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A charming man approaches. With dark secrets to tell you.

Yeah, that L.P. Hernandez. Author of the novella In the Valley of the Headless Men and the forthcoming collection, No Gods, Only Chaos. Both are great; both are entirely different. One of them will expand your horizons. One of them will shrink you in horror.

I’ll let you find out which.

We talk about both books in this episode, digging into the real historical mystery behind the novella (it’s fascinating) and the craft and commitment that went into the collection. How to write emotion and character concisely, using action within metaphor, the presence (or lack of) military vets in horror, and when, exactly, LP knew he was becoming a better writer.

If you are starting out as a storyteller, I think you’ll find this episode enlightening and inspirational. I did. Kudos to L.P. for that!

Enjoy!

In the Valley of the Headless Men was published on January 29th by Cemetery Games

No Gods, Only Chaos is published on June 4th, by DarkLit Press

Other books mentioned:

Stargazers (2022), by L.P. Hernandez

The Militia House (2023), by John Milas

Mr Shivers (2010), by Robert Jackson Bennett

Bound Feet (2022), by Kelsea Yu

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Opinions are like assholes, they say. Everybody has one.

The subtext of that, is that you shouldn’t show them to people.

Well my guest and I don’t hold back on ours this week. Robert Ottone joins me for a conversation about his debut novel for adults, The Vile Thing We Created, which is almost exactly one year old.

I loved it, which is more than either of us can say for the one-year old little boy that it is about. This novel skewers the impulse to procreation – presenting a horror story of parenthood that will make the child-free sweat and the happily en-familied nod sagely (though hopefully your child isn’t a cosmic-horror menace.

Robert and I wade into the controversy over not having children? We ask, how people summoj the courage to do it in such a frightening world, and we also hold forth on other topics, such as why most colleagues are boring and some ill-advised movie opinions. I blame Robert, I’m usually so shy and retiring.

Seriously though, this is a great conversation. More disorganised and discursive than usual. Though for once, that is no bad thing.

Enjoy!

The Vile Thing We Created was published on April 18th 2023, by Hydra.

Other books mentioned:

The Triangle (2022), by Robert Ottone

Less Than Zero (1985), by Bret Easton Ellis

Lunar Park (2005), by Bret Easton Ellis

Imperial Bedrooms (2010), by Bret Easton Ellis

Sefira and Other Betrayals (2019), by John Langan

Watchmen (1987), by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Filthy Creation (2023), by Caroline Hagood

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Ah the madhouse. The loony bin. The ASYLUM!!

A classic horror location. One of my favourites, but problematic as hell in the wrong hands.

Thankfully, I have the right author for the topic. Christ Panatier has the talent and the sensitivity to ensure that his novel, The Redemption of Morgan Bright can engage with the tropes without perpetuating them. He brings something as old-as-time but very new to asylum horror, and the results are dizzying, terrifying, awful.

We talk about the perils of research for an empathetic horror writer, we discuss some hideous medical practices from the past, and we look hard at the desecration of rights that we all grew up assuming were here to stay.

Plus, the way to make friends in the horror community...

Enjoy!

The Redemption of Morgan Bright was published on April 23rd by Angry Robot Books

Other books mentioned:

• The Phlebotomist (2020), by Chris Panatier
• Stringer (2022), by Chris Panatier
• Annihilation (2014), by Jeff VanderMeer
• The Haunting of Hill House (1959), by Shirley Jackson
• Never Let Me Go (2005), by Kazuo Ishiguro
• Mad Wives: Schizophrenic Women in the 1950s (1988), by Carol A. B. Warren
• Full Immersion (2022), by Gemma Amor
• The Grip of It (2017), by Jac Jemc
• The House at the End of Lacelean Street (2024), by Catherine McCarthy
• The Spite House (2023), by Johnny Compton
• The Day of the Door (2024), by Laurel Hightower

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