Taming Monsters with Dirty Rotten Bill

In his forthcoming historical fantasy novel Valhalla Burning , Michael Pogach explores the lives, landscapes, and lore of Northmen in 9th century Scandinavia. We discuss his talent for writing about vengeance and brutality, his interest in mythology, and why his fiction tends to focus on unhappy people. He also shares the pluses and minuses of life as a college professor, including the role of gen...

Thomas G. Waites has cultivated a long and varied acting career on both stage and screen, probably best known for his roles in some of Hollywood’s best-known films, including The Thing , The Warriors , and The Clan of the Cave Bear . He has since honed his talents as a screenwriter, a director, and an acting instructor, as well as a musician; he’s the front man for the band Heartbreak Waites, whic...

“If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” The saying certainly applies to Candace Nola, an award-winning horror writer, editor, and publisher, among other designations. She’s also exceptionally goodhearted, as proven by the time and energy she devotes to building community and otherwise helping her writerly peers through her platform, Uncomfortably Dark Horror. She leaves few stones...

Horror author, publisher, musician, influencer, someone who eagerly shares his personal story about his years-long saga of addiction, recovery, and reinvention—the man known as Daemon Manx wears a lot of hats. In this episode, Manx discusses the incident that upended his life— saved his life, he would say—and put him not only on the path to recovery but also toward becoming one of the most promine...

As far as writers go, Steve Capone, Jr. defies easy description. His 2024 novel Max in the Capital of Spies is a YA Cold War thriller, with a side of time travel, though he’s perhaps best known for his work in horror. As the founder of Whisper House Press, he has published anthologies such as Dread Mondays and Costs of Living . In this episode, he details the lessons he learned by running his own...

Bucks County, Pennsylvania-based writer Richard Shifman made quite an impression with his story “Mayo Monday,” an insanely compelling piece of weird fiction published by Cosmic Horror Monthly in 2023. He added to his wide-ranging body of work earlier this year with Paper Airplane, Broken Bones , a coming-of-age novel published under the name R.B. Shifman. In this episode, Shifman talks about the e...

Lisa Hodorovych is living her dream as a writer of horror and horror romance. She opens up about the things that scare her, the publishing empire she’s building to help others breathe life into their writing, and the details of her own work—namely, the novels The Disappearance , He’s Here , and Vampire From Hell, Vol. 1 . Other points addressed in our discussion: facing and overcoming rejection, l...

Take a seat with Gary Frank, whose published works include the novels Institutional Memory , The Thing in the Woods , and Forever You Will Suffer . In this episode he talks about Godzilla, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and some of the other things that have ignited his imagination as a storyteller. Other points discussed in our hour-long discussion: his love of Dungeons & Dragons, how he cop...

Ef Deal’s fantastic Twins of Bellesfées series— Esprit de Corpse , Aeros & Heroes , and The Order of Duval —reimagines the landscape of 19th century France with shapeshifters, vampires, and all manner of retrofuturistic technology. She talks about why she chose that time and place to give life to her brand of horror-infused steampunk, what it was like to grow up in a haunted house, and the “wo...

As an editor and co-owner of the Philly-based indie press Speculation Publications, River Eno plays a key role in bringing spectacular horror and dark fantasy into the world. Spec Pub’s most recent release is called Vampire Hunters: An Incomplete Record of Personal Accounts , which explores the lore of vampires—and the humans who hunt them—across oceans of time and space, from pre-Christianity Bab...

Marcus Versace’s love of heavy metal and hard rock began at an early age. He had talent of his own and had long thought about joining a band, but the voices of doubters—including his own—convinced him otherwise. All that changed when he turned 50, when he and a few fellow metalheads founded the band that would become Blast Furnace, which he calls “the greatest midlife crisis a guy could have.” He...

Darlene Versak has had to endure her share of dark moments in life, but she hasn’t let the tough times dampen her spirit. She wrote about many of her trials and tribulations—and how she found a way through them to become the person she is today—in her 2022 book, WORDS: A JOURNEY TO THE LIGHT WITHIN. She and I discussed the lessons she’s learned along the way, the importance of choosing love over f...

A childhood love of music led Eric Mintel to a decades-long career as a professional jazz musician. As the leader of a quartet that bears his name, Eric has taken the stage at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, and his audiences have included not one but two U.S. presidents. Considering the other, more controversial side of himself—a paranormal investigator who plumbs the depths of haunt...

Writer, artist, musician, and co-founder/executive editor of her own independent press—meet LCW Allingham. Her published works include MUSE, a horror novella, and LADY, a work of historical fiction, both published in 2024. Listen in to hear her discuss how the arts influenced her at an early age, the horror films that scarred her as a kid (and likely influenced her own work), and what she learned...

Meet Daniel Sean Kaye, writer, illustrator, and professional good guy. He has written/co-written and illustrated three books starring a rather resourceful hermit crab, beginning with 2013’s NEVER UNDERESTIMATE A HERMIT CRAB. He talks about his Spider-Man aspirations, why David Bowie’s music has had such a profound effect on his life, and the surprising question he posed to William Shatner. He also...

Sit down with award-winning thriller writer Chris Bauer, whose many published works include the novel I HEARD YOU PAINT COWBOYS, which came out in April. He talks about the controversial nature of the topics explored in his books, how his blue-collar Philadelphia roots influence his fiction, and how a kind and mild-mannered family man is able to write deeply flawed (and, in some cases, despicable)...