"Horror lends itself to a messiness that I really like and don't often find in mainstream thrillers."

John Fram on unsettling endings, letting go of micro-management, and his spooky Gothic chiller, NO ROAD HOME

Check out the collection of past Words With (Author) Friends, wherein I g-chat with an author and you get to read over my shoulder, and order John’s hair-raising new novel, out now!

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Me: Hello!

John: Howdy!

Big congrats on NO ROAD HOME! How are you feeling just ahead of its release?

Honestly, it feels very weird. Since my first novel was a Covid book, this will be my first time going on a proper tour, which is super exciting, but past that I truly have no idea what to expect.

That's exciting! Events can be so fun—you get to feel like an AUTHOR for once, lol

Yes, for real. And I remember with THE BRIGHT LANDS (my debut) I never had the closure you get from seeing the book on bookshelves, at least not right away.

And then today I saw my name on the marquee for Book People in Austin and was like, "Oh. Yeah. This is much nicer" lol

A marquee, no less! Not bad!

Can you share what the book is about?

Sure! It's a spooky Gothic thriller about a young father who needs to keep his queer son away from a TV preacher's demented family. When the family's patriarch is found murdered on the roof of the house and the roads flood things just go from bad to Biblically awful.

"Spooky Gothic thriller" sounds to me like there are shades of horror and suspense, right?

Definitely. The house may or may not be haunted, and the wrath of God Himself may play a role. I was really interested in writing a book where you have this tight Agatha Christie plot that slowly gets demolished by a mounting supernatural danger.

Love that! Can you say more about where the idea came from?