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Keri Houchin

Keri Houchin


Keri Houchin is a writer, doodler, and crafter.

She has a BA in Cross-Cultural Studies from Howard Payne University. She has written for traditional print media and websites as a contributor and ghostwriter since 2009. She has been a freelance features writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and its affiliated properties, assistant editor at Suburban Newspapers, and a contributor for numerous small publications.

Her fiction includes a blend of fantasy, horror, and speculative stories that explore the things that haunt us and how we confront them. She is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas.

When not writing, she is probably reading or listening to vinyl. She lives in the Dallas Fort Worth area with her family and two little dogs with big mouths. Keri can be reached via email at keri.houchin @ yahoo .com

Follow @KeriHouchin on Instagram

Happy national paperback book day! I hope your pag Happy national paperback book day! I hope your pages are floppy and your drinks are delicious and your bedtime is whenever you like today.
I know what you did last summer. Summer reading, r I know what you did last summer.
Summer reading, right?

I love a good summer slasher—book or movie. I haven’t seen the new I Know What You Did Last Summer movie yet, but the original is iconic. And I recently introduced my family to Friday the 13th.

If you’re in the mood for summer camp vibes, teen screams, and something lurking in the woods, let me suggest You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight. It’s about teens working at a summer camp where they filmed a horror movie. Now it’s a horror attraction and the main character Charity, plays the final girl. As they recreate scenes from the movie to scare visitors, people start disappearing for real.

I enjoyed the 90s horror nostalgia with contemporary storytelling. There’s realistic queer rep and diversity, smart teens, and some creepy scenes. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent.

Pictured: You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron; audiobook via CloudLibrary
🦇Cold girl summer🦇 I realized I’ve been reading a 🦇Cold girl summer🦇

I realized I’ve been reading a lot of vampire stories this year, so I thought it would be fun to put together a list of some of my favorites, both new and old.

🖤 Lucy Undying, by Kiersten White
🖤 Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, by VE Schwab
🖤 Of Monsters and Mainframes, by Barbara Truelove
🖤 The Radleys, by Matt Haig
🖤 The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, by Holly Black
🖤 The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, by Grady Hendrix
After Bones, I was hungry for more vampire stories After Bones, I was hungry for more vampire stories. I picked up Lucy Undying by Kiersten White last year, but never got around to reading it.

The tone from one to the other is miles different, but they’re both sapphic vampire stories. Lucy starts with the titular character’s story from Dracula and follows her from there to now.

There are tons of secrets and twists that make this a page turner. It was fun and like most books by this author, had a lot of thoughtful subtext about power and agency.
VE Schwab is my favorite author, so I’m absolutely VE Schwab is my favorite author, so I’m absolutely biased, but…

Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil was a dark and fantastic whirlwind of hunger and rage. The atmospheric setting and deeply personal characters grew and tangled together like a garden that slowly becomes overgrown enough to consume you.

Botanical horror metaphors aside, this book is exactly what you’d expect from this author. And if you’ve not read any of her books before, this is perfect for fans of Anne Rice and classic gothic horror.
We’re halfway through the year so I thought I’d do We’re halfway through the year so I thought I’d do a little check in and share my favorite books so far.

⓵ Don’t Let the Forest In ~ by CG Drews
⓶ Murder in the Dressing Room ~ by Holly Stars
⓷ Witchcraft for Wayward Girls ~ by Grady Hendrix
⓸ First Time Caller ~ by BK Borison
⓹ The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet ~ by Becky Chambers
⓺ A Sorceress Comes to Call ~ by T Kingfisher

Is there a theme? It’s hard to say. These are mostly different genres, but perhaps the thread that runs through them is finding your people or person or yourself. In all good fiction, the main character has to change and often the way they do that is by meeting new people who push them to do so in meaningful ways.

What have you been reading lately? Any favorites so far?

Writing

One Mama’s Daily Drama (family lifestyle blog, est. 2009)

Backyard Summer Camp (kids’ activity blog, est. 2020)

Ideas for the Home by Kenarry (lifestyle contributor, 2018-2022)

Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Multitasking Mom’s Survival Guide (Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC, 2014)

From the Heart: A collection of Stories and Poems from the Front Lines of Parenting (WFC Books, 2010)

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