Weird Reads

In this episode of Weird Reads, I sit down with author and filmmaker Christopher A. Micklos to talk about his gripping new book Tick Town, a fun tale that blends classic giant monsters and small-town dread. We also explore his history with making horror movies before digging into the book’s origins and themes.

Along the way, we trade thoughts on big bug horror and the pulpy paperbacks of the '70s and '80s. Plus, we talk about the creative (and creepy) implications of AI in storytelling—and whether it's a threat to today’s fiction writers.
<...

Author Daniel Braum returns to Weird Reads to discuss his latest collection, Creatures of Liminal Space.

In this episode, we delve into the dreamlike, slow-burn nature of Braum’s horror stories, exploring how he utilizes atmosphere and ambiguity to build dread, and what “liminal horror” truly means. We also explore how his work blends speculative elements with emotional realism, and why the scariest things are sometimes the least explained. If you’re into quiet horror, ghostly metaphors, and stories that linger long after the last page, this one’s for you.

📖 Learn more about Daniel Braum at https://bl...

This episode is different from the typical Weird Reads episodes. First, I welcome a science fiction author onto the show, M.R. Leonard. Second, M.R. Leonard is a practicing Catholic, and his book, Pilgrims, is a first-contact story about Catholic aliens. You read that correctly—Catholic aliens. This doesn't necessarily make Pilgrims Christian science fiction. Listen in to see why. Also check out Michael's book, Pilgrims as it is a fascinating look into religion.

We also discuss a great deal of history, specifically Roman history, and a bit of astrophysics. 

Check out M.R. Leonard onl...

In this episode of Weird Reads, host Jason White interviews acclaimed horror author Todd Keisling about his haunting new novel, The Sundowner’s Dance.
They discuss the book’s themes of grief, dread, and identity, how Todd approaches writing cosmic horror, and what it’s like publishing in the indie horror scene today.

Some of the authors mentioned for you to check out"
Katherine Silva
Amanda Headlee
Robert Ottone

Check out Todd Keisling's website: https://www.toddkeisling.com/ 

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Author Michael David Wilson joins Weird Reads to explore his new novel, Daddy’s Boy.
In this episode, we dive into the craft behind Wilson’s emotionally raw thriller, the boundaries of genre, and his personal journey navigating depression, anxiety, and impostor syndrome. We go beyond the scares to discuss authenticity, mental health, and resilience in horror writing. If you love character-driven horror with psychological depth, you’ll find this conversation both moving and thought-provoking. In this episode, we cover:
What defines horror beyond genre labelsWilson’s honest reflections on mental healthHow resilience builds in creative workBehind-the-scenes of writing...

Eric S. Brown and I discuss many animal attack horror books while also defining what the genre entails. We also talk about a book that he and I are writing together. 

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Today I'm joined by Jen from the YouTube channel Literary Love 123. She brings her academic knowledge to discuss gothic horror with me and all it's elements. We discuss a lot of books and some movies, so you might want to listen with a pen and a notebook. 

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The Books I've been reading plus more exciting news on the new podcast, Short Bites: A Stephen King Podcast

# Podcast Show Notes
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Derek Muk is a social worker and writer from California. His short stories have appeared in various online and print magazines. He has three chapbooks published: "Three Parts," "The Sacrifice and Other Stories," and "Sin after Sin." Also, look for his book, "Being Followed," which we discuss at length on this podcast.

Find Derek Muk online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derek.muk.7 
Twitter: https://x.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2FDerekMuk Website: https://theoccultfilesofalberttaylor.wordpress.com

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Karen from TikTok and Splatter Chatter comes on to discuss vampires with me. We discuss our vampire origin stories, favourite vampires, and our top three vampire books, with honorable mentions, of course.

Find Karen on TikTok: @mkoldman

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Ian Rogers and I explore Jeffrey Thomas's Punktown stories including his novel The New God: A Punkown Novel. We also discuss his early reading life, his influences, and more! Check out Jeffrey Thomas's work on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jeffrey-Thomas/author/B000APMJZ4

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I make a huge announcement here. Also, I may have accidentally called this episode 46 when in reality, it is episode 47! As you can see, the SAD is in full swing, and my brain is slush. And this along with the certain world events has contributed to a grumpy host and a fairly poor reading month.

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Richard Thomas is an incredibly gifted and award-winning writer. His novels include Disintegration, Breaker, Transubstantiate, and most recently, Incarnate. Incarnate is one of the most unique novels I have read. In this episode, we discuss his writing, especially Incarnate, his wonderful prose, and the ideas swarming inside his skull.

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In this episode, I lay out what I'm planning and kinda, sorta announce a new podcast to look forward to, especially if you're a Stephen King fan.

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Syn and I had to take a couple of months away from the Dark Tower, but now we're back. You can listen to this episode here or wait until New Year's Day when it officially releases on whatever your favourite podcatcher is. Thank you for listening!

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My Favorite reads of 2024!

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Ian and I discuss what it's been like working with Sam Raimi so far in the well-known director adapting Roger's short story, The House on Ashley Avenue. We also discuss his origins in horror, his collection of short stories, Every House is Haunted, his recent book deals, the Blacklands, and his latest novel, Sycamore.

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Peter O'Keefe started his career working with George R. Romero on the television series Tales from the Darkside. His recent novel retells the classic Frankenstein story told within the dreary apocalyptic landscape of late 90s Detroit. We discuss the corpse that was Detroit during the 90s, his time writing scripts, his short movies, and Counted with the Dead.

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Thank you to everyone for your patience. Here's my conversation with David Surface. We discuss incorporating real life into your fictional stories, our favourite writers, and his collection, These Things That Walk Behind Me.

David Surface is the author of two collections of stories, Terrible Things and These Things That Walk Behind Me, and co-authored the novel Angel Falls with Julia Rust. His stories fall into different horror sub-genres: ghostly tales, creature feathers, the weird, and the strange. In this discussion, we discuss how real-life situations and people make it into his fiction, how he approaches writing, co-authoring...

There were some audio issues I forgot to mention before this episode. Eric lives in one of the areas where Hurricane Helene hit, and his internet is still suffering the consequences. It gets worse near the end. I hope that you enjoy despite this issue.
Eric S. Brown is the author of more than 100 books. He writes in many different genres. I know him from his Bigfoot War books, along with some other cryptid work. But he also writes science fiction, westerns, action adventure, and pretty much everything else. It's a pleasure to be able to sit down and...

I had a fantastic time talking with NJ about medical horror, struggles with mental illness, Terrifier, Alien, and her latest book THE FATAL MIND.

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Song of Susannah was difficult to discuss, mostly because of its structure, but Syn and I still had a lot of fun discussing it.

Subscribe to Syn's Book Nook on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SynsBookNook

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Welcome, everybody, to episode 36 of the Weird Reads Podcast. Syn once again joins me from Syn’s Book Nook BookTube channel.  We discuss the fifth volume of the Dark Tower, The Wolves of the Calla. 

Check out Syn's Book Nook on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SynsBookNook

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I first noticed Radar DeBoard on TikTok. He creates fun videos there about horror movies. He also talks about his own writing. I asked him to come on to discuss his latest book, Drowning in the Drink, which is a powerful look at addiction and grief. We'll also discuss his favourite horror movies, authors, his horror origin story, and much more.

Check out his books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Radar-DeBoard/author/B0937GYFP8

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I sat down with Nick Roberts, author of The Exorcist's House, Dead End Tunnel, and Mean Spirited, among others. We discuss his work, how he overcame the demon of addiction, the problem of being an animal lover and a horror fan simultaneously, and much more.

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Jason and Syn continue their adventure reading through The Dark Tower series. In this episode, they read book four, Wizard and Glass. Spoilers are heavy for this book but not for future books of the series.

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This is the third part of The Dark Towerr discussion with Syn from Syn's Book Nook continues. We discuss The Waste Lands by Stephen King.

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Jason and Syn continue to discuss Stephen King's The Drawing of the Three, book two of The Dark Tower Series.

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Laurel and I exchange ghost stories and discuss mental illness, narcissists, grief, and her book Day of the Door! It goes into some serious topics but remains fun. I, at least, had a great time talking with Laurel and I hope you also have a great time listening! 

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Syn from Syn's Book Nook on YouTube and I discuss The Dark Tower by Stephen King. Part 2 is coming soon. **Warning** These books are spoiled. We will spoil each book as we go through The Dark Tower series.

Go subscribe to Syn on her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SynsBookNook

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Bil Richardson has had an interesting life. He's worked in film and television. He writes books, We sit down to talk a little about his film making career, but we also talk about his first book he released, More Than Evil.

Check out Bil’s author page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Bil-Richardson/author/B07BZR9LFZ

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I thought it would be fun to list these From The Hip (especially the recent reads episodes) to podcast format as well. They're typically longer videos and not everyone has the time to sit and watch them on YouTube. 

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I talk with author Kev Harrison about his fascinating life traveling and living in different countries throughout Europe, heavy metal, SAD, and his books Shadow of the Hidden and Below!
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In this episode I'm joined by Michael David Wilson, the author of The Girl In The Video, They're Watching, and House of Bad Memories. He is also the host and founder of the This Is Horror podcast. We talk about his writing and podcasting life, his horror origin story, heavy metal, living in Japan, and House of Bad Memories.

Find Michael's writing on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael%20David%20Wilson/author/B0858ZQQSR

This Is Horror: https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/podcasts/

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Please leave a rating and a review on Apple Podcasts and/or any platform you listen to Weird Reads on!

Mark Allan Gunnells and I share one big thing in common. We both love to read. Portable Magic is a collection of short stories. It is also Mark's love letter to reading. We sit down to explore such topics as stories dying with the author, stories reincarnating, the unconscious collective, storytelling, reading as an escape from the terrible and/or mundane realities of life, and Ray Bradbury.

Support the show!
Become a Patron: https://www...

Thanks to Kathleen R, Samantha C, Ben D, and Paperbird for joining the Patreon. Also to Nerdy Kathi who bought me a few coffees a little while back. 


RIP James A. Moore

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Welcome back Weird Listeners! I return to the podcast format with a special guest, Gwendolyn Kiste! It's always a pleasure talking with Gwendolyn. This time we discuss a lot of David Lynch, surreal horror, existential dread, memory, letting go, and her new book The Haunting of Velkwood.

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Jason chats with Chad Lutzke about his latest book, Cannibal Creator. They also discuss 80s horror movies and Chad's new podcast!

Check out Chad Lutzke’s and Jason Brant’s The Bleeding Page Podcast: https://shows.acast.com/bleeding-page-podcast

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Please consider buying my book Isolation: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0987856448/

Jason White sits down with Michael Schutz and Mark Allan Gunnells to discuss queer horror. This was a live discussion held on Jason's Weird Reads all the way back in June 27th, 2021.

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Here is my guide to Indie Horror Authors Part 2! You don't need to start at part one. I have three parts planned and you can start listening anywhere.

The original video: https://youtu.be/XYsAun4X7Xg

If you're new to Jason's Wierd Reads, please subscribe while you're there!

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