In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with Nat Cassidy, USA Today bestselling author of Mary, When the Wolf Comes Home, and the brand-new short story collection I Know a Place, Rest Stop, and Other Dark Detours. Nat dives deep into how his background as a New York playwright and theater actor ultimately shaped his approach to pacing, dialogue, and creating deep, immersive tension on the page.

We discuss his childhood memories of browsing graphic VHS covers at Blockbuster, the intentional choices behind writing a premenopausal female protagonist in Mary, and what it was like to receive a dream-come-true foreword from Stephen King. Whether you're a fan of slow-burn body horror, action-packed thrillers, or a theater kid who loves a dark twist, this conversation is for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Podcasting Interventions & Questioning Authors

00:38 – Introducing Nat Cassidy & The Messiness of Being Alive

03:14 – Childhood Monsoons, Macabre Textbooks, and a Mother’s Horror Legacy

07:18 – The Magic of 80s Video Stores & Unexpected Scares in Kids' Movies

16:02 – Discovering Shakespeare's Macbeth & The Hyperactive Child Actor 1

9:49 – Writing Stephen King Knockoffs Set in Maine

22:39 – How Playwriting Teaches Authors to Capture and Keep an Audience 2

8:37 – Designing Tension in a Sunken Submarine with a Low Budget

35:09 – Writing Mary: Tackling Invisibility and Hormonal Thresholds

42:31 – Sensitivity Readers, Toxic Patriarchy, and the NIH Reading List

53:54 – When the Wolf Comes Home: Moving from Slow-Burn to Terminator 2 Action

1:00:08 – Receiving the Ultimate Blessing: The Stephen King Foreword 1:11:36 – I Know a Place: Public Restrooms, Squids, and Live Violin Performances

1:19:18 – The Album Experience: Why You Must Read Short Stories in Order

1:21:20 – The Ultimate Literary Bromance: Appreciating Clay McLeod Chapman

1:26:36 – Why Horror People are the Best and Most Welcoming People in Fiction

Grab a copy of "I Know a Place": https://amzn.to/43VW6ih

Connect with Nat Cassidy:

Website: https://www.natcassidy.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natcassidy/

Twitter/X: https://x.com/natcassidy

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!

In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with CJ Leede, author of Maeve Fly, American Rapture, and the brand-new release Headlights. CJ dives deep into how her background writing dystopian stories in grad school ultimately pushed her to seek pure catharsis and freedom through horror fiction.

We discuss her childhood love for unlimited reading and media, the process of writing an unapologetic female Patrick Bateman, and exploring the dark realities of purity culture and religious trauma. Whether you're a fan of extreme splatterpunk, a romance reader who loves a dark twist, or just looking to dive into an immersive void that processes grief and loss, this conversation is for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Grad School Revelations & Discovering Horror

00:09 – Introducing CJ Leede & Her Unapologetic Characters

03:58 – CJ's Horror Origin Story & Media Freedom as an Only Child

13:59 – Unexpectedly Landing in the "Extreme" and "Splatterpunk" Horror Space

26:30 – The Inspiration Behind Maeve Fly & Finding Catharsis in Anger

32:48 – Balancing Maeve’s Monstrous Actions with Empathy and Relatability

36:12 – The Double Standard of Justified Violence for Women vs. Men in Literature

43:44 – Exploring Purity Culture and Religious Trauma in American Rapture

48:05 – Horror as an Empathy Machine and Safe Space to Face Reality

52:30 – Finding Camaraderie and Support in the Welcoming Horror Community

55:27 – Headlights: Writing a Male Protagonist & Refusing to be Boxed In

1:01:08 – Guarding Peace and Ignoring the Pressure of External Expectations

1:03:51 – Processing Grief, Death, and Hope Through Headlights

1:08:45 – What’s Next: A Sneak Peek at Books Four and Five

1:12:19 – CJ’s Favorite Books to Reread for Inspiration

Books mentioned:

Headlights: https://amzn.to/43WViJK

American Rapture: https://amzn.to/3QfoCrA

Maeve Fly: https://amzn.to/4dZb3pq

Connect with CJ Leede:

Website: https://cjleede.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjleede

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cjleede

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!

In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, author of The Mean Ones, Such Lovely Skin, and the upcoming dark fantasy What Feeds Below. Tatiana dives deep into how her background writing deeply personal essays about family trauma and living with her mother's ex-boyfriend ultimately pushed her to seek pure escapism through horror fiction.

We discuss her childhood exposure to Resident Evil and Stephen King , the catharsis of surviving toxic male gaming lobbies , and balancing the mentally taxing world of publishing with the physical discipline of Olympic weightlifting. Whether you're a cozy gamer , a powerlifter , or just looking to dive into an immersive void filled with diabolical mushrooms, this conversation is for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Horror as a Comfort Genre & Writing for Fun

00:36 – Introducing Tatiana Schlote-Bonne & Her Bizarre, Unsettling Worlds

02:41 – Childhood Tastes: Goosebumps, Dean Koontz, and Resident Evil

04:31 – Chasing Scares & Desensitization in Horror Movies

08:50 – From High School Family Trauma to the Iowa Non-Fiction Writing Program

16:31 – The Pivot from Memoir to Fiction During the Pandemic

19:31 – The Parallels of Writing Horror and Olympic Powerlifting

21:35 – Navigating Toxic Masculinity in Call of Duty Lobbies

27:30 – Cozy Gaming, Brain Rot, and Video Game Inspirations

32:22 – Such Lovely Skin: Demonic Video Games and Horrific Secrets

38:46 – The Mean Ones: Cults, People Pleasing, and 2000s Mean Girls

46:02 – What Feeds Below: Anime Inspiration, Diabolical Mushrooms, and Body Horror

52:23 – Adapting Voice for Protagonists & The Agony of the Publishing Industry

55:06 – Author Confessions Rapid Fire: Ghost Rom-Coms and the Dread of Starting

Connect with Tatiana Schlote-Bonne:

tatiana-schlote-bonne.com

Instagram: @thebuffwriter
TikTok: @the_buff_writer

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!