“If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” The saying certainly applies to Candace Nola, an award-winning horror writer, editor, and publisher, among other designations. She’s also exceptionally goodhearted, as proven by the time and energy she devotes to building community and otherwise helping her writerly peers through her platform, Uncomfortably Dark Horror. She leaves few stones unturned in this wide-ranging conversation, including the thread that connects all her stories, the pain and power of grief, and how she finds balance amid the chaos of daily life.

Horror author, publisher, musician, influencer, someone who eagerly shares his personal story about his years-long saga of addiction, recovery, and reinvention—the man known as Daemon Manx wears a lot of hats. In this episode, Manx discusses the incident that upended his life—saved his life, he would say—and put him not only on the path to recovery but also toward becoming one of the most prominent voices in indie horror. He also talks about his work, including The Ojanox series and the recently released Abigail: The Terrible Twos, a sequel to his 2021 novel, and why his platform of positivity has resonated with so many people.

As far as writers go, Steve Capone, Jr. defies easy description. His 2024 novel Max in the Capital of Spies is a YA Cold War thriller, with a side of time travel, though he’s perhaps best known for his work in horror. As the founder of Whisper House Press, he has published anthologies such as Dread Mondays and Costs of Living. In this episode, he details the lessons he learned by running his own press, the benefits of writing across genre lines, and why he doesn’t like to be scared. He also opens up about the perils of being a teacher in 2025, and the importance of doing his part to “repair the world.”

Bucks County, Pennsylvania-based writer Richard Shifman made quite an impression with his story “Mayo Monday,” an insanely compelling piece of weird fiction published by Cosmic Horror Monthly in 2023. He added to his wide-ranging body of work earlier this year with Paper Airplane, Broken Bones, a coming-of-age novel published under the name R.B. Shifman. In this episode, Shifman talks about the early experiences that shaped his life and influenced his work, why corporate environments and horror go hand in hand, and quite a bit more.

Lisa Hodorovych is living her dream as a writer of horror and horror romance. She opens up about the things that scare her, the publishing empire she’s building to help others breathe life into their writing, and the details of her own work—namely, the novels The Disappearance, He’s Here, and Vampire From Hell, Vol. 1. Other points addressed in our discussion: facing and overcoming rejection, lingering scars from the movies of her childhood, the never-ending joys of kaiju, and much more.

Take a seat with Gary Frank, whose published works include the novels Institutional Memory, The Thing in the Woods, and Forever You Will Suffer. In this episode he talks about Godzilla, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and some of the other things that have ignited his imagination as a storyteller. Other points discussed in our hour-long discussion: his love of Dungeons & Dragons, how he copes when the world around him gets too heavy, and the inspiration he gets from being part of a community of writers at industry conventions.

Ef Deal’s fantastic Twins of Bellesfées series—Esprit de Corpse, Aeros & Heroes, and The Order of Duval—reimagines the landscape of 19th century France with shapeshifters, vampires, and all manner of retrofuturistic technology. She talks about why she chose that time and place to give life to her brand of horror-infused steampunk, what it was like to grow up in a haunted house, and the “wonderful letter” that made her think she would never be a published novelist; lucky for us, she kept going anyway.

As an editor and co-owner of the Philly-based indie press Speculation Publications, River Eno plays a key role in bringing spectacular horror and dark fantasy into the world. Spec Pub’s most recent release is called Vampire Hunters: An Incomplete Record of Personal Accounts, which explores the lore of vampires—and the humans who hunt them—across oceans of time and space, from pre-Christianity Babylon to the New World in the 21st century. The anthology, which features chilling stories from the likes of Gwendolyn Kiste and A.C. Wise, came to life on July 22. In this episode, River speaks about the art of assembling such an ambitious project, her own relationship with vampire stories, and her history with magic and the macabre.

Sound effect by Katja Savia from Pixabay

Marcus Versace’s love of heavy metal and hard rock began at an early age. He had talent of his own and had long thought about joining a band, but the voices of doubters—including his own—convinced him otherwise. All that changed when he turned 50, when he and a few fellow metalheads founded the band that would become Blast Furnace, which he calls “the greatest midlife crisis a guy could have.” He talks about the musicians who inspired him, the songs that got him through life’s most tumultuous times, and the gift of making music with other people.

Darlene Versak has had to endure her share of dark moments in life, but she hasn’t let the tough times dampen her spirit. She wrote about many of her trials and tribulations—and how she found a way through them to become the person she is today—in her 2022 book, WORDS: A JOURNEY TO THE LIGHT WITHIN. She and I discussed the lessons she’s learned along the way, the importance of choosing love over fear in a time when fear runs rampant, and how she creates through the chaos of daily life.