What is the title of your latest release?
INCARNATE
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Dorothy Wagner has always wanted to be popular but she’s not like other girls. She creates Isabella, an online persona that’s everything she’s not and is rewarded with a tidal wave of attention that shoots her to the top of the charts… but at what price?
It’s The Picture of Dorian Gray for the internet age.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The story was inspired in part by real-life: the field of “deep fakes” (making realistic-looking but totally fake video content) was revolutionized by a VFX artist who went on to start a company bringing his services to the film and TV industry. I knew Dorothy was going to end up in Los Angeles!
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
I think Dorothy is the kind of person who is captivating at first glance, not because she’s a charmer but because she is focused and driven and obviously really smart. There’s a lot to like, even admire. But you see, over time, that something’s not quite right.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Brilliant. But also, morally gray. I wanted a character who is a reflection of the times. We’re under pressure to pretend to be something we’re not. To “fake it till you make it”. I want to see what it does it the soul.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
One fun thing that happened while writing Incarnate (meaning not fun at all) is that the technology behind deep fakes took a major turn. It was a bit harrowing - what were the implications for my story? - until I figured it all out.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I go but then there’s usually a big overhaul once the manuscript goes to the editor. Really, writing IS editing.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
At the moment, donuts made by a local Amish baker. We’re moving soon so I’ll have to give them up.
Describe your writing space/office!
As I mentioned, we’re about to move to a new house and I’m excited because I’m going to have my writing space in a separate building again. I found, the first time this happened, that it works really well for me. I love having my own space.
Who is an author you admire?
Oh, so many to choose from! Emma Donaghue, because not only is she a terrific writer but she alternates between historical and contemporary fiction, something I also do. Another of my favorite writers is Denise Mina, who writes thrillers and mysteries, because she just gets better with every book.
Is there a book that changed your life?
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE by Anne Rice, because it put me in a certain frame of mind (like millions of other readers) that eventually led to The Taker, my debut novel.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
If we’re talking about “the call” for the very first time, that was in 2010 when we sold THE TAKER. I was 50 years old and had spent 10 years working on that book. I’d always wanted to be a writer but had set that aside to have a career in intelligence. It ended up changing my life.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Even though I’m currently writing horror and spy thrillers, I’m an omnivorous reader. Though it seems to me that, right now, there’s a little bit of horror in many books. Horror is having a moment!
What’s your favorite movie?
This changes, as I suspect it does for most people. Today I’ll say The Lion in Winter (1968).
What is your favorite season?
Autumn, hands down. I’m a New England girl.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
By eating a really good carrot cake.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Widow’s Bay! It’s brilliant.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Lately it’s been Korean. I’m looking forward to moving closer to restaurants of all kinds, though, after six years in a very remote area.
What do you do when you have free time?
Weave! I recently took up weaving and it is soul-nurturing.
What can readers expect from you next?
I have a spy thriller coming out in March 2027, THE INVISIBLE ENEMY. It’s about Havana Syndrome. I wrote it at the behest of a friend who was one of the first officers at CIA identified to be affected by the condition.
Beauty doesn't fade. It feeds.
Dorothy Wagner has spent her whole life wanting nothing more than to be seen. But after failing to make her mark as an influencer, she takes a job working for a brilliant coder whose company is focused on cutting‑edge deepfake technology. And there, in secret, is where she creates her salvation.
Isabella. An impossibly gorgeous girl who takes social media by storm. Dorothy's artistry is brilliant, and Isabella seems so real that she garners millions of followers. But everybody knows overnight success doesn't just happen. And when someone gets a little too close to the truth, a violent confrontation sends Dorothy on the run, forcing her to confront what she's willing to sacrifice to keep her secrets.
A modern reimagining of a classic tale, Alma Katsu's Incarnate is an illuminating, haunting tale of algorithmic worship and beauty that can kill.
Thriller Psychological [ G.P. Putnam's Sons, On Sale: September 22, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9798217177707 / eISBN: 9798217177714 ]
INCARNATE is her latest novel. Like many of us, Dorothy Wagner longs to be internet popular but she doesn’t get her chance until she creates Isabella, a virtual persona. Still, Dorothy needs the help of a mysterious presence on the internet to make Isabella the undisputed It Girl of the day. When this mysterious presence offers to take Isabella to the next level, to leap from the virtual world to the real one, Dorthy’s torn. She knows the offer is probably too good to be true—but what does she have to lose? A lot, as it turns out. Incarnate is an exploration of the horrors of modern technology; it's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" for the internet age.
Alma Katsu’s books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal, been featured in the NY Times and Washington Post, been nominated and won multiple prestigious awards, and appeared on numerous Best Books lists including NPR, the Observer, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Goodreads, and Amazon.
Ms. Katsu lives in Maryland, where she lives with her musician husband Bruce and their two dogs, Nick and Ash.
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