Talking Horror

Isabel Cañas is the USA Today bestselling, Bram Stoker Award nominated author of The Hacienda, Vampires of El Norte, and her YA gothic debut, The House of Gardenias. Isabel shares how an "air quotes too Mexican" rejection on her honeymoon in Mexico City led to The Hacienda, and how she defended her PhD in medieval Islamic history the day before it came out. She reveals the 1850s quote from Rio Gra...

Noelle Ihli is the international bestselling, Bram Stoker Award longlisted author of Ask for Andrea, Grey After Dark, and her latest thriller, The Last to Drown. Noelle breaks down how the real case of serial killer Israel Keyes shaped the stalker terrorizing a women's rafting retreat in The Last to Drown, and the true story of an Olympic athlete's abduction behind Grey After Dark. She talks about...

Leopoldo Gout is the acclaimed visual artist and author behind the horror novel Pinata, the Ghost Radio series, and out today, his stunning new novel, Rooted. Leopoldo breaks down the true, horrifying history behind Pinata, how Spanish conquistadors forced Aztec children to break piñatas containing their own gods. He talks about the real artifact repatriation lawsuits reclaiming stolen Mexican her...

Nick Roberts is the award winning, indie horror author behind the bestselling Exorcist's House trilogy, Mean Spirited, and his debut novel Anathema, and he's one of the most reliably terrifying voices working in horror today. He talks about being a hybrid author, splitting his work between Crystal Lake, Wicked House, his own imprint Spooky WV, and now Zando's new horror line Evil Twin. Nick breaks...

Rachel Harrison is the New York Times bestselling author of The Return, Such Sharp Teeth, and Play Nice, back this week with her brand new release, Kiss Slay Replay. She talks about subverting the classic final girl trope in her new wedding-weekend time loop novel, and why she pushes back on being boxed in as a "feminist horror" author. Rachel opens up about landing her literary agent through a Tw...

Caleb Stephens joins Talking Horror to talk The Girls in the Cabin, If You Lie, and You'll Never Know, and how he went from a decade as a corporate accountant to becoming the internet's self-proclaimed "dad thriller guy." Rachel Redd sits down with the award winning and Colorado Book Award finalist author for a wide-ranging conversation on writing thrillers with horror baked in, surviving traditio...

Adam Cesare joins Talking Horror to talk Lights, Camera, Frendo, the fourth book in his Clown in a Cornfield series, and how fifteen years of self-publishing, folded presses, and selling books out of the trunk of his car built the readership that eventually made him a Bram Stoker Award winner. Rachel Redd sits down with the USA Today bestselling author of Video Night, Mercy House, and Influencer f...

TJ Payne joins Talking Horror to talk Intercepts, the self-published thriller that just landed him a two-book deal with Crown at Penguin Random House, and the strange road that took him from Hollywood romantic comedy screenwriter to acclaimed horror novelist. Rachel Redd sits down with the author of In My Father's Basement, Intercepts, and The Venue, and a TV writer on Netflix's The Burrows and Li...

Keith Rosson joins Talking Horror to talk Coffin Moon, his gritty 1970s vampire western, and the wild road that took him from legally blind art school dropout to acclaimed horror novelist. Rachel Redd sits down with the author of Fever House, The Devil by Name, and Smoke City for a conversation about grief, addiction, found family, and the recklessness it takes to survive ten books in ten years. K...

In this episode, Rachel Redd sits down with Luke Dumas, the author of  A History of Fear ,  The Paleontologist , and  Nothing Tastes as Good  for a wide-ranging conversation on obsession, grief, identity, and writing horror that feels deeply human. Timestamps: 00:01 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Meeting Luke Dumas 02:40 – Reading Roots: A Storyteller Before He Was a Reader 03:29 – The Boy Wiza...

Chuck Tingle joins Talking Horror to talk Fabulous Bodies, the pink mask, and why love is the ultimate weapon against the cosmic void. In this episode, Rachel Redd sits down with the USA Today bestselling author of Camp Damascus, Bury Your Gays, and Lucky Day for a wide-ranging conversation on horror, empathy, and creating without fear. Chuck opens up about the surprising life-or-death story behin...

Join Rachel Redd as she chats with Brian McAuley, a USA Today bestselling author whose slasher novels blend cinematic tension, deep emotional trauma, and genuine heart. Brian shares his journey from screenwriter to novelist, his horror origin story, and how his years in Hollywood shaped the characters and settings in his books. Key Topics: Brian's horror origin story, from Goosebumps to Are You Af...

Join Rachel Redd as she chats with Megan Lally, a New York Times bestselling author whose books delve into dark human psychology, intense survival stories, and unexpected plot twists. Megan shares her journey from reluctant reader to thriller author, her creative process, and how personal experiences inspire her gripping narratives. Key Topics: * Megan’s unconventional start in writing after a fam...

In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with national bestselling author Christina Henry, writer of nearly 20 books spanning urban fantasy, dark fairy tale retellings, and modern horror, including Near the Bone , The House That Horror Built , and The Place Where They Buried Your Heart . Her upcoming novel Pinfeathers drops this November. Grab your copy of The Place Where They Buri...

In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten, known for the Wilderwood duology ( For the Wolf ,  For the Throne ), the Nightshade Crown trilogy ( The Foxglove King ), and her brand new adult horror debut,  Reliquary . Hannah opens up about how she started writing  For the Wolf  in the grip of postpartum depression, rewrote it from t...

In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with Nat Cassidy, USA Today bestselling author of Mary, When the Wolf Comes Home, and the brand-new short story collection I Know a Place, Rest Stop, and Other Dark Detours. Nat dives deep into how his background as a New York playwright and theater actor ultimately shaped his approach to pacing, dialogue, and creating deep, immersive tensio...

In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with CJ Leede, author of Maeve Fly , American Rapture , and the brand-new release Headlights . CJ dives deep into how her background writing dystopian stories in grad school ultimately pushed her to seek pure catharsis and freedom through horror fiction. We discuss her childhood love for unlimited reading and media, the process of writing an...

In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, author of The Mean Ones , Such Lovely Skin , and the upcoming dark fantasy What Feeds Below . Tatiana dives deep into how her background writing deeply personal essays about family trauma and living with her mother's ex-boyfriend ultimately pushed her to seek pure escapism through horror fiction. We discuss her ch...

In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with the brilliant Johanna Van Veen. Known for her haunting and intimate gothic novels My Darling, Dreadful Thing and Blood on Her Tongue , Johanna dives deep into how her historical fascinations and the unique dynamic of being a triplet have shaped her deeply unsettling stories. We discuss her childhood terror of reading the Dutch equivalen...

In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with the hilariously brilliant Neena Viel. Known for her critically acclaimed and terrifying debut Listen to Your Sister, Neena dives deep into how becoming the guardian of her teenage brother in her early 20s inspired her to craft a horror masterpiece about the realities of parentification and invisible caretaking. We discuss her childhood...

Ashley Winstead joins Rachel Redd on Talking Horror to explore how thriller and horror serve as a powerful mirror for the human condition, from the suffocating weight of hyper-competitiveness to the complex dynamics of control and submission. In this episode, Ashley and Rachel dive into: The Power of Words : How being a shy "Navy brat" moving every two years led Ashley to find companionship and an...

Diana Rodriguez Wallach (award-winning author of The Silenced , Small Town Monsters and Hatchet Girls ) joins Rachel Redd on Talking Horror to explore how horror serves as a powerful mirror for real-world fears, from the dangers of charismatic leaders to the dark side of the troubled teen industry. In this episode, Diana and Rachel dive into: The "Psychic" Origin Story: How a chance encounter with...

Kiersten White (New York Times bestselling author of Hide and Mister Magic ) joins Rachel Redd on Talking Horror to explore why horror is the ultimate tool for navigating religious trauma , from the "invisible" God of a high-control childhood to the cathartic power of a cursed children’s show. In this episode, Kiersten and Rachel dive into: Religious trauma and the "sucky foundation" of being rais...

Paulette Kennedy didn't finish a single manuscript until age 44. Her debut novel published at 46. Now Paulette Kennedy is one of gothic suspense's most talked-about voices, and this conversation is exactly why. In this episode, bestselling author Paulette Kennedy pulls back the curtain on her unexpected path to publication, the pandemic grocery run that sparked The Devil and Mrs. Davenport , and w...

Saratoga Schaefer (USA Today bestselling author of Serial Killer Support Group and TradWife) joins Rachel Redd on Talking Horror to explore why horror is the freest genre for the darkest truths, from the body horror of pregnancy to the real monster already on your phone screen. In this episode, Saratoga and Rachel dive into: Seven unpublished books and a decade of rejection before getting the "yes...