Talking Scared

Terrible times and awful words await us this week. Thankfully, on this show that’s a good thing!Our guest is Max Booth III, the wizard behind Ghoulish Books and the author of bathroom-set apocalypse, We Need to Do Something. He’s here to talk about his new collection of uber-dark stories, Abnormal Statistics.These tales are pitch black, treacle-thick pieces of clotted nastiness. Bad things happen to lots of people, most frequently children (but never dogs). Many a mind is tortured and many a tooth is sucked (!!) Max and I talk about how these stories reflect his own disjointed childhood. We talk about awful true crimes and why he’s addicted to information that is bad for him. We also try to pin down precisely what it is about human teeth that seem so universally unnerving… plus some references to my favourite creepypasta stories.This is the best bad time you’ll have this week.Enjoy!Abnormal Statistics was published by Apocalypse Party on March 23rd Other books mentioned in this episode include:The Haunting of Camp Winter Falcon (2022), by Jonathan RaabThis Appearing House (2022), by Ally Malinenko“The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” (1973), by Harlan EllisonSupport Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

Wagons West this week, with a guest I’ve been trying to get on the show since the early days. It’s Victor Lavalle.I had always wanted to speak to him about The Ballad of Black Tom in the dream that we could join together to call Lovecraft names. As it turns out, that will have to wait, cos he’s brought out a brand-new novel … and it’s a Weird Western. Cue squealing!! It’s one of my favourite sub-genres.We talk about homesteading and wilderness, about bad neighbours and New York City, about family and fidelity to truth and the need for happy endings … and there’s an awful lot of chat about monsters. This is one of the best episodes of the year so far. You’ll learn, you’ll laugh, you’ll almost certainly cry. Why aren’t you crying? What’s wrong with you? Are you heartless??Enjoy!Lone Women was published by on March 28thth by One WorldOther books mentioned in this episode include:The Ballad of Black Tom (2016), by Victor LavalleThe Changeling (2017), by Victor LavalleThe Devil in Silver (2012), by Victor LavalleMontana Women Homesteaders: A Field of One’s Own (2009), by Dr Sarah CarterThe Autobiography of My Mother (1996), by Jamaica KincaidSupport Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

There is no cool and collected way to introduce this week’s episode. Our guest is Margaret Atwood.Yes, that Margaret Atwood. The author of The Handmaid’s Tale. One of the few writer’s who genuinely deserves to be called an icon (though she may be tired of the term).  She published her first novel in 1969 and now as she enters her seventh decade of writing, her stories are no less challenging or surprising. Her new collection, Old Babes in the Wood is a feast of darkness and light. It swerves from myth to sci-fi, to body horror, all bookended by stories about love and loss and grief. And she came on this little show to talk about it.We unveil the inspirations behind some of the stories. We talk about disease and dystopia through history, the dangers of Canadian wilderness, men who turn into bears, the relationship of horror and slapstick, and her own haunted house.It was a privilege. Enjoy!Old Babes in the Wood was published by on March 7th by Vintage and DoubledayOther books mentioned in this episode include:Bunny (2019), by Mona AwadCarmilla (1872), by Sheridan Le Fanu The Handmaids Tale (1984), by Margaret AtwoodOryx and Crake (2003), by Margaret AtwoodAlias Grace (1996), by Margaret AtwoodLady Oracle (1976), by Margaret AtwoodBlack Water: The Book of Fantastic Literature (1983), ed. Alberto ManguelDark Arrows: Chronicles of Revenge (1985), ed. Alberto ManguelOn Writing (2000), by Stephen KingThe Death of Grass (1956), by John ChristopherSupport Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

Vampires, finally! After years of recording a horror podcast, I’ve finally recorded a conversation about the first thing you all probably think of if I said “horror monster.” Actually, at this very moment, maybe you’d name a Floridian politician but you get my drift…I’m delighted to be joined by Jacqueline Holland, to talk about her new novel of bloodsucking and cursed immortality, The God of Endings. As with so many books featured on this show, it’s an offbeat look at an old trope, with a vampire that has no problem with garlic and who is not at all horny! She’s also a pre-school teacher in the 80s. That’s REALLY hardcore!Jacqueline and I talk about horror imposter-syndrome, the history of New England vampires, monstrous mothers, the terror of living forever, and how she has always been…in her own words… a dark weirdo.Enjoy!The God of Endings was published by on February 7th by Flatiron BooksOther books mentioned in this episode include:What I Didn’t See, and Other Stories (2002), by Karen Joy FowlerWe Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013), by Karen Joy FowlerFood for the Dead: On the Trail of New England’s Vampires (2001), by Michael BellSomething Wicked This Way Comes (1962), by Ray BradburyThe Martian Chronicles (1950), by Ray BradburyThe Shining (1977), by Stephen KingJust Like Mother (2022), by Anne Heltzel – Episode 92The Upstairs House (2021), by Julia Fine – Episode 27 Support Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

This week I take a road trip with Matt Ruff, into the more monstrous corners of the universe. Sure, some of them are alien planets… but some are here on earth, with the racists! Matt is best known as the author of 2016’s Lovecraft Country. He never planned to write a sequel, yet here it is. The Destroyer of Worlds picks up several years later, when Atticus, Letetia, Montrose and Hipolyta et al are still battling malign forces both human and otherworldly.I went into it nervously, thinking surely a white author can’t pull of a story about Black characters in Jim Crow America without really sh***ing the bed. I was wrong! Matt and I debate the responsibility and potential pitfalls of the project, and what his books get right that other ventriloquised stories get wrong. But we also talk about monsters and comic horror and the terror and joy of a wide-open universe. And of course, Lovecraft. Though, not kindly. Enjoy!The Destroyer of Worlds was published by on February 21st by HarperCollins Support Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

I like my ghosts like I like my podcasts – weird and slightly furious. Thankfully, this week delivers on both counts – with Johnny Compton’s The Spite House delivering more ghosts than you think you could fit into 250-pages … and none of them are anything less than fuming! Johnny talks us through the odd, off-kilter history of spite houses, we trace the legacy of the American haunted house novel, discuss ghost lore and dismiss orbs. We talk about complex father figures and I have my smuggest ever moment of being accidentally right about something.  It’s a blast. Johnny is a joy to talk to and his book gives great ghostliness.Enjoy!The Spite House was published by on February 7th by Tor Nightfire.Support Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

It’s a Valentine’s day episode and what better to celebrate today than a conversation about cruelty, brutal folklore, political terror and black magic? Don’t tell me I don’t understand my audience.I’m beyond delighted to welcome Mariana Enriquez to the show to talk about her massive novel, Our Share of Night. It features all of the above ingredients, in a 700+ page roam through decades of Argentinian history, demonic misconduct.This ranks amongst the most unstructured conversations I’ve had on this show. I just say some words and then let Mariana let rip. But to give you a taster – we cover her current boredom with the short story, the double standard of harming kids in fiction, houses that eat people, Freddie Krueger and Heathclife and why horror is inevitable in Argentinian fictionEnjoy!Our Share of Night was published by Granta in the UK in October, 2022 and in the US on 7th February, 2023 by HogarthOther books mentioned in this episode:The Black Maybe: Liminal Tales (2022), by Attila VeresThe Dangers of Smoking in Bed (2009), by Mariana EnriquezThings We Lost in the Fire (2017), by Mariana EnriquezShuggie Bain (2020), by Douglas StuartIn Patagonia (1977), by Bruce ChatwinMary: An Awakening of Terror (2022), by Nat CassidyREAD: Smithsonian article about Chiloe and the imbuncheSupport Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

Are you ready for another bloody confrontation? Same rules, different setting (actually still my attic bedroom) and more gore?Stephen Graham Jones AKA Professor Slasher, returns to Talking Scared to discuss Don’t Fear the Reaper, the sequel to his zeitgeist-blasting slasher-ode, My Heart is a Chainsaw. Reaper takes us back to Proofrock, Idaho for a freezing night of rage and bloodshed, with returning favourites and a whole new killer who reads like the distillation of American carnage.That all sounds suitably epic. Hopefully this conversation matches. Stephen and I talk about favourite slasher sequels, minority monsters in fiction, getting to know Jade Daniels even better, and the importance of writing yourself into a corner.This is an episode a lot of you have been waiting for. Enjoy. And watch out for hook-handed men.Enjoy! Don’t Fear the Reaper was published by Saga and Titan Books on 7th February, 2023 Other books mentioned in this episode:Maeve Fly (2023), by C.J. LeadeMy Heart is a Chainsaw (2021), by Stephen Graham JonesThe Final Girl Support Group (2021), by Grady HendrixMoon of the Crusted Snow (2018), by Waubgeshig RiceSupport Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

It’s not even the end of January and we’re already dealing with the second apocalypse of the year.This one is written by CJ Tudor, whose new novel, The Drift, moves her out of the crime chillers she is best-known for, into a whole other world of horror.It’s a series of locked room mysteries, occurring in the hideous aftermath of global pandemic. And if you are a little sick of global pandemics (who isn’t?) then at least this one has rage zombies and lots of murder.CJ and I talk about many things, from genre expectations, to failed novels, grief to TV adaptation – but the pandemic is a dominant theme. We talk about about some personal loss, so if that would be a trigger for you, go in pre-warned.But mostly, it’s a lovely chat with “Britain’s answer to Stephen King.”Enjoy!The Drift was published by Penguin on Jan 19th in the UK and Jan 31st in the US. Other books mentioned in this episode:The Burning Girls (2021), by C.J. TudorThe Chalk Man (2018), by C.J. TudorSign Here (2022), by Claudia LuxTo contribute to Laird Barron’s GoFundMe, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/laird-barron-hospital-costs-medication-costs.Support Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

When it comes to stress, they say selling a house is up there with divorce and death. Now imagine that house is haunted… by demonic puppets. Yeah – that’s the premise of Grady Hendrix’s brand-new horror novel, How to Sell a Haunted House. It combines Grady’s trademark humour, genre-knowledge and playfulness, with a genuinely frightening story about homes, and all the things they contain, both comforting and downright nasty.Grady and I dive into the economics of haunting, the value of earnestness in a world of irony, and we discover the difference between marionettes and hand puppets … which is more frightening that you would expect.It’s a fun conversation, about a joyfully creepy book.  Enjoy!How To Sell A Haunted House was published by Berkley on Jan 17th 2003. Other books mentioned in this episode: The Final Girl Support Group (2020), by Grady HendrixHorrorstör (2014), by Grady HendrixWe Sold Our Souls (2018), by Grady HendrixMy Heart is a Chainsaw (2020), by Stephen Graham JonesThe Pallbearer’s Club (2022), by Paul TremblayMoth Manor (1978), by Martha Sherman BaconTo donate to the fundraiser for Laird Barron, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/laird-barron-hospital-costs-medication-costs, and thanks SO much.Support Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

…AAAND WE’RE BACK! I hope you’re slipping into 2023 like it’s a warm bath, but either way this week’s episode will be a cold, sharp system shock. The guest is Stephen Markley; the book is The Deluge – a 900-page beast of ecological and societal disintegration, and the best book I have read in decades. Imagine The Stand was based on rigorous scientific research and was, y’know, about to happen to us all for real. Yeah! This is a scary one, even if it would never be listed in the horror part of the bookshop.Stephen and I talk about (re)considering apocalyptic fiction, choosing characters, how real events outpaced the writing of the book, and how the climate crisis forces us to ask some uncomfortable questions about social issues.  Like the book I question, this episode is heavy and challenging and frightening, but maybe… just maybe… it will give you some hope.Enjoy!The Deluge was published by Simon & Schuster on Jan 10th 2003.Other books mentioned in this episode:The Big Fix: Seven Practical Steps to Save Our Planet (2022) by Hal Harvey and Justin GillisWorld War Z (2006), by Max BrooksZen and the Art of Saving the Planet (2021), by Thich Nhat HanhThe Stand (1990), by Stephen KingSupport Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

The year is almost over. What is left to do except offer you my last-minute ranking of the best books I’ve read and enjoyed in 2022.I will warn you – I am poorly and my voice sounds like ten miles of bad gravel. This sounds like the Reba McIntyre book club. I am HUSKY!!Hang around for the afterword when my voice finally gives out as I labour over a long and elaborate thank-you for listening and supporting the show this year. At times 2022 has felt like a waking nightmare, but here in Spookybooklandia, we’ve kept things ironically nice.  Love to you all.Happy New Year. Here’s to the next.Books mentioned: A Child Alone With Strangers (2022), by Philip FracassiAll the White Spaces (2022), by Ally Wilkes Mary: An Awakening of Terror (2022), by Nat Cassidy Burn the Plans (2022), by Tyler Jones The Hollow Kind (2022), by Andy DavidsonScreams from the Dark (2022), ed. Ellen DatlowHouse of Hunger (2022), by Alexis HendersonReluctant Immortals (2022), by Gwendolyne KisteThen I Woke Up (2022), by Malcolm DevlinThe Clackity (2022), by Lora Senf Support Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

It’s that time of year again. A time to reflect, to look back over a tumultuous twelve months, and to talk about the horror books that helped us survive them.2022 has been a helluva year for the good kind of horror. Far too much for one man to cover. So I’ve drafted in some highly qualified friends – Emily Hughes and Janelle Janson. They have their fingers right on the arterial spurt of the genre – and they have each read far more than me.Together we deliver this year's State of the Horror Nation – talking about big issues in horror, the key books we’ve adored…and the dozens and dozens of titles we’re looking forward to in 2023.We raise a glass to a late and beloved horror icon, we make some new year’s resolutions, and Janelle and Emily get a bit squeaky about their big horror crush. Bet you can guess who (it’s not me!)Thanks for all your support this year.Books picked:Ghost Eaters (2022), by Clay McLeod Chapman – ep. 110A Child Alone With Strangers (2022), by Philip Fracassi – ep. 120Echo (2022), by Thomas Olde Heuvelt – ep. 78Our Share of Night (2022), by Mariana EnriquezAll the White Spaces (2022), by Ally Wilkes – ep. 76We Are Here to Hurt Each Other (2022), by Paula D. AsheMary: An Awakening of Terror (2022), by Nat Cassidy – ep. 101Burn the Plans (2022), by Tyler Jones – ep. 81Just Like Home (2022), by Sarah Gailey Books anticipated: Don’t Fear the Reaper (2023), by Stephen Graham Jones Silver Nitrate (2023), by Silvia Moreno GarciaVampires of el Norte (2023), by Isabel CañasPinata (2023), by Leopoldo GoutTell Me I’m Worthless (2023), by Alison Rumfitt (already out in UK)Spite House (2023), by Jonny ComptonLone Women (2023), by Victor LavelleEverything Darkness Eats (2023), by Eric LaRoccaEpisode 13 (2023), by Craig DilouieHouse of Good Bones (2023), by T. KingfisherNights Edge (2023), by Liz KerinThe Edge of Sleep (2023), by Jake EmmanuelThe Drift (2023), by C. J. TudorBad Cree (2023), by Jessica JohnsMaeve Fly (2023), by C.J. LeadeA Light Most Hateful (2023), by Hailey PiperLooking Glass Sound (2023), by Catriona WardThe Beast You Are (2023), by Paul TremblayThe Salt Grows Heavy (2023), by Cassandra KhawBurn the Negative (2023), by Josh WinningHow to Sell a Haunted House (2023), by Grady HendrixAbnormal Statistics (2023), by Max Booth IIIThe Insatiable Volt Sisters (2023), by Rachel Eve MoultonCamp Damascus (2023), by Chuck TingleExtended Stay (2023), by Juan MartinezHouse of Cotton (2023), by Monica Brashears Support Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

It’s the Christmas Special and with the obligatory requirement to do something different – we’re turning the tables.Yes, I’m the one being interviewed this week.To make that a palatable offering for listeners, the guest interviewers are none other than Rachel Harrison and Josh Malerman. Friends of the show and horror superstars who, out of the goodness of their hearts, devoted an evening to asking me questions. Don’t listen for me; listen for them. Amongst other parts of my odd life, we cover my early gorilla terrors, my unhealthy relationship with running, and my time as an alpaca farmer. Oh and of course, Stephen King comes up a time or two.What have we learned in this self-important project – 1) the hubris of the male podcaster knows no bounds and 2) I become a lot less articulate when talking aboiut myself.Oh …  and also, I have an idea that you may, or may not like. Enjoy, and merry Christmas. Support Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

Are you ready for some learnin’?This week rather than focusing on any single book, or any single author – I thought we’d have a little look at … y’know … the entire friggin’ history of Horror and Gothic across the centuries. After all, what’s a Christmas break from podcasting if you aren’t doubling the length of your episodes and making the scope infinite? Thankfully, I’m joined by a bona fide expert. Professor Roger Luckhurst, from Birkbeck College, London comes with me to talk about the history of dark culture. We use his great new book, Gothic: An Illustrated History as a guide. We cover everything we can in a couple of hours – from the birth of the genre in the 1700s, through Shelley and Stoker and all the way across the Atlantic to pick up with Poe and Lovecraft and Jackson. And as we get into the modern era we see the genre split and fracture in fascinating ways. I hope you enjoy this immensely. Prof Rog is the best guide an eager Goth or horror nerd could hope for.**Note – this episode was originally released on Talking Scared Patreon as a series of 3 shorter episodes. Gothic: An Illustrated is out now from Palgrave.Support Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

This week I’m beginning my supposed ‘break’ from reading.There is still an episode, however, and it’s a doozy. You may be glad to hear I’ve put down the books for a short while, ‘cos my guest is a huge name from the cinematic aisle of the horror world – Craig Engler, GM of Shudder is in the house!!He joined me for a conversation back in October, when we were both in the throes of the Halloween build up. Now, listening to this weeks later, you can hardly hear the strain in our voices at all. We talk about Craig’s creative life and work – from his role in the show, Z-nation, to the helm of Shudder. We debate dream book-to-movie adaptations and, of course, I ask him which films he thinks are the scariest on Shudder. Most of them I’m too afraid to watch.Oh, and I may use this interview to apply for a non-existent job.Enjoy – this will have your Christmas TV binge covered.Other books mentioned in this episode include:The Library at Mount Char (2015), by Scott Hawkins (episode 94)House of Leaves (2000), by Mark Z. DanielewskiNight Film (2013), by Marisha PesslThe String Diaries (2013), by Stephen Lloyd GeorgeSupport Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

Get ready to be sickened by my praise.My guest this week is Philip Fracassi. Last year his historical horror, The Boys in the Valley got the Stephen King endorsement. He’s already following up with A Child Alone With Strangers - his second novel (or is it his first, or his third – as you’ll hear it’s complicated).This book is an all-timer. It blends the relaxed, character driven storytelling of the best 80s horror, with a contemporary cross-genre style that keeps you shocked …  and shook. I tell you now, this book will take your heart, put it in a velvet box – and then stamp on that box until it’s mush.We talk about a lot of things in this 70-minute conversation. Writing believable children, creating great villains, and conceiving original monsters and true otherness. We explore insectile horror, empathy overloads and setcking to your guns on word-length.This is my last author-interview of the year and I couldn’t have hoped for a better book to discuss.Enjoy! A Child Alone With Strangers was released on October 25th by Talos Press Other books mentioned in this episode include:The Boys in the Valley (2021), by Philip FracassiGothic (2023), by Philip FracassiThe Stand (1990), by Stephen KingThe Magus (1965/1977), by John FowlesLet it Come Down (1952), by Paul BowlesThe Delicate Prey and Other Stories (1950), by Paul BowlesSupport Talking Scared on Patreon Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

Are you a city mouse or a country mouse? That’s the question at the heart of my conversation with Charlotte Northedge. Her new novel, The People Before argues that though the city may be a hassle, it’s a lot less scary than what waits out there in the fields and farmhouses of this pleasant land. Charlotte is very much a city mouse. She’s also the Head of Books for The Guardian Newspaper, which makes her superbly well-euipped to talk about fiction in general, and this is an episode that really gets into the Gothic tradition of which The People Before is part. We talk about the unique nature of the female gothic, domestic loads and mortgage terror, the economics of haunted houses, and I stand by my argument that rural axe-murders are fairly rare.Enjoy! The People Before was released on November 10th by HarperCollinsOther books mentioned in this episode include:The House Guests (2021), by Charlotte NorthedgeThe Last House on Needless Street (2021), by Catriona Ward Sundial (2022), by Catriona Ward The Fell (2021), by Sarah MossThe Haunting of Hill House (1959), by Shirley JacksonRebecca (1938), by Daphne Du MaurierThe Turn of the Screw (1898), by Henry James Support Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

It’s coming home, it’s coming … horror’s coming home!Alright, no one panic – this isn’t about football. We’ll avoid that particular nightmare of human corruption and talk about something much more nourishing – the delights of British Folk Horror.Our guest is Fiona Barnett, and these days it’s seems like a mini-celebration everytime I have a fellow Brit on the show. Her debut novel The Dark Between the Trees is also quintessentially British, mired in the myth and lore and landscape of these sceptic isles. Her novel follows two groups into the cursed Moresby Woods. One is a group of soldiers from the 16th Century; the other is a research group in the present day. Neither expedition goes at all well…Amongst many things, Fiona and I talk about writing female groups, about propelling the plot in the face of paralysis weirdness, we discuss the nature of folktale and truth, and we look into the abyss of Deep Time.And in case that all sounds awfully hifalutin – I make sure to talk about monsters as much as I can. Though this week, I promise, there is no Bigfoot. Enjoy! The Dark Between the Trees was released on October 11th by SolarisOther books mentioned in this episode include:Annihilation (2014), by Jeff VanderMeerMythago Wood (1984), by Robert HoldstockPicnic at Hanging Rock (1967), by Joan LindseyDeep Time: A Literary History (2023), by Noah HeringmanBegars Abbey (2022), by V.L. ValentineLolly Willowes, or the Loving Huntsman (1926), by Sylvia Townsend WarnerSupport Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show

I don’t always talk about Bigfoot … but when I do it’s with the BEST people.Our guest this week is Erika T. Wurth, author, narrative artist and creative writing guru. She is of Apache/Chickasaw/Cherokee descent and she pours all of that skill and heritage into her new novel White Horse. It’s a tale of haunting, hard-living and violence, with a certain hairy indigenous monster that pops up in your dreams.This is NOT the Bigfoot that you expect, or want to meet. As well as that brief foray into hairy hominid lore (I restrained myself; you’re welcome), Erika and I also talk about the dreaded dream sequence, the German phenomenon of Sonder, the real Overlook hotel and Jack Kerouac, of all people.Enjoy!White Horse was released on November 1st by Flatiron BooksOther books mentioned in this episode include:Buckskin Cocaine (2017), by Erika T. WurthBlack Sun (2021), by Rebecca Roanhorse Ghost Eaters (2022), by Clay McLeod ChapmanSupport Talking Scared on PatreonCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Support the show