🔍 Episode Description:

On this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks sits down with author EM Otero—a writer who blends mecha sci-fi, cosmic horror, and blood-soaked folklore into unforgettable stories.

Eric takes us deep into:

They also geek out about vampires—from Lost Boys and The Passage to Empire of the Vampire, The Strain, and the evolution of vampire cinema from 80s leather-and-motorcycles to grimdark epics.

Eric’s key advice for aspiring authors: skip the MFA, skip the rigid outlines—just read widely and write bravely.

Bio:

EM Otero is a Puerto Rican author and lover of all things weird. When he isnt writing he is living the busy life of a husband and father. While working outside or hiking, he loves to take pictures of plants, insects, and anything else he finds interesting or strange. He loves showing his daughter and wife the curious things in nature.

His writing is inspired by our weird world, robot anime, horror stories, and science.

🔗 Connect with Eric M. Otero:

Whether you love cosmic mecha horror, evolutionary vampires, or the gothic quiet of old cemeteries, this conversation is packed with creative fuel and midnight chills.

🧛‍♂️ Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and check out The Night Crew novel series wherever you get your monster-hunting fiction. Stay creepy, friends.

keywords

Eric Otero, writing, horror, vampires, developmental editing, cultural influences, inspiration, cemetery, writing process, literary influences

Hashtags

#HorrorPodcast #MechaHorror #CosmicHorror #VampireLore #IndieAuthors #WritingProcess #BradRicks #EricMOtero #TheNightCrewPodcast #AuthorInterview

Welcome to The Night Crew Podcast, where shadows breathe and monsters listen. In this moon-drenched episode, host Brad Ricks takes you on a chilling hunt for one of horror’s oldest, hairiest legends: the werewolf.

From the first eerie howl to the silver bullet finale, discover:

🌕 Ancient Origins – King Lycaon’s curse in ancient Greece and Norse wolf-coat warriors who fought like beasts.

🏰 Dark Middle Ages – Gruesome true accounts like the Beast of Gévaudan and the bloody werewolf trials of Peter Stumpf.

🔬 Science & Myth – Rabies, rare disorders, and moonlit superstition that shaped clinical lycanthropy.

🎥 Pop Culture Evolution – From The Wolf Man (1941) to An American Werewolf in London, Teen Wolf, Underworld, and modern reinventions in gaming and streaming.

🐺 The Inner Beast – Why this creature still reflects our fear of losing control and our secret desire for wild freedom.

Packed with vivid storytelling—from a spine-tingling forest prologue to deep dives into history and film—this episode is part horror story, part cultural archaeology, and 100% nightmare fuel.

🔗 Stay connected:

Signed books & updates: BradRicks.com

Follow Brad on Facebook & TikTok: @BradRicksAuthor

Lock the door, load the silver bullets, and press play—because the hunt begins now.

#WerewolfHistory #MonsterMythology #HorrorPodcast #Lycanthropy #BradRicks #NightCrewPodcast #HorrorMovies #FullMoon

📖 Episode Description

In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad sits down with horror author Shannon Bradner to talk about her journey from childhood stories inspired by her grandmother to publishing dark, twisted tales on Godless and with Baynum Books Press.

Shannon opens up about:

Along the way, Brad and Shannon also swap stories about The Lost Boys, zombie flicks, Fright Night (original vs. remake), and why practical effects still matter in horror.

If you love indie horror, dark humor, and authors who keep the genre alive with grit and passion, this is one conversation you won’t want to miss.

Follow Shannon Bradner:

📚 Find Shannon’s work on Godless and through Baynam Books Press, and follow her on Instagram at @murder_shan_wrote.

#HorrorPodcast #Splatterpunk #IndieHorror #Vampires #AuthorInterview #TheNightCrew

keywords

writing, horror, self-publishing, Godless, inspiration, editing, literary influences, vampires, practical effects, upcoming projects

🔍 Episode Description:

In this fun and cryptid-filled episode of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks is joined by horror author Ross Killey for a wide-ranging conversation about writing, monsters, and that one time a tree started shaking in the Indiana woods.

Ross discusses his journey from outlining stories during security shifts to publishing werewolf horror comedies and zombie tales in Vietnam. You’ll hear all about his books—Full Moon Highway, Stuck to a Monster, and Nightmare Jungle—as well as the inspiration behind his wild and weird horror concepts.

The duo nerds out about Bigfoot (Ross’s favorite monster), horror movie recommendations (including the Blair Witch creator’s Sasquatch film Exists), the joys and pains of outlining, and the tragic sacrifices of Warhammer painting in exchange for writing time.

Stick around for Ross’s top cryptid book picks, including Dweller by Jeff Strand and The Mountain King by Rick Hautala—plus a hilarious story about the one time Ross might’ve almost met Bigfoot in the wild.

📚 Topics Covered:

Cryptid Book Recommendations:

Follow Ross Killey:

🧛‍♂️ Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and check out The Night Crew novel series wherever you get your monster-hunting fiction. Stay creepy, friends.

keywords

Ross Kelly, author, writing journey, horror fiction, cryptids, Sasquatch, Bigfoot, writing process, inspiration, horror comedy

#TheNightCrewPodcast #HorrorPodcast #AuthorInterview #RossKilley

📄 Episode Description:

In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks welcomes indie horror author Zach Ellenberger for a wide-ranging and hilarious conversation about writing, folklore, and how music and history collide with monsters.

Zach—author of Potato Kingdom and dozens of eerie short stories—shares how his love of history, horror, and punk music shaped his storytelling voice. The two talk about cryptids, creepy facts from history, Slavic and Native American folklore, and why the Wendigo tops Zach’s list of terrifying monsters. Plus, he reveals his process for mixing fact with fiction to ground his horror stories in real-world dread.

You’ll also hear about his comedy storytelling podcast Party Bonus, which combines improv, sketch writing, and mad-lib chaos to hilarious effect. And yes, they absolutely talk about bad signatures, the dancing plague of 1518, and what it’s like being part of the indie horror world.

📚 Topics Covered:

🎧 Also Mentioned:

👹 Favorite Monster: The Wendigo

🔗 Where to Find Zach:

🧛 Don’t Forget:

If you enjoyed the show, follow, rate, and review The Night Crew Podcast. And check out Zach’s work—especially if you love horror that digs its claws into real-world history.

keywords

writing, author, historical fiction, horror, indie authors, storytelling, folklore, collaboration, creative process, literary influences

#TheNightCrewPodcast #HorrorPodcast #AuthorInterview #ZechEllenberger

In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, horror author and host Brad Ricks takes listeners on a cinematic coffin crawl through the history of vampires on the silver screen.

🎥 Silent beginnings: Nosferatu (1922) — Count Orlok’s plague-ridden nightmare and Bram Stoker’s widow’s lawsuit.

🦇 Universal era: Bela Lugosi’s Dracula (1931) — the cape, the accent, and the birth of the sexy vampire.

💉 Hammer Horror: Christopher Lee’s blood-soaked Dracula, cleavage, and technicolor gore.

🎶 1970s experimentation: Blackula, lesbian vampires, and disco-era bloodsuckers.

🎸 1980s cool factor: The Lost Boys, Fright Night, and Near Dark.

🕯️ 1990s Gothic revival: Coppola’s Dracula, Interview with the Vampire, and From Dusk Till Dawn.

🗡️ Action-horror hybrids: Wesley Snipes in Blade and the Underworld saga.

📺 TV fangs: Buffy, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries.

✨ Twilight & beyond: Sparkly abstinent vampires vs. HBO’s blood-soaked camp.

🎭 Modern reboots: Eggers’ Nosferatu, Renfield, Abigail, and the vampire “renaissance.”

Vampires in film reflect our fears, desires, rebellion, and immortality fantasies. From rat-faced nightmares to romantic heroes, they never truly die — they just reinvent themselves.

📚 Grab signed copies of Brad’s books → BradRicks.com

Episode Description:

Brad opens up about:

Courtney and Brad also geek out over classic horror novels, favorite vampire movies (yes, The Lost Boys wins), and Brad reveals the secret sauce behind his writing routine. And yes, bourbon is involved.

🎂 It’s a birthday celebration, horror fan confession, and behind-the-scenes author chat all rolled into one bloody good episode.

🔍 Show Notes:

New Orleans: jazz, gumbo… and vampires?

In Episode 6 of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks takes you deep into the mist-shrouded alleyways and blood-soaked lore of one of America’s most haunted cities—New Orleans. From the eerie legend of the Casket Girls to the mysterious, possibly immortal Jacques Saint Germain, and even a modern-day vampire subculture, this episode explores why the Big Easy is the unofficial vampire capital of the United States.

We’ll visit real-world locations steeped in shadow, unravel centuries-old legends, and pay homage to Anne Rice, the queen of modern vampire fiction. Whether you believe or not, by the end of this episode, you’ll think twice before knocking on the attic shutters of the Ursuline Convent.

So grab your garlic, your beignets, and maybe a blessed crucifix—this one's gonna be bloody good.

In this episode:

🦇 Why New Orleans Is Perfect for Vampires

🧳 The Casket Girls

🧛‍♂️ Jacques Saint Germain

🏚 The Carter Brothers

🩸 Modern Vampire Subculture

📖 Anne Rice’s Undying Legacy

🗺️ Spooky Spots to Visit in NOLA

Ursuline Convent

Bourbon Orleans Hotel

Boutique du Vampyre

Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar

📚 Brad Ricks Novels

📱 Follow Brad on Socials

📖 Coming Soon: The Night Crew 2: Bloodlust — Set in New Orleans and releasing this November!

“New Orleans doesn’t just have vampire stories. It is a vampire story.”

If you loved this eerie, funny, and fang-filled episode, make sure to follow, review, and share The Night Crew Podcast. Whether you’re Team Lestat, Team Louis, or just in it for the po’boys, there’s always a seat at the vampire’s table in New Orleans.

📄 Episode Description:

n this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks sits down with horror author and screenwriter BD Prince, whose darkly twisted imagination takes center stage. From writing humorous greeting cards and jokes for Joan Rivers to creating gut-wrenching horror fiction, BD Prince shares his unique journey from comedy to the macabre.

We dive deep into his creative process, his award-winning screenplay Boondocks, and how he juggles a day job with his passion for storytelling. BD opens up about the careful balance between scares and laughs, the haunting inspiration behind his stories, and what makes clowns the most terrifying monster of all (yes, he even drops the actual name for the fear of clowns!).

If you’re a fan of psychological horror, creepy circus lore, or just want to hear how a worm farm can scar a child for life and become a great horror story, this one’s for you.

Oh—and his short story collection drops in September, so don’t miss that teaser.

🔎 What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

🧛‍♂️ Favorite Horror Creature:

BD names clowns as his current top monster—and explains why they’re way creepier than you think.

🎪 Special Mentions:

🔗 Connect with BD Prince:

📚 Support the Show:

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, share it with your horror-loving friends, and follow The Night Crew Podcast wherever you listen!

Find host Brad Ricks and his books at BradRicks.com or follow on Facebook and TikTok: @BradRicksAuthor

Keywords

writing, horror, comedy, inspiration, storytelling, screenwriting, novels, time management, creativity, monsters

#clownbprince #TheNightCrewPodcast #HorrorPodcast #AuthorInterview

Think you know how to kill a vampire? Think again.

In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks goes full Van Helsing, guiding you through the wild, weird, and often hilarious ways vampires are destroyed around the world.

From Romania’s classic stake-through-the-heart to the Philippines’ terrifying Manananggal-slaying tactics, we tour vampire-killing lore across 27 countries (and one very smart Transylvanian grandma). We’re talking garlic, rice, mirrors, sacred mantras, flying heads, vampire snakes, fireflies, and chicken blood. It’s practical. It’s gruesome. It’s global.

Whether you’re a folklore buff, horror lover, or prepping for your next supernatural encounter, this episode has the tools you need to stay undead-free.

🧛‍♀️ Because you never know when a vampire will knock once at your door…

In this episode:

🧄 Vampire-Slaying 101:

🌍 International Methods of Vampicide:

Europe: Romania’s Strigoi, Bulgaria’s iron stakes, Greece’s door-knocking undead

Asia: Hopping vampires (China), fetus hunters (Philippines), flying heads (Japan & Malaysia)

Africa: Tree-dwelling Asanbosam, bloodsucking fireflies, and noble nail-biting vampires

Americas: Aztec witch-vamps, Caribbean fireballs, Brazilian were-vamps, and more

Arctic Vampires?! Yes. Soul-stealing fog monsters in Inuit myths

🎬 Pop Culture Vampires:

🧳 Your Ultimate Vampire Survival Kit:

🔮 Why So Many Cultures Have Vampire Myths:

Never answer a knock on the first try

Keep rice and salt nearby

Don't sleep near a window in the Philippines

Question fireflies and grandmas

If you hear wings at night, grab the garlic and start praying

✍️ Books by Brad Ricks

📱 Follow Brad Ricks

If you laughed, squirmed, or learned something new about fireball vampires and rice-obsessed spirits, be sure to follow, rate, and share the show. The Night Crew is always watching… and maybe counting grains of rice.

keywords

vampires, vampire slaying, folklore, horror, mythology, cultural significance, vampire legends, vampire survival, pop culture, vampire myths