Christopher A. Micklos

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courtesy Christopher A. Micklos

A close-up of Christopher A. Micklos.

Christopher A. Micklos

Tick Town, the debut novel by Madison filmmaker (The Headmistress) and writer Christopher A. Micklos is out June 24. The book is a fun, bloody romp in the rampaging nature subgenre of pulp horror, telling the story of a very bad weekend at the Harvest Moon Jubilee in the fictional northern Wisconsin town of Tomahawk Hollow. You will not want to read it while sitting in the woods. Micklos is hosting a launch party featuring a screening of classic 1954 giant ant movie Them! at 4:30 p.m. (admission is free with book purchase) followed by a signing at 6:15 p.m. Books will be available before the screening at the theater and starting June 24 at A Room of One’s Own, Lake City Books and Westfield Comics in Madison and Inkcap Books in Stoughton.

media release: TICK TOWN, the debut novel from Wisconsin author and filmmaker Christopher Micklos, was released today in paperback and Kindle by publisher Castle Bridge Media. TICK TOWN is about a rural Wisconsin tourist town that becomes the feeding ground for a band of giant, mutant ticks.

“They say that writers should write the book that they want to read,” Micklos said today. “Well, I wanted to read a pulpy, fun, creature feature book about giant mutant ticks in northern Wisconsin! And that’s exactly what TICK TOWN is.”

“TICK TOWN is a fun throwback to the pulpy paperbacks of the 1970’s and ‘80’s and the sci-fi horror movies of the ‘50’s and ‘60’s. I think that readers will find it to be great nostalgic fun!”

On Saturday, June 28, Micklos will host a book launch party at the Marcus Palace Cinema in Sun Prairie. The event will include a big screen showing of the 1954 giant ant classic THEM!—a cinematic ancestor of TICK TOWN—with a book signing & reception to follow. Admission to the movie is FREE with a paperback copy of TICK TOWN. The event begins at 4:30 p.m.

Wisconsin bookstores confirmed to be carrying paperback copies of TICK TOWN include A Room of One’s Own Bookstore (Madison), Lake City Books (Madison), Westfield Comics (Madison), Inkcap Books (Stoughton), Readers Realm Gallery (Montello), Lion’s Tooth (Milwaukee), Story Keepers Books (Milwaukee), Thimbleberry Books (Marshfield), Books and More (Plymouth), Books on Main (Friendship), Studio Moonfall (Kenosha), Bound to Happen Books (Steven’s Point), Pearl Street Books (La Crosse), and Yardstick Books (Algoma). Visit https://christophermicklos.com/2025/06/24/local-bookstores/ for more local bookstores as they are added, as well as for other bookstores around the country.

Paperback copies are also available from Amazon, and copies will be available for purchase at the event at Marcus Palace Cinema.

Horror icon Ramsey Campbell (THE HUNGRY MOON, THE DOLL WHO ATE HIS MOTHER) says of TICK TOWN: “The giant bugs are back with a gruesome vengeance! Lovers of the kind of monstrous plague the Guy N. Smith tradition loosed upon the world should find much to relish in this book.”

Pulp horror legend Shaun Hutson (SLUGS, EREBUS) says: "TICK TOWN is a great throwback to the golden age of pulp horror paperbacks, books like THE RATS, SLUGS and BATS OUT OF HELL. Books that shaped a genre and gave so much enjoyment to so many. Books like this don't come along very often so make sure you don't miss it."

Christopher Micklos is a life-long horror junkie, an award-winning filmmaker, and a frequently published writer of horror-themed fiction and non-fiction. His two feature films, THE NURSERY and THE HEADMISTRESS, are widely available streaming and on DVD; and his writing has appeared locally in the Isthmus, the Shepherd Express, and the Wisconsin State Journal, as well as in numerous national outlets. He lives in the Madison, WI, area.