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

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Join Rachel Redd as she chats with Brian McAuley, a USA Today bestselling author whose slasher novels blend cinematic tension, deep emotional trauma, and genuine heart. Brian shares his journey from screenwriter to novelist, his horror origin story, and how his years in Hollywood shaped the characters and settings in his books.

Key Topics:

• Brian's horror origin story, from Goosebumps to Are You Afraid of the Dark to Evil Dead
• How watching Scream at age ten sealed his fate as a horror writer
• His path from NYU film school to working as a WGA screenwriter in Hollywood
• Why he thinks the slasher is the purest form of horror
• Turning a rejected screenplay into his debut novel, Curse of the Reaper
• The reality of querying agents and selling a first book in traditional publishing
• Crafting psychological dread on the page without relying on constant action
• Using Alzheimer's and addiction as parallel character struggles in Curse of the Reaper
• Toxic wellness culture as the setting for Breathe In, Bleed Out
• His take on the final girl trope and rewriting it on his own terms
• What's next, including his upcoming Renaissance fair slasher, Fairly Bad Ways to Die

Timestamps:
00:01 - Introducing Brian McAuley, USA Today bestselling author
01:37 - Stoker Con and the surprising warmth of the horror community
05:14 - Brian's horror origin story: Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark, and Evil Dead
09:17 - Discovering slashers through Scream at age ten
12:15 - Studying screenwriting and film at NYU
14:04 - Breaking into Hollywood and becoming a WGA screenwriter
17:24 - The transition from screenwriting to novel writing
20:55 - Querying sixty agents and selling Curse of the Reaper
24:35 - How the horror publishing boom has changed since he started
25:43 - Teaching screenwriting at Arizona State University
28:07 - Building Howard and Trevor's relationship in Curse of the Reaper
34:13 - Crafting claustrophobic psychological dread on the page
36:39 - Using Alzheimer's and addiction as mirrored character struggles
41:39 - Writing Candy Kane Kills for the Killer VHS series
49:05 - Toxic wellness culture and the inspiration behind Breathe In, Bleed Out
56:20 - Choreographing kill scenes in novels versus screenplays
59:18 - Rethinking the final girl trope
67:14 - Brian's next book, Fairly Bad Ways to Die, a Renaissance fair slasher

Resources & Links:

• Brian McAuley on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22356963.Brian_McAuley
• Breathe In, Bleed Out on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3R2jFmw

Connect with Brian:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianmcwriter/
• Website: https://www.brianmcwriter.com/

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!

Join Rachel Redd as she chats with Megan Lally, a New York Times bestselling author whose books delve into dark human psychology, intense survival stories, and unexpected plot twists. Megan shares her journey from reluctant reader to thriller author, her creative process, and how personal experiences inspire her gripping narratives.

Key Topics:
* Megan’s unconventional start in writing after a family challenge
* The influence of Twilight and true crime on her work
* The evolution from fantasy/horror to YA thrillers
* The importance of character depth in plot-driven stories
* Planning vs. organic storytelling: Megan’s outlining process
* Strategies for crafting chapters that hook readers
* Balancing emotional fears and physical dangers in storytelling
* The thrill of writing twists and misdirection in young adult fiction
* The behind-the-scenes research for realistic survival scenarios
* Navigating the stress and excitement of publication success
* Megan’s upcoming projects and her passion for horror and thrillers

Timestamps:
00:00 - Megan’s journey from reluctant reader to bestselling author
02:10 - The impact of Twilight and true crime on her writing
04:14 - Starting with vampire stories and evolving into thrillers
08:49 - Using extensive outlines to shape tight, twisty plots
13:24 - How her publisher deal influenced her writing schedule
16:06 - The importance of character development in suspense stories
20:17 - The emotional fears that drive her characters’ decisions
22:44 - How her recent book, "What We Did to Survive," was inspired by real adventures
45:27 - The research process for creating realistic survival scenarios
54:49 - Tips for balancing plot and emotional depth in YA thrillers
61:56 - Megan’s future writing plans, including new genres and themes
65:43 - Words of encouragement for aspiring writers


Get What We Did to Survive: https://amzn.to/4waZly6

Follow Megan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megan_lally_


Follow Talking Horror Podcast:

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


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

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In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with national bestselling author Christina Henry, writer of nearly 20 books spanning urban fantasy, dark fairy tale retellings, and modern horror, including Near the Bone, The House That Horror Built, and The Place Where They Buried Your Heart. Her upcoming novel Pinfeathers drops this November.

Grab your copy of The Place Where They Buried Your Heart: https://amzn.to/4vbTAQG

Christina opens up about writing her first novel longhand in a notebook at age 12, why she still writes every single book by hand, and the discovery-based process that lets her pants her way through nearly two decades of publishing without ever plotting. We dig into her Gen X horror origin story (Ouija boards, slumber party slashers, and a Freddy Krueger fear that genuinely haunted her) and what eventually shifted horror from scary to fascinating. Christina also gets into why she fought hard not to be typecast as "the retellings girl," how a Guillermo del Toro interview sparked The House That Horror Built, the single image of a house where three boys went in and two came out that became The Place Where They Buried Your Heart, and the tiny black needle appearing under a baby's arm that started Pinfeathers. Plus: the best piece of advice she ever got about bad reviews, what it was like to get a three-book deal while her toddler climbed a slide at Gymboree, and why she's patiently waiting for the right zombie novel idea to arrive.

Timestamps:
00:01 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Meeting Christina Henry
04:21 – Starting in Urban Fantasy: Black Wings
05:17 – A Gen X Girl's Horror Origin Story
11:59 – Writing Every Book by Hand: The Process Explained
14:45 – Pantsing 19 Novels: How Her Brain Works on Simmer
18:14 – The Road to Publication: Writing Black Wings During Nap Time
22:18 – Three Editors, Same Publisher: 16 Years with Ace/Berkley
25:32 – The Urban Fantasy Boom and Bust
26:24 – Writing Alice and Changing Her Own Career
27:23 – Jumping Genres and Writing for Herself
29:02 – Don't Do It If You Don't Love It
30:20 – Why Bad Reviews Aren't Really About Your Book
36:04 – From Retellings to Horror: Not Wanting to Be Typecast
42:23 – The Real Horror: Vulnerability and Poverty
44:15 – Building Dread Without Jump Scares
46:31 – When the House Is the Villain
47:25 – The Place Where They Buried Your Heart: Moving from Forest to Buildings
54:27 – Pinfeathers: Coming November
55:15 – A Baby, a Pin Feather, and Body Horror
58:47 – Juggling Multiple Books at Once
59:46 – What Comes After Pinfeathers: Dark Humor Returns

Grab your copy of The Place Where They Buried Your Heart: https://amzn.to/4vbTAQG

Connect with Christina Henry:
Website: https://www.christinahenry.net/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorchristinahenry/

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 New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten, known for the Wilderwood duology (For the Wolf, For the Throne), the Nightshade Crown trilogy (The Foxglove King), and her brand new adult horror debut, Reliquary. Hannah opens up about how she started writing For the Wolf in the grip of postpartum depression, rewrote it from the ground up at least four times, and spent five years getting it from a spell-checked first draft to a TikTok sensation.

Grab your copy of Reliquary: https://amzn.to/3Q2bTbZ

We dig into her childhood as a "spooky little kid" sneaking Goosebumps into her school desk, why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is "in the bedrock of her soul," the religious-trauma threads running through her work, and the Ready or Not-inspired spark behind Reliquary. Whether you're a fan of lush gothic atmosphere, slow-burn dread, a love triangle where everybody wins, or a theater kid who loves a dark twist, this conversation is for you.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Buffy in the Bedrock: Where the Whimsy Comes From
00:37 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Meeting Hannah Whitten
02:18 – A Spooky Evangelical Kid Sneaking Goosebumps Into Her Desk
05:31 – Best House on the Block: Halloween & Vintage Goosebumps
07:57 – Writing Since She Could Hold a Pen
09:27 – Postpartum Depression & the Birth of For the Wolf
12:44 – Meeting Erin Craig, Edit Letters & Rewriting the Book Four Times
15:46 – From YA to Adult: The Five-Year Road to Publication
18:56 – Advice for Writers: Finish It & Be Your Own Audience
23:13 – Building the Wilderwood Duology
25:01 – Becoming a TikTok Sensation (Without Being on TikTok)
27:09 – Trolls, Doom Scrolling & the Spider-in-the-House Rule
30:48 – Melting Fairy Tales & Balancing Whimsy With Horror
35:09 – Monsters, Grief, Religious Trauma & Female Power
39:01 – Going Darker: The Nightshade Crown & a Love Triangle Where Everyone Wins
43:23 – Lore the Performer & the Theater Kid Confession
46:13 – Soft Power vs. Hard Power in Romantasy
48:14 – Writing Her First Horror: The Ready or Not Spark & a Secret 55K Draft
52:43 – Meet Claire: Her Most Challenging Protagonist
53:54 – "She's Drew Barrymore in Scream" & the Art of the Slow Burn
57:10 – Anxiety, ADHD & OCD on the Page
59:04 – A New Era? Second Horror & Hawthorne and Oak
1:01:15 – Book Recs: The Starving Saints & Coffin Moon
1:02:39 – Dark Fantasy This or That
1:05:02 – Goodbyes & Reliquary Out August 11th

Connect with Hannah Whitten:
Website: https://hannahfwhitten.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hwhittenwrites/

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 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!