Get your movie snacks ready and put the car in park at the drive-in. Haley Newlin joins me to chat about her latest release, The Film You Are About To See, horror in ever era, and where we hope to see the genre grow. Haley has an incredible voice, and I am so stoked I got the chance to talk to her about this story in particular. If you wan to order your own copy of The Film You Are About To See or keep up with Haley on socials, check out the links below:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/haleynewlin_author/

* Threads: https://www.threads.com/@haleynewlin_author

* BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/haleynewlin.bsky.social

* Haley’s Website: https://www.haleynewlinauthor.com/

* To Order The Film You Are About To See: https://madaxemedia.square.site/product/the-film-you-are-about-to-see-paperback-preorder-exclusive-packaging-/IRY2Y5PFMGBTDSQSM47YJZMZ?cs=true&cst=custom

Happy Friday, friends! Here’s a bonus episode I recorded with a very good friend of mine, Konrad Stump! He co-chairs HWA Libraries, including the Horror Writers Association’s summer reading program Summer Scares, and StokerCon Librarians’ Day, a full day of continuing education that connects authors and librarians and provides both with the necessary tools to engage communities with the horror genre. He also coordinates the Springfield-Greene County (MO) Library’s long-running “Oh, the Horror!” series, an annual celebration of the horror genre. His work has appeared in Library Journal, NoveList, and Booklist, and has been featured in Book Club Reboot: 71 Creative Twists (ALA) and The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror, third edition (ALA). We chat about his work with all of these programs, his own relationship with horror, and so much more. I’ve got links for you to check out below as well regarding a few things we mention during our chat! Huge thanks to Konrad for coming on the show!

* Follow Konrad on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konradmstump/

* 2026 Summer Scares Press Release: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2025/10/hwa-announces-summer-scares-reading.html

* Oh, the Horror! Webpage and Newsletter Sign-Up: https://www.thelibrary.org/event/oh-the-horror

* Reach out to HWA Libraries Co-Chairs Konrad Stump and Becky Spratford via email at [email protected]

Guess who’s back?! Philip Fracassi returns to unpack The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre, a slasher set in a retirement community. We chat about portrayals of age in media and literature, the character work that absolutely makes this novel sing, and so much more. It’s a great hour and some change spent chatting with Phil about this really lovely book, and I hope you all enjoy it! If you want to order your own copy of The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre or keep up with Phil on social media, check out the links below:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pfracassi/?hl=en

* Threads: https://www.threads.com/@pfracassi

* BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/pfracassi.bsky.social

* To Order The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250879066/theautumnspringsretirementhomemassacre/

2025 has been a year of stunning horror, and one of its major contributors with not one, but two releases is Sam Rebelein! He returns to the pod to chat about his novel, Galloway’s Gospel, unpacking the creativity around this very vibrant story. We also chat about how strange nostalgia can feel, Sam’s stunning characters in this book, and so much more. Getting to chat with Sam will make anyone’s day, and if you want to follow him on social media or order a copy of Galloway’s Gospel, you can do so here:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebelsam94/

* Threads: https://www.threads.com/@rebelsam94

* BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/rebelsam94.bsky.social

* To Order Galloway’s Gospel:https://www.harpercollins.com/products/galloways-gospel-sam-rebelein?variant=43711485706274

If you think you saw that doll’s head turn a bit when you walked by, you’d probably be correct in the pages of Ally Malinenko’s latest novel, Broken Dolls. And I was fortunate enough to chat with Ally about the inspiration of the book, why dolls are so creepy, grief horror, writing to grab kids’ attention, and so much more. A HUGE thanks to Ally for her time, and if you’d like to pick up a copy of Broken Dolls or keep up with Ally on social media, check out the links below:

* Ally’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allymalinenko/

* Ally’s Threads: https://www.threads.com/@allymalinenko

* Ally’s BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/allymalinenko.bsky.social

* To Order Broken Dolls: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/broken-dolls-ally-malinenko?variant=43406930804770

Happy Thursday, friends! Here’s a bonus episode on one of the most perfect books I have ever had the pleasure of reading, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. While it’s taken me a minute to get around to reading this masterpiece, it is safe to say it’s stolen both my heart and mind. And accompanying me on this journey through the halls of Hill House is my good friend, Charlie Battison, or as you may know him on social media, barebonesbooks. A huge thanks to him for accompanying me on this twisty journey as we chat about both the novel and limited series adaptation by Mike Flanagan. To keep up with Charlie on socials, check out the links below:

* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barebonesbooks_/

* BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/barebonesbooks.bsky.social

In full bloom, Her Wicked Roots by Tanya Pell is a Gothic novel that revels in secrets and learning hard truths. It’s an absolute joy to get to chat with Tanya about this story, its starting point, its mystery, and its intrigue in every form. The biggest thanks to Tanya for her enthusiasm and time chatting about this wicked novel. Her Wicked Roots is on shelves now, and if you’d like to order a copy or keep up with Tanya on social media, check out the links below:

* Tanya’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tanya.pell/

* Tanya’s Threads: https://www.threads.com/@tanya.pell

* Tanya’s BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/tanyapell.bsky.social

* Tanya’s Website: https://www.tanyapell.com/

* To Order Her Wicked Roots: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Her-Wicked-Roots/Tanya-Pell/9781668087299

Crawling its way under our skin, Itch! by Gemma Amor is the angry folk horror novel we all need in our TBRs. I chat with her about where this story came from, what it means to write a feminist story, insect horror, and so much more. Itch! is already on shelves in the UK, but US readers will have a chance to get a hard copy in January of 2026. The good news is, I believe you can get the ebook NOW which I have linked below in addition to where to find Gemma on social media! The biggest thanks to Gemma as always for her time!

* Gemma’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manylittlewords?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

* Gemma’s BlueSky: https://web-cdn.bsky.app/profile/manylittlewords.bsky.social

* Gemma’s Threads: https://www.threads.com/@manylittlewords

* To Order Itch!: https://www.waterstones.com/book/itch/gemma-amor/9781399745369

* To Order Itch! e-Book: https://www.amazon.com/ITCH-darkly-feminist-crawling-Halloween-ebook/dp/B0F9WB2SYN/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0

Happy Tuesday! Thrilled to be sharing my conversation with Neil McRobert, author of his debut novella, Good Boy. Now, you probably know Neil from Talking Scared, but I cannot emphasize how much I adore his fiction, in particular this story. It’s one that pulls on your heart strings in the best way possible, unpacking ideas of social responsibility and standing for what you believe in, even when it’s the hardest option available. I cannot thank Neil enough for coming on the pod to chat about all this and more. This may be a cheesy bit to share, but when I think about learning how to interview people, I recall the countless hours of listening to Talking Scared, listening to Neil unpack the books that are shaping the modern horror landscape. And I could not be more thrilled that his voice is one of them. To keep up with Neil on social media or to pre-order a copy of Good Boy, check out the links below:

* Neil’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkscaredpod/?hl=en

* Neil’s Threads: https://www.threads.com/@talkscaredpod

* Neil’s BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/talkscaredpod.bsky.social

* Talking Scared Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/TalkingScaredPod/home

* To Pre-Order Good Boy: https://www.wildhuntbooks.co.uk/books/p/goodboy/9781068563102

Did you hear that? Was that a scream? Probably so, as this week, I chat with Eleanor Johnson, author of one of the best non-fiction reads I’ve picked up in some time, Scream With Me. She takes a look at some of horror’s most iconic films across the late 1960s through the 70s and 80s in tandem with our country’s history with feminism. It’s a brilliant examination of key social moments, a look back on how far (or how little) we’ve come, and why we feel the need to scream, all through the lens of horror. We chat about all of these things of course, plus how these ideas make us feel. It’s not an exaggeration for me to say that this feels like one of the most important conversations I’ve fostered around the genre with clear implications in our own lives and realities as women. To order your own copy of Scream With Me (you should) or to keep up with Eleanor through her Substack, check out the links below:

* To Order Scream With Me: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Scream-with-Me/Eleanor-Johnson/9781668087633

* Eleanor’s Substack: