I Get Weird Emails, And Other Important News

I received an email from, erm, a reader —

I’m quoting the email in its entirety but stripping out a few identifying bits.

Be warned: this email is a real journey.

“And now you’re – you’re like any other piece-of-shit god-complex dickhead who got too full of himself to see the people around him as people.”

That is exactly how I thought of you when I finished Black River Orchard. Similar to Hillary calling people deplorables and suggesting they need to be deprogrammed as if they are cult members. The constant berating of people who don’t think like you was nauseating. I don’t think you could make your feelings about anyone outside of your political beliefs any more clear. You don’t see them as people, just your political enemy.

I was looking forward to reading this book as I love horror, but the only horror was how elitist you came across. Good for you, you’re sooooo progressive because you mentioned trans, ENBY, a lesbian couple, sex dungeon, BDSM, bigots, stolen land, religious nuts, and non-vaxers? My daughter and I have books that come with trigger warnings about monster cocks, so you’re not special.

Although I’m not a Trump-thumping Republican, I feel you would look down on me and not see me as a person because I’m rural and not educated enough to be impressed with all your keywords. My husband works in [REDACTED] and I work for a [REDACTED]. On a positive note, I also work in a fabulous [REDACTED] where I can find other works that are truly horror. I did enjoy the history lesson about apples. I happen to like Honeycrisp apples, especially from a semi-local orchard.

email from, obviously, a huge fan

I have not responded to this person, as yet, and likely won’t. I’m not sure what she hoped to achieve by writing this email, though I almost wish she’d write it as an actual review because, wow. Yeah.

The email did come in through the contact form on this website, so if the person who wrote this email is here, well, hi. Sorry I didn’t include more monster cocks in my book? I guess? I hope you and your daughter find all the wonderful apolitical monster cock books your hearts desire, but I come from a world where everyone gets their very own Sex Dungeon.

Or something.

Anyway, this is your reminder that all art is political and who gets to write the art and who is included in the art and who gets mad at the art — that’s all part of the politics of a piece. Like it or not. Thinking you can keep politics out of art is like thinking you can keep a fish alive out of water. It has to swim there even when it doesn’t realize it’s swimming there. Just because the fish doesn’t know what water is doesn’t mean the water doesn’t exist.

ANYWAY.

I casually appear in your mind to whisper, “Hey, I’m going out on the second leg of my book tour this week,” which means I’m gonna be at the following places on the following dates:

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Friday, October 13th, 6:00 PM

Denver, CO

Tattered Cover Bookstore

Details here! Order from the store.

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Sunday, October 15th, 4:00 PM

Helena, MT

Montana Book Company

Details here! Order from the store.

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Monday, October 16th, 7:00PM

Portland, OR

Powells Bookstore, Cedar Crossing location

Event details here! Preorder from the store.

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Wednesday, October 18th, 7:00PM

Seattle, WA

Elliott Bay Books

* In conversation with Sadie Hartmann

Event details here! Preorder from the store.

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Also, there are some new Black River Orchard reviews out there:

Paste Magazine: “As with his previous horror novel, the towering Book of Accidents, Wendig lays out a beautifully structured narrative web of multiple points-of-view, time periods, and story threads, weaving a tapestry through inviting prose and memorable characters in which readers will get happily lost. In a narrative that spans 600 pages, Wendig builds a series of deeply personal stakes for a lineup of people who are all caught in the strange shadows of Harrow’s past, then shows us how they intertwine, like a tree with branches that are all feeding each other, all reaching for the same goal. And, like The Book of Accidents, Wendig shows patience in cultivating this tree, letting it evolve and shift with the seasons, pruning it just so, always making sure it’s primed for maximum beauty and maximum emotional punch.”

FanFiAddict: “Nothing short of a horrific saga, Black River Orchard is a story that embraces its terrifying weirdness with open arms. With a comprehensive backstory interwoven with the present narrative, Chuck Wendig has gifted us a gritty look into small-town persuasion and the horrors of falling to the masses. We are given many loveable (and hate-able) characters to empathize with and shake our fists at throughout the course of the plot without losing out on the action. A true example of balancing characterization and plot development, Black River Orchard will have me skipping the farmer’s market for the foreseeable future.”

Books Bones & Buffy: “Wendig’s story is complex and multilayered. In addition to the story playing out in the present, he delves into the past and shows the origins of the apple–at one time called the Harrowblack—and how it originally had ties to the indigenous Lenape. Over the years, the apple was lost, but Dan Paxton was able to revive it, which turned out to be a terrible idea. I also loved Wendig’s passion for his subject matter and his vivid descriptions of apples and their taste, texture and smell. I’ve always loved his writing, and it really shines in Black River Orchard.”

Nightmare Magazine, Adam-Troy Castro: “The story has plenty of ooga to float its booga. It’s all about a town beset by cursed apples, instantly addictive, that, as they become a delicacy, accentuate everything negative in the personalities of their consumers, rendering them selfish, evil, and ultimately murderous.”

The Southern Bookseller Review: “Black River Orchard hit me like a combination of Stephen King and really good Magnus Archives episode, in the best of ways. For my fellow booksellers, this book is a mix of Stephen King’s IT and Faust — like if Faust was an apple farmer, and then mix up layers of horror–there’s psychological horror of domestic abuse and being trapped, of seeing people change for the worse. There’s body horror. Hooo boy, there’s body horror. And on top of all of that, I learned about apples!”

Random Email: “I was looking forward to reading this book as I love horror, but the only horror was how elitist you came across. Good for you, you’re sooooo progressive because you mentioned trans, ENBY, a lesbian couple, sex dungeon, BDSM, bigots, stolen land, religious nuts, and non-vaxers? My daughter and I have books that come with trigger warnings about monster cocks, so you’re not special.” haha oh wait I already posted that one, sorry

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As always, I politely note that me writing books is how I fund this here website, so if you dig that and dig my presence in this universe, checking out Black River Orchard from a bookstore or library is a good way to keep my soul tethered to the vacation resort that is my flesh. And if you have checked out the book, leaving a review at the usual receptacles (Amazon, Goodreads, Storygraph, TikTok) is a great way to keep the party going, too.

I note that for the next couple days, Bookshop.org is doing free shipping. You can buy Black River Orchard there, as a matter of fact. Or you can get a signed copy from Doylestown Bookshop or the four stores I’m visiting above.

I also note that the hardcovers for both Wayward and Book of Accidents appear to be on sale at AMZ, if you’re so inclined.

OKAY BYE