Talking Scared

Send us a text Something new for me this week. A bold venture into uncharted territory. The graphic novel!! As is proper, I’ve started with one of the best. Emil Ferris joins me to talk through the creation of her landmark epic, My Favourite Thing is Monsters. Volume 1 came out in 2017 to rapturous acclaim, and now, Volume 2 picks up exactly where that story of cute werewolves and cherished monsters let off. This is an EVENT!! Emil talks me through this alternative form of storytelling. She tells me about the laborious process behind the books, and how it saved her life (literally). Most of all though, we talk creativity, and how art and monsters are the things that will preserve humanity. Enjoy. My Favourite Thing is Monsters is released May 28thth from Fantagraphics Other books mentioned: Maus (1986), by Art Spiegelman The Talisman (1984), by Stephen King and Peter Straub The Shape of Water (2018), by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus Whalefall (2023), by Daniel Kraus Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Believe it or not, there is more to life than just books. Very little, granted… but there is more. Talking Scared: Off Book is a chance for this show to spread its wings a little. To fly further, wider, deeper into the world of horror and come back carrying different kinds of guests in our bloody beak! (ok, I may have stretched that metaphor too far). Basically, I’ll be talking, now and then, to other kinds of horror creatives. Filmmakers, actors, musicians, podcasters, designers, comic book artists, whoever the hell takes my fancy. I hope you’ll enjoy it. This first episode features Phil Nobile Jr. Editor-in-Chief of Fangoria, and a man with his finger on the bloody pulse of the genre. We talk about films, journalism, how to market horror and, yes, of course, a few books. This is a good episode for the hopeful journalist. Enjoy! Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text We return to Australia for the second time in a month, to find that (once again), home invasion isn’t the worst thing to happen on a typical day. Alan Baxter’s Blood Covenant is a violent, thrilling story of a threeway battle between an innocent family, a nasty criminal gang of bogans (see, I’m learning!) and an otherworldly force that is even worse! Think, what if The Strangers took place in the Overlook Hotel. It’s a hugely enjoyable book that prompts a conversation about the influence of 70s and 80s paperback classics, the overlap of horror and crime in Australian fiction, some extreme horror movies and a whole long celebration of unpretentious storytelling. Enjoy! Blood Covenant is released May 24th from Cemetary Dance Other books mentioned: The Gulp (2021), by Alan Baxter Hidden City (2018), by Alan Baxter The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia’s Founding (1986), by Robert Hughes “Devil” by Glen Hirshberg, in Screams From the Dark: 29 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous (2022), edited by Ellen Datlow The Fog (1975), by James Herbert The Hunted (2021), by Gabriel Bergmoser Terra Nullius (2017), by Claire G. Coleman Dirty Heads (2021), by Aaron Dries Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text A charming man approaches. With dark secrets to tell you. Yeah, that L.P. Hernandez. Author of the novella In the Valley of the Headless Men and the forthcoming collection, No Gods, Only Chaos. Both are great; both are entirely different. One of them will expand your horizons. One of them will shrink you in horror. I’ll let you find out which. We talk about both books in this episode, digging into the real historical mystery behind the novella (it’s fascinating) and the craft and commitment that went into the collection. How to write emotion and character concisely, using action within metaphor, the presence (or lack of) military vets in horror, and when, exactly, LP knew he was becoming a better writer. If you are starting out as a storyteller, I think you’ll find this episode enlightening and inspirational. I did. Kudos to L.P. for that! Enjoy! In the Valley of the Headless Men was published on January 29th by Cemetery Games No Gods, Only Chaos is published on June 4th, by DarkLit Press Other books mentioned: Stargazers (2022), by L.P. Hernandez The Militia House (2023), by John Milas Mr Shivers (2010), by Robert Jackson Bennett Bound Feet (2022), by Kelsea Yu Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Opinions are like assholes, they say. Everybody has one. The subtext of that, is that you shouldn’t show them to people. Well my guest and I don’t hold back on ours this week. Robert Ottone joins me for a conversation about his debut novel for adults, The Vile Thing We Created, which is almost exactly one year old. I loved it, which is more than either of us can say for the one-year old little boy that it is about. This novel skewers the impulse to procreation – presenting a horror story of parenthood that will make the child-free sweat and the happily en-familied nod sagely (though hopefully your child isn’t a cosmic-horror menace. Robert and I wade into the controversy over not having children? We ask, how people summoj the courage to do it in such a frightening world, and we also hold forth on other topics, such as why most colleagues are boring and some ill-advised movie opinions. I blame Robert, I’m usually so shy and retiring. Seriously though, this is a great conversation. More disorganised and discursive than usual. Though for once, that is no bad thing. Enjoy! The Vile Thing We Created was published on April 18th 2023, by Hydra. Other books mentioned: The Triangle (2022), by Robert Ottone Less Than Zero (1985), by Bret Easton Ellis Lunar Park (2005), by Bret Easton Ellis Imperial Bedrooms (2010), by Bret Easton Ellis Sefira and Other Betrayals (2019), by John Langan Watchmen (1987), by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons Filthy Creation (2023), by Caroline Hagood Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Ah the madhouse. The loony bin. The ASYLUM!! A classic horror location. One of my favourites, but problematic as hell in the wrong hands. Thankfully, I have the right author for the topic. Christ Panatier has the talent and the sensitivity to ensure that his novel, The Redemption of Morgan Bright can engage with the tropes without perpetuating them. He brings something as old-as-time but very new to asylum horror, and the results are dizzying, terrifying, awful. We talk about the perils of research for an empathetic horror writer, we discuss some hideous medical practices from the past, and we look hard at the desecration of rights that we all grew up assuming were here to stay. Plus, the way to make friends in the horror community... Enjoy! The Redemption of Morgan Bright was published on April 23rd by Angry Robot Books Other books mentioned: The Phlebotomist (2020), by Chris Panatier Stringer (2022), by Chris Panatier Annihilation (2014), by Jeff VanderMeer The Haunting of Hill House (1959), by Shirley Jackson Never Let Me Go (2005), by Kazuo Ishiguro Mad Wives: Schizophrenic Women in the 1950s (1988), by Carol A. B. Warren Full Immersion (2022), by Gemma Amor The Grip of It (2017), by Jac Jemc The House at the End of Lacelean Street (2024), by Catherine McCarthy The Spite House (2023), by Johnny Compton The Day of the Door (2024), by Laurel Hightower Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text We all love a good spooky house. And most of us enjoy a terrifying home-invasion ordeal (or at least, I know I do). What happens when you put them together? Kaaron Warren’s The Underhistory is the answer, but it’s nothing at all like what you’d expect. This new novel by the award-winning Australian writer is a story of memory, of rooms and architecture, of violence and misogyny, and of a very unusual old lady. We talk about all of that and more. It’s a great conversation, one in which we go hunting for the secrets of her book together. Enjoy! The Underhistory was published on April 11th by Viper Other books mentioned: Slights (2009), by Kaaron Warren The Grief Hole (2016), by Kaaron Warren Any Human Heart (2002), by William Boyd The Measure of Sorrow (2023), by J. Ashley-Smith Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text I bite off a lot this week, in a five-way conversation with editors and contributors to the ever-so-of-the-moment anthology The Black Girl Survives in This One. That’s a promise right there on the title page, but as you will find out, survival is not always the same thing as living happily ever after. Saraciea J. Fennell, Desiree S. Evans, Monica Brashears & Eden Royce talk to me about the vision (and necessity) of the project and where their stories came from? We discuss the role of urban and family legend, authentic dialogue, writing for younger readers and how horror’s treatment of Black writers and characters has changed. Enjoy! The Black Girl Survives in This One was published on April 2nd by Flatiron Books Other books mentioned: Beloved (1987), by Toni Morrison 60 Black Women in Horror Fiction (2014), by Sumiko Saulson Of One Blood (1903), by Pauline Hopkins Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror (2023), ed, by Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams The Vampire Huntress Legends Series (2003-2009), by L.A. Banks Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text I’m in literary hero territory again … at least this time it’s sunny! My guest is Scarlett Thomas, the groundbreaking writer of PopCo, Oligarchy, The Seed Collectors and the (post)modern speculative classic, The End of Mr Y. She’s one of my favourite writers, who has never seen five or six separate genres she can’t mash together. This time around we are talking “Hot Gothic” in The Sleepwalkers, a darkly playful tale of a vacation–and a marriage–gone horribly wrong. We cover accidentally arriving at a structure, the many ways to build characters from scratch, the dark consequences of sex and desire taken too far – and we agree on how hotels are just inherently creepy. Great book. Great guest. Enjoy! The Sleepwalkers was published on April 9th by Simon and Schuster Other books mentioned: The End of Mr Y (2006), by Scarlett Thomas The Seed Collectors (2015), by Scarlett Thomas Oligarchy (2019), by Scarlett Thomas Open: An Autobiography (2009), by Andre Agassi The Woman in White (1860), by Wilkie Collins The Moonstone (1868), by Wilkie Collins Gone Girl (2012), by Gillian Flynn The Talented Mr Ripley (1955), by Patricia Highsmith Hangsaman (1951), by Shirley Jackson Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Carrie White turns 50 years old today! April 5th, 1974 – the day King’s debut came out, and the world of horror we know live in changed forever. To celebrate such an auspicious anniversary, there are only two people I could invite to this party. Step up Nat Cassidy and Ally Malinenko – writers who understand King and that bitter, brutal world between childhood and adulthood. We talk about empathy and monsters, about the horror of high school, the abject and the menstruation taboo and about how we are all living in Margaret White’s America now… Raise a glass to the prom queen of horror. She can light her own candles. Enjoy! Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Alas, we come to the end! Stephen Graham Jones’s The Angel of Indian Lake brings the most important horror trilogy of the century to its conclusion. For one last time we return to Proofrock, Idaho – to watch Jade Daniels do battle with monsters in the wood and the demons in her head. SGJ also comes back to Talking Scared to finish our adjacent trilogy of conversations about these books. We talk about slashers and final girls for sure, but as ever with Stephen, these are windows onto something more profound – and he gives us his insight into how horror, justice, violence and luck operate in fiction. This all sounds very profound. It is. But in the coolest way possible. The man is a rock star…. … but I STILL manage to freak him out with a ghost story. Enjoy – it’s been a ride! The Angel of Indian Lake was published on March 26thth by Saga Press and Titan Books Other books mentioned: Where the Red Fern Grows (1961), by Wilson Rawls Marvel Superheroes Secret Wars #10 (1984), by Jim Shooter In Cold Blood (1965), by Truman Capote Morphology of the Folktale (1928), by Vladimir Propp The Red Badge of Courage (1895), by Stephen Crane The Gulf War Did Not Take Place (1991), by Jean Baudrillard The Name of the Rose (1980), by Umberto Eco The Hollow Kind (2022), by Andy Davidson Piranesi (2021), by Susannah Clarke A Tale of Two Cities (1859), by Charles Dickens The Art of the Ridiculous Sublime: On David Lynch’s ‘Lost Highway’ (2000), by Slavoj Žižek The Warm Hands of Ghosts (2024), by Katherine Arden The Bear and the Nightingale (2017), by Katherine Arden The Others of Edenwell (2023), by Verity Holloway “A Fish Story” (2002), by Gene Wolfe Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Chi-Town!! We’re heading to the midwestern metropolis this week, for a conversation with Cina Pelayo – all about murder, mystery, history and strange things in the water. Her new novel, Forgotten Sisters is a heady, dreamlike concoction of Chicago lore and much older horrors. It features a pair of very wyrd sisters and a house by a river that holds nothing good. As well as all of that, we talk about Cina’s personal journey with the paranormal, mermaid sightings, writing law enforcement, and wrestling with weird voices in fiction. Oh, and the abject horror of social media!! Enjoy! Forgotten Sisters was published on March 19th by Thomas & Mercer Other books mentioned: Children of Chicago (2021), by Cynthia Pelayo The Shoemaker’s Magician (2023), by Cynthia Pelayo Loteria (2023), by Cynthia Pelayo Into the Forest and All the Way Through (2020), by Cynthia Pelayo The Reformatory (2023), by Tananarive Due Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Never mind the floor is lava. This week the ground has teeth. Joshua Hull is our guest, to talk about his obsession with dangerous, weird holes. He wrote one into his hilarious, grisly horror movie, Glorious (on Shudder) and now he’s given a hole a whole personality in his debut novella, Mouth. It’s a grindhouse, b-movie celebrations, with larger than life characters, grisly death, and the most lovable monster of the year. We talk about writing endearing creature features, about forgotten American serial killers, about the difference between writing for books and writing screenplays and, yes, about HOLES! Enjoy! Mouth was published on March 15th by Tenebrous Press Other books mentioned: The Day of the Door (2024), by Laurel Hightower Frankenstein (1818), by Mary Shelley Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Time to get liminal and haunted. Gwendolyn Kiste comes back to Talking Scared for another high-concept twist on the Gothic. In The Haunting of Velkwood, and entire street turns ghostly overnight. Yeah, I can’t explain that any more clearly, we’ll leave it to Gwendolyn. Despite this being a book centered on trauma and angst, we do a whole lot of laughing. Amongst the chuckles we also sneak in conversation about the many meanings of the word haunted, child-free horror fiction televisual references, and just what makes the American suburbs so damn creepy! Enjoy! The Haunting of Velkwood was published on March 5th by Saga Press Other books mentioned: Reluctant Immortals (2022), by Gwendolyn Kiste Suburbia (1973), by Bill Owens Twilight: Photographs (2002), by Gregory Crewdson The Daughters of Block Island (2023), by Christa Carmen Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Sometimes you meet someone who just gets you. Like Tim Lebbon. A man who writes riotously good adventure-horror novels, and also likes running outrageous distances up big hills. What a pleasure it was to speak to him. The main topic of conversation is his new novel eco-horror novel, Among the Living. A story of ancient buried history and ‘intelligent’ infection, it blends the paranoia of The Thing with the ragtag group heroism and intensity of Aliens. In short, it’s good! Tim and I talk about eco-horror, about the biological menaces facing mankind in the future, we discuss how writing action helps with writing character, and I tell him why this book freaked me out so much. Oh, and we do spend some time talking about running up big hills. But we try and keep it relevant to the horror and the writing… Give me a break, how often do I meet a soul-brother like this? Enjoy! Among the Living was published on February 6th by Titan Books Other books mentioned: Eden (2020), by Tim Lebbon The Last Storm (2022), by Tim Lebbon The Hunt (2015), by Tim Lebbon Come Closer (2003), by Sara Gran The Bang Bang Sisters (2024), by Rio Yoeurs Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Back from a too-short break, but ready to delve into the greatest haunted house of them all! Shirley Jackson’s Hill House. The place where the scary things walk alone. Thankfully, I am not alone. I’m joined by my own group of creepy ghost-hunters: Paul Tremblay (A Head Full of Ghosts, Cabin at the End of the World), Johnny Compton (The Spite House) and Catriona Ward (Last House on Needless Street, Looking Glass Sound). I can think of no better collective to explore the corridors of this book and house. We get INTO it. The crafted magic of that infamous opening paragraph, the long legacy of creepy houses in American fiction, the choice between the haunted void and hideous, mundane reality. Plus, a raft of film recommendations, and a few brief forays into our favourite real haunted places. This one was necessary. Hope you enjoy it. Other books mentioned: House of Leaves (2000), by Mark Z. Danielewski Carrie (1974), by Stephen King ‘Salem’s Lot (1975), by Stephen King The Shining (1977), by Stephen King The Spite House (2023), by Johnny Compton The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers (1983), by John Gardner The Letters of Shirley Jackson (2021), edited by Laurence Jackson Hyman When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson (2021), ed. by Ellen Datlow “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad” (1904), by M.R. James Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Yes I put sex in the title to make you download it. Did it work? It shouldn’t be necessary, ‘cos this week’s guest is an absolute literary icon. Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, Haunted, Lullaby, Choke, and last year’s Not Forever, But For Now – a writer who helped shape the nihilism and extremity of 90s and noughties fiction. The man who makes people faint with his short stories. He’s here, talking to us! In this conversation Chuck and I roam all over the blasted map of his fiction. We talk about transgression and provocation, about extremity in life and story, about bad reviews, toxic interviews and toxic masculinity. And yes, we talk about “Guts.” This was a privilege. I hope you are shocked and appalled. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: Fight Club (1996) by Chuck Palahniuk Haunted (2005), by Chuck Palahniuk Lullaby (2002), by Chuck Palahniuk Diary (2003), by Chuck Palahniuk Rant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey (2005), by Chuck Palahniuk Adjustment Day (2018), by Chuck Palahniuk Cold Comfort Farm (1932), by Stella Gibbons Rosemary’s Baby (1967), by Ira Levin “The Lottery” (1948), by Shirley Jackson Interview with the Vampire (1976), by Anne Rice Geek Love (1989), by Katherine Dunn Most Delicious Poison: From Spice to Vices – The Story of Nature’s Toxins (2023), by Noah Whiteman Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (2021), by Eric LaRocca Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Are you hungry? If so we have a chewy, salty, deeply flavoured feast for you this week. Ally Wilkes returns to Talking Scared to discuss the icebound horrors of her new novel, Where the Dead Wait. It’s a tale of Arctic exploration gone very wrong, complete with haunting, human suffering and the morbid fascination of cannibalism! Don’t pretend that hasn’t whet your appetite. Ally and I get into the raw details of consuming human meat, we talk about queerness in historical horror fiction, we discuss the nature of haunting and how a historical horror novel can have links to a sci-fi horror classic, and we talk reminisce about the time Ally nearly died on a Himalaya in an appalling coat. Jolly good fun wot wot! Enjoy! Other books mentioned: All the White Spaces (2022), by Ally Wilke The Shining (1977), by Stephen King What Cares the Sea (1960), by Kenneth Cooke The Secret Sharer (1910), by Joseph Conrad Frankenstein (1818), by Mary Shelley Ice Blink: The Tragic Fate of Sir John Franklin's Lost Polar Expedition (2000), by Scott Cookman Sundial (2022), by Catriona Ward Dead Silence (2022), by S.A. Barnes Ghost Station (2024), by S.A. Barnes Indianapolis: The True Story of the Greatest Naval Disaster in US History (2018), by Lynn Vincent and Sarah Vladic Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text The first new book coverage of 2024 – and it starts us off on suitably horrific footing. Jenny Kiefer’s debut novel, This Wretched Valley, has been getting a huge amount of early buzz in horror circles. It’s the story of four unlucky adventurers, who head into the Kentucky woods and meet all manner of nasty sh*t. It’s a tightly wound tale of misadventure, that takes at least some inspiration from the Dyatlov Pass mystery. And if you don’t know what that is… boy have you got a wiki hole to disappear down. Jenny and I talk about writing and selling a brutal debut, arthouse horror influences, the terror of climbing and research serendipity… plus, what she thinks happened to those poor Russian hikers over 60 years ago. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: The Ruins (2006), by Scott Smith The Laws of the Skies (2019), by Grégoire Courtois Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident (2013), by Donnie Eichar The Marigold (2023), by Andre F. Sullivan Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text To kick off a new year of Talking Scared, I’ve gone and hooked us a big guest, with a whopper of a story. John Langan is the author of The Fisherman. It’s one of the great works of supernatural fiction written this century, but its story doesn’t end at its back-cover. The strange mythology of The Fisherman extends beyond, swimming further downstream, to pop its monstrous head above the surface in John’s wider universe of short stories and novellas. In this special episode, we talk at length about The Fisherman – about the classic books, real-world legends and cultural beliefs that inspired it, and about the process of building a whole new mythos. John is the poet-scholar of horror. This is the class you wish you’d taken in college. Enjoy! Other books mentioned: House of Windows (2009), by John Langan “Mother of Stone”, in The Wide Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies (2013), by John Langan “Bor Urus”, in Sefira and Other Betrayals (2019), by John Langan Our Share of Night (2023), by Mariana Enriquez The Croning (2012), by Laird Barron The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All (2013), by Laird Barron Pet Sematary (1983), by Stephen King “The Monkey’s Paw” (1902), by W. W. Jacobs Absolom, Absolom (1951), by William Faulkner “The Call of Cthulhu” (1928), by H.P. Lovecraft The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony (1988), by Roberto Calasso “Development” (1889), by Robert Browning Ironweed (1983), by William Kennedy Come Closer (2003), by Sara Gran Motherless Child (2012), by Glen Hirshberg Screams From the Dark: 29 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous (2022), edited by Ellen Datlow (contains “Glen Hirshberg’s “Devil” and John Langan’s “Bludzuger”) Furnace (2016), by Livia Llewelyn Join the Laird Barron Readalong Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Another year done. We squeaked through without another plague or a nuclear apocalypse (don’t tempt fate Neil!!) and along the way, oh the stories we read! The only thing left to do after mopping away the chalk pentagrams, is to run you through my very favourite books of the year. The so-called Best Horror Novels of 2023, as chosen by me. Ten of them to be precise, cos humans are obsessed with round numbers. Mwaha, in fact I talk about thirteen!! Thanks again for listening and supporting the show. You give my addled rants a semblance of purpose, and it’s appreciated. Onward into 2024 and its multitude of horrors!!! Enjoy. Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Dickens said that Christmas Eve was a time for ghost stories, and who am I to argue? It is my show though, so I get to pick the ghost story – and I picked Peter Straub’s classic novel of the name. A tale of old men with horror in their youths, seductive evil and a town besieged by winter and… worse things. It’s a slippery beast though, this novel. So to really help pin it down, I needed help. I called and help came, in the form of Alan Baxter (author of Sallow Bend, The Gulp and many more), Lauren Bolger (Kill Radio) and John Langan, whose novel, The Fisherman, continues what I think is Straub’s American gothic legacy. We talk about the book in granular detail – it’s monsters, it’s politics, it’s storytelling and, of course, it’s ghosts. It’s about as jolly a time as you can have talking about ancient evil visiting small towns. But enough about Santa. Light the fire, pour a drink, enjoy! You’ve earned it. Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text And so we come to the end of another year in horror. Time to look back at the best that 2023 has had to offer, as determined by three of the best in the business. My trusted horror chancellor, Emily Hughes joins me ­– alongside C.J. Leede, the author of this year’s gloriously transgressive Maeve Fly, and the maestro of the macabre himself, Victor Lavalle. Together we cover the year’s freshest nightmares in the macro and the micro, looking at wider trends and picking our own favourite horror fiction from this year’s epic crop. This is a blast. We laugh, we yell, and we declare that the nation is strong, and good, and frightening. Enjoy! Books Picked: Our Share of Night (2023), by Mariana Enriquez Boys Weekend (2023), by Mattie Lubchansky Black Sheep (2023), by Rachel Harrison The Reformatory (2023), by Tananarive Due Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror (2023), ed. Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams Fever House (2023), by Keith Rosson Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology (2023) ed. Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. Red Rabbit (2023), by Alex Grecian Whalefall (2023), by Daniel Kraus Books Anticipated: Horror For Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You’re Too Scared to Watch (2024), by Emily Hughes American Rapture (2024), by C.J. Leede Ghost Roots (2024), by Pemi Aguda A Mask of Flies (2024), by Matthew Lyons The Z Word (2024), by Lindsay King-Miller Your Shadow Half Remains (2024), by Sunny Moraine First Light (2024), by Liz Kerin Bury Your Gays (2024), by Chuck Tingle I Was a Teenage Slasher (2024), by Stephen Graham Jones The House of Last Resort (2024), by Christopher Golden The Book of Love (2024), by Kelly Link King Nyx (2024), by Kirsten Bakis Moon of the Turning Leaves (2024), by Waubgeshig Rice In the Valley of the Headless Men (2024), by L.P. Hernandez Island Witch (2024), by Amanda Jayatissa The Haunting of Velkwood (2024), Gwendolyne Kiste The Redemption of Morgan Bright (2024), by Chris Panatier Horror Movie (2024), by Paul Tremblay You Like It Darker (2024), by Stephen King Support Talking Scared on Patreon Visit the Talking Scared site Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text We’re going up in the world this week – longitudinally and latitudinally, with the GOAT of endurance, adventure Gothic, Michelle Paver. Michelle joins me for a big conversation about her novels Dark Matter and Thin Air – two of the most effective ghost stories of the 21st century. One takes us to the Arctic, the other to a Himalayan peak, both places littered with the dead… who may still be around. We talk about how ghost stories work, their tradition and what perhaps differentiates them from horror. We consider the challenge of writing heroes with imperial perspectives, and Michelle relates her own, eerie, dangerous experiences out in the frozen wilds. This is perfect winter listening, even if we did record it in July. Enjoy! Books mentioned: Wolf Brother (2004), by Michelle Paver The Abominable (2013), by Dan Simmons 30 Days of Night (2002), by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith The Others of Edenwell (2023), by Verity Holloway “The Kit Bag” (1908), by Algernon Blackwood Cold Earth (2009), by Sarah Moss Number 90 and Other Ghost Stories (2000 rpt) B.M. Croker A Beleaguered City (1871), by Margaret Oliphant The Long Tale (Tail) of Dogs in Fiction (Esquire) Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Last time Gemma Amor came on the show we had a good ol’ chinwag about our haunted brains. This time around we get to some other ghosts, in her new novel, The Folly. It’s a sharp slice of coastal Gothic; Cornwall’s answer to The Shining if you will. The story follows Morgan and her aging father to the weird structure of the tital, where they find hauntings of many stripes, some uncannily familiar. It wouldn’t be a Gemma Amor episode if things didn’t get personal – and we talk about anxieties of identity, father/daughter dynamics and the trauma of the Covid years. But it doesn’t get too real or heavy, cos we the nature of cursed buildings and twists on possession to deal with. Enjoy our rural Britishness. I think we hide our inner yokel well. The Folly was published by Polis Books on in December 2023 (US) and January 2024 (UK) Books mentioned: Full Immersion (2022), by Gemma Amor Six Rooms (2021), by Gemma Amor Rebecca (1938), by Daphne du Maurier My Cousin Rachel (1951), by Daphne du Maurier “The Birds,” (1952), by Daphne du Maurier Annihilation (2014), by Jeff VanderMeer The Lamplighters (2021), by Emma Stonex The Dark Between the Trees (2022), by Fiona Barnett Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text We’ve had Cowboys versus Aliens but have you ever considered a threeway fight between gunslingers, vampires and weird cosmic cultists to an Elder God? If not why not? What do you even think about when you are washing the dishes? But fear not, C.S. Humble has you covered. His weird western trilogy, That Light Sublime is packed with all of the above and more. In The Massacre at Yellow Hill and A Red Winter in the West Seth introduces a cast of lovable rogues and the stakes of their battle against the worst that this and other worlds can offer. Now, in the concluding volume, The Light of Black Star, he brings it all home, with honour, humour and shattering heartbreak. We talk about broadening the scope of the western, how That Light Sublime links with Seth’s Black Wells series, and he explains his fundamental disagreement with the tenets of cosmic horror. We cover what Mister Rogers has to oteach us about horror writing…and how to write stories that, in Seth’s words… “attain the high romance that the human heart is reaching for.” He’s a poet and a raconteur. I’m also present. Enjoy! The Massacre at Yellow Hill, A Red Winter in the West and The Light of Black Star were all published in 2023 by Cemetery Dance. Books mentioned: East of Eden (1952), by John Steinbeck Lonesome Dove (1985), by Larry McMurtry Merciless Waters (2023), by Rae Knowles Midas (2023), by Tyler Jones Lone Women (2023), by Victor Lavalle Red Rabbit (2023), by Alex Grecian The Legend of Charlie Fish (2023), by Josh Rountree The Demon of Devil’s Canyon (coming 2024), by Brenna LeFaro “Pigeons From Hell” (1938), by Robert E. Howard The Thicket (2013), by Joe R. Lansdale Cold in July (1989), by Joe R. Lansdale The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All (2013), by Laird Barron Moby Dick (1851), by Herman Melville Fevre Dream (1982), by George R. R. Martin Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Sometimes two words can make a jaded horror reader sit up straight. Ghost is one, Dinosaur is another. Ghost. Dinosaur. Have you ever heard a more beautiful combination, a sweeter symphony of syllables. If “Ghost Dinosaur” doesn’t make you go squeeee and shake your fists in excitement, I don’t know how to help you. Anyway, that’s the focus of Luke Dumas delightful new novel, The Paleontologist. It’s a story about a haunted man, a creepy museum, institutional intrigue, murder and GHOST GODDAMN DINOSAURS!! We talk about all of that and lots more, including humour in horror, how far a book can stretch a reader’s empathy, and why privilege is such a complex issue to tackle. But yeah. Also Ghost Dinosaurs. Enjoy! The Paleontologist was published 31st October by Atria Books Books mentioned: A History of Fear (2022), by Luke Dumas Children of the Fang, and Other Genealogies (2020), by John Langan The Lost World (1912), by Arthur Conan Doyle Jurassic Park (1990), by Michael Crichton Tyrannosaur Canyon (2005), by Douglas Preston The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr Spencer Black (2013), by E.B. Hudspeth The Bonus Room (AKA Bedbugs) (2023) by Ben H. Winters Nestlings (2023), by Nat Cassidy Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Horror is about finding light in darkness. That’s the mission statement of this podcast, at least. And it’s never been truer than in this week’s episode. Tyler Jones re-joins us on Talking Scared to talk about his new novel, Midas. We cover its original mix of western tropes, Gothic fantasy and cult horror, but it’s family that lies at the heart of both the book and the conversation. Tyler talks us through the real life emotional rollercoaster that inspired this story. It’s a personal conversation. Upsetting in parts, but lit through with love and life and all the good stuff. And if I’m sounding a little pompous and portentous here, don’t worry – we also slide seamlessly into some nerdy chat about biblical mysteries and ancient alien nonsense. This is an important episode, for me and for Tyler. I hope you enjoy it. p.s – here’s to Goliath the horse! Enjoy! Midas was published in October by Earthlings Publications Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text History is haunted. Ghosts are injustice persevering. So many horror stories hinge on that idea, but for Tananarive Due it’s more personal than that. Her new novel, The Reformatory, is borne from the ghosts hidden in her own family history. The story takes place in a hideously cruel juvenile correction facility, in a racist town, in the 1950s. As you can imagine, very few good things happen to her child protagonist. We talk about the link between horror and history, about writing from her family tree, about the very real reformatories that persisted into the modern era, and about looking cruelty full in the face and wrestling it into story. This conversation is the perfect context for a near-perfect novel. Enjoy! The Reformatory was published October 31st by Saga and Titan Books Books mentioned: The Only Good Indians (2020), by Stephen Graham Jones The Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America (2012), by Gilbert King Kindred (1979), by Octavia E. Butler Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Sometimes when you’re doing something scary good company can be a blessing. Nat Cassidy is good company. And this week he talks me through the haunted hallways and avenues of his New York horror ode, Nestlings – but he also helps me tackle the very real world horror that is turning our newspapers into nightmare-fodder and the Middle East into a tinderbox. But have no fear (well, always have a little fear!) this is no mere despairing, depressing look at reality. We also talk about gargoyles and vampire-adjacent things, about New York winters and longing for home … and of course, about Stephen King. Enjoy! Nestlings was published October 31st by Tor Nightfire Books mentioned: Mary: An Awakening of Terror (2022), by Nat Cassidy Nightmares in the Sky (1988), by Stephen King and F-Stop Fitzgerald ‘Salem’s Lot (1975), by Stephen King The Shining (1977), by Stephen King From a Buick 8 (2002), by Stephen King Rosemary’s Baby (1967), by Ira Levin The Keep (1981), by F. Paul Wilson I, Claudius (1934) by Robert Graves The Guns of August (1962), by Barbara W. Tuchman Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Some stories are just too big for one podcast. Some stories should be too big for one book. Sam Rebelein’s Edenville is one such story. This 300-something page novel has more crammed into it than your average fantasy trilogy. There is backstory upon backstory, a cosmic framework, and enough different monsters to fill Guillermo del Toro’s minibus. Yet somehow Sam corrals it all into a whimsical horror romp – a well-organised riot. We talk about ideas… about thinking them up, letting them evolve and, most crucially, getting them on paper. We talk narcissistic writers, the power of dreams, the unique eeriness of the Hudson River Valley and the questionable nature of curses. This conversation is a call to arms for writers. It’s a weary acceptance that maybe, just maybe, sitting your arse in the chair is the most important thing you can do all day. Enjoy! Edenville was published October 3rd by Titan Books and HarperCollins Books mentioned: Echo (2022), by Thomas Olde Heuvelt Camp Damascus (2023), by Chuck Tingle Hannibal (1999), by Thomas Harris Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Some stories are too short, some are too long, but some stories are just right. It’s the Goldilocks zone: the novella. What is the secret to crafting a longer story but not letting it run away from you? How do you sustain the terror beyond the shortest form? How do you know what to keep in and what to cut out? This is the art of the novella, and I’m joined by a pair of expert practitioners to talk it through. Josh Malerman and Ronald Malfi have both published novella collections this year – Ron’s They Lurk and Josh’s Spin a Black Yarn contain multitudes. From motel-lot self-mutilation to deathbed serial killer confessions, via the Oregon backwoods and the core of Saturn(!!), these stories take us to places without wasting a word.Josh and Ron provide a masterclass on the art of the novella, as well as ALL the enthusiasm you could ever pack into an hour of conversation. This one will put a smile on your face and inspiration in your typin’ fingers! Enjoy. They Lurk was published was published on July 18th by Titan; Spin a Black Yarn was published August 15th by Del Rey Books mentioned: Daphne (2022), by Josh Malerman Goblin (2021), by Josh Malerman Ghostwritten (2022), by Ronald Malfi Pet Sematary (1983), by Stephen King The Long Walk (1979), by Stephen King Mrs Dalloway (1925) by Virginia Woolf Houses Without Doors (1990), by Peter Straub Bloom (2023), by Delilah S. Dawson The Turn of the Screw (1898), by Henry James Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text This week is a special roundtable episode. An exciting, challenging and very very thought-provoking tour of contemporary Black horror, in the company of three writers at the bleeding edge. Nnedi Okorafor, Maurice Broaddus and Lesley Nneka Arimah are just three of the contributors to Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror. It’s curated by Jordan Peele, who knows a thing or two about that particular landscape, and these three authors present a fantastic cross-section of how versatile Black horror is right now. We talk about their stories, about the anthology as a whole and the broader topic of Black horror. What does that even mean? What is the role of history? Of trauma? And of the future? At times, these guests turn the interview around on me, asking me to reflect on my own presumptions and the baggage I bring to these stories. Like I said, challenging and exciting. Hope you enjoy it. Out There Screaming was published on October 3rd by Picador and Random House Books mentioned: Dark Dreams: A Collection of Horror and Suspense by Black Writers 92004), ed. Brandon Massey King Maker (2010), by Maurice Broaddus How High We Go in the Dark (2022), by Sequoia Nagamatsu Demon Copperhead (2022), by Barbara Kingsolver The Changeling (2017), by Victor LaValle No Gods, No Monsters (2021), by Cadwell Turnbull The Nesting (2020), by C.J. Cooke Leech (2022), by Hiron Ennes “Africanfuturism Defined.” (2019), by Nnedi Okorafor Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Come home!! We have to come home!! The House is calling us. Yep, this week we are going back to the most haunted house of all. Hill House. Shirley Jackson’s classic bad place. And we’re going in the company of three-time Shirley Jackson Award Winner, Elizabeth Hand, whose new novel is the first ever sanctioned sequel to Jackson’s classic. A Haunting on the Hill submits four new unwitting victims to the horrors of Hill House. But that’s where the stories diverge. Liz’s take on this soured ground is a whole different thing, full of witchcraft, theatre-drama and weirdness even Jackson didn’t dream up. We talk about Jackson’s huge legacy, the pressures and pleasures of playing in her sandbox, treating Hill House as a character and murder ballads. Enjoy! Welcome home. A Haunting on the Hill was published on October 3rd by Mulholland Books and Sphere Books mentioned: When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson (2021), ed. by Ellen Datlow The Shining (1977), by Stephen King Electric Eden: Unearthing Britain's Visionary Music (2011), by Rob Young The Magic Box: Viewing Britain through the Rectangular Window (2021), by Rob Young Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text This week on Talking Scared we are joining hands with Chuck Wendig to take the fight to Big Fruit. They have been lying to us about apples all our lives. Chuck’s new novel, Black River Orchard is all about apples. Tasty, evil, corruptive. The book grows from the fertile soil of American small-town horror, and we talk about some texts in that storytelling style, as well as how Chuck himself approaches writing such big books with so many character arcs. We also cover apple-lore, how politics fits into horror fiction, the appeal of violent characters and a whole lot of books we think you should read. Enjoy. This book is a great way to say goodbye to summer. Black River Orchard was published on September 26th by Del Rey Books mentioned: Fever House (2023), by Keith Rosson Ring Shout (2020), by P. Djèlí Clark The Fisherman (2017), by John Langan The Tommyknockers (1987), by Stephen King ‘Salem’s Lot (1975), by Stephen King Mary: An Awakening of Terror (2022), by Nat Cassidy Swan Song (1987), by Robert R. McCammon Maeve Fly (2023), by C.J. Leede Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Clay McLeod Chapman returns to Talking Scared to answer some serious questions, the first being what the holy f**k Clay?! Clay has never been a writer to shy away from a high concept challenge (haunted mushrooms, anyone?) but his latest novel, What Kind of Mother goes into the uncharted regions of the mind and soul, dredging the craziest of horrors from the murky waters of his native Chesapeake Bay. We talk the terrors of both adolescence and parenthood, the terrible power of imagination, why Virginia still beckons his storytelling home … and crabs. Ohhhh we’ll get to the crabs! Clay is a great writer, a wonderful person and a good friend of the show. I hope you enjoy this episode. What Kind of Mother was published on September 12hth by Quirk Books Books mentioned: Spin a Black Yarn (2023), by Josh Malerman They Lurk (2023), by Ronald Malfi Graveyard of Lost Children (2023), by Katrina Monroe Delicate Condition (2023), by Danielle Valentine Just Like Mother (2022), by Anne Heltzel Pet Sematary (1983), by Stephen King The Return (2020), by Rachel Harrison Razorblade Tears (2021), by S. A. Cosby Conjuring Up Philip: An Adventure in Psychokinesis (1976), by Iris M. Owen and Margaret Sparrow Superstition (1997), by David Ambrose Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text I’m back, partially rested and with some romance lingering in my soul. Good timing, cos this week’s episode focuses on the heart as well as the blood that it pumps. Isabel Cañas returns to the show to talk about her second novel, Vampires of El Norte – a sweeping historical love-story set against a backdrop of class tumult, war and … yeah… vampires. It’s not a spoiler guys – it’s in the title! Isabel speaks so eloquently about the relationship between vampirism and cultural legacy, about how it isn’t only the undead who invade your space and drain your essence. She describes the intense, insane schedule of writing the book, how landscape invites the supernatural, Mexican boogeymen and boogeywomen, and historical fiction as feminist conundrum. Enjoy. With heart, soul and viscera. Vampires of El Norte was published on August 15hth by Berkley Books mentioned: The Hacienda(2022), by Isabel Cañas Mexican Gothic (2020), by Silvia Moreno Garcia Lone Women (2023), by Victor Lavalle Island Witch (forthcoming 2024), by Amanda Jayatissa Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Why do we keep heading back to the woods? WHY?? Nothing good ever happens there. Alexander James would argue otherwise, but he’s clearly made of sterner stuff than me. In his debut novel, The Woodkin, Alex parlays his love of the wild outdoors into a story that heads toward a familiar backwoods nightmares, before veering far off the beaten trail into something stranger and even scarier. In this episode we talk about his love for the woods of the Pacific Northwest (and yes! I ask him about Bigfoot of course). We cover the controversy surrounding an earlier title choice, the influence of D&D on his writing and the trick to realistically depicting fear in fiction. It’s a happy hike into darkness. Enjoy The Woodkin was published August 22nd by CamCat Books Other books mentioned in this episode include: Dark Mountain (1992), by Richard Laymon Offseason (1980), by Jack Ketchum Mexican Gothic (2020), by Silvia Moreno-Garcia The Hacienda (2022), by Isabel Cañas I'm a Search and Rescue Officer for the US Forest Service, I Have Some Stories to Tell CritStupid Podcast (Alex's D&D podcast) Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text If you thought The Last House on Needless Street was tricksy, just wait until you hear about Looking Glass Sound. This is Cat’s ode to the Maine of Stephen King, the enigmatic narrators of Shirley Jackson and… well, a host of other comparisons that I foist upon her in the next hour. Above all that though – the book is so typically, inimitably Catriona Ward. It’s a destined Gothic classic that takes the genre, crumples it into a ball before rewriting the whole thing. We cover the purpose of metafiction in horror, how writing a book is like falling in love, the eeriness of the Maine coast and her fascination with the Neverland Ranch. If that isn’t enough Cat also tells us a ghost story that happened to her just the night before. Tricksy, very tricksy…as Gollum would say. Enjoy Looking Glass Sound was published April 20th by Viper Books in the UK and 22nd August by Tor Nightfire in the US. Other books mentioned in this episode include: Lunar Park (2005), by Bret Easton Ellis The Rules of Attraction (1987), by Bret Easton Ellis The Secret History (1992), by Donna Tartt My Other Life (1996) by Paul Theroux Any Human Heart (2002), by William Boyd The Haunting of Hill House (1959), by Shirley Jackson Death of a Bookseller (2023), by Alice Slater Mrs March (2021), by Virgina Feito Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text We’re off to La La Land this week, to talk cursed films, 90s horror nostalgia and Winona Ryder(!!) Our guest is Josh Winning – who has parlayed his years of writing from and about film sets into a horror novel. Burn the Negative is set in the backlots, soundstages, cutting rooms and dank motel rooms of Hollywood. It features a film with a fatal jinx and a whole lotta love for the 90s teen slasher. Amongst all of that, Josh and I also tick off the uncanny creepiness of child stars, the validity of fun in horror and the power of the silhouette in making a really scary horror villain. Enjoy Burn the Negative was published on July 11th by Penguin Random House Other books mentioned in this episode include: The Shadow Glass (2022), by Josh Winning The Final Girl Support Group (2021), by Grady Hendrix My Heart is a Chainsaw (2021), by Stephen Graham Jones House of Leaves (2000), by Mark Z. Danielewski “N”– in Just After Sunset (2008), by Stephen King Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Sorry not sorry this week. Yes I’m going to destroy your wallet and your bookshelves…but you LOVE IT!! Our guest is Sadie Hartmann, AKA Mother Horror to the likes of us. One of the most influential horror reviewers in the world. The editor in chief of Dark Hart Books and the co-owner of the Night Worms horror subscription service. She knows a thing or two about this haunted library. And she’s written a book to guide the unwary, or the just-plain curious. Or anyone who wants a new book to read. 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered is Sadie’s guide to the horrid books that she loves – the ones that chill her blood, warm her heart and turn her stomach. We talk about her selection process, her blogging origin story, the gatekeeper problem in horror, our shared fear of certain kinds of book and the joy of scary stories featuring kids on bikes. Renew your library card or get ready to buy some books! 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered was published on August 8th by Page Street Publishing Other books mentioned in this episode include: The Devil All the Time (2012), by Donald Ray Pollock Knockemstiff (2008), by Donald Ray Pollock Come Closer (2003), by Sara Gran Lord of the Flies (1954), by William Golding Boys in the Valley (2023), by Philip Fracassi The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore (2018), by Kim Fu Devil’s Creek (2020), by Todd Kiesling Gather the Daughters (2017), by Jennie Melamed The Girl Next Door (1989), by Jack Ketchum Along the Path of Torment (2020), by Chandler Morrison Apartment 16 (2010), by Adam Neville Last Days (2012), by Adam Neville The Reddening (2019), by Adam Neville Lonesome Dove (1985), by Larry McMurtry A House with Good Bones (2023), by T. Kingfisher Number One Fan (2020), by Meg Ellison House of Leaves (2000), by Mark Z. Danielewski Let the Right One In (2004), by John Ajvide Lindqvist Betty (2020), by Tiffany McDaniel On the Savage Side (2023), by Tiffany McDaniel Whalefall (2023), by Daniel Kraus Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Our guest this week is Stephen King. That’s it. That’s the intro. Stephen King. The architect of modern horror and the creative north star of my life, and many of yours. He’s on the show, talking about his new book, Holly and why the central character just won’t let him go. We cover his attitude to academia, horror and hope, how his worldview sits with a fractured reality, and we even hear some exciting, exclusive details about some upcoming books. I lack the words to convey my delight. Enjoy Other books mentioned in this episode include: The Boy on the Bridge (2017), by M.R. Carey DMV (2023), by Bentley Little Mary: An Awakening of Terror (2022), by Nat Cassidy The Clackity (2022), by Lora Senf The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926), by Agatha Christie “Beyond the Wall of Sleep,” (1919), by H.P. Lovecraft The Passenger (2023), by Cormac McCarthy Light Perpetual (2021), by Francis Spufford The Deluge (2023), by Stephen Markley Holly is published on September 5th by Hodder and Scribner Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text We’re off on a Goth pilgrimage this week folks, to the motherland, Transylvania, to talk folk-horror and more with Alex Woodroe. Alex is a Romanian writer of dark fictions, the Editor in Chief of Tenebrous Press, and the debut author of Whisperwood. The book brings the monsters of Romanian myth and legend to the fore in a battle of wills with an isolated village. There isn’t a vampire in sight. Bram Stoker didn’t know what he was talking about. Alex does! And we get into lots of things, from the difference between fantasy and folk-legend, political allegory and the recent history of dictatorship, to the very real undead myths in her own family tree. I learned a lot from this conversation. Enjoy! Whisperwood was published by Flame Tree Press on July 11th Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text This week we’re joined by the man, the myth, the mystery that is Chuck Tingle. Who knows the truth of this enigmatic figure? What visage lies beneath the pink bag that forever encases his face? Does he really have a PhD in massage? Puzzles abound… The one thing that’s certain is the brilliance of his new novel. Camp Damascus is a full-bloodied horror novel set in that most hideous of environs: a religious community and a gay conversion camp. Sounds triggering. It may well be … but Chuck has also invested this story with such hope and joy and yes, LOVE, that it more than salves all the human horror and demonic jump scares. We cover tons in this episode – the stoic seriousness of fictional sex, the maligned trinity of genres, rattling the religious right, the simple trick to writing effective jumpscares and the final, full declaration of why love is real. Enjoy! Camp Damascus was published by Tor Nightfire on July 18th and Titan Books on July 27th An article about Chuck – worth reading Other books mentioned in this episode include: Straight (2021), by Chuck Tingle Revival (2014), by Stephen King Dark Matter (2010), by Michelle Paver Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text This week I’m recording very close to home with Andrew Michael Hurley. Andrew burst onto the folk-horror scene with subtle aplomb (can one burst subtly?) back in 2014, with The Loney. That slice of weirdness was set in the very town in which I spent my wet, dismal childhood holidays. It conjured shivers in more ways than one. Now he is here to talk about the reissue of his 2019 novel, Starve Acre. It’s a bleak, bitter, wintery tale of isolation, grief and ritual, set in the Yorkshire Dales. Where I also spent some holidays – does Andrew know something I don’t? Hmmmm? We talk about his relationship with folk horror, and how it helps us express our communal British angst. We make comparisons to some unexpected movies, discuss authorial freedom, and talk about deep knowledge, invented lore and horror as replacement for spirituality. It’s all a good excuse to yell about the government. Enjoy! Starve Acre was re-issued by Penguin on July 4th. Other books mentioned in this episode include: The Loney (2014), by Andrew Michael Hurley Elmet (2017), by Fiona Mozley The Gallows Pole (2017), by Benjamin Myers Waterland (1983), by Graham Swift Cold Hand in Mine (1975), by Robert Aickman Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text War, what is it good for? Absolutely noth…. well actually, it is quite good for horror stories. Our guest this week doesn’t plumb the usual horrors-of-war route, though. Verity Holloway’s The Others of Edenwell is a supremely subtle, slow-burning excavation of trauma and national nightmares, set in a (supposedly) idyllic spa-cum-convalescent-hospital as battle rages elsewhere. Of course, there are horrors much closer to home. It’s possibly my first foray into the First World War on this podcast and Verity and I talk about her family connection to the story, her physical connection to the hospital setting, and her inspirations in the literature of the time. We also discuss cryptozoology, ghost stories, and why German helmets have such a creepy design. Enjoy! The Others of Edenwell was published by Titan on July 4th. Other books mentioned in this episode include: All the White Spaces (2022), by Ally Wilkes “Still Falls the Rain” (1944), by Edith Sitwell Negative Space (2020), by B.R. Yeager Ghost Eaters (2022), by Clay McLeod Chapman Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text This week Danielle Trussoni arrives at Talking Scared in a rush. She has a meeting to get to, and we have LOTS of things to talk about in less than an hour. Her new novel, The Puzzle Master crams in enough for a whole Discovery Channel series on conspiracy, mysticism and esoteric history, plus dolls, Golems, quantum computing and a cute little Dachshund named Conundrum. How is a host supposed to cover all that at a rush. The answer, drink more coffee and don’t pause to breathe! We manage it. We talk about all of the above, plus depictions of altered mental states, the curse of a Dan Brown comparison, and Danielle’s search for the perfect haunted house. Enjoy! The Puzzle Master was published by Penguin Random House on June 13th. Other books mentioned in this episode include: Angelology (2010) by Danielle Trussoni Nestlings (2023), by Nat Cassidy The Long Shalom (2023), by Zach Rosenberg Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Thrust your fists against the post and still insist you see the… …oh hello. You came back. Thank Gan. We have a monster to defeat this week. Yes, this is the second part of the Talking Scared dive into Stephen King’s IT. This time we are getting weird. Joined by stalwart friends, Ally Malinenko (Ghost Girl, This Appearing House) and Nat Cassidy (Mary: An Awakening of Terror), I’m delving below ground and into the cosmic tangle that underpins all of King’s fiction. We’re asking what is Pennywise? Where did he come from? What does he want and what the hell is that giant turtle doing? It has been a labour of love, talking for hours with friends about my favourite book. Thank you so much for listening, and remember… we’re stronger together. Enjoy! Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text Come get a balloon, bring your slingshot, let’s float…it’s here!!! Yes, finally we’re off to Derry, to do battle with that goddamn clown. But as everyone knows, we can’t fight Pennywise alone. That’s why I’m taking my trusty, loyal, brave band of Losers with me. Nat Cassidy (Mary: An Awakening of Terror) and Ally Malinenko (This Appearing House) are joining me for a tour of the sewers, subtext and sociological horrors at the heart of King’s IT. Halfway through we realised this would to be a two-parter, ‘cos there is just too much to say. The horrors will follow in Part Two, this time we focus mainly on the heart. We talk about the characters, the depictions of childhood… and yes we get into that scene (with possibly surprising opinions). I so hope you like this episode gang. I want to finally take the chance to explain what this book means to my enduring boyish heart. Enjoy!Read Grady Hendrix's essay HERE Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us a text I’ve rarely been more excited about an episode – for you to hear it or, indeed, about its very contents. We’re joined this week by Mike Flanagan. Yes, that Mike Flanagan. The genius loci of modern visual horror, the writer and director behind Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House, Doctor Sleep, The Midnight Club and Oculus. Our most literary horror director and a man who understand that horror is where the heart is. If you think my praise is too gushing then… we’ll just have to disagree. He may be a filmmaker, but he sure does love books. In this conversation we talk about Mike’s deep love for horror stories, how his childhood reading continues to influence his career, and what he’s still loving about the genre. We discuss his upcoming take on Fall of the House of Usher, his next Stephen King adaptation, and a certain tower that looms in the distance. Yes, Mike’s career – like all great things – follows the Beam. The Fall of the House of Usher is out on Netflix later this year. Other books mentioned in this episode include: The House with a Clock in its Walls (1973), by John Bellairs It (1986), by Stephen King Gerald’s Game (1992), by Stephen King “The Life of Chuck,” in If it Bleeds (2020), by Stephen King Echo (2022), by Thomas Olde Heuvelt Blackwater (1983), by Michael McDowell If You See Her (2019), by Ania Ahlborn This Appearing House (2022), by Ally Malinenko The Clackity (2022), by Lora Senf Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to [email protected] Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices