Hey, it's Empire's Book the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Stephen Graham Jones is one of the biggest

horror writers working today. And his work often functions as an exploration of the genre. He loves

horror so much that he can't help but write about it, well, you know, writing it. And in his

newest novel, I was a teenageage Slasher, he's exploring

something he hasn't done yet, which is the perspective of the person doing the killing.

And in this interview with NPR's own diehard horror fan Aisha Roscoe, they get to talking about

the inevitability of the roles we fill, whether that's slasher or horror writer.

That's ahead.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people helping you

understand why distant events matter here at home. Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or

wherever you get your podcasts. 17-year-old Talley Driver is a good kid. Well, he's at least not a really bad one. Or he wasn't always bad, but he's been

through some bad things. In Stephen Graham Jones's newest novel, I was a teenage slasher,

his luck only gets worse. See, Talley has a peanut allergy,

and before you think it killed him,

let me be clear.

One fateful night in 1989,

it kills everyone around him,

or almost everyone.

Here to explain more is Stephen Graham Jones himself. Hey, Stephen. Hello. So let's start

with the location, which is really like another character in the book. We're in the town of La Mesa,

...