183 episodes

Conversations with the biggest names in horror fiction. A podcast for horror readers who want to know where their favourite stories came from . . . and what frightens the people who wrote them.

Talking Scared Neil McRobert

    • Arts
    • 4.9 • 185 Ratings

Conversations with the biggest names in horror fiction. A podcast for horror readers who want to know where their favourite stories came from . . . and what frightens the people who wrote them.

    183 – Gwendolyn Kiste & Working Through Your Ghosts

    183 – Gwendolyn Kiste & Working Through Your Ghosts

    Time to get liminal and haunted. 
     
    Gwendolyn Kiste comes back to Talking Scared for another high-concept twist on the Gothic. In The Haunting of Velkwood, and entire street turns ghostly overnight. Yeah, I can’t explain that any more clearly, we’ll leave it to Gwendolyn.
     
    Despite this being a book centered on trauma and angst, we do a whole lot of laughing. Amongst the chuckles we also sneak in conversation about the many meanings of the word haunted, child-free horror fiction televisual references, and just what makes the American suburbs so damn creepy!
     
    Enjoy!
     
    The Haunting of Velkwood was published on March 5th by Saga Press
     
    Other books mentioned:
     
    Reluctant Immortals (2022), by Gwendolyn KisteSuburbia (1973), by Bill OwensTwilight: Photographs (2002), by Gregory CrewdsonThe Daughters of Block Island (2023), by Christa Carmen 
    Support Talking Scared on Patreon
     
    Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com 
    Support the show

    • 1 hr 3 min
    182 – Tim Lebbon & Running Towards What Scares You

    182 – Tim Lebbon & Running Towards What Scares You

    Sometimes you meet someone who just gets you.
     
    Like Tim Lebbon. A man who writes riotously good adventure-horror novels, and also likes running outrageous distances up big hills. What a pleasure it was to speak to him.
     
    The main topic of conversation is his new novel eco-horror novel, Among the Living. A story of ancient buried history and ‘intelligent’ infection, it blends the paranoia of The Thing with the ragtag group heroism and intensity of Aliens. In short, it’s good!
     
    Tim and I talk about eco-horror, about the biological menaces facing mankind in the future, we discuss how writing action helps with writing character, and I tell him why this book freaked me out so much.
     
    Oh, and we do spend some time talking about running up big hills. But we try and keep it relevant to the horror and the writing… Give me a break, how often do I meet a soul-brother like this?
     
    Enjoy!
     
    Among the Living was published on February 6th by Titan Books
     
    Other books mentioned:
     
    Eden (2020), by Tim LebbonThe Last Storm (2022), by Tim LebbonThe Hunt (2015), by Tim LebbonCome Closer (2003), by Sara GranThe Bang Bang Sisters (2024), by Rio Yoeurs  
    Support Talking Scared on Patreon
     
    Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com 
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    • 1 hr 15 min
    181 – Haunting Hill House, with Catriona Ward, Johnny Compton & Paul Tremblay

    181 – Haunting Hill House, with Catriona Ward, Johnny Compton & Paul Tremblay

    Back from a too-short break, but ready to delve into the greatest haunted house of them all! Shirley Jackson’s Hill House. The place where the scary things walk alone.
     
    Thankfully, I am not alone. I’m joined by my own group of creepy ghost-hunters: Paul Tremblay (A Head Full of Ghosts, Cabin at the End of the World), Johnny Compton (The Spite House) and Catriona Ward (Last House on Needless Street, Looking Glass Sound). I can think of no better collective to explore the corridors of this book and house.
     
    We get INTO it. The crafted magic of that infamous opening paragraph, the long legacy of creepy houses in American fiction, the choice between the haunted void and hideous, mundane reality. Plus, a raft of film recommendations, and a few brief forays into our favourite real haunted places.
     
    This one was necessary. Hope you enjoy it.
     
    Other books mentioned:
     
    House of Leaves (2000), by Mark Z. Danielewski
    Carrie (1974), by Stephen King
    ‘Salem’s Lot (1975), by Stephen King
    The Shining (1977),  by Stephen King
    The Spite House (2023), by Johnny Compton
    The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers (1983), by John Gardner
    The Letters of Shirley Jackson (2021), edited by Laurence Jackson Hyman
    When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson (2021), ed. by Ellen Datlow
    “Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad” (1904), by M.R. James
     
    Support Talking Scared on Patreon
     
    Visit the Talking Scared site
     
    Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com 
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    • 1 hr 33 min
    180 – Chuck Palahniuk & What Kind of Sex Do You Want?

    180 – Chuck Palahniuk & What Kind of Sex Do You Want?

    Yes I put sex in the title to make you download it. Did it work?
     
    It shouldn’t be necessary, ‘cos this week’s guest is an absolute literary icon. Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, Haunted, Lullaby, Choke, and last year’s Not Forever, But For Now – a writer who helped shape the nihilism and extremity of 90s and noughties fiction. The man who makes people faint with his short stories. 
     
    He’s here, talking to us!
     
    In this conversation Chuck and I roam all over the blasted map of his fiction. We talk about transgression and provocation, about extremity in life and story, about bad reviews, toxic interviews and toxic masculinity. And yes, we talk about “Guts.”
     
    This was a privilege. I hope you are shocked and appalled.
     
    Enjoy!
     
    Other books mentioned:
     
    Fight Club (1996) by Chuck PalahniukHaunted (2005), by Chuck PalahniukLullaby (2002), by Chuck PalahniukDiary (2003), by Chuck PalahniukRant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey (2005), by Chuck PalahniukAdjustment Day (2018), by Chuck PalahniukCold Comfort Farm (1932), by Stella GibbonsRosemary’s Baby (1967), by Ira Levin“The Lottery” (1948), by Shirley JacksonInterview with the Vampire (1976), by Anne RiceGeek Love (1989), by Katherine DunnMost Delicious Poison: From Spice to Vices – The Story of Nature’s Toxins (2023), by Noah WhitemanThings Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (2021), by Eric LaRocca 
    Support Talking Scared on Patreon
     
    Visit the Talking Scared site
     
    Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com 
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    • 1 hr 23 min
    179 – Ally Wilkes & The Ethics of Eating Your Friends

    179 – Ally Wilkes & The Ethics of Eating Your Friends

    Are you hungry? 
     
    If so we have a chewy, salty, deeply flavoured feast for you this week. Ally Wilkes returns to Talking Scared to discuss the icebound horrors of her new novel, Where the Dead Wait. It’s a tale of Arctic exploration gone very wrong, complete with haunting, human suffering and the morbid fascination of cannibalism!
     
    Don’t pretend that hasn’t whet your appetite.
     
    Ally and I get into the raw details of consuming human meat, we talk about queerness in historical horror fiction, we discuss the nature of haunting and how a historical horror novel can have links to a sci-fi horror classic, and we talk reminisce about the time Ally nearly died on a Himalaya in an appalling coat.
     
    Jolly good fun wot wot!
     
    Enjoy!
     
    Other books mentioned:
     
    All the White Spaces (2022), by Ally Wilke 
    The Shining (1977), by Stephen King
    What Cares the Sea (1960), by Kenneth Cooke
    The Secret Sharer (1910), by Joseph Conrad
    Frankenstein (1818), by Mary Shelley
    Ice Blink: The Tragic Fate of Sir John Franklin's Lost Polar Expedition (2000), by Scott Cookman
    Sundial (2022), by Catriona Ward
    Dead Silence (2022), by S.A. Barnes
    Ghost Station (2024), by S.A. Barnes
    Indianapolis: The True Story of the Greatest Naval Disaster in US History (2018), by Lynn Vincent and Sarah Vladic
     
    Support Talking Scared on Patreon
     
    Visit the Talking Scared site
     
    Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com 
    Support the show

    • 1 hr 15 min
    178 – Jenny Kiefer & A Solid Foothold in Horror

    178 – Jenny Kiefer & A Solid Foothold in Horror

    The first new book coverage of 2024 – and it starts us off on suitably horrific footing.
     
    Jenny Kiefer’s debut novel, This Wretched Valley, has been getting a huge amount of early buzz in horror circles. It’s the story of four unlucky adventurers, who head into the Kentucky woods and meet all manner of nasty sh*t. 
     
    It’s a tightly wound tale of misadventure, that takes at least some inspiration from the Dyatlov Pass mystery. And if you don’t know what that is… boy have you got a wiki hole to disappear down.
     
    Jenny and I talk about writing and selling a brutal debut, arthouse horror influences, the terror of climbing and research serendipity… plus, what she thinks happened to those poor Russian hikers over 60 years ago.
     
    Enjoy!
     
    Other books mentioned:
     
    The Ruins (2006), by Scott SmithThe Laws of the Skies (2019), by Grégoire CourtoisDead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident (2013), by Donnie EicharThe Marigold (2023), by Andre F. Sullivan 
    Support Talking Scared on Patreon
     
    Visit the Talking Scared site
     
    Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com 
    Support the show

    • 1 hr 1 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
185 Ratings

185 Ratings

Jct1276 ,

Great show

So many great authors and stories I would otherwise never have heard of plus the great ones I do know. Great insight and perspectives. Highly recommend.

erlking ,

Smart Conversations about Horror Novels

It’s a grey, rainy day in Georgia—perfect for curling up with a podcast about horror novels. You can’t do better than Talking Scared with Neil McRobert. Smart, erudite, incisive questions and lively chat . If you like wide-ranging conversations with horror writers you need to check it out. Margaret Atwood, Catriona Ward, Stephen Graham-Homes, Tananarive Due, Victor Lavalle, and Stephen King are only some of the famous names, Neil talks with debut novelists and masters of the craft. Great stuff.
Watch out—your book budget is going to explode.

Old LeechLB ,

Incredible Who’s Who of Modern Horror Writers with an Intelligent, Engaging Host

I just found Neil McRobert’s fantastic podcast and it has instantly provided me with nearly endless hourly of quality conversations with many of today’s best horror literature writers. I love that the focus is nearly entirely on horror lit instead of branching out too broadly into the world of horror cinema. I have learned so much in a short time about so many authors and books that I only really knew by their titles previously and that many people considered them good. I have been avidly following the horrorlit subreddit for quite awhile and Talking Scared provides a perfect companion to that informative thread. Many of the recommended authors from that thread have extensive interviews on Talking Scared and listening to those have allowed me to get a much clearer understanding of which books I should read and which books may not appeal to me. Neil’s recent interview with John Langan hooked me (pun intended) to give the podcast a try and I am so happy that I did. Neil is a great guy, well informed, funny, and intelligent. I highly recommended this podcast to anyone wanting to learn more about the incredible world of modern horror literature. Thanks, Neil!

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