Dead Languages

We have a special episode today for Halloween! In this episode, the goblins talk about their love of Halloween, how it inspires them, and read two special stories for you, spooky co-eds.

This week, the goblins kick back and talk about zombies. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're a formidable force in pop culture. Sources https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/history-of-zombies https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/13/250844800/zoinks-tracing-the-history-of-zombie-from-haiti-to-the-cdc https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/books/review/the-state-of-zombie-literature-...

PLM and Carson invite Matt Blairstone, owner and founder of Tenebrous Press (and artist as well) to cover an important aspect of publishing that they haven't covered yet but intend to cover with enthusiasm while making sure to cover all the things that need covering with regards to it. That's right! COVERS Sources https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/book-cover-design-basics https://www.bbc.co...

Carson and PLM are feeling blocked and fiber ain't gonna cut it. On this week's episode, the goblins deep-dive a most heinous horror of horror writing: writer's block. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writer%27s_block https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/student-life/7-ways-overcome-writers-block/ https://www.wordrake.com/blog/overcome-writers-block https://www.writingroutines.com/wr...

PLM and Carson blurb all over this episode about blurbs. How do you ask for a blurb? Who blurbs who? Are blurbs actually useless marketing tools? Are they a torment on both blurber and blurbee? We know one thing for sure: blurb. Sources: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a44948120/book-publishing-broken-blurbs-system/ https://independentbookreview.com/2022/07/19/book-blurbs-and-how-to-ge...

Patrick Barb's new short story collection PRE-APPROVED FOR HAUNTING is out soon from Turner/Keylight Books, so we picked his brain about all things short story collections! How do you pitch them? How many stories did you choose though? How do you choose the order? How big is your dick???? All that and more from the Dead Languages Podcast.

The goblins cobble together a chill AF episode on titling. Do we care about titles? How many titles have we titled? Listen in to find out!

You asked, we listened! On this episode of the Dead Languages Podcast, we talk about how get our ideas!

We're best buds with the Gravely Serious Podcast and decided to bring them on, bully them, and talk a little about Book to Film Adaptations in this long AF, nearly 2 hour episode! Sit down with PLM, Carson, Michael Terror, and Curtis Ghoul—where no topic is off topic! Sources https://pendingfilms.com/ https://gravelyserious.buzzsprout.com/

FINALLY! We delve into Carson's absolute favorite subgenre—weird horror! Put on your funky glasses and dive into the unknowable with your faithful stewards of strange! Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weird_fiction http://tenebrouspress.com/what-is-new-weird-horror https://www.lucysnyder.com/index.php/whats-weird-fiction/ https://www.masterclass.com/articles/weird-fiction https://www.even...

Everyone is talking about AI these days, but what does it mean for writers? Also, should AI writers even be considered writers? Listen and find out all the ways we can say "absolutely not!" Sources https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-ai-writing-how-does-it-work/ https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/11/08/ai-writing-is-here-and-its-worryingly-good-can-writers-and-academia-adapt https://www.re...

This week we're joined by James from the JustJames Horror Review podcast and we ask him all sorts of crazy questions about what indie horror is like from a reader's perspective, how he got into the podcasting game, and what's it being a reviewer! Find the Just James Horror Review Podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Bd9x2R7x7Bhoo3pq1KB2w?si=9d0cc77b04b94207 Instagram: https://w...

You are a spooky co-ed. Under the light of the full moon, you enter the old house on 4/5 lane, listening to the floorboards creek with your footsteps. As soon as you enter, you see PLM and Carson, and they ask, "Why is this in second person?" ... Learn all about narrative perspective (first, second, and third) this week with the Dead Languages crew! Sources: https://www.masterclass.com/a...

Danger Slater (HOUSE OF ROT) joins the goblins to talk about a mysterious, wild, wacky subgenre of horror called Bizarro. What is Bizarro? How does a new Bizarro writer break out into the scene? AND LOTS AND LOTS OF DIRTY TALK, THIS TIME ON THE DEAD LANGUAGES PODCAST! Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bizarro_fiction https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1KX1VPN?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_FV92TQAZKX52QNYZZ...

No good, rotten, unlikable characters are a hallmark of the horror genre... but how do you write them? PLM and Carson get into the nitty-gritty and talk about the baddies of the horror genre. Sources https://www.norwoodlibrary.org/the-horror-of-difficult-women/ https://juliaamante.medium.com/how-to-write-unlikable-characters-21f4518cfedf https://www.writersdigest.com/there-are-no-rules/writing-the...

Submission calls are a big part of the writing grind. PLM and Carson talk about how they write for submission calls, where they find them, and whether they're actually the worst thing in the world or not. Sources: https://thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com/ https://horrortree.com/

Twitter has been alight with people weighing in on the subgenre "cozy horror." PLM and Carson join the fray so that everyone else can rest easy. Sources: https://booksinthefreezer.podbean.com/ https://www.themarysue.com/instead-of-arguing-about-this-horror-genre-why-not-curl-up-and-enjoy-it/ https://swanriverpress.ie/2021/04/that-didnt-scare-me-thoughts-on-horror-fiction/ https://collide...

A little chill episode for our spooky co-eds as PLM and Carson compare their top five books of 2023 so far! Come chill with us and see how our lists compare!

Carson and PLM get down and dirty, chatting all thing editing and revision. From self-revision to professional feedback, from beta readers to editing as you go. The goblins cover it all. Sources https://youtu.be/WEFC5Oz_Dco https://youtu.be/_190lk7nP0E https://youtu.be/CP-G7SPXg6A https://youtu.be/6xS8LykRUj0 https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/les-petites-morts-live-reading-event-tickets-629580601527?aff...

The gang talks about that weird space between a short story and a novel—the novelette. What secrets does it hold? Do we even know what they are? Do we write them? What are some of our favorite novelettes? All that and more on the Dead Languages Podcast. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/learn-the-differences-between-novelettes-novellas-and-novels https://diymfa.com/reading/deep-dive-short-forms...

PLM loves conventions. Carson hates them. But what's the real deal with these behemoths—and are they worth your time? Find out in the latest episode of Dead Languages. https://www.stokercon2023.com/ https://ghoulishbookfest.com/ https://horrorcons.com/ https://fancons.com/events/schedule.phptype=horror https://horrorconla.com/ https://prixaurorawards.ca/ https://www.shirleyjacksonawards.org/ h...

PLM and Carson talk about one of their favorite horror archetypes: the vampire! Hear the gang explore the origins of vampire in myth and legend, as well as some of their favorite portrayals of vampires in fiction. https://www.britannica.com/topic/vampire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/01/12/books-first-vampire-in-literature https://www.wired.com/2012/04/va...

Carson and PLM chat about reviews, how they're used, where to find them, their importance, and more! These goblins even review each other! Sources: https://www.netgalley.com/ https://booksirens.com/ http://barksbooknonsense.blogspot.com/p/an-easy-guide-to-locating-horror.html Agony's Lodestone reviews: https://cosmichorrormonthly.com/chm-blog/review-agonys-lodestone-by-laura-keating/ https...

Carson and PLM are writers so that means they're also mentally ill. On this episode, the team talks about all the emotional pain that comes from writing and how they work through it. Sources: https://gingernutsofhorror.com/features/the-horror-of-humanity-the-author-vs-the-voice-of-discordia-by-pl-mcmillan https://horror.org/mhi-of-monsters-and-mental-health-by-sarah-sigfried/ https://www.thegu...

PLM and Carson talk self-publishing and how it's actually the worst/best thing ever. Find out our own personal history with self-publishing and stick around for the tangents. Sources: https://litreactor.com/columns/best-self-published-horror-books-in-2020-so-far https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/8-tips-for-self-publishing-a-book https://wnba-books.org/ten-tips-for-aspiring-self-publishing-autho...