Influenca

by Alexander Nader

Overview

"Classic horror gets a glow-up in this eerie meditation on influence, fame, and the algorithm.: -Kirkus Reviews

Beauty is only filter deep, but madness spoils to the core.

Beau Rutledge shares his story, his way. But when his manager demands he hit ten million followers by the end of the month, the southern heat becomes a swelter. As Beau fights to hold onto his perfectly framed world, the cracks in his mask of sanity splinter into craters.
Beau pushes himself harder than ever before. Selfies must be perfect with gleaming teeth and rippling muscles. Beau's fit gives new meaning to a killer look. The #SouthernCharmer needs every follower to know: he's better than them, and they should bathe in his perfection.

As Beau's deadline draws closer, he begins to sweat more than his morning workouts. On top of that, his greatest rival, Brant Cantrell, keeps poking fun at Beau's content.

The slow burn satirical horror novel exposes the vapid narcissism of influencer culture and answers the question: what happens when the filters get turned off?

Product Details

BN ID:	2940181317383
Publisher:	Alexander Nader
Publication date:	04/22/2025
Sold by:	Draft2Digital
Format:	eBook
File size:	557 KB

Editorial Reviews

2025-04-14
A social media influencer chronicles his slow descent into madness as the lines between reality and the internet begin to blur in Nader’s psychological horror novel.

Beau Rutledge is a prominent lifestyle influencer on social media. From his palatial home in eastern Tennessee, he documents a life dedicated to fitness, fashion, and #SouthernCharmer as part of a whole team of online influencers including a comedian, a health guru, and a trend-hopping woman. Under the direction of the mercurial manager “M,” Beau claws his way to 10 million followers (“I’ve got to kill myself to get this goal, or she’ll murder me”) despite public blunders, an out-of-control online persona, and the near-constant presence of Brant Cantrell, whose similar feed and overreliance on a personal tragedy threaten to usurp Beau’s place as the primary luxury influencer in the South. As Beau redoubles his efforts, he begins to torture his body and mind with extreme fitness regimens and hypervigilance regarding his feed. A series of posts from other social media accounts document encounters Beau doesn’t remember having, and his reality splinters, creating an alternate online persona that reflects his inner monologue and intrusive thoughts. Tragedy disrupts his near-perfect life and exposes the cracks in his sanity. At first glance, Nader’s work of psychological horror seems like a standard take on classic horror protagonists whose primary flaws are obsession and hubris. The treatment of Beau’s environment makes the story shine, however, as the author emphasizes and de-emphasizes details that leave the reader uneasy and creates a delicious background rhythm that enhances the narrative’s tension. As Beau’s reality fractures, questions arise over the true nature of the protagonist: Is Beau a homicidal villain, or is he the victim of a series of online smear campaigns intent on destroying his following? Nader expertly turns the screws, deftly recontextualizing familiar horror tropes for a Gen Z audience.

Classic horror gets a glow-up in this eerie meditation on influence, fame, and the algorithm.

Kirkus Reviews