Talking Horror

Welcome to Talking Horror Podcast , where we dive into the stories that haunt us. Hosted by Rachel Redd, this show features conversations with horror and thriller authors about their books, their writing process, and what draws them into the shadows. From psychological dread to supernatural terror, we explore the dark stories readers can’t get enough of and why they are so important to fiction. Each week Rachel talks with today’s most exciting horror and thriller authors about the stories that linger long after the lights go out.

Talking Horror is a arts podcast hosted by Rachel Redd, with 20 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Rachel Redd hosts Talking Horror, a arts show with 20 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Talking Horror

  Adam Cesare on Selling Books Out of His Car Before Frendo Made Him a Bestseller

  Aug 18, 20261h 19m

  Adam Cesare joins Talking Horror to talk Lights, Camera, Frendo, the fourth book in his Clown in a Cornfield series, and how fifteen years of self-publishing, folded presses, and selling books out of the trunk of his car built the readership that eventually made him a Bram Stoker Award winner. Rachel Redd sits down with the USA Today bestselling author of Video Night, Mercy House, and Influencer for a conversation about franchise iconography, vampire obsession, and why he loves his sequels more than his original books. Adam opens up about the small video rental section that scared him as a kid, and how a legendary horror editor's small press, his own self-publishing hustle, and a Big Five pickup fifteen years later all led to Mercy House getting "orphaned" pre-launch and later rewritten from scratch. He also confesses he genuinely likes the Clown in a Cornfield sequels better than the original, Bram Stoker win included. Plus his near-academic obsession with Frendo's mask and a first look at Bloodsick, his 14 POV vampire epic coming in January. 00:01 Welcome to Talking Horror & Meeting Adam Cesare 03:41 The Origin Story: A Supermarket Video Rental Aisle on Long Island 05:55 Running Out of Two Different Wes Craven Movies as a Kid 07:56 Stephen King on Cassette Tape and an Early Obsession With Spawn 13:53 Writing Video Night in College Before He Could Legally Drink 17:05 Chasing Down an Editor and Landing at a Small Horror Press 19:58 From Self-Published Oddity to a Big Five Book 22:56 The Used Car Salesman Theory of Surviving Publishing 28:37 If You Can't Love It, Quit: His Advice for Writers 34:15 Video Night: A Melancholic Alien Invasion Love Letter 40:22 Mercy House and Getting Orphaned by Random House Hydra 44:06 Rewriting Mercy House From Scratch Eleven Years Later 51:08 Confessing He Loves the Sequels More Than the Original 54:43 Lights, Camera, Frendo: Book Four Is Finally Out 59:04 The Auteurist Theory Behind a Long-Running Slasher Franchise 1:03:01 Why He Obsesses Over Every Detail of Frendo's Mask 1:08:37 A First Look at Bloodsick, His 14 POV Vampire Epic 1:15:45 Why Horror Is Living Through a Genuine Golden Era Grab your copy of Lights, Camera, Frendo: https://amzn.to/4wKDUUW Connect with Adam Cesare: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamcesare/?hl=en Follow Talking Horror Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelredd If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell to help us grow the horror community!

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  Talking Horror

  TJ Payne on How American Pie Accidentally Made Him a Horror Novelist

  Aug 11, 20261h 4m

  TJ Payne joins Talking Horror to talk Intercepts, the self-published thriller that just landed him a two-book deal with Crown at Penguin Random House, and the strange road that took him from Hollywood romantic comedy screenwriter to acclaimed horror novelist. Rachel Redd sits down with the author of In My Father's Basement, Intercepts, and The Venue, and a TV writer on Netflix's The Burrows and Little House on the Prairie, for a conversation about self-publishing, Hollywood bureaucracy, and why the nicest people always seem to write the darkest books. Grab your copy of Intercepts: https://amzn.to/4vA1IKb Timestamps: 00:01 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Meeting TJ Payne 02:13 – From Romantic Comedy Screenwriter to Reluctant Horror Writer 04:42 – Jaws, Aliens, and How American Pie Sparked a Screenwriting Dream 08:32 – Stanford, a Film Program That Wasn't, and a Korean War Screenplay 09:52 – Driving Down the I-5 to Hollywood and Seven Years Fetching Coffee 17:11 – Ghostwriting Other People's Dreams and Hitting a Breaking Point 19:37 – The Self-Publishing Itch That Became In My Father's Basement 39:26 – Waking Up to a Stranger Who Read His Debut Overnight 41:11 – Writing Intercepts and the Slow-Burn Word of Mouth That Followed 43:14 – The Cold Email From a Literary Agent That Led to Crown 47:25 – Turning Hollywood Bureaucracy Into a Terrifying Government Facility 48:49 – The Absent Father Story Hiding Inside a Sci-Fi Thriller 55:31 – Table 19, Weddings, and the Slasher Comedy Born From The Venue 1:01:30 – A New Two-Book Deal and His First Novel in Six Years 1:04:06 – Deep-Diving 1980s Satanic Panic Books for Research Connect with TJ Payne: Website: https://tjpayneauthor.wixsite.com/tjpayne Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tj.payne.author Follow Talking Horror Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelredd If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell to help us grow the horror community!

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  Talking Horror

  Keith Rosson: The Punk Rock, Legally Blind Art School Dropout Who Writes Jaw Dropping Horror

  Aug 4, 20261h 1m

  Keith Rosson joins Talking Horror to talk Coffin Moon, his gritty 1970s vampire western, and the wild road that took him from legally blind art school dropout to acclaimed horror novelist. Rachel Redd sits down with the author of Fever House, The Devil by Name, and Smoke City for a conversation about grief, addiction, found family, and the recklessness it takes to survive ten books in ten years. Keith opens up about discovering at age ten that he'd been legally blind his whole life, and how that diagnosis turned into a twenty five year career illustrating punk album covers and band merch. He talks about dropping out of art school twice, getting 97 rejections from literary agents before his debut sold, and writing Fever House during COVID lockdown while fostering and adopting two toddlers during the George Floyd protests in Portland. He breaks down the phone call from Random House editor Caitlin McKenna that changed his career, why he set Coffin Moon in the 1970s so his vampires could still warp in mirrors and cameras, and how he trimmed his cast down to just a handful of characters after Fever House's sprawling ensemble. Plus his unflinching take on killing off main characters, the question his editor asks to keep violence from feeling gratuitous, and a first look at his upcoming novel Crone, based on a real unsolved disappearance that's haunted him for decades. Grab your copy of Coffin Moon: https://amzn.to/4gLNCBV Timestamps: 00:01 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Meeting Keith Rosson 03:34 – How a Stephen King Paperback at Age Ten Started It All 06:06 – Legally Blind: The Diagnosis That Shaped His Art 08:08 – Designing for Punk Bands and the Cover He's Proudest Of 12:06 – Art School Dropout Twice Removed 14:20 – From Punk Zines to 97 Rejections Before His First Yes 26:31 – Fever House: Writing Through Lockdown While Fostering Two Toddlers 31:05 – The Call From Random House That Changed Everything 36:06 – Why He's Not Afraid to Kill a Main Character 37:19 – Earning the Violence: What Makes Brutality Land 40:31 – Coffin Moon: Turning Vampires Into a 1970s Western Revenge Story 48:33 – Trimming the Cast: Why Coffin Moon Went Smaller 5 0:55 – The Redemption Question Running Through All His Books 56:11 – Crone: A Missing Daughter, a Biker Gang, and a Real Unsolved Case 59:09 – His Advice After Ten Books in Ten Years Connect with Keith Rosson: Website: https://www.keithrosson.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rossonkeith/ Follow Talking Horror Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelredd If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell to help us grow the horror community!

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  Talking Horror

  Luke Dumas on Writing Horror That Feels Human

  Jul 28, 20261h 10m

  In this episode, Rachel Redd sits down with Luke Dumas, the author of A History of Fear , The Paleontologist , and Nothing Tastes as Good for a wide-ranging conversation on obsession, grief, identity, and writing horror that feels deeply human. Timestamps: 00:01 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Meeting Luke Dumas 02:40 – Reading Roots: A Storyteller Before He Was a Reader 03:29 – The Boy Wizard Phase and Falling for Fantasy 04:22 – A Lifelong Jurassic Park & Dinosaur Obsession 06:50 – Discovering Horror: Weekends With Dad and the Haunted Hotel 08:42 – The Comedy Writer Who Wanted to Be David Sedaris 10:27 – Early Writing Dreams and Delusions of Fame 11:55 – Studying Literature and the Master's in Scotland 16:26 – Letting Go of the "Wonder Kid" Pressure 17:58 – The Risk-Averse Path: Writing Around a Day Job 18:29 – Grant Writing, Zoos, and Mining the Day Job for Fiction 21:08 – Book Five: How A History of Fear Found Its Agent 23:00 – The Overnight Offer That Made Him Cry 24:23 – Finding Resilience Through Five Unpublished Books 28:06 – Why Storytelling Is Woven Into His Soul 30:45 – Craft vs. Plot: Refusing to Sacrifice One for the Other 32:46 – The Heavy Plotter Who Loves Outlining Most 34:15 – The Two Wolves: Beautiful Writing vs. Getting It Out 37:37 – "I Hate Research": Faking It for The Paleontologist 40:32 – Interstitial Documents and the Book-Within-a-Book 43:43 – A History of Fear, Edinburgh, and Scottish Demonic Lore 46:02 – The Walk Through the Meadows That Sparked the Story 47:57 – Religious Trauma, Identity, and the Harm of Repression 50:13 – The Paleontologist: Excavation as Metaphor 51:31 – From "I Just Love Dinosaurs" to Ghosts in a Haunted Museum 53:55 – The Grim Ending and the Horror That Makes Him Giggle 56:46 – Raving About Nothing Tastes as Good 59:22 – Knowing When It Was Time (and Stephen King's Thinner) 01:00:20 – Weight-Loss Drugs, Ozempic, and Perfect Timing 01:01:19 – Writing Fatness From a Male Perspective 01:02:52 – Emmett: The Monster You Can't Help Rooting For 01:07:11 – Lisette, Body Positivity, and a Cousin Named Rachel 01:11:16 – Sitting With the Discomfort of "Just Change" 01:12:11 – First Look at We Don't Call Them Cages (Spring 2027) 01:13:53 – "Madagascar for Adults": Rewriting Childhood as Horror 01:14:56 – Wrap-Up & Thanks Grab your copy of Nothing Tastes as Good : https://amzn.to/4fnO7PY Connect with Luke Dumas: https://www.lukedumas.com/ https://www.instagram.com/thenewdumas/?hl=en Follow Talking Horror Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelredd If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell to help us grow the horror community!

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  Talking Horror

  Chuck Tingle on the Pink Mask, Fabulous Bodies & Why Love Beats the Cosmic Void

  Jul 21, 20261h 16m

  Chuck Tingle joins Talking Horror to talk Fabulous Bodies, the pink mask, and why love is the ultimate weapon against the cosmic void. In this episode, Rachel Redd sits down with the USA Today bestselling author of Camp Damascus, Bury Your Gays, and Lucky Day for a wide-ranging conversation on horror, empathy, and creating without fear. Chuck opens up about the surprising life-or-death story behind the pink mask and how it eased his chronic pain, why he never writes to market and has hit the jackpot twice by following his soul, and how believing humanity is innately good lets him write villains you actually understand. Plus the Collateral-meets-monster idea that sparked Fabulous Bodies, why he builds novels like screenplays as a self-taught outsider artist, and a gratitude practice built on succulents and Cheetos. Timestamps: 00:01 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Meeting Chuck Tingle 04:32 – Baby Chuck: A Storyteller From the Start 09:32 – Dungeons and Dragons at Four and the Primal Urge to Tell Stories 12:16 – Drawn to the Taboo: Horror, Erotica, and Punk Rock Art 15:00 – Horror as the Metal of Writing (and Why Dark Romance Is Wilder) 18:39 – Self-Publishing the First Tingler 22:00 – Building a Utopia: The Politics of the Tingleverse 25:08 – Where Chuck Feels Most Artistically Fulfilled 26:38 – Hope as Innate, Not Intentional 30:12 – Never Writing to Market: Hitting the Jackpot Twice 33:57 – Authenticity on the Page and Art as Subconscious Communication 36:32 – The Pink Mask: Safety, Anonymity, and Coming Out 39:29 – How the Mask Eased Chronic Pain and Saved His Life 44:51 – The Mask as Amplifier: Becoming a Symbol 50:11 – Talking Camp Damascus and the Cost of Apathy 53:41 – Why Chuck Believes Humanity Is Innately Good 56:13 – Fabulous Bodies: Writing an Unlikable Hero and a Fun Villain 59:34 – The Slow Burn of Lucky Day and the Power of a Deep Cut 01:04:16 – Hit Singles vs. Art House: Reading His Own Catalog 01:07:47 – The Outsider Artist Who Writes Novels Like Screenplays 01:08:36 – Collateral Meets a Monster: The Origin of Fabulous Bodies 01:10:38 – Where Does Love Come From? The Heart of Fabulous Bodies 01:16:06 – Succulents, Cheetos, and a Daily Gratitude Practice Grab your copy of Fabulous Bodies: https://amzn.to/4fNjB2z Connect with Chuck Tingle: Website: https://www.chucktingle.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chucktingle/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realchucktingle Linktree: https://linktr.ee/chucktingle Follow Talking Horror Podcast: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelredd If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell to help us grow the horror community!

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