Advertise on podcast: The Scares That Shaped Us

Madeline Blondeau joins the show this week! We talk about her excellent debut novel Penitents from Ghoulish Books, taking inspiration from New French Extremity films, writing multiple perspectives without breaking chapters, and much more. And of course, we dig into 1970s rape revenge classic I Spit On Your Grave! - Penitents is available now! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

Ito Romo, the writer behind the epic vampire novella Filth Eaters, joins the show this week! We talk about the ten-year process of writing the book, research, creating a fully realized world with a short page count, and more, all wrapped up in a discussion of Carlos Fuentes' haunting book Aura! - Filth Eaters is available now! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

Chloe Lauter, author of the fierce debut The Flayed Man, joins the show this week! We talk about the genesis of the book, her take on vampires, and much more, all while we discuss the Twilight Zone classic "Time Enough At Last!" - The Flayed Man is available now! - Check out Chloe's website! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

It's a Scares That Shaped Us first: A guest discussing the work of another guest! This week, Hailey Piper returns to the show to talk about her new novel, This Movie Doesn't End The Way We Want. We discuss cursed movies, cosmic horror, and we dive into a deep breakdown of Stephen Graham Jones' amazing story "Broken Record!" - Read "Broken Record" for free at Lightspeed Magazine! - Check out Hailey's website! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

This week on the show, we're joined by editor and author Emma Cole! We talk about the blending of horror and romance, how they work to complement each other, Emma's new nonfiction book on romance in horror movies, and much more all wrapped up in a discussion of the legendary Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)! - Pre-order Love Never Dies! - Check out Emma's website! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

Gwendolyn Kiste returns! The multi Stoker Award-winning author of Reluctant Immortals and The Haunting of Velkwood is back on the show this week to talk about her new novella In These Gilded Ghostly Hearts, how she came to write a horror sequel to The Great Gatsby, and more, all while we dive into '90s kid horror classic Eerie, Indiana! - Pre-order In These Gilded Ghostly Hearts! - Check out Gwendolyn's website! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

Jonathan Janz, author of Children of the Dark and Veil, joins the show this week! We talk about the re-release of his cult classic book Marla, the relationship between writing and coaching basketball, and we dig deep into one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Stephen King's IT! - Pick up your copy of Marla! - Check out Jonathan's website! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

Bram Stoker Award-winning author Cynthia Pelayo returns to the show this week! We caught up with her about her new novel, It Came From Neverland, talked about her upcoming anthology Something Followed Us Home, and dug into the Edgar Allan Poe classic "The Black Cat!" - Pre-order Something Followed Us Home! - Check out Cynthia's website! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

On August 6, we went live on a YouTube for a special episode with our original Friend of the Show, Clay McLeod Chapman! Now that episode's in the main feed! We talk about Clay's new book Devil Inside, dig into his five favorite possession horror movies ever, take listener questions, and much more! - Devil Inside is available now! - We're doing a live show on YouTube on August 6! Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss it! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

Paul Tremblay returns! The Bram Stoker-winning author stops by the show this week to talk about his new book, Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep, and we dig into the work of Shirley Jackson with a discussion built around her short story "The Intoxicated." - Check out Paul's website to keep up with everything he's doing! - We're doing a live show on YouTube on August 6! Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss it! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

Aoife Josie Clements, author of the stunning debut horror novel Persona, joins the show this week, and we're talking David Lynch! Join us for a conversation about Aoife's writing process, balancing her composing and music with writing prose, and of course, the enduring power and influence of Eraserhead. - Go buy Persona! - We're doing a live show on YouTube on August 6! Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss it! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

Rising horror star Sara Hinkley is on the show this week! We talk about her amazing debut novel The Red Sacrament, writing about vampires in revolutionary times, and much more, all while discussing the impact of Tim Burton's Gothic 1999 classic, Sleepy Hollow! - Check out Sara's website! - We're doing a live show on YouTube on August 6! Subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss it! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

David Demchuk stops by the show this week to talk about his astonishing novel Red X, writing queer horror, being a queer horror fan, and much more as we dig into the legacy and influence of the legendary horror soap opera Dark Shadows! - Check out David's website! - Subscribe to Pop Heist for more of Matthew's writing! - Sign up for our newsletter for even more horror goodness. - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

Emily Hughes, Stoker-winning author of Horror for Weenies, joins the show this week! We talk about writing for new horror fans, her new horror site Darker Times, and dig deep into the formative horror experience that is Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg's Poltergeist! - Subscribe to Darker Times! - Pick up a copy of Horror for Weenies! - Follow CJ on Instagram! - Sign up for our newsletter for even more horror goodness. - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected]

CJ Leede, author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture, joins the show this week! We talk about the writing of her new novel Headlights, digging into a mystery narrative, making Colorado a character, and of course, the influence of Stephen King's classic The Shining! - Headlights is available now! - Follow CJ on Instagram! - Sign up for our newsletter for even more horror goodness. - Follow the show on BlueSky and Facebook! - Want to ask Matthew a question? Offer a recommendation? Something else? Email us: [email protected] Hosted by Matthew Jackson Produced by Matthew and Lyndsay Jackson Logo and by Lyndsay Jackson Music by Dmytro Kuvalin