The 22nd Dispatch

The twenty-second dispatch, and the last regular issue of my newsletter before THE CUT comes out!

C.J. Dotson

Mar 14, 2025

Hey, hey, hey, friends, and welcome to another issue of C.J. Dotson’s Dreadful Dispatch!

THE CUT

Lots of fun stuff about THE CUT this month!

First of all, the book comes out in 25 days! Only 25 days! That’s so soon!

Second of all, the audiobook edition of THE CUT, narrated by Jenn Lee, is now available to request on NetGalley! You can do that here.

There’s also a five minute sample of THE CUT’s audiobook free to listen to right now on Spotify.

Third of all, there’s only TWO DAYS LEFT in the latest GoodReads Giveaway for THE CUT, in which entrants have a chance to win one of 25 paperback Advance Reader Copies of the book. If you haven’t already entered, hurry and do that here.

Fourth of all, my website now has an events page, you can head to https://cjdotsonauthor.com/events/upcoming-events to see where you can come hang out with me in the month of April!

Fifth of all (and coolest of all, in my opinion), my own copies of THE CUT have arrived in the mail! It’s gorgeous, it’s a really-real book, and I’m going to be giving away a few copies soon here so keep your eyes peeled at https://bsky.app/profile/cj-dotson.bsky.social and https://www.instagram.com/cj_dots/ to find out how to enter to win an autographed hardcover copy of THE CUT!

The Writing

Phew, writing has been difficult lately. For so much of my life, writing was a thing—sometimes the only thing—that was entirely, 100% in my control. Every step in the publishing process takes your book further and further outside of your control and at this point in THE CUT’s journey it’s basically entirely out of my control. Which is not wrong but feels wrong, it feels like there should be anything I can do to keep some kind of handle on this book (there isn’t, and there shouldn’t be, it’s going out into the world now!). As a result of this feeling, my biggest struggle right now is focusing on new writing, because I open a blank word document or a file I want to revise a bit, and then my brain goes “But what about THE CUT we have to do something” which results in me, once again, heading to Google to look up my own book because checking up on it at least feels, for a second or two, like doing something. I think I’m starting to get past this feeling, though, and hopefully after next month with all its exciting events coming up I’ll find it much easier to focus.

WHEN THE WOLF COMES HOME by Nat Cassidy

I recently read and absolutely adored the upcoming Nat Cassidy novel, When the Wolf Comes Home. Five stars, this book immediately joined the ranks of my all-time favorite horror books. I had previously only read his debut, Mary: An Awakening of Terror, and loved that enough to trust that I’d dig this new book, which meant I approached it the way I approach all movies and books I know I’m going to like; I didn’t let myself look up or read anything about When the Wolf Comes Home. My favorite way to go into media I know I’ll enjoy is as blankly as I possibly can, and my god am I glad I did that with this book. I cannot recommend it enough, and I absolutely also recommend, if you can, reading it knowing as little about what you’re in store for as you can manage. An absolute horror delight from start to finish, pre-order this one right now!

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250354341/whenthewolfcomeshome/