Well, hi there. If you’ve made it this far, I think I’ve done something right in integrating my author interviews on YouTube also into podcast format here on Substack. If you’re a fan of seeing my face along with my guest’s face, my interviews will still be posted to YouTube as well as here. But now we have ~options~. Technology is grand, aint it (she says only if this works the way she’s thinking)?

Assuming everything is peachy, hi again! I'm very excited to be getting back into the groove of things and sharing my first author interview of 2025, the one and only Clay McLeod Chapman. That's right, I somehow convinced Clay to come back (hence the Electric Boogaloo) and talk about his latest release, Wake Up and Open Your Eyes from Quirk Books which is on shelves as of TODAY! While we open with a little bit of silliness and lots of persuasion to get Clay to actually talk about his book and not everyone else's, we do get into Clay's process of writing a book like Wake Up and Open Your Eyes and other topics such as: - Clay's novella, Kill Your Darling - What makes a good book these days - Big swings in horror fiction in 2025 - When Clay began to write Wake Up and Open Your Eyes as it relates to the timeliness of this story - The political essence of the novel and its commentary on our state of (un)connectedness - Extreme horror and the scopes in which we view the genre (micro and macro) - While I couldn't remember the name of the experiment during the interview, I researched and found that I was referencing the Rat Park experiment which I have linked a TED talk to here in case you're interested (I'm not saying this theory or experiment is gospel, I just think it's interesting): https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_you_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong/transcript?subtitle=en - Elevating normal elements in horror to make a point - The isolating or communal scream felt in writing a book like this - Pacing, structure, and feel of the story

We also throw around a few books and movies which I will list here: - When the Wolf Comes Home by Nat Cassidy - Senseless by Ronald Malfi - Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig - The October Film Haunt by Michael Wehunt - Good Night, Sleep Tight by Brian Evenson - Rest Stop by Nat Cassidy (if you can't tell, we genuinely love that guy) - Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix - The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones - Play Nice by Rachel Harrison - FOUND anthology edited by Andrew Cull and Gabino Iglesias - The Stand by Stephen King - A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay - The Evil Dead - 28 Days Later - Remake of Dawn of the Dead

As always, Clay is a very busy author who has other projects releasing this year such as a graphic novel edition of Séance in the Asylum, a YA novel, and a short story collection releasing with Titan Books. I am always so incredibly grateful for Clay's time, kindness, and honesty. It's a true celebratory occasion when we get to speak. Links to find him on social media and to order Wake Up and Open Your Eyes can be found below: - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claymcleod?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== - Threads: https://www.threads.net/@claymcleod - X/Twitter: https://x.com/claymcleod - BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/claymcleod.bsky.social - To order Wake Up and Open Your Eyes: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/756648/wake-up-and-open-your-eyes-by-clay-mcleod-chapman/