The Night Crew Podcast

In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with Andrew Najberg for a deep dive into horror writing, indie publishing, and the passion it takes to keep dark stories alive. Andrew talks about his journey from poetry and fiction to publishing novels like The Mobius Door, Gollitok, Extinction Dream, The Neverborn Thief, and Eat the Light, while also helping shape the horror landscape as co-owner and co-editor-in-chief of Wicked House Publishing. They dig into what makes a manuscript stand out, what small presses actually do behind the scenes, how authors can build discipline, and why horror remains one of the most powerful genres for atmosphere, fear, and emotional truth. The conversation also covers Aliens, xenomorphs, post-apocalyptic horror, publishing advice, short story collections, and the long game of becoming a better writer. This is a must-listen for fans of indie horror, author interviews, small press publishing, science fiction horror, monster stories, and behind-the-scenes conversations about how horror books get made.

Website: https://www.andrewnajberg.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.najberg/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewnajberg/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@andrew.najberg

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In part three of this chilling Succubus series on The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks explores the darkest turn in the legend’s history: the moment the succubus stopped being folklore and became part of the machinery of fear, theology, and execution. This episode dives into medieval demonology, the church’s obsession with incubi and succubi, the bizarre theology behind demon reproduction, and the horrifying role texts like the Malleus Maleficarum played in shaping the witch trials. Brad unpacks how beliefs about sleep paralysis, shame, sexuality, and demonic visitation were used to justify persecution, especially of women, and how the succubus became more than just a monster story. If you love dark history, occult horror, witch trial history, religious horror, demon lore, medieval folklore, and deep dives into the terrifying places where myth and real-world cruelty collide, this episode is for you.

Brad Ricks's Book Crypt:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bradricksbookcrypt

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In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar to talk about teaching horror writing, building a life as an author and scholar, and why horror gives writers the freedom to explore both the grotesque and the deeply human. They discuss Cassandra’s work as an English professor, her popular horror writing class, her love of Edgar Allan Poe, and the inspiration behind books like Darkness There, But Something More, Close the Door, Lake of Secrets, and Keeper of Corpses and Other Dark Tales. The conversation dives into dark academia, psychological horror, paranormal mysteries, short story writing, body horror scholarship, Frankenstein’s monster, and the importance of writing community, revision, and pushing past fear to actually get the words on the page. This is a must-listen for fans of horror fiction, author interviews, gothic literature, creative writing, indie horror authors, and behind-the-scenes conversations about the craft of writing dark stories.

LINKS: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cassandra.sachar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cosachar

Brad's Book Crypt: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bradricksbookcrypt

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In part two of this chilling Succubus series on The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks takes listeners on a terrifying global tour of the world’s most haunting night demons and succubus-like creatures. From Lamia and Empusa in ancient Greece to the Manananggal in the Philippines, the Pontianak in Southeast Asia, Yuki-onna in Japan, the Rusalka in Slavic folklore, and the Shtriga in Albanian legend, this episode explores the eerie pattern hiding in folklore across continents: the beautiful female spirit who appears at night, seduces, drains, or destroys. Why do so many cultures tell the same story? Is it fear, folklore, sleep paralysis, guilt, or something even older and darker? If you love monster lore, dark folklore, mythology, occult horror, supernatural legends, cryptids, and creepy deep dives into the monsters humanity can’t stop imagining, this episode is for you.

Join the Facebook Group: Brad Ricks's Book Crypt

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bradricksbookcrypt

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In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with Megan Stockton to talk about her writing journey, her love of horror fiction, and why she prefers to break the rules rather than follow them. They dive into Megan’s approach to self-publishing, writing in multiple dark genres, and creating stories that range from crime thrillers and atmospheric horror to extreme horror, splatterpunk, and dark romance. Megan talks about books like Lovely Dark and Deep, Bluejay, Pink Neon, and Impulse, shares her thoughts on writing for yourself first, and opens up about storytelling, chaos, confidence, and finding your voice as an indie author. The conversation also covers werewolves, vampires, monster metaphors, gaming, horror influences, and what it means to build a writing career on your own terms. If you love indie horror authors, dark fiction, extreme horror, crime thrillers, author interviews, and behind-the-scenes conversations about the writing life, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Social Links:

Website: https://meganstocktonbooks.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/meganstocktonauthor/

Instagram: @meganstocktonauthor

TikTok: @meganstocktonauthor

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The succubus has been turned into a Halloween costume, a video game boss, and a punchline — but the original version? She's older than vampires, older than werewolves, older than the word demon itself. Tonight, the Night Crew launches a brand-new series on the world's oldest night-predator, and we start where every good monster story starts: at the very beginning.

In Episode 1 of the Succubi series, Brad Ricks traces the figure of Lilith from her ancient Mesopotamian roots — the Lilitu, those wind-spirit demons carved into clay tablets four thousand years ago — through her transformation into the most famous demoness in Western folklore. We dig into the Alphabet of Ben Sira, the medieval text that gave us Lilith as Adam's defiant first wife. We meet her demon-daughters, the Lilim, and unpack the unsettling logic behind why ancient cultures believed they visited men in their sleep. And we ask the bigger question: why did Lilith survive? Why is she still recognizable today, when so many other ancient demons are forgotten?

This is a deep dive into the origins, the lore, the protective amulets that are still in use today, and the reasons folklore scholars consider Lilith the proto-succubus from which an entire global mythology eventually grew. Part 1 of 4.

Topics covered: the Mesopotamian Lilitu • the Burney Relief and the Queen of the Night • Lilith as Adam's first wife • the Alphabet of Ben Sira • the three angels Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangelof • protective amulets for newborns • the Lilim (Lilith's demon-daughters) • the four queens of demons in Kabbalistic tradition • why some traditions say Lilith hunts men who sleep face-up • the universal human fear of vulnerability during sleep.

Get signed copies of Brad's novels and merch at https://www.bradricks.com. Night Crew 3: Hunting Ground is coming. Follow Brad on Facebook or join his Facebook Group: Brad Ricks’s Book Crypt

and TikTok at BradRicksAuthor.

Subscribe, rate, and share to support the show.

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succubus, succubi, Lilith, Lilim, Lilitu, demonology, folklore podcast, horror podcast, night demons, Alphabet of Ben Sira, Adam and Lilith, Mesopotamian demons, Burney Relief, Queen of the Night, Jewish folklore, sleep paralysis, Brad Ricks, Night Crew Podcast, paranormal, occult, demon mythology, ancient demons, Kabbalah, four queens of demons, Samael, demon wife, biblical demons, horror author, supernatural folklore, female demons

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n this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with Danielle Muething, the narrator of The Night Crew 2, for a deep dive into the world of horror audiobook narration. They talk about how Danielle got started as a professional actor turned audiobook narrator, what it takes to voice a full cast of characters, how she builds fear and tension using only her voice, and what it’s like bringing monsters, succubi, hunters, and vampires to life in audio form. The conversation also explores voice acting, audiobook production, horror narration, character accents, disturbing scenes, favorite monsters, and Danielle’s own work as an author. If you love horror fiction, audiobooks, voice actors, indie horror, vampire stories, monster hunters, and behind-the-scenes conversations about how dark stories get made, this is a must-listen episode. It’s funny, insightful, and packed with creepy bookish goodness for horror fans and writers alike.

Danielle's Links:

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In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with S.E. Howard for a fun, insightful, and creepy conversation about her journey from paranormal romance to psychological horror, the craft of writing unsettling fiction, and her chilling latest novel, What Lies Unseen. They talk about haunted abilities, communicating with the dead, building dread, writing believable fear, surviving the messy middle of a manuscript, and why horror gives writers the freedom to break every rule. Sara also shares the inspiration behind The Vessel, her love of ghost stories, supernatural horror, psychological suspense, and even dives into terrifying cryptids like the Not Deer. If you love indie horror authors, author interviews, haunted house fiction, ghost novels, dark fiction, occult horror, and behind-the-scenes conversations about the writing life, this episode is packed with everything that makes horror fans hit play. Plus: spiders, swearing, creepy folklore, and enough laughs to make the darkness even more fun.

Links:

Website: https://www.sehoward.com/

Facebook and Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/sehoward.author/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/s-e-howard

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20459698.S_E_Howard

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What happens when hunger becomes something far worse than survival? In this chilling episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks dives deep into the terrifying legend of the Wendigo, one of the most haunting creatures in Native American and First Nations folklore. This episode explores the Algonquin origins of the Wendigo myth, its connection to winter, isolation, cannibalism, and the horrifying idea of endless, unsatisfied hunger. Brad also unpacks the lore surrounding Wendigo psychosis, the creature’s terrifying appearance, how it hunts, and what folklore says you’d have to do to survive an encounter. From dark folklore and cryptid legends to horror history, monster lore, and the Wendigo’s influence on books, movies, and horror games, this is a must-listen for fans of creepy legends, supernatural horror, mythological monsters, and true folklore deep dives. If you love stories about the things waiting in the woods, this episode is for you.

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In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with Ali Toothman to talk about her writing journey, her emotionally raw revenge horror novel Libby Lives, and how horror became both an escape and a form of healing. Ali opens up about starting with poetry and flash fiction, battling imposter syndrome, navigating the indie horror world, and why writing dark, violent, and psychologically intense stories can be deeply cathartic. They also dive into psychological horror, revenge horror, indie publishing, audiobooks, author life, and the growing excitement around ShiverCon. Plus, Ali talks favorite monsters, the Rougarou, dark romance, reading across genres, and the reality of building a career in the horror community. All great topics for fans of indie horror authors, women in horror, psychological thrillers, extreme horror, bookish podcasts, and behind-the-scenes conversations with rising voices in the genre.

Ali's links:

Website: https://alitoothmanauthor.bigcartel.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CYurFvP7o/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alis.booknook

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alitoothmanhorror

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@alis.booknook

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