A Hotel Turns Horrific: Juan Martinez on Writing “Extended Stay”

Juan Martinez

Six years ago, I spoke with Juan Martinez about his excellent collection Best Worst American, a genre-spanning work that encompassed a host of styles and tones, with a pronounced sense of the ominous. Now, Martinez is back with a new novel, Extended Stay. What begins as a novel about a brother and sister on the run from familial trauma gradually turns into something much stranger and more horrific. The Alicia, where both take refuge, turns out to have several qualities that distinguish it from other Las Vegas hotels — including more than a few suggestions that the hotel itself is alive. I spoke with Martinez about the genesis of this book, its connection to his earlier collection, and more.

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Vol. 1 Brooklyn’s January 2023 Book Preview

January 2023 Books

Would you look at this — it’s 2023. Even more intriguingly, there are a whole bunch of new books due out this year. 2023 is off to an excellent start, we’d argue, with a couple of books we’ve been looking forward to reading for years. This month brings with it an impressive assortment of styles, including formally inventive poetry and politically incisive tales of the uncanny. What are we most excited about? Read on to find out.

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Supermarkets, Capes, and Secret Societies: Juan Martinez on Writing “Best Worst American”

The stories in Juan Martinez’s collection Best Worst American abound with stylistic leaps, acute observations about popular culture, and eccentric characters. Martinez is equally adept at chronicling contemporary anxieties as he is venturing into the surreal–one story’s protagonist is aided in everyday tasks by a sinister ghost child straight out of Ring, for instance. Martinez will read on Saturday at Spoonbill & Sugartown; in advance of this event, we talked with him about the making of his collection, writing for […]

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