Friends,

I'm sorry, I've been mostly absent recently. I've been covering for a colleague in my day job, and likely will be for sometime and I also am going through a major life event which I'm not quite ready to discuss publicly yet, but I'm doing what I can when I can, so I hope you'll remain patient with me. These next few months might be a little spotty.

If you missed my earlier announcement, I am on the hunt for our third book.

I have gotten some great pitches and submissions (and we've only just started looking).

I think a lot of that speaks to our reputation, both the reputation of Bindery, and specifically Boozhoo Books. We are publishing SOME BANGERS.

I picked up a story last night that is giving me a very similar feeling to the feeling I got when I read both What Feeds Below and Cracks: WOW. Wholly unique. I already told our acquisitions director that I THINK I MIGHT HAVE FOUND THE ONE.

The story was pitched as a horror and I don't think that's the right category and I don't think that really matters. I think this is what I want my imprint to be known for: Unique stories, told from voices that don't always get the chance to be heard. Unputtdownable stories. Consumable stories. Stories that come to life off the page.

I can't say much more than that on this public page. I will be sharing some plot points and more about the story to my paid members this weekend, so if you have been thinking about upgrading, not only do you get arcs of all our books and support this incredible imprint and mission- YOU GET THE SECRETS EARLY. Upgrade to $5 and hop in our exclusive paid members discord channel.

(I've also got a super secret What Feeds Below paid update coming this Sunday and the cover for Cracks is going to be available to paid members SOON!)

Thanks so much for supporting this imprint, y'all! It's because of you that these stories are coming to life.

Hold my beer! Scenes from my Cleveland book launch of American Triage!

Sickos! Yesterday, digital copies of A Complement of Scoundrels by S.V. Lockwood were delivered to Sicko+ subscribers and physical copies began shipping to Mega Sicko/Sicko Society members. If you got that email, you were among the members who joined before the 3/10/26 cutoff to receive those early copies. HUZZAH!

I found this gem in a pile of manuscripts last year and since then the whole team has been working on it daily, so this is a huge moment for everyone involved. And as I've said many times and will continue to say, this book and the Kist Reads publishing imprint only exists because this community exists and I'm forever grateful to every single one of you.

We're so happy to get this to you 3 months before its official release in September, which also means you have a very important role to play regarding its success!

Why We Chose It...

A Complement of Scoundrels is a high-stakes, female-led fantasy heist packed with elaborate schemes, betrayals, and sharp banter between its plucky crew. At its center is Myria Cadessa, a cunning thief determined to reclaim what was stolen from her. The world crackles with magic, flavored with touches of steampunk and Ancient Roman influence. The writing is remarkably polished, there's a constant sense of momentum and tension, and the whole thing is just so damn clever. Here's the back cover blurb for more on it:

There are many ways to bring down the man who betrayed you—and Myria Cadessa has thought of them all.

Cracking the Elysius Vault should’ve made Myria the richest thief in all Carintheum. Instead, it shattered her crew and left her rotting in jail while her double-crossing master walked away with everything that should’ve been hers.

But now she’s out, and it’s time to settle the score. Reunite her crew? A pleasure. Steal back everything her erstwhile leader took? And then some. She’ll just need to trick the king of all tricksters, with the law on her heels, and a troublesome new ally whose loyalties seem as conflicted as his feelings for Myria. It’s the most audacious heist she’s ever attempted, but she failed her crew once. This time, she’ll make it right—at any cost.

A Complement of Scoundrels is a bold, raucous journey through the underbelly of an empire where the devil’s rules reign, and morality, loyalty, and friendship are values few can afford. But where there’s a wit, there’s a way—and Myria has plenty of that.

As we prepared the book for publication, we also reached out to established fantasy authors for their thoughts.

John Gwynne said:

“I loved this. Starting with a heist and morphing into a revenge story; it's a terrific debut. Well-drawn, sympathetic characters lead the way, with an ensemble of rogues and a gallery of side characters, a beautifully constructed world and a villain to loathe. This is a book I would highly recommend. A lot of fun with an emotional punch.”

Nicholas Eames added:

"A stunningly imaginative debut. Lockwood’s prose is smart, sharp, and relentlessly charming. The city of Carintheum, from its vibrant streets to the seedy warrens of the grayside, is as colourful and compelling as the characters who inhabit it. I was hooked from the very first page, and I seriously doubt I’ll read a better book this year."

Those reactions from respected/beloved authors confirmed what I already knew; we have a certified banger on our hands. And now it's in your hands! I hope this slaps for you the same way it did for me and that you get caught up in all the impossible situations Myria and the crew keep finding themselves in. Most of all, I hope you have a great time.

A Few Ways You Can Help...

1. Read it and talk about it!

One of the biggest things you can do is simply share your experience. Post reading updates, share favorite characters, memorable quotes, best schemes, a twist that caught you off guard, or moments that made you laugh. If you post anything on socials feel free to tag me, S.V. Lockwood, and Bindery so we can celebrate alongside you.

2. Add it to your Goodreads/StoryGraph shelves

This is an underrated signal that readers are interested in a book before release. They help recommendation algorithms surface the book to new readers, give retailers and booksellers another data point that people are paying attention, and provide publishers (us) with an early indication of audience interest (I get a report on these numbers every month, they're important!). In short, it only takes a few seconds but it's one of the easiest ways to support a forthcoming release.

3. Leave an honest review

Once you've finished the book, consider leaving a rating or review on Goodreads, StoryGraph, Amazon or wherever you track your reading. And I mean it when I say "honest". I know not every book is for everyone and the goal here is to help readers decide whether this is a book they'll love. Thoughtful reviews help books find the right audience and they're one of the most valuable things you can do for an author.

4. Join the conversation

I've set up a buddy read forum in our Discord where we can share reactions, first impressions, theories, updates, etc.. I'd love to chat about this one with you and witness how you experience it for the first time.

5. Recommend it to a friend

If you're reading the book and think of someone who would love it, tell them about it! Word of mouth remains one of the most powerful forces in publishing and every recommendation helps the book reach readers who might otherwise never discover it.

What's Next?

We're continuing to build momentum toward publication day and there are even more exciting developments happening behind the scenes, including the development of the audiobook (we sold the audiobook rights to Tantor Media, one of the leading audiobook publishers in fantasy and science fiction!). We've nailed down the perfect narrator for it in Gabrielle Baker, and I can't f'n wait to hear the final product.

Thank you again for helping make all this possible and I can't wait to hear what you think.

"I have spent my entire life fighting to be seen, and I am not sure if I can continue much longer without anything to show for it."

GENRE: Historical Romantic Fantasy
RATING: 4.5/5
FORMAT: eBook & physical ARC
Tropes: Women in STEM, Bickering co-workers, falling in lover over letters, inspired by the 1900s Chicago

Overall Impression: Overall, I think this debut did an amazing job of blending all the different elements of the book, while keeping it light-hearted and a fun read. We somehow get to enjoy a journey of getting to know Josie & Reid, while understanding their standing in the world and how who they are as BIPOC individuals shaped them.

Review:
Letters from the Last Apothecary is for the people who enjoy epistolary novels, like Divine Rivals combined with the element of Academics that we see in Emily Wilde's books! I knew when I first heard of these two comp title, I'd need to read Letters from the Last Apothecary because I'm a HUGE fan of letters, footnotes and academics in Fiction books 🤭

And I wasn't wrong to be excited for it! I FLEW through this book. It's a Historical Romantic Fantasy with a little bit of Mystery and discussion of the different difficulties both of our MCs face as two BIPOC individuals. We also get to see how Josie faces being a women in the STEM field throughout the book and the barriers she faces overall. I think that is one of my favourite aspect to Letters from the Last Apothecary: the way we dive into a lot of social construct that are inspired by the 1900s Chicago setting and at the same time, we get to know both Reid and Josie through their POVs.

Bita manages to deliver all the different elements without overwhelming us as readers and we get to know both Reid and Josie, understand each of their own dreams and wants while also learning about the barriers they faced in society individually and painting a picture of the world they are in.

And, in terms of their Romance, I enjoyed their dynamic and thought it was a well done Slow-burn with them knowing each other through letters AND meeting in the apothecary, which then becomes a place that brings them together and keeps them there.

While I really enjoyed this book, the main reason it didn't get a full 5 star was because I did want to see a bit of development from the dynamic that Josie and Reid shared as co-workers to realising who they each were. I felt we got to spend more time with Josie on this than Reid and that impacted the flow of the Romance aspect for me.

I am so excited to read more by Bita and just adding here that I have seen Letters from the Last Apothecary described as cozy and I wouldn't call it cozy to me personally but more Charming (as Bita describes it) or Light Academia. This book is definitely slower paced but not cozy as it's got a lot of adventures and focuses on a lot of things that you wouldn't expect in a Cozy Fantasy book (it is definitely light-hearted with a few heavy topics).

I was provided a free advance reader copy and I’m sharing my honest thoughts.

Happy Friday! Ready for another round of faves? Be sure to share your faves in my Discord server as well.

My favorite book I read this week was One of the Boys by Victoria Zeller. Grace is a newly out trans girl in her senior year of high school. She had been on track to be recruited as a kicker for college football, but stopped playing to begin her transition. However, after her school's team has a rough start, the captains and coach ask her to return to the team, and she does.

My favorite kind of YA novel is the kind with big, messy feelings, and this book delivers. Friend feelings, romantic feelings, football feelings, family feelings.

I liked that Grace encountered people who were supportive, antagonistic, and even indifferent about her transition. Some parts were tough to read - there is quite a bit of verbal and physical transphobia. However, it felt very real to me. This book isn't set in a perfect world, it's set in a world where people have complex and even nonsensical feelings.

If you like football, you can tell that Zeller knows her stuff when it comes to the nuts and bolts of the game. If you don't, it's fine and you'll still know what's happening (this is me, lol).

I feel like this book went kind of under the radar when it should have been big on YA/queer bookstagram. I hope you'll pick it up!

My non-bookish fave this week is that it's pool season! Last year, my spouse installed a stock tank pool in our backyard and it's possibly the best money we've ever spent. It's looking like we're on track for a very hot summer, and I plan to be in the pool for as much of it as possible.

I don't hate it yet, but I'm getting there.

I’ve been referring to the deliberately silly style of writing I feel pressured to adopt (so as to be above accusations of AI) as rococo because it’s stylized for the sake of being stylized. I’m using italics and underline and strikethrough and Capitalizing For Emphasis like never before. (Tons of parentheticals.) 

I’ve seen other people using double commas instead of em dashes. A comment on my IG post said, “I’m using commas instead of periods” (!!) Another referred to using “3 layers of nested parentheses”. Someone else wrote, “Sometimes if I find a typo, I just leave it.”

It's about respect

If I were writing for a major publication that was paying me $1/word, I wouldn’t turn in rococo writing because it would be disrespectful to my editor (it'd look like I didn't even do a cursory revision). But in the age of AI, I’m concerned about how AI usage is disrespectful to the reader. This comes down to my priorities: what would I rather risk? Seeming too polished and possibly AI? Or sound a little silly (sloppy) and ensure my readers’ trust? I choose the latter.

Who gets to call themselves a good writer these days?

Pre-AI, being a good writer was much less accessible because it required so much time. You had to read a ton and train for many years before you could call yourself a good writer. Being a good writer was a status that you earned. Now, get a Claude subscription and you can pass as a “good writer”. 

To understand how insane this is, extrapolate to piano. Imagine there's a way that I can simulate being a piano virtuoso even though I haven't learned to read music or spent even an hour practicing. All the suckers who devoted decades of their life studying their piano craft feel pretty dumb now, huh?

"Good" becomes bad when "good" is too easy

There used to be gatekeeping when it came to “good writing” but now it's within reach for any schmuck with internet access. It's a numbers+perception problem that is mangling writing: Too many people are “good writers”, and this is why the definition of “good” is warping before our eyes (or, we’re seeing what "good" really means).

Bourdieu discusses this phenomenon in Distinction: as soon as the lower classes get access to something, they essentially “ruin” it for the upper classes. This is what we’re seeing in the rejection of AI writing. 

It all comes back to TO HAVE AND HAVE MORE

Status and class and elitism are my favorite topics so this angle on AI is fascinating to me because we’re discovering that what was previously considered “quality writing” had less to do with the writing itself being ~*inherently*~ excellent than the fact that the average person could not produce it.

Writers think of themselves as talented and special because they can create something that a layman cannot. Now that laymen can generate polished and concise “good” prose with the click of a button, the definition of “good” must change.

Who will adapt and overcome?

(And who will go extinct?)I think some writers will hold on to the version of writing that they were taught and conditioned to believe was “good” (the kind of prose that AI was trained on, which it now replicates and has devalued in doing so) and reject pressure to write “weird” and “unpolished” because it feels like succumbing to bullying (from the forces of AI). To suddenly switch up your style (which you honed for years) and artificially inject weirdness into it might feel like a betrayal of your craft and education.

I bet a lot of writers feel as I do: It’s frustrating to consider “does this sound like AI?” every time I write a sentence. And it feels iNaUtHeNtiC to toss in some funky punctuation or an archaic word choice just to pre-empt AI accusations.

I find myself making flashy choices that (likely) distract from what I’m trying to say, but it’s a trade-off I make because it’s critical (to me) to be above suspicion. Especially in my writing here -- these essays on INTERROGATE-- because newsletters/substacks are plagued rife overrun disgustingggg with with AI slop.

(In contrast, when I'm working on a novel, I do not make this trade-off. I write with much less concern about AI.)

The Dilemma

The problem is in having 2 goals that are at odds 1) I don’t want to be accused of AI 2) I want to write as clearly and concisely as possible. But given the current landscape, I can’t always accomplish goal 2 when I am working towards goal 1. 

Watch: we'll stop calling it "sloppy" and start calling it "authentic"

And eventually it will be called “good”. 

We’re moving the goal posts on “good writing” just as we do with all things that are embodiments of so-called quality and taste. When something becomes available to the masses, it's replaced by something inaccessible. Take fast fashion: Once the hoi polloi can buy knock-offs at Zara, the elite trendsetters declare the trend over and create something new that the underclasses will chase. And the cycle goes on forever. 

What’s historically been considered “good writing” isn’t some objective truth. It’s the cultural elite giving their stamp of approval to a certain type of writing. Now that AI writing has been deemed bad (aka common), writers must scramble to distinguish their writing from AI. Whoever does this will be rewarded with the title of “good writing”.

Tastemakers define what’s “good” in opposition to what they disdain

(They disdain anything commonplace and accessible). We’ve operated under the illusion that great writing, truly literary writing, exists when, really, it's a construct (it's just a matter of taste). And now, thanks to AI, it's been revealed as a construct. How else could it be that AI writing, which was trained on stolen copies of the very best writing, is “bad”? Exclusivity and gatekeeping is a huge part of what deems something artistically (and culturally) respected. 

There hasn’t been a shake-up like this in literature before: where we have to examine what makes writing “literary” and high-brow. The fact that AI does a convincing job replicating “literary” writing is discomfiting to the writing world because it’s basically rendered the old guard of literary writing slop. This is an existential crisis as much as it is a writing crisis.

We (writers) thought a certain type of “literary” writing was untouchable but now that it’s the default writing style of Average Joes, we have to confront that, perhaps, what makes writing “good” is simply that it can’t be easily copied by normies. Good is not an intrinsic quality–it's something that can only be defined in relation to regular-people writing.

How to strategically alienate and be superior

My latest theory is that we’re going to see a lot of allusions soon: to the bible, to greek myth, to canonical poets. Part of the perception of good writing, we’re seeing, is exclusivity. There’s undeniably a snobbishness and elitism associated with “good” writing. Now that AI has taken away exclusivity from clean, pithy prose, people will look for other ways to be exclusive.

What’s more exclusive and human than allusions to Homer?

Allusions are peak-human because they draw on the author’s existing knowledge and apply something that is seemingly irrelevant to a totally different context. I don’t think AI can produce this (for now). For example, instead of saying that someone is on the verge of death, I’ll say he has an "imminent appointment with Charon". Even if I haven’t referenced anything mythological up to this point, I can count on (some) people to recognize the significance and understand what I mean. 

This type of allusion used to be ubiquitous until Ancient Greek enrollment dropped off in the 1920s, and Latin in the 1970s (in the US). Using allusions is akin to speaking in code that only a certain type of reader can understand. I flipped through Thomas Wolfe’s Look Homeward, Angel and saw this line: “In that month when Proserpine comes back, and Ceres’ dead heart rekindles” – do you know what month that is? Or what season?

I don’t think AI can write like this, which is motivation enough for me to start writing like this. 

I don't want to be accessible or relatable

Allusions necessarily make writing less accessible (unless you have the exact same cultural touchpoints as the writer). But I think anti-AI sentiment is forcing writing to head in a direction that is purposefully less accessible for stupid reasons. If I include an allusion to the Procne myth, I want it to be because that's my choice as an author. I don't want to feel compelled to include an allusion as some "prove you're human" checkbox in my own book.

Tastemakers gonna tastemake

I’d compare what’s shifting in writing to the evolution of fine dining. It used to be that European cuisine was considered bar none the best “quality” (which meant they could charge the highest prices). But over time, tastes (and prejudices) have evolved and there’s more respect for cuisines from other parts of the world that didn’t get the time of day, say, 20 years ago. 

There are so many examples of art that was dismissed as low-brow when it first arrived on the scene, later being apotheosized. My favorite book is an example: Henry Miller was considered obscene (and banned for 30ish yrs) when he pubbed Tropic of Cancer in 1934. Now it’s canon. 

Artists react to the world: Dada came out of WWI in a very clear cause-and-effect way. And in this AI age, we’re being forced to react to (and defend ourselves from?) technology that is infringing on the concept of art.

You can ask GPT to write you an essay about how awful AI is. It has no POV, beliefs, morals, or principles. It could gobble up this very essay and regurgitate it and someone else could take credit for my ideas. Being ripped off and exploited is fundamentally what it means to be an artist and it's looking grimmer than ever.

Have you ever finished a chapter and immediately flipped back because you weren't sure if what you just read actually happened?

Not because you missed something, but because the book made you doubt your own understanding of the story.

Maybe the narrator left out an important detail. Maybe a character wasn't telling the truth. Maybe everyone involved is manipulating someone else. Or maybe reality itself isn't as straightforward as it first appeared.

That's the feeling psychological thrillers are built around.

These books don't just create suspense. They create uncertainty. They force readers to constantly question what they're seeing, who they can trust, and whether what they're seeing is actually the truth at all.

🧠 What Is a Psychological Thriller?

Most thrillers focus on an external threat.

• A killer.

• A kidnapping.

• A conspiracy.

• A ticking clock.

Psychological thrillers are different because the greatest danger is often inside someone's mind. The conflict is driven by obsession, manipulation, paranoia, deception, memory, perception, or some combination of all five.

Readers aren't simply trying to figure out what happens next. They're trying to figure out what's actually happening, and those are very different questions.

🖤 Why Readers Love Them

I think psychological thrillers appeal to readers who enjoy feeling slightly off-balance.

A great psychological thriller creates the sense that something isn't quite right long before you understand why. Every conversation feels loaded with hidden meaning. Every detail feels important. Every character seems capable of keeping dangerous secrets.

The tension comes from uncertainty: you aren't racing toward answers; you're questioning whether the answers you've already been given are even real.

That's what makes the best psychological thrillers so hard to put down.

🪞 The Power of Unreliable Narrators

If conspiracy thrillers are built around hidden information, psychological thrillers are built around unreliable information.

• The narrator may be lying.

• A witness may be mistaken.

• A character may be manipulating everyone around them.

Sometimes the reader is given all the pieces but arranged in a way that leads them toward the wrong conclusion. That's why so many psychological thrillers become impossible to stop reading once the twists begin unfolding. Suddenly every scene takes on a different meaning.

You aren't learning new information; you're realizing the information was there all along.

📚 What Makes Them Different From Other Thrillers?

A conspiracy thriller makes readers question information. A domestic thriller makes readers question relationships. A police procedural focuses on solving a crime. But, a psychological thriller makes readers question reality itself.

• What happened?

• Who can be trusted?

• What is being hidden?

• What if the story you've been telling yourself is wrong?

Those questions sit at the heart of almost every great psychological thriller.

📖 If You Usually Read Other Genres...

One of the reasons psychological thrillers are so popular is that they naturally overlap with a lot of other genres.

❤️ Romance Readers

Start with: Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

A troubled marriage, hidden resentments, and long-buried secrets collide during a secluded anniversary getaway. The relationship dynamics are every bit as important as the mystery.

🏠 Domestic Thriller Readers

Start with: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Marriage, obsession, manipulation, and deception come together in a twist-filled story that constantly shifts your perspective.

😱 Horror Readers

Start with: The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

Part psychological thriller, part horror, and completely impossible to predict. This is for readers who enjoy feeling deeply unsettled.

📚 Literary Fiction Readers

Start with: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Atmospheric, character-driven, and psychologically fascinating. The suspense comes almost entirely from what is happening beneath the surface.

🎧 Audiobook Readers

Start with: None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

This is one of the rare books where the audiobook may actually be the best way to experience the story. The podcast-style format adds another layer to the uncertainty.

📚 Beginner Pick

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

A missing wife case spirals into a story about manipulation, media narratives, marriage, and perception.

Why it works:

• iconic twists
• highly accessible
• defines many modern thriller conventions
• impossible to stop talking about afterward

This is one of the books that introduced countless readers to psychological thrillers.

📚 Advanced Pick

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

A seemingly simple road trip becomes increasingly strange, unsettling, and difficult to interpret.

Why it works:

• deeply psychological
• highly atmospheric
• rewards close reading
• leaves readers thinking long after the final page

This is the kind of book where the experience matters just as much as the plot.

🌙 Final Thoughts

The scariest thing about psychological thrillers isn't the possibility that someone is lying; it's the possibility that everyone is.

The best psychological thrillers make readers question what they know, what they believe, and what they've assumed all along. They remind us that perception can be manipulated, memories can be flawed, and the truth is often much harder to find than we'd like to believe.

Happy Pride Month! To celebrate, I wanted to share some stories I love written by and/or featuring queer authors and characters:

• No Body No Crime by Tess Sharpe - An exhilarating thriller with cinematic adventure and a delightful sapphic romance.

• The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder - An action-packed and heartfelt YA retelling of “Sleeping Beauty,” perfect for fans of Indiana Jones.

• A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar - A simultaneously heartwarming and heart-wrenching YA historical novel set on the Titanic with a riveting heist and sapphic love.

• Anderson in Bloom by Jennifer Dugan - A fun, sexy second-chance sapphic romance with a hilarious cast and vivid small-town setting.

• The Incandescent by Emily Tesh - An atmospheric, enchanting dark academia fantasy with an addictive sapphic romance and captivating magic system.

• Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall - A creative, strange (complementary), and fever dream-esque sci-fi retelling of Moby-Dick.

• The Resurrectionist by A. Rae Dunlap - A gripping, gothic historical fiction novel with murder and a dark academia atmosphere set in Scotland, 1828.

• To the Bone by Alena Bruzas - A heartbreaking and unsettling YA historical fiction novel with a tender sapphic romance and powerful portrayal of Colonial America.

• An Arcane Study of Stars by Sydney J. Shields - A sweeping, irresistible dark academia fantasy set in a queer-normative world.

• No Better Than Beasts by Z.R. Ellor - A vicious, darkly mesmerizing retelling of "The Nutcracker."

• Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood - An achingly beautiful and wildly entertaining fantasy infused with Greek mythology, love, and tragedy.

• This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings - A sumptuous yet gritty YA historical fantasy set in Jazz Age Harlem with vampires, sapphic romance, and female rage.

• The Marble Queen by Anna Kopp; illustrated by Gabrielle Kari - A swoony, stunning YA fantasy graphic novel with gorgeous illustrations and sapphic romance.

• Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzgerald - An empowering, romantic, and fierce YA retelling of Hades and Persephone.

What are you reading this Pride Month? 🫶