Southern Gods, the darkly thrilling debut novel by John Hornor Jacobs of Little Rock released Aug. 1 by Night Shade Books, will be at the center of a book signing party from 6-8 p.m. Friday (Aug. 19) at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, 401 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock.

Admission is free.

The book (300 pages, $14.99), a chilling Southern Gothic thriller set in 1951 Arkansas and Tennessee, follows hired muscle Bull Ingram as he tries to track down Ramblin' John Hastur, a mysterious blues man whose dark music -- broadcast at ever-shifting frequencies by a phantom radio station --is said to make living men insane and dead men rise. Good luck putting it down. 

Jacobs, who has worked in advertising for 15 years and played in various bands, has four more books in the works that will be released by Simon and Schuster and Carolrhoda Books between 2012 and 2015.

To read an interview with Jacobs about the book on John Scalzi's The Big Idea blog click here.