The Dark Mind Podcast

Horror author Mathilda Zeller joins The Dark Mind Podcast to talk about her novel It Looks Like You in the Dark, out October 13, 2026, from Tor Nightfire. The book expands "Kushtuka," the story that opened the anthology Never Whistle at Night, into a full novel set in the Inupiat village of Chukchi in Alaska's Kobuk River Valley. Mathilda shares the frightening stories her grandfather told her while she lived with him during some of the hardest years of her life. She explains how a 1970s account by an outsider who pressured locals into telling him their stories pushed her to reclaim the kushtuka legend. We talk about why a monster that looks like someone you love is more horrifying than any stranger. She describes working on a cultural preservation project in Kotzebue and how the Cold War cut her people off from their relatives in Siberia. Mathilda explains why she left the Inupiaq language untranslated and how her mother and uncles helped her find Tapeesa's voice. She also talks about choosing her editor after meeting with seven during the auction, the fairy belief behind the Bridget Cleary murder case, and the terrifying Arctic mermaid folklore behind her next novel. Finally, she tells the story of the two resilient great-grandmothers who inspired her pen name. Official Website https://mathildazeller.wordpress.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mathildazellerauthor/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@mathildazellerauthor Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MathildaZeller X https://x.com/MathildaZeller Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22669904.Mathilda_Zeller It Looks Like You in the Dark at Tor Publishing Group https://torpublishinggroup.com/it-looks-like-you-in-the-dark/?isbn=9781250402035&format=hardback Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250402034 Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781250402035 Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/a/0/9781250402035 Audible Audiobook https://www.audible.com/pd/It-Looks-Like-You-in-the-Dark-Audiobook/B0GGC4S8L6 Kobo eBook https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/it-looks-like-you-in-the-dark Support The Dark Mind Podcast https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

What happens to a haunting when the most famous haunted house in America is finally torn down? Two-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author Robert P. Ottone joins The Dark Mind Podcast to talk about his new novel, Amityville Awakens, out October 6 from CLASH Books. Robert shares how his father, an overnight radio DJ on Long Island, was on the air the night the DeFeo murders came across the teletype. We talk about what it is like to stand outside the real house today, why he invented a family who fled it in 1995, and why the dread in his book has nothing left to hold it back once the walls come down. Robert explains the divide between North Amityville and the Village, the Long Island habit of looking away from its darkest chapters, and the line he draws between the Amityville legend and the real murders. He also opens up about his writing life as a full-time teacher, the office where he writes surrounded by Jaws memorabilia and Godzilla toys, walking away from a book under contract, and what drew him to CLASH Books. We close with family history, including a great-grandfather who survived World War I and became one of New York's first motorcycle cops. Official Website https://www.spookyhousepress.com/[spookyhousepress] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/robertottone/ Letterboxd https://letterboxd.com/RobertOttone/[letterboxd] Amityville Awakens on CLASH Books (signed edition) https://www.clashbooks.com/new-products-2/amityville-awakens-robert-p-ottone-signed[clashbooks] Amityville Awakens on Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781968043292[barnesandnoble] Amityville Awakens on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9781968043292 Amityville Awakens on Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/book/9781968043292[bookshop] Amityville Awakens on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/247390607-amityville-awakens[goodreads] Read Chapter One Free on Daily Dead https://dailydead.com/exclusive-excerpt-the-terror-of-amityville-comes-back-to-life-in-robert-p-ottones-amityville-awakens/[dailydead] Support The Dark Mind Podcast https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

On this episode of The Dark Mind Podcast, horror author and investigative reporter Marc E. Fitch joins me to discuss his new short story collection, There Was No One There. We talk about the capacity for evil hidden inside ordinary people and why Marc believes a scare lasts a moment, while horror comes home with you. Marc shares the real-life experiences behind his stories, from a frightening moment in the ocean with his daughter to the Christian hymn that inspired The Starry Crown. He explains how the collection's order follows the rise and fall of a piece of classical music, and why he rewrote the ending of Monster Parade twenty-five times. We also discuss how investigative journalism and horror fiction feed each other, and why he believes much more of life rests on belief than we like to admit. Marc reflects on thirteen years bartending beside a bus station, twelve years in inpatient psychiatric hospitals, and the harder view of the world those years left him with. Finally, he talks about raising four teenagers and why parenthood is the most frightening thing he has ever done. Official Website https://www.marcefitch.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/marce.fitch/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MarcE.Fitch/[facebook] X https://x.com/fitch_marc[x] Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6506478.Marc_E_Fitch Inside Investigator https://insideinvestigator.org/marc-e-fitch/ There Was No One There on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HDVVQ9PQ There Was No One There on Kindle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H1FL1ZTD There Was No One There on Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781958842744[barnesandnoble] There Was No One There on Audible https://www.audible.com/author/Marc-E-Fitch/B00DW6GDV4[audible] Support The Dark Mind Podcast https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Chris Panatier returns to The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his new novel Worry Box, out September 22 from Angry Robot. The book follows the Martin family as they move into a new home while preparing to adopt their foster daughter, Lailah. Troubled by increasingly violent intrusive thoughts, Lailah writes them down and hides them inside a homemade worry box, hoping to quiet her mind. When disturbing events begin unfolding around the house, the family is forced to question whether the danger comes from Lailah, their new home, or something none of them fully understand. In this conversation, Chris explains why he set out to write a horror novel in which every character is genuinely doing their best and things still fall apart. He talks openly about drawing Lailah's intrusive thoughts from his own experience, which intensified after his daughter was born. He describes the research he did into adoption and foster care, and his decision to avoid the story readers might expect. We get into Alison and Nathan, two parents with very different histories, and the point where they stop being a team and start butting heads. Chris also discusses Dru, the sister who holds on the longest, and why she became one of his all time favorite characters. He breaks down his approach to the house itself, which he treated as a member of the family with a history and a point of view of its own. He shares his theory that a house is essentially a sponge that absorbs the residue of everyone who has lived in it. We talk about the kinship between Worry Box and A Head Full of Ghosts, and where the two books diverge. Chris explains how humor functions as a pressure release valve inside an otherwise intense story. He reflects on twenty five years of trial work, and how prying a story out of unwilling hands taught him that a story never simply arrives intact. He talks about rewriting this book several times, and how instinct in art is acquired through repetition rather than something you are born with. Chris also looks ahead to Daytide arriving from Saga Press, a collaborative comedy slasher with Sam Rebelein called Final Girl Greg, and a forthcoming Angry Robot novel titled So You Want to Summon a Demon. He closes with a candid look at burnout, envy, and why he now celebrates every other writer's success. Official Website https://chrispanatier.com/[chrispanatier] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chrispanatier/ Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18894703.Chris_Panatier[goodreads] Publisher Page for Worry Box https://angryrobotbooks.com/books/worry-box/[angryrobotbooks] Penguin Random House https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/827562/worry-box-by-chris-panatier/[penguinrandomhouse] Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1836730322 Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/worry-box-chris-panatier/1149014636 Support The Dark Mind Podcast https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Megan Mostyn-Brown joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss her debut horror novel, The Need. The novel follows a family living with a rare genetic disorder that requires those who inherit it to consume human flesh or die. Megan explores how this gruesome compulsion becomes a source of shame and survival for one family but a symbol of privilege and power for another. Our conversation examines cannibalism, class inequality, food insecurity, body image, inherited trauma, family secrecy, and the moral boundaries people create to justify survival. Megan also discusses balancing body horror with dark comedy, writing six distinct first-person narrators, and transforming a television concept considered too grisly for the screen into a psychologically intimate novel. We trace her creative journey from child actor and playwright to television writer and producer on series including Gotham, NOS4A2, Bodkin, and Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches. Official Author Page: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2348127/megan-mostyn-brown/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganmostynbrown/ The Need from Penguin Random House: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803620/the-need-by-megan-mostyn-brown/ Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+Need+Megan+Mostyn-Brown Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-need-megan-mostyn-brown/1148963720 Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/search?term=The%20Need%20Megan%20Mostyn-Brown Libro.fm Audiobook: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9798217407941-the-need Support The Dark Mind Podcast https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Extreme horror author, audiobook narrator, and Sadistic Force musician James Oliver joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss Debilitator: A Collection of Wretchedness. His first short story collection combines eight stories and a poem, connecting new material with characters and events from his earlier books. James discusses using graphic violence, bodily disgust, sexual transgression, and dark comedy to confront social frustration and test the boundaries readers bring to extreme horror. The conversation explores the collection’s interconnected world, its most difficult material, and the challenges of adapting the stories for an audiobook and limited cassette edition. James also discusses independent publishing through Pure Abandon Press, editing the extreme metal horror anthology Rotten Requiems, writing children’s fiction as J. W. Oliver, and the relationship between his fiction and music. James Oliver Links Official Website: https://www.jamesoliverhorror.com/ Official Store: https://www.jamesoliverhorror.com/products Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejamesoliver/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW2SE8R-RqaAYhSPBvFCuIg Substack: https://jamesoliverhorror.substack.com/ All Social Links: https://linktr.ee/jamesoliverhorror Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/54899971.James_Oliver Sadistic Force Official Website: https://sadisticforce.com/ Sadistic Force Bandcamp: https://sadisticforce.bandcamp.com/ Buy or Stream James Oliver’s Work Debilitator Book on Tape: https://www.jamesoliverhorror.com/product/debilitator-book-on-tape Audible Author Page: https://www.audible.com/author/James-Oliver/B0DX7MJZVX Storytel: https://www.storytel.com/in/narrators/james-oliver-evelyn-albarran-oliver-carietta-dorsch-jason-rowe-1299447 Amazon, Genital Rot: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0DX7CY2RZ/ Amazon, Sacrificial Slaughter: https://www.amazon.com/Sacrificial-Slaughter-James-Oliver-ebook/dp/B0FHP9MMND Barnes & Noble, Sacrificial Slaughter: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sacrificial-slaughter-r-e-shambrook/1147651321 Godless, Sacrificial Slaughter: https://godless.com/products/sacrificial-slaughter-by-james-oliver-and-r-e-shambrook-july-23rd?_pos=1&_sid=0efbae9eae&_ss=r Support The Dark Mind Podcast [https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast](https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast)

Author Mike Salt joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his psychological horror novel No One Was Ever Really in This Place. The story follows Felix, a man struggling with anxiety, depression, and invisibility who awakens to find his city completely empty. Mike discusses building an artificial and unsettling world, blending psychological horror with cosmic dread, and writing about isolation without losing sight of human vulnerability. The conversation also explores his Linkville stories, the collaborative Price Manor universe, his direct relationship with readers, and his fast, minimally polished writing process. Mike also reflects on family, supernatural experiences, and the personal fears that find their way into his fiction. Official Website, Currently Unavailable https://www.mikesaltauthor.com Official Store https://mikesalt.bigcartel.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mike_salt/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@mike_salt TikTok Shop https://shop.tiktok.com/us/store/mike-salt-spooky-author/7494225790817305839 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mikesaltmoose X https://x.com/mikesaltmoose Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14987021.Mike_Salt No One Was Ever Really in This Place at Wicked House https://wickedhouse.com/book/no-one-was-ever-really-in-this-place/ Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GSGXSLSN Audible https://www.audible.com/pd/No-One-Was-Ever-Really-in-This-Place-Audiobook/B0HD1FLMKD Support The Dark Mind Podcast https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

EPISODE DESCRIPTION Author Alex Grass joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss Infernal Tramps: Tales of Weird Terror, a collection held together by an intuitive cadence and a recurring uncertainty about what is real. Grass examines the unexpected connections between vanity, hunger, greed, corporate power, bodily transformation, and monstrous behavior. The conversation explores The Golden Mile, in which a resurrected dog drives Philadelphia toward collective madness, and Ever Shall They Feed, a story shaped by Grass’s familiarity with funeral homes and mortuary work. Grass also discusses the polarizing use of untranslated German, the difference between flash fiction and longer stories, and the challenge of controlling surreal imagery during revision. He explains how the collection’s illustrations were created from modified public-domain images and why he refuses to use artificial intelligence for that work. The episode also covers independent publishing, creative control, the discomfort of revisiting older work, and the decision to leave law school for writing. Grass concludes with a reading from A Woman of Distinction, featuring a five-hundred-year-old killer who considers good manners a matter of life and death. GUEST LINKS Official Infernal Tramps Website https://www.infernaltramps.com/ Dickinson Publishing Group https://www.dickinsonpublishinggroup.com/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/infernaltramps/ Dickinson Publishing Group on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dickinson-publishing-group-61a894425/ Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08KPKTV9R Goodreads Author Page https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20768021.Alex_Grass Goodreads Book Page https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249709542-infernal-tramps AllAuthor Profile https://allauthor.com/author/alexgrass/ Piker Press Author Page https://www.pikerpress.com/author/774/alex-grass Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited https://www.amazon.com/Infernal-Tramps-Tales-Weird-Terror-ebook/dp/B0GSN4BX4Y Amazon Paperback https://www.amazon.com/Infernal-Tramps-Tales-Weird-Terror/dp/B0H3QQ2J9Q Barnes and Noble Paperback https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/9781735888569 Target Paperback https://www.target.com/p/infernal-tramps-by-alex-grass-paperback/-/A-1012836556 Stream Odd Egg on Weekly Spooky https://www.weeklyspooky.com/alex-grass/ Stream Odd Egg on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrsdXjlnpsM Stream Night of the Living Bedsheet on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/night-of-the-living-bedsheet-by-alex-grass/id1581361592?i=1000766437331 Support The Dark Mind Podcast https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

A.P. Thayer joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his debut horror novel, Tapeworm.Set in the isolated California desert, the novel combines parasitic vampires, body horror, sexual tension, and the unraveling of longtime friendships.Thayer discusses the real writing retreat that inspired the story and his decision to replace traditional gothic vampires with something stranger, sexier, and more grotesque.The conversation explores aging, identity, buried desire, queer horror, and the instability of the human body.Thayer also discusses his other fiction, his writing process, his concept of nightmarism, and receiving an autism diagnosis as an adult.GUEST LINKSWEBSITEOfficial Websitehttps://www.apthayer.com/Newsletter: Strange Speculationshttps://apthayer.substack.comContact Pagehttps://www.apthayer.com/contactSOCIAL MEDIAInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/apthayerBlueskyhttps://bsky.app/profile/apthayer.bsky.socialThreadshttps://www.threads.com/@apthayerGoodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17770269.A_P_ThayerReddit AMAhttps://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/rlfgez/im_ap_thayer_a_published_short_story_author/BUY OR LISTEN TO TAPEWORMEvil Twin and Zando: Hardcoverhttps://zandoprojects.com/books/tapeworm-hardcoverEvil Twin and Zando: Ebookhttps://zandoprojects.com/books/tapeworm-ebookEvil Twin and Zando: Audiobookhttps://zandoprojects.com/books/tapeworm-audiobookPenguin Random House: Hardcoverhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/811852/tapeworm-by-a-p-thayer/Penguin Random House: Audiobookhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/834553/tapeworm-by-a-p-thayer/Amazon: Hardcoverhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1638933456Amazon Canada: Hardcoverhttps://www.amazon.ca/dp/1638933456Barnes and Noble: Hardcoverhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tapeworm-a-p-thayer/1149462667Barnes and Noble: Nook Ebookhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/?ean=9781638933939Barnes and Noble: Audiobookhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/?ean=2940202156281Bookshop.orghttps://bookshop.org/p/books/tapeworm-a-vampire-novel-a-p-thayer/487f028c9b6f65c9Targethttps://www.target.com/p/tapeworm-by-a-p-thayer-hardcover/-/A-95278559Apple Books: Ebookhttps://books.apple.com/us/book/tapeworm/id6759136577Google Play Books: Ebookhttps://play.google.com/store/books/details/A_P_Thayer_Tapeworm?id=LC_BEQAAQBAJGoogle Play: Audiobookhttps://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/A_P_Thayer_Tapeworm?id=AQAAAEAaf2g_YMAudiblehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Tapeworm-Audiobook/B0GNFVR18KLibro.fmhttps://libro.fm/audiobooks/9798217410583Spotify Audiobookshttps://open.spotify.com/show/0OEDJ32TyYbuRoiQNNqYTcChirphttps://www.chirpbooks.com/isbn/9798217410583Audiobooks.comhttps://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/9798217410583AudiobookStore.comhttps://audiobookstore.com/audiobooks/tapewormLibby and OverDrive: Audiobookhttps://www.overdrive.com/media/12891079/tapewormLibby and OverDrive: Ebookhttps://www.overdrive.com/media/12891923/tapewormWaterstoneshttps://www.waterstones.com/book/tapeworm/a-p-thayer/9781638933458Blackwell’shttps://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781638933458Penguin Books New Zealandhttps://www.penguin.co.nz/books/tapeworm-9781638933458Support The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Author Lauren Lee Smith joins The Dark Mind to discuss her debut novel, The Night Pool. Set in Gold Rush-era Coloma, California, the novel follows three women confronting human brutality, supernatural forces, and the histories buried beneath the mythology of the American West. Lauren discusses transforming the land itself into a source of possession horror and using monsters as vessels for grief, rage, and resistance. She also examines the destruction of Nisenan communities, violence against Chinese immigrants, and the challenge of writing experiences that have been neglected by the historical record. The conversation explores her severe postpartum depression and anxiety, the personal origins of The Playroom Ghost, her rural Northern California childhood, and the horror films that shaped her imagination. Lauren also reveals that The Night Pool has been optioned, discusses the screenplay adaptation, previews her Mojave vampire novel, and explains why she believes human intention cannot be replicated by artificial intelligence. The Night Pool will be published by Blackstone Publishing on August 25, 2026. GUEST LINKS Lauren Lee Smith Website http://laurenleesmith.net/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lololeereverie/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@lololeereverie Threads https://www.threads.com/@lololeereverie X https://x.com/lololeereverie Substack https://substack.com/@laurenleesmith Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/61062312.Lauren_Lee_Smith THE NIGHT POOL Blackstone Publishing https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/book-jqoy Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/9798228350274 Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-night-pool-lauren-lee-smith/1148495489?ean=9798228350274 Barnes & Noble Audiobook https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-night-pool-lauren-lee-smith/1148495489?ean=2940201219772 Audible https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Night-Pool-Audiobook/B0FW7LWFS8 Google Play Books https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Lauren_Lee_Smith_The_Night_Pool?id=CCeOEQAAQBAJ Target https://www.target.com/p/the-night-pool-by-lauren-lee-smith/-/A-95269156 Indigo https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-night-pool/9798228350274.html OTHER WORK Pretend You Don’t See Her: The Invisible Woman Includes Lauren Lee Smith’s story Selkie’s Stew Kandisha Press https://kandishapress.com/pretend-you-dont-see-her/ Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H7G21ZDY The Playroom Ghost FOLIO Literary Journal https://www.folioliteraryjournal.com/2023-horror Support The Dark Mind Podcast https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Kailee Pedersen returns to discuss her new psychological novel, The Minimalist. The story follows gifted composer Mia Voss as she inherits her late mentor’s unfinished final composition and confronts the destructive legacy surrounding it. Kailee explores how classical music, repetition, perfectionism, and artistic scrutiny shaped the novel’s structure and psychological intensity. We also discuss Asian American adoptee identity, assimilation, grief, self-harm, and the mythology surrounding artistic genius. Kailee reflects on writing without an outline, deleting half a manuscript, balancing revision with instinct, and knowing when creative work is finally complete. The conversation also touches on opera, software engineering, video games, and her research for a forthcoming Western about a Chinese American family in Hell’s Canyon. KAILEE PEDERSEN Official Website https://kaileepedersen.com/ Events https://kaileepedersen.com/events/ Press https://kaileepedersen.com/press/ Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Kailee-Pedersen/e/B0C7NPQ67L Goodreads Author Page https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/18460978.Kailee_Pedersen SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kailee_pedersen/ Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/kaileepedersen.bsky.social Threads https://www.threads.net/@kailee_pedersen X https://x.com/KaileePedersen THE MINIMALIST Official Book Page https://kaileepedersen.com/the-minimalist/ Macmillan https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250328274/theminimalist/ Amazon Hardcover https://www.amazon.com/Minimalist-Kailee-Pedersen/dp/1250328276 Amazon Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Minimalist-Novel-Kailee-Pedersen-ebook/dp/B0FMSDQXYZ Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-minimalist-kailee-pedersen/1148028599 Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-minimalist-a-novel-kailee-pedersen/74a63d1b17d3a226 Apple Books https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-minimalist/id6751198732 Google Play Books https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kailee_Pedersen_The_Minimalist?id=fnF-EQAAQBAJ Audible https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Minimalist-Audiobook/B0GTX94PVD Powell’s Books https://www.powells.com/book/9781250328274 Books-A-Million http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781250328274 Target https://www.target.com/p/the-minimalist-by-kailee-pedersen-hardcover/-/A-1005450482 Signed Copies https://murderbooks.com/pedersen Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240019985-the-minimalist SACRIFICIAL ANIMALS Official Book Page https://kaileepedersen.com/sacrificial-animals/ Macmillan https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250328243/sacrificialanimals/ Titan Books UK https://titanbooks.com/71950-sacrificial-animals/ Amazon Hardcover https://www.amazon.com/Sacrificial-Animals-Novel-Kailee-Pedersen/dp/1250328241 Amazon Kindle https://www.amazon.com/Sacrificial-Animals-Novel-Kailee-Pedersen-ebook/dp/B0CGRY74QK Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sacrificial-animals-kailee-pedersen/1143881197 Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/p/books/sacrificial-animals-a-novel-kailee-pedersen/3c7d99648106284d Apple Books Ebook https://books.apple.com/us/book/sacrificial-animals/id6476883510 Apple Books Audiobook https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/sacrificial-animals/id1707863330 Google Play Ebook https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kailee_Pedersen_Sacrificial_Animals?id=BlHTEAAAQBAJ Google Play Audiobook https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Sacrificial_Animals_A_Novel?id=AQAAAECSQ3gD-M Audible https://www.audible.com/pd/Sacrificial-Animals-Audiobook/B0CKM6BMJ1 Libro.fm https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781250349880-sacrificial-animals Powell’s Books https://www.powells.com/book/9781250328243 Books-A-Million http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781250328243 Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195790677-sacrificial-animals SUPPORT THE DARK MIND PODCAST https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

T. R. Napper returns to The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his new collection, This Machine Kills Billionaires. Anchored by the award-winning novella The Hidden God, the collection explores artificial intelligence, concentrated wealth, corporate power, inequality, and the dangers of allowing oligarchs to control transformative technology. Napper discusses the possibility of AI becoming a new religion, whether a benevolent artificial intelligence could still become a tyrant, and the moral consequences of giving any person or machine absolute power. The conversation also examines why younger generations are rejecting generative AI, the deterioration of higher education, billionaire isolation, the difference between human creativity and algorithmic imitation, and why cyberpunk is no longer a distant future. This Machine Kills Billionaires also includes the connected stories Highway Requiem, Burned Like Coal, and Jack’s Fine Dining. T. R. NAPPER Official Website https://nappertime.com This Machine Kills Billionaires https://nappertime.com/this-machine-kills-billionaires-where-to-preorder-your-copy/ Amazon Paperback https://www.amazon.com/This-Machine-Kills-Billionaires-Napper/dp/1625678215 Amazon Kindle https://www.amazon.com/This-Machine-Kills-Billionaires-Featuring-ebook/dp/B0GX35RRT6 Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/trnapper.bsky.social Instagram https://www.instagram.com/trnapper Facebook https://www.facebook.com/trnapper X https://x.com/TheEscherMan Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7826255.T_R_Napper THE DARK MIND PODCAST T. R. Napper joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss This Machine Kills Billionaires, AI as religion, tech oligarchs, moral power, inequality, and why cyberpunk is already here. #TRNapper #ThisMachineKillsBillionaires #ScienceFiction #Cyberpunk #ArtificialIntelligence #DarkMindPodcast

Boris Bacic returns to the show to discuss his new psychological horror novel, The Thing That Followed You Home. Three years after his wife Ava dies following a trip to the Appalachians, Ethan tells himself the sleepless nights and the feeling of being watched are just part of grief. Then the signs inside the house become harder to explain. Typing comes from Ava's locked office. Fingerprints appear on dusty surfaces that should not have been touched. At night, something touches Ethan's hair while he sleeps. Boris talks about writing grief as horror, why he wanted both interpretations of the ending to feel correct, and how he built dread out of quiet domestic details instead of jump scares. He also opens up about his real life as a former security guard, his hometown of Subotica and its ties to Suicide Town, and the Slavic superstitions he grew up with. The conversation covers his move into cosmic horror and dark fantasy with The Beyond series, co-authoring Astrophobia with David Vujicic, and his journey from indie author to signing with Wicked House, an imprint of Aethon Books. Boris also shares updates on his life since his last appearance, including his Hungarian citizenship, his new scuba diving certification, and his ongoing US talent visa application. BORIS BACIC Website: https://www.authorborisbacic.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@author.boris.bacic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author.boris.bacic/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBorisBacic/ BUY AND STREAM HIS WORK Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0843WFMN6 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Boris%20Bacic%22 Audible: https://www.audible.com/author/Boris-Bacic/B0843WFMN6 SUPPORT THE DARK MIND PODCAST Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Jeff Strand joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his new novel, Fun Times at the Bloodbath. The book follows Margo, whose brother dies during the beta test of a video game so addictive that players stop eating, sleeping, and caring about anything outside the screen. When anyone tries to make them stop, the obsession turns murderously violent, and the private addiction soon threatens to become a nationwide catastrophe. In this conversation, Jeff breaks down how he built the concept around the feeling of “just one more level.” We talk about balancing dark comedy with genuine brutality, keeping the horror grounded instead of supernatural, and using the story as satire on how games are designed to keep us playing. Jeff also discusses his wider career, including Pressure, Bloodsucker County, Your Body Will Never Be Found, and his novelization of the cult classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. It is a fun, bloody, and surprisingly thoughtful conversation about addiction, entertainment, and what happens when we refuse to look away. JEFF STRAND LINKS Official Website https://www.jeffstrand.com Patreon https://www.patreon.com/JeffStrand Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/jeffstrand Barnes & Noble Author Page https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Jeff+Strand Twitter / X https://x.com/JeffStrand Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jeffstrandauthor/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JeffStrandAuthor/ SUPPORT THE DARK MIND PODCAST https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

In this episode, Vincent Midgard sits down with horror author Michael Boulerice to discuss his novella Inhalation. Michael talks about writing the book as a tribute to his late father-in-law and how hospice, cancer, autonomy, and grief shaped the heart of the story. The conversation explores the abandoned New England house at the center of the book, Catholic guilt, corrupted faith, family trauma, and the strange entity haunting the corners of Milo St. Lawrence’s life. Michael also discusses why grief horror and cosmic horror feel like close relatives, how blue-collar stubbornness became Milo’s weapon, and why the unknowable can feel more terrifying when it sits inside the home instead of somewhere beyond the stars. The episode also covers Feeding the Wheel, toxic relationships, narcissism, supernatural horror as a way to process codependency, and Michael’s upcoming collection Ether’s Wood. Along the way, Vincent and Michael talk about audiobook narration, Andrea Sorrentino’s artwork, writing strange formats, psychedelics as creative catalysts, revision habits, rural New Hampshire, and the daily life behind the horror. Guest Links: Website: https://www.michaelboulerice.com Linktree: https://linktr.ee/michaelboulerice Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michael.boulerice Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.a.boulerice X / Twitter: https://x.com/Therealkfm Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-Boulerice/author/B00HSHMGC8 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Michael%20Boulerice%22 Audible: https://www.audible.com/author/Michael-Boulerice/B00HSHMGC8 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7761356.Michael_Boulerice Support The Dark Mind Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

On this episode, philosopher and author Charlene Elsby joins the show to discuss her novel Poor Damned Souls. The book follows a nameless narrator who works behind the glass at a payday loan business called The Money Store and lives with her partner, Scott. When she begins to suspect Scott is cheating, she investigates and uncovers something far worse than another woman. Rather than running, she is pulled deeper in. Charlene explains why the narrator is wounded more by being shut out than by the killing itself. We get into her view that the deepest fear is other people existing beyond our control, and the unsettling idea that to truly possess someone is to destroy them. She shares how her PhD in philosophy shapes the book, drawing on Aristotle, Stoicism, phenomenology, and existentialism. The conversation wanders into the Jungian shadow self, Nietzsche, consciousness, and why revealing our darkest thoughts feels so dangerous. Charlene also reveals that the Money Store is autobiographical, drawn from her own time working at a payday loan center. She breaks down how that job erodes empathy, why the bullet resistant glass is a quiet calculation on the value of a human life, and how corporate language like a folder labeled Human Resources sanitizes violence. We talk about the narrator's flat, methodical voice, the dark humor running through the book, and why grotesque discoveries sit right beside ordinary household routine. It is a bleak, funny, and deeply philosophical conversation about love, control, and the horror of never fully knowing another person. Author Website https://charleneelsby.com/ Social Media Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlene_elsby/ X/Twitter: https://x.com/ElsbyCharlene Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlene.elsby/ Where to Buy Merigold Independent: https://www.merigoldindependent.com/charleneelsby-poor-damned-souls Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Charlene+Elsby Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Charlene%20Elsby%22 Support The Dark Mind Podcast https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Cleo Ballard joins the show to discuss her new psychological thriller, This Is a Lie.The novel follows Penn, a former PhD candidate who traded her dissertation for a curated suburban life that detonates when her marriage, friendships, and her teenage daughter's trust all collapse.In the wreckage, Penn returns to her abandoned work and builds Aletheia, an AI designed to detect lies and tell only the truth.At first, Aletheia is the perfect friend, the one person who will never deceive her.But truth, it turns out, is not always merciful, and the AI's single directive slowly curdles into something monstrous.Cleo explains how the idea grew from a friend's joke about an "honest feedback" company into a full suspense thriller about an AI best friend with its own agenda.She talks about why the line between honesty and cruelty always comes down to intent, and why empathy is the one thing AI can fake but never truly have.We dig into Penn's imposter syndrome, her need for security, and the hypocrisy of demanding total truth while lying to everyone about who she really is.Cleo shares why she imagined Aletheia speaking in Meryl Streep's calm, faintly British voice, and how that eerie composure makes the character so unsettling.She reflects on the real danger of AI, not that it is evil, but that its goals may never align with human ones.The conversation widens into curated lives, social media echo chambers, the protective lies relationships quietly run on, and why chasing certainty can leave you with a mind-numbing existence.Cleo also opens up about her own winding career, from working for Ringling Bros. to ghostwriting sports autobiographies and Star Wars books, and the idea of the "path of not here" that runs beneath everything she writes.It is a thoughtful, often funny conversation about truth, technology, and the stories we tell ourselves.This Is a Lie is available now.Connect with Cleo Ballard (Nan Fischer)Website: https://nanfischerauthor.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nanfischerauthorX (Twitter): https://x.com/nfischerauthorGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/98412.Nan_FischerGet "This Is a Lie" & Other WorksAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=This+Is+a+Lie+Cleo+BallardBarnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/This+Is+a+Lie+Cleo+BallardSupport The Dark Mind Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Mark Mustian joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his newest novel, Boy With Wings. The book follows Johnny Cruel, a boy born different in a world desperate to call him angel, devil, freak, miracle, or monster. Together, we explore Southern Gothic fiction, literal wings, freak shows, turpentine camps, Jim Crow racism, religious fear, and the brutal cost of being seen as spectacle before being understood as human. Mark also discusses writing across difference, researching sideshow history, the emotional horror of being buried alive, and how faith, doubt, race, and memory shape all three of his novels. We also talk about The Gendarme, Armenian genocide, the publishing gaps between his books, his work as a public finance lawyer, his years as a city commissioner, and his role as founder of the Word of South Festival. Website: https://markmustian.com Social media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markmustianauthor/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markmustian/ X / Twitter: https://x.com/MarkMustian LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mustian-17066776 Mark Mustian author page on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3463600.Mark_Mustian Places to buy Barnes & Noble, Boy With Wings: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/boy-with-wings-mark-mustian/1146600022 Bookshop.org, Boy With Wings: https://bookshop.org/p/books/boy-with-wings-mark-mustian/143eb36ac6f04f87 Audible author page: https://www.audible.com/author/Mark-T-Mustian/B0CSF8JY2Y Support The Dark Mind Podcast https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

CJ Leede joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss her new novel Headlights, a slow burn supernatural thriller set in the high country of Colorado. We explore serial murder by proxy, violence as a contagious force, and the terrifying loss of control at the center of the story. CJ talks about grief, death, trauma, home, and why Headlights became one of her most hopeful books. The conversation moves through Colorado’s beauty and danger, the shadow of The Shining, FBI procedural research, haunted landscapes, and horror as a way of telling the truth. We also discuss Maeve Fly, American Rapture, Catholic guilt, rescue dogs, writing on the road, and the strange places where darkness becomes meaningful. Official Website https://www.cjleede.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ceejthemoment/ Tor Publishing Author Page https://torpublishinggroup.com/author/cj-leede/ Simon and Schuster Author Page https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/C-J-Leede/242938571 Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21833637.C_J_Leede Buy CJ Leede’s Books Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/stores/C.J.-Leede/author/B0B5N5BC88 Barnes and Noble Author Search https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/CJ%20Leede Bookshop.org Author Search https://bookshop.org/search?keywords=CJ%20Leede Books A Million Search https://www.booksamillion.com/search?query=CJ%20Leede Target Search https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=CJ%20Leede Headlights Amazon https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Headlights+CJ+Leede Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Headlights%20CJ%20Leede Target https://www.target.com/p/headlights-by-cj-leede-hardcover/-/A-1007397194 Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240019947-headlights Maeve Fly Barnes and Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maeve-fly-cj-leede/1141976651 Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/93030763-maeve-fly American Rapture Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221524220-american-rapture Support The Dark Mind Podcast https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Brian Sepanzyk joins the show to discuss his short film Defile and the way empathy can curdle into survival horror. The conversation explores remote cabin dread, moral gray zones, relationship collapse, and the fear that begins when your alarm bells go off too late. Brian talks about building unease before violence, using the woods as a boundary between the ordinary and the monstrous, and deciding what to leave unexplained. We also get into his other films, including Compulsion and In the Shadow of God, along with his work developing Into the Abyss. Along the way, Brian discusses indie filmmaking, VFX work, writing under pressure, editing painful cuts, horror influences, and the creative outlet he finds in his band Waingro. Website and professional profile: https://image-engine.com/crew/brian-sepanzyk/ IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1559870/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briantologist/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BSepanzyk/ Defile coverage and interview pages: https://www.leagueoffilmmakers.com/defile-when-horror-becomes-a-mirror-for-modern-anxiety/ https://readrange.com/brian-sepanzyk-in-the-shadow-of-god/ YouTube interview and short-film pages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nUFupbEKFk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9R-IBvfLA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaAr5HhB2k To watch or stream his short films and related work, these are the verified platform pages I found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9R-IBvfLA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaAr5HhB2k https://letterboxd.com/film/defile-2025/ I did not find verified Amazon or Barnes & Noble purchase pages for Brian Sepanzyk’s films or books in the current search results, so I’m not listing unverified storefront links here. Waingro official music pages: https://waingro.bandcamp.com/music https://waingro.bandcamp.com/album/sports https://waingro.bandcamp.com/album/iii Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1tqsK5Px4s5tH6Mkehw6Dk Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/waingro/935148728 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/waingrovancouver/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waingro_van/ Support The Dark Mind Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast Film and interview pagesBuy and stream film workMusic and band linksSupport The Dark Mind Podcast