Creatives Getting Coffee

Gavin Dillinger is the author of An Exploration of Existential Indifference in a Void of Confidence (or Good Boy: A Novel), which releases January 12th, 2024. In this episode, we discuss mid-20's angst, the unorthodox writing approach that led to this novel, the weird state of social media, and that time he stood up a horror fiction legend.

An Exploration of Existential Indifference in a Void of Confidence on GoodReads

Creatives Getting Coffee is the official podcast of Mad Axe Media, a publisher of weird a spooky fiction.

Caleb Stephens is the author of Feeders and The Girls in the Cabin, both released in 2023. In this discussion, Caleb details his writing journey, including how he persevered through the early stages of his career to become a (very humble) award-winning author. We also chat about his transition to screenplays and how he balances work, kids, and writing.

Author Bio:

Caleb Stephens is a dark fiction author writing from somewhere deep in the Colorado mountains. His short stories have appeared in multiple publications and podcasts, including The NoSleep Podcast, Chilling Tales for Dark Nights, MetaStellar, The Dread Machine, Tales to Terrify, and more. His dark fiction collection If Only a Heart and Other Tales of Terror is available through Salt Heart Press and includes the short story “The Wallpaper Man,” which was adapted to film by Falconer Film & Media in 2022. He is also the author of Feeders, a speculative horror thriller available through Timber Ghost Press, and The Girls in the Cabin, a psychological thriller from Joffe Books.

You can join his mailing list and learn more at www.calebstephensauthor.com as well as follow him on Twitter @cstephensauthor.

J. Matthew Helms (who goes by Matt) published a short story collection The Song of Circe and Other Simple Musings in 2022. In this interview, Matt discusses what draws him to poetry as a medium, what inspired his collection, his publishing experiences, and finding hope for the future when things feel hopeless.

About Song of Circe:

Twilit dreamscapes unfold across J. Matthew Helms' debut collection of poetry, revealing new worlds beyond the veils of myth. From the shores of Valhalla to the great halls of Mount Olympus, these unique poems guide the reader through the mists of time and legend like a lantern, casting tales of the old gods in a new light. Interwoven with themes of earthly nature and celestial warfare, The Song of Circe reflects the joy and sorrow-the pain and healing-the love and disdain that define the human soul, beckoning us to explore within ourselves the darkest corners of our oldest legends.

Buy Song of Circe Here

Mark Allen is an independent horror novelist, screenwriter, and director. In this interview, he talks vampire fiction, his early passion for screenwriting, and how his Navy background informs his most horrific scenes.

Author Bio:

Mark Allen was born and raised in small - town Texas in the 60s and 70s. He wrote his first short story for a 4th grade English assignment. He got an A+ on the assignment, and he's been writing ever since. In 1980, he graduated High School and joined the U.S. Navy. He served as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, and was designated a Fleet Marine Force (FMF) Warfare Specialist. He retired in May 2001.

Mark returned to his first love, this time writing screenplays for feature films. He wrote and directed DELIRIUM (York Entertainment 2007) and wrote and co-produced EARLY GRAVE (Fenix Pictures 2013).

In 2014, Mark was diagnosed with Stage 4 throat cancer. During radiation and chemo, he began writing what would become his debut novel, NOCTURNAL. Mark is now 8 years in recovery and suffers long-term disabilities related to the cancer and the treatments that killed his cancer. But, grateful to be alive, Mark pushes on.

Mark is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association. He lives quietly with his wife in the Pacific Northwest where he divides his time between novels and screenplays.

He writes every day.

Mad Axe Media

Patrick Barb, a horror writer who's had tremendous success with his short fiction, recently released his collection of short stories Pre-Approved for Haunting. In this interview, we discuss the collection, his approach to short fiction, his writing process, and finding hidden horror gems on streaming services.

Author Bio: Patrick Barb is an author of weird, dark, and horrifying tales, currently living (and trying not to freeze to death) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of Gargantuana's Ghost (Grey Matter Press), The Nut House (currently serialized in Cosmic Horror Monthly), and the collection Pre-Approved for Haunting (forthcoming, Keylight Books/Turner Publishing, Summer 2023). In addition, he is an Active Member of the HWA and a Full Member of the SFWA.

Pre-Approved for Haunting: and Other Stories on GoodReads 

Bert Lechner is the debut author of The Roots Grow Into the Earth, a short story collection of cosmic horror tales. In this discussion, Bert discusses what draws him toward cosmic horror, lessons learned from his publishing journey, and his exciting plans to expand the "Roots" universe.

He also shares a very personal account of his history with autism, from being formerly undiagnosed to his present understanding and misconceptions about autism that still exist today.

Author Bio:

Bert S. Lechner is an author on the autism spectrum born and raised near San Francisco, California. He studied music at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, originally dreaming of becoming a composer before discovering a passion for writing and telling stories. After years of pursuing different lines of work, from wine salesperson to IT specialist, Bert finally decided to pursue his passion for writing and to begin publishing his works.

When he’s not writing Bert can be found cooking, making cheese, spending time with his cats, reading, or playing video games, quite often simultaneously.

The Roots Grow Into the Earth on GoodReads

Angela Sylvaine is the author of Frost Bite, her debut novel from Dark Matter Ink that mixes sci-fi and horror with a heaping dose of 90s nostalgia. In this interview, Angela discusses her North Dakota roots, her academic love for cults, finding a way to make her alien threat different, and the journey that led to her signing with Dark Matter Ink.

Author Bio: Angela Sylvaine is a self-proclaimed cheerful goth who writes horror fiction and poetry. Her debut novel, Frost Bite, and her debut collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls, are available or forthcoming from Dark Matter INK. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in/on over forty anthologies, magazines, and podcasts, including Southwest Review, Apex Magazine, and The NoSleep Podcast. She lives in the shadow if the Rocky Mountains with her sweetheart and three creepy cats. You can find her online angelasylvaine.com.

Angela Sylvain's interview on the Stray Pointers Podcast

Find her work on GoodReads 

Tobin Elliott is a horror author who, in his own words, writes ugly stories about horrible people doing terrible things. In this interview, we discuss Bad Blood, his first book in The Aphotic series, his publishing journey, his career as a creative writing instructor, and why so many readers resonate with his dark content.

Tobin was destined for horror. This became obvious when, in the span of two weeks, he built a working model of a guillotine out of popsicle sticks and a razor blade — which his Grade Five teacher didn't seem to appreciate as much as he did — and he also learned to tie a noose and proudly hung one from their apartment balcony — which his mother and the superintendent didn't seem to appreciate as much as he did. Eventually, he learned to focus the horror into stories. His friends and neighbours likely appreciate the lesser PDH (Public Displays of Horror).

Besides writing ugly stories about bad people doing horrible things, Tobin also counts embarrassing his wife and kids, pointing out the stupidities of others, being dumb to kind animals, and killing plants among his hobbies. Finally, Tobin loves feedback, either positive or negative, on his writing. You can find him occasionally reviewing indie books on Goodreads, or being sarcastic on Twitter and Instagram (@thehorrorguy91).

J.V. Gachs is the author of Epiphany, a horror novel published by Off Limits Press, which will be released December 9th, 2023. In this discussion, she shares her experience as an English-as-a-second-language writer, what led her to write this sad tale of dark magic and deception, and her exciting transition from Off Limits Press fan to signed author.

J.V. Gachs is a Spanish classicist, and writer, currently working as a Latin teacher. Writing in English and Spanish her work has been featured in magazines such as Luna Station Quarterly or Mordedor, and anthologies like Scott J. Moses' What One Wouldn't Do and Cursed Morsels’ Antifa Splatterpunk. Her first novel, Epiphany, will be released next year by Off Limits Press. Obsessed with sudden death, ghosts, and female villains, she always writes with a cat (or two) in her lap.

Epiphany on GoodReads

David Washburn is a horror author from Cincinnati, Ohio. In this discussion, he shares insights on his writing process, independent publishing, the learning curve that comes with being a new author, and how a spooky gas station in the middle of nowhere led to his first novel-length work.

His books The Tickle Monster and Devils That Prey are available now wherever books are sold.

GoodReads Author Page