Send us a Text Message.Why is Adam Nevill so scary?  I don’t know. Do you? He’s a nice guy – as you’ll hear in this episode. Yet he tells stories that crawl under your skin and stay there. Stories that squat in your subconscious. His latest novel, All the Fiends of Hell is no exception. Same elusive nightmare mystery, but expanded to a whole epic end-of-the-world canvas. And when Adam says end of the world, he means it. In this conversation we talk about apocalyptic fantasy, about angels and demons, about the sea and its endless hope, and about his own unique style when it comes to fear and monsters.  Oh… and about a certain prog-rock masterpiece that plays a big part in this story and in each of our childhoods. Enjoy.The War of the Worlds (1898), by H.G. WellsThe Road (2006), by Cormac McCarthyNuclear War: A Scenario (2024), by Annie JacobsenApartment 16 (2010), by Adam NevillLast Days (2012), by Adam NevillBanquet for the Damned (2004), by Adam NevillInvasion: The Inside Story of Russia’s Bloody War and Ukraine’s Fight for Survival (2022), by Luke HardingThe Turn of The Screw (1898), by Henry JamesThe Exorcist (1971), by William Peter Blatty Here is the link for Adam’s story - “Where Angels Come In” at Nightmare Magazine And the link to the Shadows at the Door Kickstarter for EARWORM Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.Part One was epic. Part Two is just as good. In that way, it’s much better than the adaptation of IT! In the second part of this celebration of King short stories, a whole other roster of Constant Readers come along to talk about their favourites. We have writers for all ages, a fellow podcaster and a filmmaker with important updates.  All of them united by one thing – their love of these little twisted word-worlds that Stephen King has given us over the years.  This was a blast, but god I’m glad it’s finally done. Enjoy! Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.What’s your favourite Stephen King story? Everyone has one. Hot off the back of the recent interview with the man himself, it seemed a neat idea to get a few friends on the show to talk about their own preferences from King’s huge back-catalogue of short fiction. I am the architect of my own doom! What was supposed to be a small side project grew, like Grey Matter, or unnatural mist, into FOUR HOURS of top-notch King chat, with some of the best and brightest constant readers. I’m not telling you who they are… why spoil the surprise. But in this first of a double-bill you can hear old and new friends of Talking Scared talk about the King short that lights their fire, freezes their marrow, or breaks their heart. It’s a whole lot…and it’s only half. Enjoy! Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.Stephen King is back! What other intro do you need? Okay, fine. He talks to me about the stories behind the stories in his new collection, You Like it Darker. I had the audacity to ask him “where he got some of his ideas.”  He also updates us on the potential of a third Jack Sawyer book, to follow The Talisman and Black House. He hints at what’s next from him, and Holly Gibney. He gives a perspective on his view from the top of the horror pyramid, and I finally get to ask him about a beloved-yet-underappreciated novel. Is that enough for you, or do I need go on? Thought not… Thanks for listening – and enjoy. Other books mentioned:Waiting for Winter (1966), by John O’ HaraHorror Movie (2024), by Paul TremblayA Head Full of Ghosts (2015), by Paul TremblaySurvivor Song (2020), by Paul TremblayFever House (2023), by Keith RossonNestlings (2023), by Nat CassidyCome With Me (2021), by Ronald MalfiAmerican Rapture (2024), by C.J. Leede Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.200 episodes! Madness. Who knew there could be so much to say about horror?  I knew. You knew. And here we are. It turns out that the real cursed treasure was the friends we made along the way – and how better to celebrate the bicentennial, than by inviting some of the Talking Scared nearest and dearest, to tell us their scariest story? I called, they answered – with tales of voyeuristic ghosts, horrifying roadside encounters, disappearing witches, whispering demons, damaged eyeballs, lost children and ….Richard Simmons!! Enjoy this. You deserve it. Thank you so very much for your ear, your attention and your support over these last four years. Onward.  Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.My unpaid cohost returns. Josh Malerman ladies and gentlemen. Josh has been on the show many times before, but never have I been so excited to speak to him. His latest novel, Incidents Around the House is about as good a horror book as I’ve ever covered on this show… or possibly read in my life. It’s the story of a young girl, her family, and the entity pursuing them, but – as you’ll hear – it goes a whole lot deeper (and unforgivingly darker) than that. Josh tells us about the unique process of writing this book. We discuss the challenges of child narrators. I beg insight into the demons and half-glimpsed horrors of his story… and I assault him with odd comparisons. It’s all very freewheeling and fun. As the 199th episode should be, before we tip over the edge into a whole new century. Enjoy – and read this damn book! Other books mentioned: The House of Last Resort (2024), Christopher GoldenCoraline (2002), by Neil GaimanThe Exorcist (1971), by William Peter BlattyGood Night Sleep Tight (2024), by Brian EvensonNightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), by Stephen KingFrom a Buick 8 (2002), by Stephen King11/22/63 (2011), by Stephen King Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.In the second Off Book episode we get out of our armchairs and go on a real adventure. Well, not really – but we talk to two people who do. Danielle and Cassie are the hosts of National Park After Dark – a podcast catering to the “morbid outdoor enthusiast.” They have skyrocketed to success, with well-researches stories of murder, maulings and mad incidents out in the world’s national parks.  I’ve listened for years now and I’m delighted to finally get the chance to ask them all the questions… what is their favourite flavour of outdoor macabre? Is there a particular unsolved mystery that burns a hole in their brain? What’s the scariest thing they’ve encountered out there… and should we reintroduce wolves to the UK? (Yes!) You don’t need to like the outdoors to enjoy this episode. Danielle and Cassie do the hard work for us.  Just enjoy! Books mentioned: Wolfish: Wolf, Self and the Stories we Tell About Fear, Ferocity and Freedom (2023), by Erica BerryA Bolt From the Blue: The Epic True Story of Danger, Daring ad Heroism at 15,000 Feet (2012), by Jennifer WoodliefThe Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), by Stephen KingWhere the Dead Wait (2023), by Ally WilkesFire in the Sky: The Walton Experience (1997), by Travis Walton Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.Paul Tremblay returns to Talking Scared on a long orbit, like that fabled Planet X that’s going to kill us all.  He’s back after two years for another discussion of horror aesthetics, introspective terrors and mixed-media nightmares – this time in Horror Movie, his meta-take on cursed cinema and lethal creativity.  Horror Movie is about young filmmakers and the shoot that marks them all, even unto death. It’s also about the making of art, the machinery of fear and the cynicism of Hollywood. But beneath all that self-reflexive interrogation, it’s also just a damn creepy story. And Paul talks to me about all of it. Note – there is jet lag aplenty in this episode. An arms race of confusion and forgetfulness. It makes for a good time. Bear with us. Enjoy Other books mentioned:The Pallbearer’s Club (2022), by Paul TremblayA Head Full of Ghosts (2015), by Paul Tremblay“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (1966), by Joyce Carol OatesGreasy Lake and Other Stories (1985), by T. C. BoyleThe Stand (1978/1990), by Stephen KingA Better World (2024), by Sarah LanganCurdle Creek (2024), by Yvonne Battle-Felton Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.Elle Nash’s Deliver Me ruined my week. In the best possible way. This book, about a woman so desperate for a child that she does truly terrible, no-good things, contains some of the bleakest, most brutal scenes I’ve read in a while. And it’s not even really being treated as a horror novel.  Elle and I talk about that. We also talk about the hot-button topics of the novel, the patriarchy, the toxic Christianity, the… insect erotica! But we also discuss her wandering heart and the empathy and provocation that drives her work. It’s a lovely, laid back conversation about a challenging book. Enjoy Other books mentioned: Geek Love (1989), by Katherine DunnViolent Faculties (2024), by Charlene ElsbyFrisk (1991), by Dennis Cooper Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.Todd Keisling can write the hell out of a short story. So well, in fact, that they may convince you to resist a bully, stop going to church, or tell your boss to f**k off!  Cold, Black and Infinite is full of liminal tales of the between-places. Cosmic “Otherness” that defies religion or belief. Corporate soul-hells that take everything you have…and more. Weird then, that they are so fun. Todd and I talk about all of that connective tissue between his stories. Plus, we map The Southland, this “pocket cosmos” of weird Appalachia that is destined to be the stage for the next era in his career. It’s a blast. And this conversation is the anti-corporate, anti-fundamentalism, anti-bully screed you’ve been waiting for. Enjoy. Cold, Black and Infinite was released September 2023, By Cemetery Dance  Other books mentioned:Ugly Little Things: Collected Horrors (2017), by Todd KeislingThe Final Reconciliation (2018), by Todd KeislingDevil’s Creek (20200, by Todd KeislingIn the Lake of the Woods (1994), by Tim O’BrienThe Raw Shark Texts (2007), by Steven Hall‘Salem’s Lot (1975), by Stephen KingThe Bad Book (2021), ed. by John D. Taff (contains “Gethsemane”)The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters (2002), by Chip KiddThe Ceremonies (1984), by T. E. D. Klein Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.Something new for me this week. A bold venture into uncharted territory.  The graphic novel!! As is proper, I’ve started with one of the best. Emil Ferris joins me to talk through the creation of her landmark epic, My Favourite Thing is Monsters. Volume 1 came out in 2017 to rapturous acclaim, and now, Volume 2 picks up exactly where that story of cute werewolves and cherished monsters let off. This is an EVENT!! Emil talks me through this alternative form of storytelling. She tells me about the laborious process behind the books, and how it saved her life (literally). Most of all though, we talk creativity, and how art and monsters are the things that will preserve humanity. Enjoy. My Favourite Thing is Monsters is released May 28thth from Fantagraphics  Other books mentioned: Maus (1986), by Art SpiegelmanThe Talisman (1984), by Stephen King and Peter StraubThe Shape of Water (2018), by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel KrausWhalefall (2023), by Daniel Kraus Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.Believe it or not, there is more to life than just books. Very little, granted… but there is more. Talking Scared: Off Book is a chance for this show to spread its wings a little. To fly further, wider, deeper into the world of horror and come back carrying different kinds of guests in our bloody beak!  (ok, I may have stretched that metaphor too far). Basically, I’ll be talking, now and then, to other kinds of horror creatives. Filmmakers, actors, musicians, podcasters, designers, comic book artists, whoever the hell takes my fancy. I hope you’ll enjoy it.  This first episode features Phil Nobile Jr. Editor-in-Chief of Fangoria, and a man with his finger on the bloody pulse of the genre. We talk about films, journalism, how to market horror and, yes, of course, a few books. This is a good episode for the hopeful journalist. Enjoy! Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.We return to Australia for the second time in a month, to find that (once again), home invasion isn’t the worst thing to happen on a typical day. Alan Baxter’s Blood Covenant is a violent, thrilling story of a threeway battle between an innocent family, a nasty criminal gang of bogans (see, I’m learning!) and an otherworldly force that is even worse! Think, what if The Strangers took place in the Overlook Hotel. It’s a hugely enjoyable book that prompts a conversation about the influence of 70s and 80s paperback classics, the overlap of horror and crime in Australian fiction, some extreme horror movies and a whole long celebration of unpretentious storytelling. Enjoy! Blood Covenant is released May 24th from Cemetary Dance  Other books mentioned: The Gulp (2021), by Alan BaxterHidden City (2018), by Alan Baxter The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia’s Founding (1986), by Robert Hughes“Devil” by Glen Hirshberg, in Screams From the Dark: 29 Tales of Monsters and the Monstrous (2022), edited by Ellen DatlowThe Fog (1975), by James HerbertThe Hunted (2021), by Gabriel BergmoserTerra Nullius (2017), by Claire G. ColemanDirty Heads (2021), by Aaron Dries Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.A charming man approaches. With dark secrets to tell you. Yeah, that L.P. Hernandez. Author of the novella In the Valley of the Headless Men and the forthcoming collection, No Gods, Only Chaos. Both are great; both are entirely different. One of them will expand your horizons. One of them will shrink you in horror.  I’ll let you find out which.  We talk about both books in this episode, digging into the real historical mystery behind the novella (it’s fascinating) and the craft and commitment that went into the collection. How to write emotion and character concisely, using action within metaphor, the presence (or lack of) military vets in horror, and when, exactly, LP knew he was becoming a better writer. If you are starting out as a storyteller, I think you’ll find this episode enlightening and inspirational. I did. Kudos to L.P. for that! Enjoy! In the Valley of the Headless Men  was published on January 29th by Cemetery GamesNo Gods, Only Chaos is published on June 4th, by DarkLit Press Other books mentioned: Stargazers (2022), by L.P. HernandezThe Militia House (2023), by John MilasMr Shivers (2010), by Robert Jackson BennettBound Feet (2022), by Kelsea Yu Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.Opinions are like assholes, they say. Everybody has one. The subtext of that, is that you shouldn’t show them to people. Well my guest and I don’t hold back on ours this week. Robert Ottone joins me for a conversation about his debut novel for adults, The Vile Thing We Created, which is almost exactly one year old.  I loved it, which is more than either of us can say for the one-year old little boy that it is about. This novel skewers the impulse to procreation – presenting a horror story of parenthood that will make the child-free sweat and the happily en-familied nod sagely (though hopefully your child isn’t a cosmic-horror menace. Robert and I wade into the controversy over not having children? We ask, how people summoj the courage to do it in such a frightening world, and we also hold forth on other topics, such as why most colleagues are boring and some ill-advised movie opinions. I blame Robert, I’m usually so shy and retiring. Seriously though, this is a great conversation. More disorganised and discursive than usual. Though for once, that is no bad thing. Enjoy! The Vile Thing We Created was published on April 18th 2023, by Hydra. Other books mentioned: The Triangle (2022), by Robert OttoneLess Than Zero (1985), by Bret Easton EllisLunar Park (2005), by Bret Easton EllisImperial Bedrooms (2010), by Bret Easton EllisSefira and Other Betrayals (2019), by John LanganWatchmen (1987), by Alan Moore and Dave GibbonsFilthy Creation (2023), by Caroline Hagood Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.Ah the madhouse. The loony bin. The ASYLUM!! A classic horror location. One of my favourites, but problematic as hell in the wrong hands.Thankfully, I have the right author for the topic. Christ Panatier has the talent and the sensitivity to ensure that his novel, The Redemption of Morgan Bright can engage with the tropes without perpetuating them. He brings something as old-as-time but very new to asylum horror, and the results are dizzying, terrifying, awful. We talk about the perils of research for an empathetic horror writer, we discuss some hideous medical practices from the past, and we look hard at the desecration of rights that we all grew up assuming were here to stay. Plus, the way to make friends in the horror community...Enjoy! The Redemption of Morgan Bright was published on April 23rd by Angry Robot Books Other books mentioned: The Phlebotomist (2020), by Chris PanatierStringer (2022), by Chris PanatierAnnihilation (2014), by Jeff VanderMeerThe Haunting of Hill House (1959), by Shirley JacksonNever Let Me Go (2005), by Kazuo IshiguroMad Wives: Schizophrenic Women in the 1950s (1988), by Carol A. B. WarrenFull Immersion (2022), by Gemma AmorThe Grip of It (2017), by Jac JemcThe House at the End of Lacelean Street (2024), by Catherine McCarthyThe Spite House (2023), by Johnny ComptonThe Day of the Door (2024), by Laurel Hightower Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.We all love a good spooky house. And most of us enjoy a terrifying home-invasion ordeal (or at least, I know I do). What happens when you put them together? Kaaron Warren’s The Underhistory is the answer, but it’s nothing at all like what you’d expect. This new novel by the award-winning Australian writer is a story of memory, of rooms and architecture, of violence and misogyny, and of a very unusual old lady. We talk about all of that and more. It’s a great conversation, one in which we go hunting for the secrets of her book together. Enjoy! The Underhistory was published on April 11th by Viper Other books mentioned: Slights (2009), by Kaaron WarrenThe Grief Hole (2016), by Kaaron WarrenAny Human Heart (2002), by William BoydThe Measure of Sorrow (2023), by J. Ashley-Smith Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.I bite off a lot this week, in a five-way conversation with editors and contributors to the ever-so-of-the-moment anthology The Black Girl Survives in This One. That’s a promise right there on the title page, but as you will find out, survival is not always the same thing as living happily ever after.  Saraciea J. Fennell, Desiree S. Evans, Monica Brashears & Eden Royce talk to me about the vision (and necessity) of the project and where their stories came from? We discuss the role of urban and family legend, authentic dialogue, writing for younger readers and how horror’s treatment of Black writers and characters has changed.  Enjoy! The Black Girl Survives in This One was published on April 2nd by Flatiron Books Other books mentioned:Beloved (1987), by Toni Morrison60 Black Women in Horror Fiction (2014), by Sumiko SaulsonOf One Blood (1903), by Pauline HopkinsOut There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror (2023), ed, by Jordan Peele and John Joseph AdamsThe Vampire Huntress Legends Series (2003-2009), by L.A. Banks Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.I’m in literary hero territory again … at least this time it’s sunny! My guest is Scarlett Thomas, the groundbreaking writer of PopCo, Oligarchy, The Seed Collectors and the (post)modern speculative classic, The End of Mr Y. She’s one of my favourite writers, who has never seen five or six separate genres she can’t mash together. This time around we are talking “Hot Gothic” in The Sleepwalkers, a darkly playful tale of a vacation–and a marriage–gone horribly wrong.  We cover accidentally arriving at a structure, the many ways to build characters from scratch, the dark consequences of sex and desire taken too far – and we agree on how hotels are just inherently creepy. Great book. Great guest.  Enjoy! The Sleepwalkers was published on April 9th by Simon and Schuster Other books mentioned: The End of Mr Y (2006), by Scarlett ThomasThe Seed Collectors (2015), by Scarlett ThomasOligarchy (2019), by Scarlett ThomasOpen: An Autobiography (2009), by Andre AgassiThe Woman in White (1860), by Wilkie CollinsThe Moonstone (1868), by Wilkie CollinsGone Girl (2012), by Gillian FlynnThe Talented Mr Ripley (1955), by Patricia HighsmithHangsaman (1951), by Shirley Jackson Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.

Send us a Text Message.Carrie White turns 50 years old today! April 5th, 1974 – the day King’s debut came out, and the world of horror we know live in changed forever.  To celebrate such an auspicious anniversary, there are only two people I could invite to this party. Step up Nat Cassidy and Ally Malinenko – writers who understand King and that bitter, brutal world between childhood and adulthood. We talk about empathy and monsters, about the horror of high school, the abject and the menstruation taboo and about how we are all living in Margaret White’s America now… Raise a glass to the prom queen of horror. She can light her own candles. Enjoy! Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the Show.