**Apologies in advance for the sound quality on MY end. The issue has been since resolved much apologies to my wonderful guest. -F

Watch on Reader's Labyrinth YouTube Channel: B. L. Blankenship: Western Horror, SplatterPunk, Gore as Art, History, Religion EPISODE 1 - YouTube

Please welcome B. L. Blankenship. Prolific author in the sub-genres of “Western Horror” and “SplatterPunk.” “Historical Fiction” doesn’t quit do Blankenship’s work justice, as he pulls us along to far flung places lost to memory like in his book God Walks the Dark Hills Books I&II: The story of an African-born freeman who eventually ends up joining the Confederacy.

What little of his work I’ve been lucky enough to sample, has proven beyond a doubt, that Blankenship’s stories are a solid fortress of a kind of dread nihilism not unlike the unapproachable anxiety felt in movies like John Carpenters, The Thing. Please join us as we discuss the art of writing, history, horror, and share some general thoughts on the world.

YOU can find B. L. Blankenship’s work here:

https://linktr.ee/westernhorror?utm_source=linktree_profile_share

Follow Blankenship on Twitter: @BENJAMHOUSE1

0:0 Intro

02:35 CreepyCon

03:25 Historical research

07:45 B. L. life growing up

12:20 Good writing in horror

16:45 Was B. L. mugged?

21:00 War of Northern Aggression an unique take

26:00 Confederates forced to fight for the Union

26:46 Nope, Abe Lincoln wasn’t your friend..

35:00 How B. L. visualizes his characters and keeps little details consistent

36:46 Notion of “free will” in the world of McCormick and as it appears in Blankenship’s novels

38:00 God, Christianity, Hell in Western Lit

41:00 Whither the Wendigo?

43:00 Ann Rice, vampires, werewolves, Ambrose

49:00 What B. L. believes about religion, spirituality, and God

49:54 Sound never dies

50:05 Limits of religion

56:00 Where the idea of his novels come from

58:00 Does fiction tell the truth better than non-fiction?

1:03 Why does good thing happen to good people in your world of writing?

1:06 God complex in literature as a driving force of character

Synopsis: This story is a slight departure in the overall tone and pacing of ‘I Can’t Sleep Horror.’ Originally self-published on Amazon Kindle (Steps of the Black Dog), I went back and forth if I ever wanted to put this one out there (as on Amazon I made zero effort to market this whatsoever. almost hoping it’d just disappear along with the strange disquiet I experienced upon writing it) :/

A brutish tale of a man tormented by a severe mental illness, Bernhard finds respite through his strange relationship with a phantom-like force of sheer supernatural terror, Steiner. The two men, working in law enforcement, form a partnership forged in the fires of Bernhard’s anguish as they close in on their own inescapable and weird destines.

Death is a strange man. There is no hiding from such a man.

#Policestories #horror #Charleston #South Carolina

My apologies for taking so long to get these stories out. A shoutout on Apple Podcasts would REALLY motivate me to get busy -)

Do yourself a favor and give Tony Capobianco a visit at Haunted Half-Moon Inn - YouTube. I just started listening and you should too! It’s great narration and wonderful storytelling.

Thanks SO much for listening! Shoot me an email: [email protected]

Follow Frank on Twitter: @EmpiresPodcast

Frank also does a History Podcast come check it out: Empires Podcast the Ottomans 

Liking/Subscribing HELPS so much and YOU can help the show by sharing with a friend and letting them know how much you enjoy ‘I Can’t Sleep Horror’

Check out I Can’t Sleep Horror on YouTube: I Can't Sleep Horror - YouTube

Listen to ‘I Can’t Sleep Horror’ on the following Podcast platforms:

Google: Google Podcast

Apple: Apple Podcast

Spotify: Spotify 

Attribution:

Scp x1x (Gateway to Hell) by Kevin MacLeod

Ancient Rite by Kevin MacLeod

Radio Traffic

‘60 Hours of the Maikop Brigade’ Achive.org

Background Sounds

Thunder clap and long rumble with light rain 3

www.zapsplat.com

Synopsis: This story is a slight departure in the overall tone and pacing of ‘I Can’t Sleep Horror.’ Originally self-published on Amazon Kindle (Steps of the Black Dog), I went back and forth if I ever wanted to put this one out there (as on Amazon I made zero effort to market this whatsoever.. almost hoping it’d just disappear along with the strange disquiet I experienced upon writing it) :/

A brutish tale of a man tormented by a severe mental illness, Bernhard finds respite through his strange relationship with a phantom-like force of sheer supernatural terror, Steiner. The two men, working in law enforcement, form a partnership forged in the fires of Bernhard’s mental anguish as they close in on their own inescapable and weird destines.

Death is a strange man. There is no hiding from such a man.

#Policestories #horror #Charleston #South Carolina

My apologies for taking so long to get these stories out. A shoutout on Apple Podcasts would REALLY motivate me to get busy -)

Thanks SO much for listening! Shoot me an email: [email protected]

Follow Frank on Twitter: @EmpiresPodcast

Frank also does a History Podcast come check it out: Empires Podcast the Ottomans 

Liking/Subscribing HELPS so much and YOU can help the show by sharing with a friend and letting them know how much you enjoy ‘I Can’t Sleep Horror’

Check out I Can’t Sleep Horror on YouTube: I Can't Sleep Horror - YouTube

Listen to ‘I Can’t Sleep Horror’ on the following Podcast platforms:

Google: Google Podcast

Apple: Apple Podcast

Spotify: Spotify 

Attribution:

Scp x1x (Gateway to Hell) by Kevin MacLeod

Ancient Rite by Kevin MacLeod

Radio Traffic

‘60 Hours of the Maikop Brigade’ Achive.org

Background Sounds

Thunder clap and long rumble with light rain 3

www.zapsplat.com

Sasquatch Mountain

Synopsis: What would you do if you saw a Bigfoot? If it were me, I’d keep quiet and never say anything. Homo Sapiens have a nasty habit of shucking statistical anomalies aside and painting “Outcast” or “Crazy" upon those who dare question. But Devon Lang didn’t care.

He saw what he saw and never changed his story.

..and nobody believed him. They believed him less when he said he could prove it. All he had to do was go into the wilds and collect the evidence he just knew was out there and get it into the hands of YouTube documentarian Bob Gymlan. Only in that tiny corner of the Internet could he be free.

My name is Kevin Sharp and I’m the last man to of seen Devon alive and this is his story.

#Sasquatch #BobGymlan #Bigfoot #Smokey Mountains

This episode notes would not be complete if I didn’t give a warm hearted shoutout to #SorenNarnia over at ‘Knifepoint Horror.’ Soren’s terrifying tale “Sounds” 100% influenced this story. Please check him out: ‎Knifepoint Horror on Apple Podcasts

Bob Gymlan is a real person (I think). Check out Bob Gymlan - YouTube and support his channel.

Thanks SO much for listening! Shoot me an email: [email protected]

Follow Frank on Twitter: @EmpiresPodcast

Frank also does a History Podcast come check it out: Empires Podcast the Ottomans 

Liking/Subscribing HELPS so much and YOU can help the show by sharing with a friend and letting them know how much you enjoy ‘I Can’t Sleep Horror’

Check out I Can’t Sleep Horror on YouTube: I Can't Sleep Horror - YouTube

Listen to ‘I Can’t Sleep Horror’ on the following Podcast platforms:

Google: Google Podcast

Apple: Apple Podcast

Spotify: Spotify 

Attribution

Time’s Flute

We’re Sitting Watching the Planes Burn

http://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Background Sounds

www.zapsplat.com

Special Announcement Episode

To briefly summarize: As I Can’t Sleep Horror grows, I will periodically be releasing news, announcements, and update episodes. Stay tuned at the end of each news episode for a teaser of the upcoming horror short!

If you SHARE the show with a FRIEND, FAMILY MEMBER, or CO-WORKER shoot me an email, [email protected],and I’ll give YOU a special shoutout next news episode release. Got a YouTube, social media, growing your side gig into an empire? Share I Can’t Sleep Horror with someone else, let me know about it and I’ll give YOU a shoutout next news episode!

Listen to the END of this episode for a teaser for next week’s horror story!

Follow me on Twitter: @EmpiresPodcast

I also have another podcast (it’s kinda old but I’m re-tooling and uploading more episodes) The Empires of History Podcast the Ottomans. Follow me on Twitter for more OR you can head on over to Apple, Spotify, and Anchor, and SUB and see what you think about the Ottoman Empire.

Here is the Ottoman Empire History Show:

‎Empires of History Podcast: The Ottoman Series on Apple Podcasts

Empires of History Podcast: The Ottoman Series | Podcast on Spotify

Thanks SO much for listening! Shoot me an email: [email protected]

Liking/Subscribing HELPS so much

Check out I Can’t Sleep Horror on YouTube: I Can't Sleep Horror - YouTube

Subscribe and tell a friend where to listen to I Can’t Sleep Horror! (Share these links with someone shoot me and email!)

Google: Google Podcast

Apple: Apple Podcast

Spotify: Spotify 

Attribution

Time’s Flute Place

We’re Sitting Watching the Places Burn Up

http://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Spider in the Attic

Synopsis: A childhood nightmare reemerges and entangles Jeff in a web where the line between reality and imagination gets blurry.

In a dusty attic Jeff’s destiny waits patiently upon unearthly feet in the perfect stillness of a rainy night.

Author/Narrator: Frank S.

Show Insight: Dr. Jeff Kripal (mentioned in the story) is a real person, find out more and the referenced book ‘The Super Natural’ at the wonderful paranormal podcast by Seriah Azkath over at -Where Did the Road Go?- What a great interview!

Seriah Interviews Kripal on YouTube

Thoughts? Shoot me an email: [email protected]

Liking/Subscribing HELPS but SHARING this with a friend helps too!

Show is on YouTube: I Can't Sleep Horror - YouTube

I Can’t Sleep Horror is now on Podcasts

Google: Google Podcast

Apple: Apple Podcast

Spotify: Spotify 

Attribution

Anxiety by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3374-anxiety

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Background Sounds

cinematic-hit-light-thud-dark-tense-with-reverb-3

designed-cinematic-hit-thud-with-a-dark-evil-and-sinister-feel

Thud

www.zapsplat.com

Eddie’s mugshot recommends him for a lucrative job offer that he cannot afford to turn down. His cousin Rick worries about Eddie’s oddball behavior as he slides into paranoia.

In a cramped shed a lifeless entity is slowly resuscitated by Eddie, meanwhile his erstwhile employer closes in.

Author/Narrator: Frank S.

Thanks SO much for listening! Shoot me an email: [email protected]

Liking/Subscribing HELPS so much

I'm on YouTube as well: just search I Can't Sleep Horror

Citations/Credits:

Thanks to the wonderful Kevin MacLeod over at Incompetech

Shadowlands 4 - Breath Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82ZmY1NjU5NC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-cant-sleep-horror/id1591620250

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4HMYvyGjhSX75LueeYMhuB?si=5ZKZHKK6T2m8IR-CimLqIA

Werewolves All Alone 

On a lonely beach, a mentally tortured Joseph takes his own life and drowns in the moonlit surge of Edisto Island's foamy waters. Desiring closure, his brother Chris, finds himself on a collision course with his own grief and supernatural horror, as he confronts Joseph's odd obsession werewolves, and becomes the target of an esoteric cult protecting an old secret.  

If you enjoyed this story please like tell that friend who also enjoys horror stories what you found on I Can't Sleep Horror.   

Feel free check out my YouTube Channel as well I Can't Sleep Horror - YouTube

More stories and content to come! Keep checking in!   

Email Frank at: [email protected] Author: Frank S.  Secondary Narrator: Angela S.   #Werewolves #Horror  

Citations:  The Ultimate Threat, Chosic.com  A Dyslexic Dumb Dead Voice, Chosic.com  Wintery Storm, Zapslat.com  Howling, Zapslat.com Crashing, Zapslat.com