Editorial Content for Make Sure You Die Screaming
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Ray Palen
Debut author Zee Carlstrom has written a book that is indefinable when it comes to genre and features a unique and infectious voice that immediately grabbed me from the first page.
MAKE SURE YOU DIE SCREAMING is a sarcastic title that speaks to the tumultuous life that the nameless narrator is going through. The story is essentially a road trip, but one fueled by angst, guilt, and more than a few secrets that Carlstrom keeps close to the vest as the action moves along at a frenetic clip. Read More
Teaser
The newly nameless narrator of MAKE SURE YOU DIE SCREAMING has rejected the gender binary, has flamed out with a vengeance at their corporate gig, is most likely brain damaged from a major tussle with their now ex-boyfriend, and is on a bender to end all benders. A call from their mother with the news that their MAGA-friendly, conspiracy-theorist father has gone missing launches the narrator from Chicago to deep red Arkansas in a stolen car. Along the way, the narrator and their new bestie --- a self-proclaimed "garbage goth" with her own emotional baggage (and someone on her tail) --- unpack the narrator’s childhood and a recent personal loss that they refuse to face head-on.
Promo
The newly nameless narrator of MAKE SURE YOU DIE SCREAMING has rejected the gender binary, has flamed out with a vengeance at their corporate gig, is most likely brain damaged from a major tussle with their now ex-boyfriend, and is on a bender to end all benders. A call from their mother with the news that their MAGA-friendly, conspiracy-theorist father has gone missing launches the narrator from Chicago to deep red Arkansas in a stolen car. Along the way, the narrator and their new bestie --- a self-proclaimed "garbage goth" with her own emotional baggage (and someone on her tail) --- unpack the narrator’s childhood and a recent personal loss that they refuse to face head-on.
About the Book
An electrifying debut about a nonbinary corporate burnout embarking on a road trip from Chicago to Arkansas to find their conspiracy-theorist father, who has gone missing --- for fans of DETRANSITION BABY and CHAIN-GANG ALL-STARS.
The newly nameless narrator of MAKE SURE YOU DIE SCREAMING has rejected the gender binary, has flamed out with a vengeance at their corporate gig, is most likely brain damaged from a major tussle with their now ex-boyfriend, and is on a bender to end all benders.
A call from their mother with the news that their MAGA-friendly, conspiracy-theorist father has gone missing launches the narrator from Chicago to deep red Arkansas in a stolen car. Along the way, the narrator and their new bestie --- a self-proclaimed "garbage goth" with her own emotional baggage (and someone on her tail) --- unpack the narrator’s childhood and a recent personal loss that they refuse to face head-on.
An unflinching interrogation of class rage, economic (im)mobility, gender expression, and the rot at the heart of capitalism, MAKE SURE YOU DIE SCREAMING is the loud, funny, tragic and suspenseful road trip novel of our times.
Audiobook available, read by Major Curda
Editorial Content for The Cut
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Ray Palen
C. J. Dotson has started her promising literary career with an extremely clever and chilling novel that will appeal to fans of both horror and psychological thrillers. Read More
Teaser
A historic hotel long past its prime and huddled along The Cut, a questionable Lake Erie beach, isn’t Sadie Miles’ ideal place to raise a toddler while also navigating her second pregnancy. After finally fleeing her abusive ex-fiancé, though, Sadie’s new housekeeping position and free room at L’Arpin Hotel are the best she can manage. On her first night, Sadie runs to help a guest struggling in the hotel’s pool only to find the water calm and empty when she gets there, leaving her with a lingering unease. When a guest then goes missing and her manager insists they simply left without checking out, Sadie suspects he’s covering up darker goings-on in the hotel. Everything isn't as it seems within the dim hallways of L’Arpin.
Promo
A historic hotel long past its prime and huddled along The Cut, a questionable Lake Erie beach, isn’t Sadie Miles’ ideal place to raise a toddler while also navigating her second pregnancy. After finally fleeing her abusive ex-fiancé, though, Sadie’s new housekeeping position and free room at L’Arpin Hotel are the best she can manage. On her first night, Sadie runs to help a guest struggling in the hotel’s pool only to find the water calm and empty when she gets there, leaving her with a lingering unease. When a guest then goes missing and her manager insists they simply left without checking out, Sadie suspects he’s covering up darker goings-on in the hotel. Everything isn't as it seems within the dim hallways of L’Arpin.
About the Book
In this chilling supernatural horror novel set in a mysterious hotel, a woman fleeing her abusive ex finds herself running from more than just her past.
A historic hotel long past its prime and huddled along The Cut, a questionable Lake Erie beach, isn’t Sadie Miles’ ideal place to raise a toddler while also navigating her second pregnancy. After finally fleeing her abusive ex-fiancé, though, Sadie’s new housekeeping position and free room at L’Arpin Hotel are the best she can manage.
On her first night, Sadie runs to help a guest struggling in the hotel’s pool only to find the water calm and empty when she gets there, leaving her with a lingering unease. When a guest then goes missing and her manager insists they simply left without checking out, Sadie suspects he’s covering up darker goings-on in the hotel.
After her ex, Sadie won't let anyone convince her that what she’s experiencing isn’t real again. So, she keeps digging, quickly uncovering suspicious interactions with the staff, mysteriously vanishing security cameras, more missing guests, and things that go bump in the night...and drip in the walls, slither in the tub, and squirm in the halls. Everything isn't as it seems within the dim hallways of L’Arpin. Sadie has nowhere to go and nowhere to hide; she'll need to keep her wits about her to survive and keep her toddler and unborn child safe from whatever lurks nearby.
Audiobook available, read by Jenn Lee
Last year, Florida-based travel advisor and book lover Corinne Levine reached out to me with a proposition. She had recently developed a book-centered travel company, called Novel Travels, and asked if I’d be her inaugural author. Intrigued, we met in person when she came into town and immediately hit it off. I’m thrilled to report that the first-ever “Fiona Davis Books On Tour” launched on a warm weekend this past March and was a huge success, even more so than I’d ever imagined.
Outside of a book group (if you belong to one), how often do you discuss books with your friends?
April 11, 2025, 665 voters
April 11, 2025
We are so lucky to have a wonderful community of readers. Thank you to all who shared messages of sympathy with the news of The Book Report Network’s co-founder Jesse Kornbluth’s passing last week. I still am answering your lovely notes and memories. Here is Jesse’s obituary that ran in the New York Times. And here is a beautiful piece that Sean Doorly, also known as “employee No. 1,” wrote that captured Jesse so well.
