Folks, a while back I sat down to record a virtual panel for StokerCon about horror’s most vocal champions - the podcasters. Hosted by William Sterling, the panel consisted of Myself, Anna Dupre from Anna Rose Reads, Neil McRobert from Talking Scared, and Trevor Williamson from the Sley House Presents podcast.

William brought us together to talk a bit about our own experience podcasting, about our love of horror, what has contributed to the recent ‘golden age’ of horror, and some of our favorite moments from our catalogs.

It’s an hour of serious horror lovers finally getting a chance to speak their minds.

If you’re interested in exploring these podcasts and you’re new, here’s how to find them on Apple Podcasts:

Anna Dupre on Anna Rose Reads

Neil McRobert on Talking Scared

Trevor Williamson on Sley House Presents (Spotify link)

For those of y’all who prefer to watch on YouTube:

Pre-Order all of these books at my Bookshop page.

It’s that time of year, where I am graced with the presence of two of Horror’s biggest and most esteemed advocates to talk about what books we’re looking forward to in the next half-year.

Becky Spratford is gearing up for a massive launch for her non-fiction essay book WHY I LOVE HORROR: Essays on Horror Literature - an excellent collection of 18 essays by the absolute pinnacle of contemporary horror writers. It comes out in September, and is an absolute must-read for anyone who cares about horror. It’ll inspire you, you’ll connect with it, and maybe you’ll cry a little too. I did.

Emily Hughes is likely still riding the high of her recent Bram Stoker Award win for Superior Achievement in Long Non-Fiction for her book HORROR FOR WEENIES. We’re so excited for her and it’s a well-earned honor.

Suffice to say, I’m feeling some pressure to write my own award-winning, horror themed nonfiction book.

On to the books! As we have done in the past, we each chose two books per month that we are looking forward to, and we took turns talking about them. However, November and December were a little thin, so we had to improvise and find other ways to fill the list! Which we did readily, because instead of 36 books on the list, there are something like 45? All certified bangers, I have to assume.

Please enjoy this couple hours of a few folks getting together to share the love about some stories. We had a great time, I hope you do too.

For the folks who prefer YouTube:

Preorder here!

Preorder here!

Back in January during our 2025 Horror Preview, Emily Hughes picked GIRL IN THE CREEK by Wendy Wagner as one of her June books that she was looking forward to. So that’s when I first saw the cover, heard the pitch. Man, it sounded good.

Cut to I’m taking a quick business trip to Phoenix and need something to read on the plane. Well, I just got this ARC in the mail - the mushroom book.

I devoured this book on that trip, and even had a little snack homage to the cover at dinner one night.

Based on Emily’s pitch and all I had heard about the book, I knew it was likely to be good. But man, Wendy goes waaaaaaaay past those expectations, and explores some really profound things, challenges perceptions, demands justice, and gives us a fun reading experience all at the same time.

So please, I hope you enjoy our spoiler-free discussion of GIRL IN THE CREEK, that you preorder it, and that you thoroughly enjoy it as I did. And I suspect you will.

For the folks who prefer YouTube:

Buy Sam’s Books and preorder GALLOWAY’S GOSPEL

Something’s Wrong in the Hudson Valley

Guys, if there’s one thing I’ve been consistent on when it comes to author Sam Rebelein, it’s dragging my ass — to my own detriment. Back when his debut novel EDENVILLE released last about a year ago, I heard great things about it, listened to Sam talk about it on podcasts, and failed to actually read the thing.

So when I heard THE POORLY MADE AND OTHER THINGS was imminent and ostensibly a prequel, I knew this time around, I wasn’t going to miss my chance to get Sam on to talk. And hell, I can see why Becky Spratford raved about this collection on my 2025 Horror Preview episode!

This book is a collection of short stories centralized in Renfield County in upstate New York, where things, at some point, went sour. There are legends of a brutal killing that may have cursed the land. Or at least things aren’t always what they seem in the area. Whether you believe the rumors or not, just be sure to avoid the old fella who sits in the bathtub on the roadside.

In this episode as we talk about the book, we explore the idea of spoiled earth narratives and the concept of spoiled land — be it hungry or angry. We talk about author shared universes and how Sam wrote his books to all work together in the same geographical locus.

And of course, we talked about punching nazis a bit. How’s that saying go? If you see one, punch one. I think that’s right.

Ah! But back to the original point. Dragging my ass. This conversation was recorded in the beginning of March (a month marked by intense podcast recording activity, which pushed the inevitable release of this great conversation out by weeks and weeks. Apologies everyone for keeping this gem from you. It’s a doozy.)

But it all works out! Because even though this is a discussion about THE POORLY MADE, really it’s also promotion for GALLOWAY’S GOSPEL which drops this September.

So it all shakes out, see? And with that, I hope you enjoy this episode.

Here you go, YouTube snobs:

Preorder signed copies here!

Hey, neighbor!

When I heard Todd Keisling — an author I knew as a writer of Appalachian horror/cosmic horror — was writing a book about a widower moving to a retirement home… I couldn’t resist. There was no way this was going to be anything but awesome. And I was right, but Todd also plunged his hand into my chest and ripped my still-beating heart out. Which is to say that even though I knew what I was in for, I didn’t know what was coming.

I know I tend to dwell on the more emotionally significant aspects of stories, and man, this was a Venus fly trap for my sentimental mind. Grief, control, dignity, all explored in this talk of an old man who just wants to be left alone to die. From the first few pages, Todd had me feeling the grief of a man who lived a full life with his love, and lost her. A grief I didn’t earn, but I felt anyway.

But it’s not all doldrums. In this interview, we talked about bunch about the classic film The ‘Burbs, and how it was an inspiration for the “something’s not quite right” vibe in this sleepy retirement community… with a meteorite smack-dab in the middle of it. Todd describes it as a pulpy story, and I gotta agree.

All in all, Todd balances the pulp, the feels, and the cosmic madness perfectly, leaving you at once very emotional, a little off, and just fully satisfied from such a great reading experience.

Be sure to follow the preorder link above to get yourself a copy of this amazing book. You’ll be supporting a small publisher, and you’ll get some extra goodies too, I believe.

For the YouTube folks:

Preorder directly from This Is Horror

I was on ‘Naked Attraction’

Michael David Wilson has established himself as a horror institution over the last decade and a half, and so naturally when there’s a new novel out with his name on it, it’s gonna be horror right? Nah. But don’t let that deter you, horror heads, because this is a dame fine read even if it’s lacking in vampires or werewolves.

DADDY’S BOY opens with a down on his luck thirty year old on line at the bank to get a loan to pay his landlord, as well as for his legal expenses for his recently lost custody battle over his cat. Things couldn’t get much worse for Wentworth. Until Norman comes into his life with promises of a windfall that nobody could refuse.

Only, it’s not that kind of story, and Norman isn’t much good at much. Especially cooking sausages.

Michael David Wilson weaves a story of clumsy heists, dangerous neighbors, poorly cooked food, and the worst of family ties. Does anybody come out of it better? You’ll have to read it to know. What I can tell you is that it’s a cheeky, fun read and you’ll have a good time with it even if you don’t know why Jeremy Corbyn is.

If you’re looking for a dark wit, absurd humor, and poignant thoughts about what life is all about, and what it means to be a father, this is your book.

For the YouTube folks:

Buy this book and support the podcast!

This guy walks into a bar…

Nick Kolakowski has been in the writing business for a long time, and his come up has been sort of split between horror and crime. He’s got impressive credentials in horror and crime anthologies and magazines, as well as his own published works.

The book of the hour, however, is solidly, fantastically a crime book. Detective, to be more specific. So I got to chat with Nick about the scene, working with Datura as a publisher, and of course, a former Hollywood fixer turned failed comedian, who decides to find redemption as a private dick. To mixed results.

Nick’s life experience as a Hollywood reporter adds delightful cynicism and a layer of grime to the depiction of celebrities in the book, and a plucked from the headlines plot line about remains found in barrels in drying up lakes pushes us north into California wine country where things get hot (because of wild fires) and heavy (because of murders.)

I thought this book was great, and I’m obsessed with the concept for another book in this little universe, so you all know what to do. Go buy a billion copies, leave reviews, and make this book a success so we get more in the future!

For those who like YouTube-ing:

Buy Jon’s Books!

Reunited after all these years

The last time I interviewed Jon Bassoff about a book, Barack Obama was president. Yeah.

Jon has had a rewarding career of great book releases since then, and when I saw the synopsis for THE MEMORY WARD, I knew I had to read it and get him back on a call to catch up.

This book is going to invite comps like crazy, to stuff like Stepford Wives, Truman Show, and other classic stories about manipulation, control, and the fallibility of our own memories. I even added Memento and The Number 23 to the list in this conversation. So naturally if those things interest you, you should immediately buy this book and tear through it.

But know that it’s a story that is its own beast, and doesn’t ape other stories or sit in a trope. It’s a deftly crafted timeline of suspicion, paranoia, deception, and the need to feel in control of our own lives. The setting feels very 1950s, but it’s also modern, giving it an eerily manufactured setting which starts you and keeps you on edge.

I thought it was delightful, and Jon didn’t just hand us a story, he gave us a puzzle to try to figure out, all the way to the last sentence. Just great stuff.

Coming up on the podcast

I have a lot of irons in fires and so here are some of the names you can look forward to seeing/hearing soon: Nick Kolakowski, Sam Rebelein, Michael David Wilson, Drew Huff, Tim Waggonner, and a lot more!

For those who prefer YouTube:

Get your copy of Death on the Swayback (hopefully)

Shop for Chris’ other books on my Bookshop page

Love At First Day of the Convention

I want to tell you a story about a boy and a boy. It all started one afternoon in the most romantic of locations, the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel. I was attending Authorcon 4, my first Authorcon. And there, across the sea of tables filled with horror books, was a dreamy man in a plaid shirt looking a little too much like Chuck Palahniuk or a “cool” teacher… Chris Panatier.

Anyway I had heard him on podcasts talking about his novel THE REDEMPTION OF MORGAN BRIGHT, and not only did the book sound awesome, he just sounded like a good dude. And I’m here to tell you he is. And if this little chapbook that we eventually got around to talking about after an hour or so of banter is any indicator, dude is a hell of a good writer too.

So I left St Louis with lots of feelings. Feeling sleepy, much poorer, and like there were some podcasts that needed to happen. Clay McLeod Chapman was on the list, Jonathan Janz was (and is) on the list, and Chris Panatier was most fucking certainly on the list.

But I have gone on long enough without acknowledging a few things about this episode that you absolutely must take into consideration.

* Dude watches birds like it’s his job.

* His job is actually practicing law.

* We have a mutual and significant hatred for nazis/fascists/these bully bitches in office, and we didn’t hesitate to talk about it FOR. A. WHILE.

Bob Pastorella once crowned me the King of Conversational Podcasting, and this is the most obvious of attempts to retain jealously grip that crown against my head (over the hat, natch).

I hope you enjoy this conversation, and when the situation presents itself, that you fill your fist with love - and let those Nazis have it.

For those of you who prefer watching the YouTubes (the Ted Stevenses of the world if you will):

Preorder Special Backstage Package from Truborn

Preorder the regular edition from Truborn

Punk is horror. Horror is punk.

Though there seems to be a particular empathy between punk music and horror, the concern could be, if you were to collect a bunch of horror stories themed to punk rock songs, wouldn’t they all just be the same thing - more or less?

Not when William Sterling and his band of scribes get together, because one of my favorite things about this anthology is how unique of an approach each author took to the assignment.

A particular standout is Liz Kerin’s story Down By the Water (inspired by the PJ Harvey song?) In which a girl rebels against her controlling parent - which seems pretty foundational punk - only the whole story seems set on some fairy tale seaside community with witches and sea monsters (maybe). Such a creative approach to the theme of the book!

There are fourteen more songs beside, and I’ll let you discover them on your own. Suffice to say, I really enjoyed the book, and loved to have William Sterling and Brian McAuley on to give some insight into the book’s inception through it’s upcoming release.

I’ll plug once more ordering from one of the above links directly from Truborn. In times like these, creative folk need all the direct support they can get. If you order the Backstage Package, I think you even get a backstage pass!

For the YouTuberly folks: