Claire Oshetsky > Recent Status Updates

Today I’ll be speaking with librarians about Evil Genius. I think I’ll tell them about The Crab Queen. She is the 3rd monstrously strong supernatural female guardian I’ve created to guide the protagonists in my novels. In Chouette it was “The Owl Lover.” In Poor Deer it was “Poor Deer.” The Crab Queen is my favorite monster-guardian of all though. Fearless. All powerful. Metes out justice without mercy. I love her.

What a joy to meet Jeff Vandermeer and to hear him speak about Area X! What a generous soul! I was bowled over by the attentiveness of Jeff's answers to the audience ?'s. Each of his answers was so thoughtful, and so personal. His is a great listener, and a great observer, and these qualities shine out in real life as much as they do in his novels. I can't recommend the his work enough, for a first read or a re-read!

7 PM on Monday Oct 20 at BOOKSHOP SANTA CRUZ I will be in conversation with JEFF VANDERMEER, in celebration of the upcoming PAPERBACK release of Jeff's fourth Area X novel, ABSOLUTION. You should be there! I hope you can make it!

xoxo (area) x,
claire

For all you ARC readers out there...

Evil Genius just got added to NetGalley!

https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...

Huh I just discovered that the chatty musings I've been sharing here about my potential novels-in-progress are being vacuumed up by Meta's AI and reported as fact, and since it's probable that I'm completely wrong about what this next book will be about in the end, I have deleted those remarks. I saved the feedback you all gave me, though, and I'm so grateful for everyone's encouragement.

*****EVIL GENIUS COVER REVEAL ****

🫣 I'm not sure if I'm in it for the long run, but just now it seems I'm writing a horror story next (post-evil-genius) and it's kind of creeping me out.

Two days ago I finished some last changes to EVIL GENIUS. The novel has now been "sent to production." Now comes the fun part: the cover, the inside design elements, and writing the jacket copy. Like my last two novels, this novel has scenes that are memoir-level true. It seems there always comes a point where I need to decide much to open up to the facts of my life, vs. keeping them safely part of a made-up story.

You heard it here first: my next novel, EVIL GENIUS, is coming In February 2026! :-)

I made a new author foto for the paperback publication of Poor Deer. I wore a purple shirt and purple spectacles so it would blend with the bold purple-and-orange Poor Deer cover. I've changed the profile pic here on Goodreads to be this latest foto, too. Now I'm wondering why authors don't always make new author fotos to match their book jackets when a new book comes out. Seems like something I would do, anyway.

The novel I'm working on at the moment has turned out, in part, to be a meditation on some of my favorite John Cheever stories. What an extraordinary writer. It constantly amazes me that he is thought of these days, if he is remembered at all, as someone who wrote about the vagaries of upper middle class suburban alcoholics and bad marriages. His stories are so varied, and so surreal, and so perfect.

I cut my hair off. Feels great.

Next week I will be on a book tour with my French publisher of Chouette, Phébus. Events are scheduled in Rennes, Nantes, Crest, Montargis, Nevers, and Paris. If you are in the neighborhood, it would be a delight to see you! DM me and I will send you more details. I've loved working with Phébus, and with the translator of the novel, Karine Lalechère! Since I love making up words, she had quite a challenge!