UP NEXT:
NAT'S NEW HORROR NOVEL, MARY
Wherever books are sold - JULY 19, 2022
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Nat Cassidy’s debut horror novel Mary, which blends Midsommar with elements of American Psycho and a pinch of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, will be published by Nightfire in July 2022! Mary is a quiet, middle-aged woman doing her best to blend into the background. Unremarkable. Invisible. Unknown even to herself. But lately, things have been changing inside Mary. Along with the hot flashes and body aches, she can’t look in a mirror without passing out, and the voices in her head have been urging her to do unspeakable things. Fired from her job in New York, she moves back to her hometown hoping to reconnect with her past and inner self. What she finds instead are visions of terrifying, mutilated specters come with increasing regularity, she begins auto-writing strange thoughts and phrases, and her investigations reveal that these experiences are echoes of an infamous serial killer. Then the killings begin again. Mary’s definitely going to find herself. |
Click HERE to read Nightfire's official announcement!
Praise for Mary:
Esquire's Best Horror of 2022
Harper's Bazaar 15 Best Books for Spooky Season
Book Riot Summer Scares (2022)
The Lineup Best Debut Horror Novels of 2022
CrimeReads Most Anticipated Crime Books 2022
"Mary is a book unlike any other: a serial killer thriller that’s half ghost story and half possession horror, featuring a labyrinthine mansion and a desert-dwelling cult... Mary is a late-life coming-of-age horror that shines a necessary light on a neglected character type through black humor and scenes of gloriously gross carnage."
―Esquire
“Heads up, Nat Cassidy’s debut novel is not for the faint of heart. It’s gory and horrific, but underneath the blood-soaked pages is a commentary on society’s view of older women and their place in the world.”
―The Seattle Times
“Razor-sharp horror debut.... Cassidy expertly twists the invisibility and disposability of society’s most vulnerable into qualities ideally suited to a terrifying avenging angel. It’s as scary as it is smart.”
― Publishers Weekly
“This tale of horror is a good read-alike for Stephen King’s Carrie and Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts.”
― Booklist
"A serial killer story with a monstrous twist [by an] emerging genre star."
― Library Journal
"Perfect for summer reading"
― USA Today
“[An] outstanding debut horror novel. ... [T]he kind of debut that will surely help establish its author as one of the best new voices in horror. Mary is a fun, creepy, strange read. ... Nat Cassidy has written an impressive debut in which supernatural horror collides with real horrors, and that makes Mary the kind of novel you keep thinking about long after you’ve turned the last page.”
―Locus Magazine
“Cassidy’s character-building is so incredibly complex that I can’t help but . . . make a comparison to Stephen King. . . . An extraordinary metaphor for women’s struggles, Mary is edgy as hell. A chilling compilation of horror with masterful storytelling.”
―Cemetery Dance
“In Nat Cassidy’s debut from Tor Nightfire, middle-aged Mary begins experiencing strange and bloody visions after fleeing New York City for her rural Arizona hometown. The ghostly visions and lore regarding a long-dead serial killer are only one form of horror, the other being aging and financial insecurity, ensuring there’s something here to scare even the most jaded horror lover. Without getting into spoilers, this book also makes a fascinating bookend to Stephen King’s Carrie as a character study of a woman at a very different stage of life, which Cassidy expounds upon in his pre-and-postscripts.”
―The Lineup, The Best Debut Horror Novels of 2022
“Who doesn’t want to read the book equivalent of vampire Kathy Bates killing some hipsters in the fifth season of American Horror Story? Middle-aged women’s rage is in this year, and I couldn’t be happier.”
― CrimeReads, Most Anticpated Crime Books 2022
“One of the scariest, freaky, and mind bending horror novels of 2022 and you should absolutely pick this one up!”
―Horror Reads
“An immersive story with vivid environments and vibrant characters. The imagery his writing evokes still has me obsessed ... All I can say is, it has haunted me since I read it, and I may have to re-read it again soon. ... I would classify this as a serial killer horror with a touch of paranormal, so if you liked The Silence of the Lambs and My Sister, The Serial Killer but also enjoyed The Changeling, you would love this one. 5/5 stars. My favorite so far this year.”
― Horrorble Books
“Aunt Nadine was given some of the best lines I’ve read in a book. In fact, this book was filled with things I wanted to write down to share – author Nat Cassidy is a master of dialogue. ... I LOVE books with depth and Cassidy writes with depth. ... Having grown up as a reader of King, Saul, Koontz, Jackson and having escaped deep into stories my whole life, I hope I live long enough to see where Cassidy’s extraordinary ability to tell a story goes.”
― Eyes and Ears Books
"Cassidy brilliantly taps into the paranoia of his character ... a fascinating persona that reflects the immense talent of Cassidy in bringing Mary to the pages ... A deeply disturbing read that works for both fans of horror and mystery, Mary is a unique exercise in terror where social interactions hold as much weight as a bloodied apparition. A must-read!"
― The Forgotten Fiction
“Searing imagery. Immediate chills. ... Destined to be a classic.”
― Rachel Harrison, author of Cackle and The Return
“Gripping from the start. What begins in a bloodbath leads us through decades into a nightmare of cults, ghosts, and self-hatred, where great and terrible expectations await. Mary is a devastating threat made manifest.”
― Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth
“Genuinely scary, and at times both heartfelt and heartbreaking, Mary is a powerhouse of a horror novel, with something important to say. We need more like this. Standing ovation!”
― Brian Keene, World Horror Convention Grand Master and two-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rising and Terminal
“Nat Cassidy’s Mary is a bravura journey into horror, cults, and the estrangement of middle age. It’s one BANANAS ride, by a very talented writer.”
― Sarah Langan, three-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Good Neighbors, and The Missing
“Every bit as brilliant as everyone's saying: a gory, body horror-soaked exploration of menopause, cults, self-worth, & true crime junkies. I can't recommend this book enough - even the afterword is revelatory.”
― Ally Wilkes, author of All the White Spaces
“Congrats on a loud and bloody Mary. She's going to make herself heard and then some.”
― Kathe Koja, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Cipher and Velocities
"Operatic and tremendously unsettling, there's a dangerous current churning beneath the pages . . . a current that will carry you far away and forever change you the way all excellent books do. This is first class horror."
― Eric LaRocca, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
"Cassidy has given us a classic horror novel of a middle-aged woman tormented by all the little-town horrors of her past―those she can remember and those she is forced to remember. Who is Mary, or better yet, what is Mary? She has been called home to find out."
― Elizabeth Engstrom, author of When Darkness Loves Us
"A collision of supernatural and real-life horrors, Nat Cassidy's Mary throbs with a relentlessly sinister energy. Packed with visceral shocks and quiet menace, breakneck storytelling and profound character work, Mary is absolutely riveting. I can't recommend it highly enough."
― Jonathan Janz, author of The Siren and the Specter and The Raven
“Mary, Mary, quite extraordinary… How does your novel grow? With pillow cases hiding sliced off faces, and porcelain dolls all in a row. With an acidic sense of humor more barbed than any cactus, Nat Cassidy’s fast-paced Mary is a perfect blend of Stephen King’s Dolores Claiborne and Frank De Filitta’s Audrey Rose. This book goes out to all those bad seeds who have gone beyond their bloom and entered the twilight of their murderous lives.”
― Clay McLeod Chapman, author of The Remaking and Whisper Down the Lane
“Just finished Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy & WOW! The horror arrives like a monsoon thunderstorm: ominous page 1 rumbles that build to a frenzied, spectacular conclusion that'll leave you awestruck & trembling. Smart, scary & full of heart, Mary is a force of nature!”
― KC Jones, author of Black Tide
WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD!
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Meanwhile, in the podcast world:
look who's back!
GIDEON MEDIA
“Gideon Media are masters of their craft, and they continue to help elevate the possibilities of audio drama.”
-Jason Saldanha, Chief of Development and Content at PRX
-Jason Saldanha, Chief of Development and Content at PRX
The company that brought you Steal the Stars is back and bringing you more original, high-quality C-O-N-T-E-N-T, baby! Not one, not two, but FIVE NEW AUDIODRAMAS are rolling out in 2021, including two *official* adaptations of renowned playwright/actor Wallace Shawn's most beloved (and occasionally controversial) works.
Nat can be heard as Travis in Mac Rogers' newest serialized sci-fi epic, GIVE ME AWAY, but all five shows are must-listens.
Click on the image below to be taken to Gideon Media's website for more information on how to listen and subscribe!
Nat can be heard as Travis in Mac Rogers' newest serialized sci-fi epic, GIVE ME AWAY, but all five shows are must-listens.
Click on the image below to be taken to Gideon Media's website for more information on how to listen and subscribe!
And if that wasn't enough audiodrama news for you ...
KING KIRBY
Didn't get to see Nat as Marvel legend Stan Lee in the Off-Broadway smash, KING KIRBY? Now you can enjoy the original cast in glorious audio!
Heroes aren’t born, they’re made. This is the epic tale of Jack Kirby, the most famous cartoonist you never heard of: Born in the Lower East Side slums, veteran of the battlefields of France, co-creator of CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE AVENGERS, THE X-MEN, Kirby had his biggest fight after his comic books became an international sensation: He had to fight for his name, and the recognition he was denied.
Heroes aren’t born, they’re made. This is the epic tale of Jack Kirby, the most famous cartoonist you never heard of: Born in the Lower East Side slums, veteran of the battlefields of France, co-creator of CAPTAIN AMERICA, THE AVENGERS, THE X-MEN, Kirby had his biggest fight after his comic books became an international sensation: He had to fight for his name, and the recognition he was denied.
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An audio version of the New York Times Critics’ Pick play by award-winning Crystal Skillman and Fred Van Lente, starring the original New York cast of Steven Rattazzi, Amy Lee Pearsall, Nat Cassidy, Joseph Mathers and Timothy McCown Reynolds. Creative Team: Crystal Skillman, Fred Van Lente, Bobby Cronin Part of the Broadway Podcast Network. Click on the image below for the official site! |
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YOU JUST MISSED ...
WILL ON THE HILL 2021 *AND* 2020
(I really should update this website more often, huh?)
Two virtual fundraisers that raised over $800,000 for arts education!
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Nat was beyond thrilled and honored to write the scripts for both the 2021 AND 2020 WILL ON THE HILL fundraiser events for the Shakespeare Theatre Company of Washington, D.C. He can honestly say he's never quite had a job like them, and these are almost guaranteed to be the only entries on this here website that featured performances ranging from André De Shields and Michael Urie to Senator Angus King and Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton.
Each script was written for Zoom, directed by Samantha Wyer Bello, and edited/designed by Gordon Nimmo-Smith. They raised a combined $800,000 for arts education. More info can be found in the Short Plays section of this site! |
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