Creatives Getting Coffee

Michael Bettendorf returns to the podcast!   Last we spoke, Michael was in the thick of edits with TRVE CVLT, the weird metal interactive game book from Tenebrous Press, the premier publisher for all things weird.   TRVE CVLT has been officially released (and scrambled this poor broadcaster's brain). In this episode, we discuss the road to publication, the complicated formatting process for a book like TRVE CVLT, Michael's book tour, and the types of stories he's looking to publish moving forward.   Purchase TRVE CULT on the Tenebrous Press store!   View Michael Bettendorf's personal site

Diane Billas is the author of the YA sapphic contemporary romance novel DOES LOVE ALWAYS WIN? and the YA superhero LGBTQ+ novel SUPERFICIAL releasing September 2024. In our discussion, we chat about both novels, the intriguing murder mystery novel she's actively querying, and her writing process as a toddler mom. Diane also discusses the queer representation in her books and why she believes it's important to provide that perspective to modern readers.   Diane Billas lives in Philadelphia with her husband and son. When she’s not writing she can be found reading multiple books at once, performing the French horn and piano, or dreaming of the next country she’s going to visit.   Diane can be found at dianebillas.com, on Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook @dianebillas, and on Instagram @dianebillaswrites.   Find her books via LinkTree 

Kelly Brocklehurst is the co-editor of and a contributor to the Blood Rites Horror anthology Welcome to the Funhouse and has contributed to several other anthologies. The House That Remembers, the newest publication in the Price Manor series, is Kelly’s debut novella.   In this coffee chat, we discuss her history with the Deadline Horror Collective, a group of horror writers who contribute to anthologies and who work together to publish the Price Manor series of standalone long-form works. We also discuss her life as a librarian and how she balances writing with work and her community involvement.   Purchase The House That Remembers Here View Kelly's Work on GoodReads Follow Kelly on Instagram

Sam Beck is a writer and illustrator living in Toronto, and the author of the fantasy trilogy VERSE. She has worked with publishers like Dark Horse and Vault Comics on multiple series spanning across science fiction, fantasy and horror.   In our discussion, we chat about her recent graphic novel Loving, Ohio, as well as her upcoming third installment in the Verse Trilogy, Verse Book 3: The Song (Preorder now!). Twitter & Instagram | @sambeckdraws Follow Sam on GoodReads  Loving, Ohio: Available Now! Verse, Book 3: Available October!

Stephanie Sanders-Jacob is an author and artist. She writes horror and weird fiction. Her alien abduction novel, Singing All the Way Up, came out in July 2023. Pyramidia, a horror story about multi-level marketing and pyramid schemes, came out in February 2024 with Slashic Horror Press. Stephanie lives in Sandusky, Ohio. She can be contacted at stephaniesanders@outlook.com   Author Site Follow Stephanie on GoodReads  

William Sterling is a novelist, screenwriter, and the host of the Killer Mediums podcast from Dacula, Georgia.   His latest works include String Them Up, a murder-puppets horror novel from Crystal Lake Publishing, and the upcoming Dead Men's Chests, which is releasing in October 2024.   He loves all things horror, but has a soft spot for accessible "popcorn flick" horror with grandiose set-pieces and unexpected endings. Please check out the BOOKS tab above for a complete bibliography.Reach out on Twitter: @Spooky_Sterling Subscribe to the Killer Mediums podcast

Steph Nelson is the author of The Final Scene, which has sold over 20,000 copies to date! In this interview, she discusses her writing career, including what she's learned along the way, the importance of a super commercial book cover, and why shot doesn't tend to gravitate toward short fiction.   She's also the author of The Vein and Sawtooth. Her first short stories were included in Bram-Stoker nominated anthologies, Dark Matter Presents: Human Monsters and Mother: Tales of Love and Terror. She lives in Idaho even though she will always be a PNW girl at heart.   Steph's Books: THE FINAL SCENE, THE VEIN, SAWTOOTH THE THRESHING FLOOR is coming 11.11.24   Readings From Cursed Room 301: An Anthology of Horror Genre Tropes   Instagram/Threads: @stephnelsonauthor Twitter/X: @stephdresnelson

Haley Newlin is one of the hardest-working creatives in the indie horror space. In addition to her publications, she’s one-half of Twins and Talent, a book marketing team that aims to help writers get better visibility on their published work. In this episode, we discuss Haley’s writing career, the joys of being twin, writing for Cemetery Dance, and more! Subscribe to have the episode pop up on your podcast platform of choice when it drops tomorrow   About the Author: In 2016, Haley’s gothic short story “The Tactics of a Cryptic Arbitrator," was a finalist in the Penmen Review fall fiction contest. She has since published two novels and is working on her third. Her short story "The Butcher on Blue Jay Way," is featured in Kandisha Press' SLASH-HER anthology, which has received praise from Stephen Graham Jones and Barbara Crampton. ​    Find her on Instagram: @haleynewlin_author ; @twinsandtalent 

Emily Ruth Verona is the author of the novel Midnight on Beacon Street, a 90's set home invasion thriller published by Harper Perennial in January 2024. In this discussion, she shares all things Beacon Street, including her inspiration, the writing journey that led to its publication, and the joy of injecting her love of horror movies into it.   Emily received her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Cinema Studies from the State University of New York at Purchase. In 2014 she won the Pinch Literary Award in Fiction. She is a Bram Stoker Award nominee, a Rhysling Award Finalist, a Jane Austen Short Story Award Finalist, and a Luke Bitmead Bursary Finalist. Previous publication credits include fiction and poetry featured in several anthologies as well as magazines such as The Pinch, Lamplight Magazine, Mystery Tribune, Black Telephone Magazine, The Ghastling, and Nightmare Magazine. Her essays/articles have appeared online for Tor, Bookbub, Litro, BUST, and Bloody Women. In 2023, she founded the horror book blog Frightful. She lives in New Jersey with a very small dog.    Find Emily's work via the links below: Author Site Instagram X (Formerly Twitter)   Find more information on the podcast and Mad Axe Media at www.madaxemedia.com.            

Mallory Cywinski is an author specializing in book club fiction, horror, erotica, and PNR. She's also the Founder and Director of Fox and Dagger Publishing, a graphic designer, a social media manager, an editor, a paranormal investigator (you read that right), and a Mom. In this discussion, we chat about Mallory's writing journey from her first book Making Friends with Ghosts all the way to starting a new publishing company and gearing up to release Six Troubles, Seven Sins on June 21st, 2024.   See her work at the various links below: Author Site Fox and Dagger Publishing Submissions are now open! Instagram @author.malloryc Subscribe to her email newsletter  

Nadine Stewart is an author, poet, and media creator. Her short fiction has been published in several anthologies including Terrorcore’s Doors of Darkness, Voices From the Mausoleum’s That Old House the Bathroom Anthology, Autumn Tales II from Anatolian Press, and the charity anthology Gridiron Gates of Hell, just to name a few.  In this discussion, we chat about her upcoming anthology Curbside Curses: The Yardsale Anthology, as well as her short fiction and her transition from being a reader to being a writer to being the curator of her own anthology. You can follow her on Instagram: @nadine.stewart.author and @house_of_the_macabre Add Curbside Curses to your TBR on GoodReads View her work on Amazon and wherever you get your books!

Alan Shivers is a Belgium-based author who mixes 90s slasher elements with modern European city vibes in his trilogy Europea Halls. His writing also contains strong themes of identity and mental health.   In this discussion, we take a deep dive into the 90s teen slasher era that inspired Alan to create his trilogy, as well as queer horror movies, queer horror fiction, and his future plans as a horror author.   Find Alan Shivers on Instagram: @alanshiversathor Visit Indie Book Boxes on Etsy (and keep an eye out for the upcoming LGBTQIA+ box that includes a story by Alan!) Buy Alan's books

Austin Shirey's City of Spores is a weird and wonderful novella that combines noir tropes, weird horror imagery, and social commentary in an altogether unique package. In this discussion, we chat about his inspiration for the book, his love for genre fiction, and his awesome plans for other books in the future.   Go buy City of Spores NOW!   City of Spores Synopsis: There’s something wrong with this city. Welcome to Madripol, city of artists and madmen, city of mushrooms. There’s something wrong with this city. When a strange plague infects Old Town, Johanna Kolibrik thinks the graffiti messages scrawled all over the city might be right. Kolibrik’s got her own problems, though—like paying the bills and keeping her PI business afloat—so when a well-dressed man from New Town offers to double her fee to find his missing wife, she ignores her gut and takes the case. There’s something wrong with this city. But when she stumbles across a manuscript that shouldn’t exist, Kolibrik finds herself caught up in a vast web of conspiracy that will challenge everything she believes—a conspiracy that could shake the city of Madripol to its very foundations. There’s something wrong with this city. Because in Madripol, everything is connected …   Author Bio: Austin Shirey writes strange and fantastic fiction. He is the author of the novella CITY OF SPORES, and his stories have appeared in several publications and anthologies including The Saturday Evening Post, MetaStellar, and The Dread Machine. When he’s not writing (or pretending to moonlight as an IT systems analyst), he’s probably reading, watching movies, listening to music, or playing guitar. He lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, their daughters, and two cats.

In this episode, we're talking all about Welcome to Your Body: Lessons in Evisceration from the uber-talented Ryan Marie Ketterer (editor) and P.L. McMillan (contributor, "Wandering But Not Lost"). This anthology of original horror stories will be released May 28th, 2024. Ryan and PLM discuss the rewarding (and exhausting) aspects of putting together an anthology, nailing the cover art thanks to artist Daniel Andersson, the inspiration for the anthology theme, and why they love collaborating with horror writers.   Find them on Instagram:  @ryanmarie47 & @authorplm Visit PLM's author site Add Welcome to Your Body to your GoodReads TBR Listen to PLM's podcast Dead Languages

Spencer Hamilton is the author of KITCHEN SINK, a collection of short stories, and the pandemic horror novel, THE FEAR, which was called "a sweet-spot for the supernatural and body horror" by Mother Horror. You can find his short story “The Babysitter Dies in This One” in the upcoming Readings From Cursed Room 301 anthology, releasing this July.   In this interview, we discuss why queer horror matters, how Spencer found his niche in horror during the pandemic, why every good author needs a good editor, and all the super cool author friends he's met at signing events.   You can find Spencer Hamilton on social media at @spencer.hamilton.books   Find his books on GoodReads

Jessica Peter and Timaeus Bloom are members of Howl Society and the co-editors of the latest Howl Society anthology Howls from the Scene of the Crime: An Anthology of Crime Horror, coming May 14, 2024. In this interview, we discuss the history of Howl Society, how to run a successful Kickstarter campaign, what goes into editing an anthology, and Jessica's and Timaeus' writing careers and future aspirations.   Howls from the Scene of the Crime features 22 new short stories of transgressions and lawlessness laced in blood, secrets, and occult compulsions, featuring authors such as World Fantasy and Shirley Jackson Award nominee Christopher Buehlman, Bram Stoker Award® and Lambda Literary Award winner Gwendolyn Kiste, and a foreword by Bram Stoker Award® winning crime horror author, Cynthia Pelayo. Above all, Timaeus Bloom considers himself a fantasist. A fan of the strange and imaginative, he spends his free time laboring over just what to do with his free time. You can find his words in Howls from the Wreckage, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and upcoming in Nightlight Podcast and Beyond the Bounds of Infinity. Find him on Twitter @of_ichor if you’re feeling cheeky. Jessica Peter writes dark, haunted, and sometimes absurd short stories, novels, and poems. She’s a social worker and health researcher who lives in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with her partner and their two black cats. Her writing can be found in Haven Speculative, Apparition Lit, The NoSleep Podcast, and Cosmic Horror Monthly, among other places. Howls from the Scene of the Crime marks her first time in the editor’s chair. You can find her on Twitter @jessicapeter1, @jessicapeter.bsky.social, or at www.jessicapeter.net.

Harriet Everend is an author and the Owner of January Ember Press, a small indie horror publisher. In this interview, we discuss the ins and outs of getting started as a small publisher, how to make sure authors are protected in your contracts, and dos and don'ts when it comes to anthology submissions. Find her on Instagram: @h.everend.author @january_ember_press

Meg Alexandria is the host of Once Upon a Write, an author spotlight podcast, as well as the author of urban fantasy and romance novels. In this interview, we talk all things podcasting, juggling hobbies as a parent, and Meg’s unique methods for prioritizing her creating endeavors.   Follow Meg on Instagram: @onceupona_write Follow Meg's awesome cover artist: @wiggedwonder Listen to Once Upon A Write wherever you get your podcast Browse Meg's books via GoodReads

The Indieverse Awards has quickly garnered a large following (and thousands of submissions) for its first annual awards ceremony. In this interview, the mind behind The Indieverse Awards, author Kristina Carmela, discusses the genesis of this endeavor, how she built a dedicated vetting team, and how readers can get involved. Follow on Instagram: @indieverseawards @kristinacarmela_writes Visit the Inverse Awards website View Kristina's GoodReads author profile

Mark Towse is the author Chasing the Dragon, his debut novel and a slight departure from his other horror works. This superhero/fantasy/horror/action mashup is set to be published on March 23rd by Eerie River Publishing.   In this interview, Mark looks back at his growth as a writer and the steps that led to him completing his first novel-length work. He also discusses his love for short fiction, his views on self-promotion and growing a fanbase, and why he injects humor into his writing.