School Book Scare

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Happy Halloween, horror heads!

We have an EXTRA-LARGE treat for your candy bags this year: a whopping 3-HOUR show running through all 62 original Goosebumps books at the speed of light! (Or at the speed of our lame jokes, at any rate.)

Kick back, dig in, and throw on those rose-tinted Curly sunglasses!

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Today I am talking to Graham Annable, a.k.a. Grickle, the famed cartoonist and animator who turned his gifted hand to creating today’s featured title (and the first graphic novel featured on our show!), EERIE TALES FROM THE SCHOOL OF SCREAMS. In this episode we talk about making the books we didn’t have as kids, the merry dance of humor and horror, standalone vs. serial narratives, mastering the page turn, comics as storyboards, not pulling your punches, and trusting the process.

I was so excited to talk to Graham and so fired up by our conversation (as evidenced by how much talking I do in this episode—sorry, guys). But I hope that you will be just as fired up by all the wonderful insights that Graham has to share.

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Today I am talking to Eden Royce, award-winning author of adult and children’s fiction, including today’s subject, The Creepening of Dogwood House. In this episode we discuss the Gothic, matters of cultural and personal identity, hoodoo, icky anatomy, sweet family moments, lots of cool books, horror as the speculative safe place, and the shifting future of publishing.

Eden was such a warm and welcoming presence on the show, and you are not going to want to miss the insights she has to share.

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Today I am talking to E. D. Black, head brewer behind the Fright Factory series. In this episode we talk about forging our way as readers and writers through books, mini-golf dreams, reworking tropes, starting from scratch, transformative teachers, impostor syndrome, getting gritty with grammar, and the allure of alliteration.

E. D. was such a cool and gracious guest, and it was truly my honor to host him for this episode.

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Today I’m joined by Kathleen Palm, staunch middle grade horror advocate and the author of the Nowhere trilogy, starting with today’s featured title, INTO THE GRAY. In this episode we talk about mental health in horror, cherished childhood possessions, portal fantasies, StokerCon, instinct vs. advice, kids cursing in books (!), procrastination, learning from the kids around us, the author echo chamber, and the power of a kind word (or a review).

Kathleen was a pure delight to speak to, and her support of this genre is evident in everything she says.

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Today I’m joined by Josh Allen, the laureate of short horror fiction for kids, here to talk about his debut collection, OUT TO GET YOU. In this episode we talk about the urgency for short narratives in today’s age, honoring the experiences and intelligence of young audiences, preaching for the librarians, the Twilight Zone, the power of storytelling, campfire vampires, novel structure, and our hopeful literary future.

Listeners, when Josh speaks, he speaks with his whole heart, and I was so honored to have the chance to chat with him for today’s episode.

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Today I’m joined by Stephanie Rose, author and editor-in-chief of Death by TBR Books, here to talk about her middle grade debut, I WISH I WAS A VAMPIRE. In this episode we discuss the glories of Halloween, navigating friendships on and offline, the allure of the undead, working as an editor, learning to celebrate the moment, and a wee bit of Bob’s Burgers fangirling.

Stephanie was such a fun, open person to talk to and you will not want to miss this lovely conversation.

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Today I’m joined by Trevor Henderson, acclaimed horror illustrator and creator of such characters as Siren Head and Cartoon Cat (and today’s book, Scarewaves).

In this episode, we talk about big scary faces, achieving flexibility with creative projects, widening your pool of influences, internet urban legends, the death trap of social media, maximalist horror, and guess what else? AI still sucks!

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Today I’m joined by Meg Eden Kuyatt, poet and award-nominated author of THE GIRL IN THE WALLS.

In today's episode, we talk about horror as the genre of metaphor, how marketing considerations can sometimes define the shape of a story, titles that raise questions, exorcising pain and anger through fiction, Pokemon etymology, and what the heck is free verse anyway.

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Today I’m joined by D. W. Gillespie, a writer of adult horror fiction who has recently turned his hand at writing for the middle grade market including today's book, GRIN.

In this episode we talk about the moving target of success, being terrified of ghosts late at night, learning how to get out of your own way as an author, the current exciting moment that horror is having, committing to the darkness of your story, and how the human need for genuine art will eventually prevail over the scourge that is generative AI. Yay.