The 29th Dispatch
Welcome to another issue of CJ Dotson's Dreadful Dispatch!
The Writing
Writing has been going a little more slowly for the last couple weeks than the pace I usually like to maintain (life stuff has been stressful and getting in the way which is also part of why I wasn’t able to put out a Dispatch last month, but everything is starting to get resolved now, so fingers crossed for my attention span and bandwidth and free time getting back to normal soon).
Still, I’m done with the new project’s outline and I’m about 10,000 words into the first draft, and I’m enjoying the story and enjoying finding my characters’ headspaces. Every time I start a new project, I’m trying to find places to push my own boundaries a little bit, and I’m really looking forward to that, too. Also, I feel like I should try to think of a codename for the new project until I have a decent working title, so I don’t just keep calling it “the new project” whenever I talk about it. I’m open for suggestions!
I have also been beta reading some really great manuscripts by friends, which is a pleasure and a privilege. I love beta reading and I love having my work beta read by friends whose opinions I trust; it’s one of my favorite parts of the writing process. Of course it’s clear how receiving good, actionable feedback helps me, but it’s just as helpful to read work by great writers and look for ways that I can apply my own strengths to provide that kind of feedback for them, and to also look at what they’re doing that’s working and consider that in relation to my own writing. Being part of such a great community of writers is an absolute joy.
As for THESE FAMILIAR WALLS, it’s currently still hanging out among the most requested horror books on NetGalley, and as early reviews keep coming in, readers are digging it—a common theme is that this book is more frightening than readers were expecting. If you haven’t added it on GoodReads yet, pop over there and do that here. And if you’re excited to read the thrills and chills for yourself, you should pre-order it here! You can also check the book’s page on my website to see all of the absolutely lovely blurbs it’s gotten, all in one place.
We’re still setting up and confirming dates for my appearances in April of 2026 when THESE FAMILIAR WALLS comes out, but again once I have concrete events planned I’ll be sharing all the information here in my newsletter as well as on my website.
Book Recommendation: You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White
Andrew Joseph White’s You Weren’t Meant to Be Human has a trigger warning list longer than my arm, it deserves a trigger warning list that long, and you should look at it before you pick this book up. (I know that some people view trigger warning lists as spoilers, so I’m putting my suggested TWs for this book at the bottom of this issue of the newsletter, under the subscribe button.)
That being said, if you can handle the potential triggers, you absolutely should pick this book up. It’s one of the most engrossing horror novels I read in 2025.
I’m a sucker for stories in which the monster/entity entices its victims to become one with it, stories in which the creature or eldritch horror or what-have-you, either directly or through an avatar/mouthpiece, tells its prey, “join us, the world is cold and you’re alone, so why not stop resisting and join us, it will be better this way.” Usually when we encounter stories like that, the protagonist knows that this is a false promise, and the reader (or viewer) knows that this is a false promise, and the conflict revolves around that. White’s book opens with a protagonist, Crane, who did not know that this was a false promise, a protagonist who has already given himself to the creature. You Weren’t Meant to Be Human takes us into that world just as Crane learns for himself that the promises have been hollow all along, but the threats are entirely real.
This book is grimy and violent and it doesn’t pull any punches. It’s raw and at times completely heartbreaking, it’s viscerally real, and so well-written. I loved it, and I would recommend it to fans of Eric LaRocca. It is definitely not for a casual horror enjoyer but it is an incredible book.
A Quick Thank You
I want to give a big shout-out to Christine Harrold, the mind (and the blood, sweat, and tears) behind Horror Reader Weekend.
On the 8th I attended her Horror on the Hudson weekend, and it was the most fun I’ve had yet at an author event. I spent the entire following week gushing about it to everybody who would listen. There were panels, readings, great conversations with readers and other authors, a really fun swag bag (which included my new favorite doll), ghost stories and ghost hunting, gorgeous scenery, plenty of food and drinks, and books and books and books and books. It was an amazing time, and I can’t recommend enough that you check out any of her other upcoming events.
Pet Pic of the Month
Check out my little baby man, Scratch, in all his goofy glory.
That’s All, Folks!
Thanks for joining me in another issue of CJ Dotson’s Dreadful Dispatch! I know it was a short-ish one, but as things settle down hopefully I’ll have more interesting things to say next month. Remember that under the subscribe button just there, I’m including the TW list for You Weren’t Meant to Be Human, as mentioned in that section of the newsletter!
Anyway, friends, have a great November!