The audio recording of our crowdcast for Dark Waters Vol. 2 - the podcast's second anthology of dark fiction.

Guest host Bobby Mathews comes on board to talk through the anthology, and we're treated to some guest readings by several of the anthology's authors.

We would also like to extend our congratulations to Jacqueline Freimor, whose story "Cruel to Be Kind" will appear in Best American Mystery & Suspense 2025, as well as DW authors Mary Thorson & Victor De Anda, whose pieces from other publications will also be included.

Dark Waters vol. 1 & 2 are available to order! To get a copy, head over to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠linktree⁠⁠⁠⁠

Bobby Mathews is a novelist, short-story writer, and journalist who lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

He currently has two books under contract with independent publisher Shotgun Honey. Living the Gimmick, a crime novel set against the backdrop of 1980s professional wrestling, published in May 2022; Magic City Blues, a noir love story set in Birmingham, was released in 2023.

His collection Negative Tilt was released in 2024, with the title story having won a Derringer award in 2023.

Also featuring Mary Thorson, Victor De Anda, Joel Nedecky,Gabriela Stiteler, Stanton McCaffery, Jacqueline Freimor, and Dannye Chase.

Are you an author with a release you'd like to discuss on the show? Email [email protected]

Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com

Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.

The wonderful Wes Browne joins us to discuss finding new books in unexpected ways, the perfect Bouchercon experience, and his new book They All Fall the Same. We also get a sneak preview of the book, touch on finding the ideal segments for author readings, and how taste can be incredibly subjective.

Wes Browne lives within the Kentucky River Basin in Madison County, Kentucky. He has practiced law as a criminal defense attorney, prosecutor, and public defender in Appalachia for over 24 years. He also helps run his family's pizza shops. His novel They All Fall the Same was named one of 2025’s biggest mystery or thriller releases by Goodreads and one of 2025’s most anticipated books by Book Riot Read or Dead. His debut novel Hillbilly Hustle was named one of 17 recommended lockdown reads by Merriam-Webster in 2020.

Dark Waters vol. 1 & 2 are available to order! To get a copy, head over to our ⁠⁠⁠linktree⁠⁠⁠

Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]

Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com

Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.

We're joined by the talented Nick Kolakowski to discuss his upcoming release Where the Bones Lie, stylistic choices for author readings, and dive into various rants including Chuck Palahniuk photographs, the 2008 writer's strike, and being shouted out of imposter syndrome. We also get a sneak peek at Where the Bones Lie, talk about the importance of having/building writing communities and dive into the "undermess."

Nick Kolakowski is the author of several horror and crime novels, including Absolute Unit (Crystal Lake Publishing) and Where the Bones Lie (Datura, coming out 3/25). His short stories and nonfiction essays have appeared in various anthologies and magazines, including House of Gamut, Mystery Magazine, Shotgun Honey, Rock & A Hard Place, and Best American Mystery & Suspense 2024. He lives and writes in NYC.

Dark Waters vol. 2 is now available to order! To get your copy, head over to our ⁠⁠linktree⁠⁠

Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]

Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com

Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.

We're joined by the awesome Jaima Fixsen to talk about her new book The Specimen, steminist literature, and 19th century medical ethics. Also, how to balance the supernatural and the human in stories, Edinburgh history, and the Pythagoras math cult.

Jaima Fixsen is a USA Today and International best-selling author living and writing in Alberta, Canada. Her novel, The Girl In His Shadow (co-authored under the pen name Audrey Blake), was selected as Libby’s 2022 Big Library Read, and has been translated into six languages.

Jaima studied Occupational Therapy at the University of Alberta, and her experiences learning anatomy and dissecting cadavers began her fascination with the history of medical science, which often figures in her stories. Her debut crime novel, The Specimen, was released this year. Jaima still works in health care, supporting children with disabilities and their families. She loves history, snow, reading, snow, and spending as much time as possible in the Canadian Rockies.

Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]

Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com

Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.

We're joined again by the incredible Jordan Harper to discuss the US release of The Last King of California, writing the stories you want to write, and having an impromptu meeting of the S.A. Cosby fan club. We also get a sneak peek at The Last King of California, discuss publishing across different countries, and whether or not the UK has a valid excuse for not understanding the word "shotgun."

Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]

Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com

Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.

Rob D. Smith is a common man attempting to write uncommon fiction out of Louisville, KY. Currently an editor at Rock and a Hard Place Press, his work has appeared in Apex Magazine, Shotgun Honey, Pyre Magazine, Thriller Magazine, Tough, Thicker Than Blood, Vautrin, and several other crime, horror, and speculative magazines, anthologies, and online publications. ⁠Good-Looking Ugly⁠ is his debut crime novel. Find his work at ⁠https://robdsmith.carrd.co/⁠.

Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]

Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com

Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.

Debut novelist Sean Jacques joins us to discuss his book Doe Run, reading lists for high schoolers in 2024, the importance of indie publishing venues, and glimpses into the minds of former theatre kids.

We also get a sneak peek of Doe Run, and touch on whether or not Into the Wild is tragic, turning diaries into movies, and the effects of children's dystopian stories on millenial minds.

Sean Jacques was born and raised in the Missouri Ozarks.

You can find him on his ⁠website⁠, ⁠twitter⁠, and ⁠instagram⁠.

Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]

Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com

Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.

We're joined by attorney and author Russell W. Johnson to his Mountaineer Mystery series to discuss some of our favorite topics - dark fiction in dark times, dealing with rejection, and whether Jessica Lange was secretly the real killer all along.

We also get a sneak peek at the second book in the series, The Mountain Mystic, and discuss character morality, conspiracy theories, and Ron Earl Phillips covers.

Dark Waters is OPEN for submissions for our second anthology. Check out our website ⁠www.darkwaterspodcast.com, ⁠our ⁠Twitter,⁠ or our ⁠Instagram⁠ for more info.

Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]

Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com

Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.

We're joined by HWA NY chapter coordinator James Chambers and discuss his body of work, using horror as a way to process the world, and Lovecraftian writing in contemporary settings. We also get a sneak preview of his collection A Bright and Beautiful Eternal World and collectively wonder at how certain stories find their place in the children's section.

James Chambers is a Bram Stoker Award® and Scribe Award-winning author and a four-time Bram Stoker Award nominee. He is the author of the short story collections A Bright and Beautiful Eternal World, described as “stellar” by Publisher’s Weekly, On the Night Border and On the Hierophant Road, which received a starred review from Booklist, which called it “…satisfyingly unsettling”; the novella collection, The Engines of Sacrifice, and the novellas, The Devil in the Green, Kolchak and the Night Stalkers: The Faceless God, Three Chords of Chaos, and many others, as well as the original graphic novel, Kolchak the Night Stalker: The Forgotten Lore of Edgar Allan Poe. His short stories have appeared in anthologies and publications in multiple genres, including crime, fantasy, horror, pulp, science fiction, steampunk, and more. He edited the Bram Stoker Award-nominated anthologies, Under Twin Suns: Alternate Histories of the Yellow Sign and A New York State of Fright as well as Even in the Grave, an anthology of ghost stories. He has also written the comic books Leonard Nimoy's Primortals, "The Revenant" in Shadow House, and The Midnight Hour. 

Dark Waters is OPEN for submissions for our second anthology. Check out our website www.darkwaterspodcast.com, our Twitter, or our Instagram for more info.

Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]

Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com

Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.

We're joined by the fantastic Jahmal Mayfield to discuss his incredible debut novel Smoke Kings, as well as the beauty of rom coms and Japanese philosophers.

We also get a sneak preview of Smoke Kings and discuss tunnel vision in looking at political/socio-economic issues, and having honest conversations through a fictional lens.

Jahmal Mayfield writes gritty crime novels that touch on large social issues. He was born in Virginia but currently resides in New Jersey. In addition to writing, he serves as the director of a nonprofit program that provides employment support to people with disabilities. Mayfield is a husband and father of two young adults who are both embarrassed by his frequent forays down the rabbit holes of YouTube to view old 90s hip hop videos. Smoke Kings was inspired by Kimberly Jones’ passionate viral video, “How can we win?”

Follow him on Twitter and pre-order the audiobook of Smoke Kings at Barnes & Noble.

Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]

Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com

Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.