. Certainly wasn't what I was expecting from the author, but was a fun ride. Gritty South Carolina Americana bands together to save a stranded astronaut, unexpectedly building community along the way

@grady_hendrix departs from horror & jumps into redneck sci-fi in BADASSTRONAUTS. Certainly wasn't what I was expecting from the author, but was a fun ride. Gritty South Carolina Americana bands together to save a stranded astronaut, unexpectedly building community along the way

@grady_hendrix departs from horror & jumps into redneck sci-fi in BADASSTRONAUTS. Certainly wasn't what I was expecting from the author, but was a fun ride. Gritty South Carolina Americana bands together to save a stranded astronaut, unexpectedly building community along the way

@JulieJohns88241 YES!

Partial request . . . .

THE ANXIOUS GENERATION - How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by @JonHaidt is a must read, especially if you're a parent. An, "investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech..."

HORRORSTÖR by @grady_hendrix is a horror novel packaged and designed like an IKEA-esk catalogue, about a haunted furniture superstore. Insanely clever and inventive. Solid and satirical horror novel with fun characters, monsters, and mystery. Good read.

HELL HOUSE, published in 1971, is a haunted house novel by horror legend Richard Matheson - better known for I AM LEGEND, A STIR OF ECHOES, & his TWILIGHT ZONE episodes. Weird book, for true, but a horror classic. Fun read.

@JulieJohns88241 Yes! Get it, Julie!

Well, this is pretty cool.

PLAY NICE by Rachel Harrison is 1/2 dysfunctional family drama, 1/2 haunted house horror novel- the characters driving the story. A woman confronts her murky past as she tries to flip an infamous haunted home her mother left to her, learning the claims might be true. Solid read.

I loved EXILES by @andrewpyper (writing under his pen name, Mason Coile). I'd read WILLIAM and enjoyed it, so was trusting the author for another ride. A legit sci-fi horror on Mars. Is there an alien monster on the planet? Have the Ai robots gone mad? Both? Neither? Great read.

KING SORROW by @joe_hill it a tome of book - almost 900 pages. Its a character driven, twisty, modern mythical story; replete with dragons and trolls - both with multiple meanings. Solid read. Long read. Great cast of characters.

FIEND by @almakatsu is a contemporary horror novel surrounding an ancient evil in the modern world, dealing with nightmarish family drama and worthiness regarding the family's considerable wealth - and who will take the reins next. Good read, good monster.

DUNGEON CRAWLER CARL by @mattdinniman was an outrageous and fun read. Clever Literary RPG / GameLit novel - fun characters and quality world building. Definitely a genre specific series - if you get it, you get it; if you don't, you won't. Wild ride.

RED RABBIT GHOST by @jennicjul follows Jesse as he returns to his hometown to discover the truth about his mother's mysterious death, guided by cryptic messages from an unknown person. Good small-town horror read. Great title.