TIH 238: Alma Katsu on The Hunger, The Donner Party, and Writing as Escapism

In this podcast Alma Katsu talks about The Hunger, the Donner Party, writing as escapism, and much more.

About Alma Katsu

Alma Katsu is the author of The Hunger, a reimagining of the story of the Donner Party with a horror twist. The Hunger made NPR’s list of the 100 Best Horror Stories, and was named one of the 21 best horror novels written by a woman. Ms. Katsu lives outside of Washington DC with her husband, musician Bruce Katsu. In addition to her novels, she has been a signature reviewer for Publishers Weekly, and a contributor to the Huffington Post. She is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins Writing Program and Brandeis University, where she studied with novelist John Irving. She also is an alumni of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers.

Show notes

[06:00] Early life lessons growing up
[11:55] Influence of Japanese culture
[29:30] Fake news and alternative facts
[34:00] Don’t believe the memes!
[36:10] Reading and writing as an escape
[43:00] Horror community and Alma’s work
[55:40] Stephen King
[01:02:15] Ross Byers, via Patreon, asks about strange or amusing facts whilst researching The Hunger
[01:04:45] Benjamin C. O’Connell, via Patreon, asks if the character’s personalities bare any similarities to their historical counterparts and the midwest settings
[01:13:00] Thomas Joyce and Traci Kenworth, via Patreon, ask about research and plotter/pantser
[01:25:00] Connect with Alma Katsu

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Resources

Alma Katsu fiction

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