Shiny people, messy plot: Denton author pens horror novel inspired by reality TV

Denton writer Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam saw her first novel published this month, and the book blends the stuff of beach reads with the unease of body horror. It moves at a sharp clip and gets fantastically messy.

Grim Root follows a group of women who compete for the favor of Tristan, the telegenic, Midwestern central player on The Groom. But as the competitors are voted off the proverbial island, protagonist divorcee Linda starts to fall for Charity, one of her competitors. Sabrina, another contender, believes she’s fated through familial magic to win Tristan’s heart and the handsome profits that come with reality TV fame. Supernatural things unfold, and the sharp teeth of the television world tear open something in the old mansion where the bevy of prospective brides and their hunky prey smile pretty for the cameras and calculate a happy ending.