Richard Spegal on Dark Fantasy, Mental Health, and the Battles Within

Author Richard Spegal returns to Notes From the Edge for a deeper conversation about the profoundly human truths hiding inside dark fantasy.

Richard creates supernatural worlds filled with danger, moral complexity, and characters who are anything but one-dimensional. Beneath the monsters, battles, curses, and impossible choices are people wrestling with grief, trauma, isolation, identity, loyalty, responsibility, and the war taking place inside their own minds.

Drawing from 21 years of service in the United States Army, including the 82nd Airborne Division and the Pennsylvania National Guard, Richard brings an uncommon understanding of discipline, leadership, sacrifice, survival, and the emotional cost of always being expected to remain strong.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why fantasy can reveal truths that realism sometimes cannot
• How invisible mental health struggles become visible through monsters, curses, and supernatural transformations
• The influence of military service on Richard’s portrayal of trauma and moral injury
• Why flawed, emotionally complicated characters feel more genuinely human
• What readers may be searching for when they enter darker fictional worlds
• Whether the parts of ourselves we fear most are truly monsters or simply wounded places asking to be understood

Richard is the author of the Wolves and Ravens trilogy and the Eternal Nights series, where paranormal danger collides with questions about humanity, survival, love, and the choices we make when there are no easy answers.

Explore Richard Spegal’s books and work:
https://richardspegal.com

Learn more about Lisa Lacy and Notes From the Edge:
https://www.lisalacy.com

Welcome to the Edge.