Episodes
-
We're joined by the fantastic Jahmal Mayfield to discuss his incredible debut novel Smoke Kings, as well as the beauty of rom coms and Japanese philosophers.
We also get a sneak preview of Smoke Kings and discuss tunnel vision in looking at political/socio-economic issues, and having honest conversations through a fictional lens.
Jahmal Mayfield writes gritty crime novels that touch on large social issues. He was born in Virginia but currently resides in New Jersey. In addition to writing, he serves as the director of a nonprofit program that provides employment support to people with disabilities. Mayfield is a husband and father of two young adults who are both embarrassed by his frequent forays down the rabbit holes of YouTube to view old 90s hip hop videos. Smoke Kings was inspired by Kimberly Jones’ passionate viral video, “How can we win?”
Follow him on Twitter and pre-order the audiobook of Smoke Kings at Barnes & Noble.
Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support -
Our audio recording of our crowdcast with the crew from the fantastic mag Rock and a Hard Place celebrating the release of their anthology The One Percent: Tales of the Super Wealthy and Depraved
Featuring the editors:
Roger Nokes
Jay Butkowski
Albert Tucher
Paul J. Garth
R.D. Sullivan
and Rob D. Smith
And writers:
James D.F. Hannah
Curtis Ippolito
Scott Von Doviak
and C.W. Blackwell.
Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support -
Missing episodes?
-
We're joined by the phenomenal talent that is award-winning author Jordan Harper to talk about Everybody Knows, late stage capitalism, horseshoe theory, and universal guilt. We also discuss his other works She Rides Shotgun, and The Last King of California, his past experience in music journalism, and Western society being a catalyst for noir stories.
Jordan Harper is the Edgar-Award winning author of She Rides Shotgun, The Last King of California, Everybody Knows, and the short story collection Love and Other Wounds. Born and educated in Missouri, he now lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a writer and producer for television.
She Rides Shotgun has also been optioned for a movie staring Taron Edgerton
Find him on Twitter, Everybody Knows at Mulholland Books, and his other work at HarperCollins.
Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support -
We're joined by the awesome Beau Johnson to discuss facial recognition skills, reading as a family activity, and his latest release The Abrum Files. We also talk about time travel, tackling heavy topics through a variety of mediums, and rawness in writing certain genres.
Beau Johnson lives in Ontario, Canada and is the author of the Bishop Rider books. Gun to his head, he will always choose pancakes over waffles.
Find him here & his work here.
The Dark Waters anthology is also out now! Find it at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and many other outlets.
Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support -
We're joined by the incredible talent that is Ai Jiang and talk about their projects both released and upcoming, whether AI will take over the world, and if the apocalypse can come before we've written the books we want to write. We also get a snippet of I Am AI and talk about using horror as a way to discuss grief.
Ai Jiang is a Chinese-Canadian writer, a Nebula Award finalist, and an immigrant from Fujian. She is a member of HWA, SFWA, and Codex. Her work can be found in F&SF, The Dark, Uncanny, The Masters Review, Prairie Fire, among others. She is the recipient of Odyssey Workshop’s 2022 Fresh Voices Scholarship and the author of Linghun and I Am AI. Find her on Twitter and online.
The Dark Waters anthology is also out now! Find it at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and many other outlets.
Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support -
We debrief from our first ever Bouchercon - talk about things we loved, people we loved, and books we're looking forward to.
We are also opening for submissions for a Dark Waters anthology! Check our Twitter @podcastwaters for more info.
Want to submit your writing for an episode? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support -
We're joined by the wonderful Holly West and second-time visitor C.W. Blackwell to talk about Bouchercon 2023, editing anthologies, blind submissions, and efforts to widen submission pools to as wide a group as possible. We also talk about the Bouchcon anthology Killin' Time In San Diego, hear a sample of C.W.'s story within it "Hard Rain on Beach Street," and get excited for a West Coast trip.
It's also our ~50th~ episode, so that's pretty cool.
Holly West (she/her) is the Anthony Award-nominated author of the Mistress of Fortune historical mystery series and the editor of Murder-A-Go-Go’s: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of the Go-Go’s, and the 2023 edition of the Bouchercon anthology Killin Time in San Diego. Her novella, The Money Block, about a pair of grifters who set up a cryptocurrency con, is out now from Down & Out Books. More at https://hollywest.com/https://hollywest.com/.
C.W. Blackwell is an American author from the Central Coast of California. His recent work has appeared with Down and Out Books, Shotgun Honey, Tough Magazine, and Reckon Review. He is a 2021 Derringer award winner and 2022 Derringer finalist. His folk horror novella Song of the Red Squire was published in 2022 from Nosetouch Press. His crime fiction novella Hard Mountain Clay was published in January 2023 from Shotgun Honey Books.
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support -
We're joined by the awesome Alexander James to go on many nerdy tangents and get a sneak preview of his debut novel The Woodkin. We also talk about complex timelines in writing, relative degrees of horror, and Nate's appalling lack of bookshelves.
Alexander spent most of his childhood in southern Germany, and then went to culinary school in South Louisiana. He’s worked as a chef in everything from atrocious mall restaurants to a northern Italian farm-to-fork joint with Michelin dreams. He started writing because he’s only got another ten years or so left in his knees. When he’s not sweating through a crushing dinner service, he’s either drinking Scotch whisky in front of his computer keyboard or backpacking...also with Scotch whisky. He is also the creator of the Critically Stupid Podcast, a comedy dungeons and dragons real play podcast, and the author of The Woodkin, which is scheduled for release in August 2023.
You can find him on twitter or at his website, and preorder The Woodkin at Amazon or Barnes & Noble
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated. -
We're re-joined by the amazing Jack Moody to discuss the ins and outs of the writing process, from editing to submitting, marketing, and dealing with rejection in a "nose to tail" look at the parts of writing beyond getting words on a page.
Jack Moody is a novelist and short story writer from wherever he happens to be at the time. He is the author of the novel Crooked Smile, the short story collection Dancing to Broken Records, and the novella The Monotony of Everlasting. He is a former staff writer for the literary magazine and podcast Brick Moon Fiction, and his work has appeared in multiple publications including Expat Press, Misery Tourism, Maudlin House, Punk Noir Magazine, Scatter of Ashes, Paper and Ink Magazine, Horror Sleaze Trash, A Thin Slice of Anxiety, Bear Creek Gazette, and The Saturday Evening Post. He didn't go to college.
Follow him on Twitter and find his work hereWant to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated. -
We're joined by Peter Farris to discuss finding inspiration in unique places, transitioning from horror to thriller writing, and rural noir stories. We also get a snippet of The Devil Himself, and discuss both the French and US publishing worlds, the relevance of luck, and the importance of perseverance.
Called a “serious new talent” by Barnes & Noble, Peter Farris is the award-winning author of Last Call for the Living, The Clay Eaters and The Devil Himself. Published in France to critical acclaim, The Devil Himself won Le Prix 813, Best Foreign Novel at the Beaune International Film Festival, was an official selection for the prestigious Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and named a finalist for Le Prix SNCF du Polar. Among other accolades the novel received starred reviews in Rolling Stone, Hebdo and Le Parisien, and was picked one of the best mysteries of the year by ELLE and L'OBS Magazine. Also published in France by Éditions Gallmeister, The Clay Eaters was praised in Le Monde, debuted on the Palmarès Livres Hebdo des libraires Bestseller List, selected a Bookseller Best of the Year by Palmarès Livres Hebdo, was shortlisted for le prix Libr'à Nous 2020 and was a finalist for the 2021 Le Prix Lire En Poche. In 2022, Arcade Crimewise published The Devil Himself in English worldwide and the novel will see an Italian translation courtesy Milan-based publisher NN Editore. The French translation of a new novel The Bone Omen ("Le Presage") was released this year by Éditions Gallmeister. Peter lives with his family in Georgia.
You can find him on Twitter.
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support -
We're joined by fellow Midwesterner Scott Mitchel May to discuss the categorization of Ohio, the twisted origins of some Arthurian legends, allowing readers to feel uncomfortable, and finding out twists as readers do. We also get a sneak preview of his debut novel Breakneck: or, it happened once in America, discuss the pros and cons of trying to plot map and how expectations within the publishing industry have changed from decades past to the 2020s.
Scott Mitchel May is a writer living in Madison, WI. His short fiction has been published in many literary journals including The Maryland Literary Review, HAD, W&S, Maudlin House, Bending Genres, and Rejection Letters. He was the winner of the 2019 UW-Madison Writers' Institute Poem or Page Competition in the category of literary fiction, and his unpublished novel, Bridgeport Nowhere, was shortlisted for the 2022 Santa Fe Writers' Project Literary Award. His debut novel, Breakneck: or, it happened once in America, was published by Anxiety Press in late April 2023. He is also the author of the novelette, All Burn Down, forthcoming in October 2023 from Emerge Press, and his second novel Awful People: a ghost story is coming in early 2024 from Death of Print Books. He holds a GED from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and a BS in English Literature from Edgewood College. He tweets @smitchelmay.
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support -
In which we discuss After The Lights Go Out by John Vercher, mental health, the toll that contact sports take, and one-star reviews. Also the cost of entertainment, conflicting character motivations, and balancing multiple issues within a story.
If you want to hear from the author himself, check out his appearance on NPR's Fresh Air.
Trigger warning:
This episode contains discussions of mental health, including self-harm and suicide. If you are struggling, please know help is available.
If you are in the US, call or text 988, or visit https://988lifeline.org/
If you are in the UK, call 0800 689 5652 or visit https://www.spuk.org.uk/national-suicide-prevention-helpline-uk/
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated. -
We're joined by author Adam Godfrey to discuss his novella, Narcissus, crossing genres, being a panster vs a planner, and myth retellings. There are also several side tangents involving music, movies, and music in movies.
Adam Godfrey hails from Chesapeake, Virginia, where he lives with his wife and three daughters. He holds over twenty years of experience working for the United States Department of Defense in information technology and cybersecurity risk management. He holds a master’s degree in cybersecurity, and his professional contributions to the field have been internationally featured across a variety of media platforms.
In fiction, Adam is a novelist and author of short stories. His genre-crossing work ranges from the suspenseful to the horrific, frequently characterized by central threads of plausible science and technology gone awry.
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated. -
We are joined by the a brilliant new name on the horror scene, Rae Knowles, to talk about narcissistic love interests, the tragedy of plot butterflies fluttering away the second you have the ability to write, and taco bell erotica. We also get a sneak preview of The Stradivarius, talk about her nonfiction piece in Nightmare Magazine, and more accurate definitions of the word "gaslighting."
Also be sure to submit for the Scissor Sisters: Sapphic Villains Anthology - open through May 31.
Rae Knowles (she/her) is a queer woman with multiple works forthcoming from Brigids Gate Press. Her debut novel, The Stradivarius, debuted May ’23, her sapphic horror novella, Merciless Waters, is due out November ’23, and her collaboration with April Yates, Lies That Bind, in early ’24. A number of her short stories have been published or are forthcoming from publications like Dark Matter Ink, Nightmare, Seize the Press, Taco Bell Quarterly, and Nosetouch Press. Recent updates on her work can be found on her website and you can follow her on Twitter.
Want to submit your writing? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated. -
We're joined by the wonderful James D.F. Hannah who regales us with tales of Mississippi tornado warnings, southern noir writers, if Falkner is a crime novelist, and his latest release Somewhere Outside Salvation (A Grifter's Song Book 32). We also get a sneak peek at the story and hear about the process of writing a piece in the Grifter's Song series (as well as a few other music references).
James D.F. Hannah is the Shamus Award-winning author of the Henry Malone series, including the novels Behind the Wall of Sleep and She Talks to Angels. His story "No Man's Land" was selected for Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022, edited by Steph Cha and Jess Walter. His short fiction has appeared in Playing Games, edited by Lawrence Block; Under the Thumb: Stories of Police Oppression, edited by S.A. Cosby; Trouble No More; Rock and a Hard Place; Shotgun Honey; Crossing Genres; and The Anthology of Appalachian Writers. He lives in Louisville, Kentucky, where all the bourbon is.
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated. -
We're back to kick off a new season with the delightful Robert P. Ottone to discuss his new book, The Vile Thing We Created, friendships as they evolve over time, twisty or not-so-twisty endings, and supporting the indie writing community. We also get a sample of his new book and talk a lot about the decision to have children vs. being child-free.
Robert P. Ottone is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of THE TRIANGLE. His other works include HER INFERNAL NAME & OTHER NIGHTMARES (an honorable mention in THE BEST HORROR OF THE YEAR VOLUME 13) as well as the suburban folk horror novel, THE VILE THING WE CREATED.
His short stories have appeared in various anthologies as well as online. He’s also the publisher and owner of Spooky House Press.
He can be found online at SpookyHousePress.com or on Twitter/IG: @RobertOttone
He delights in the creepy and views bagels solely as a cream cheese delivery device.
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated. -
We are joined by Scott Blackburn to discuss his novel It Dies With You, the dichotomy of characters from different backgrounds, the line of preaching vs. storytelling, and proper baby shower etiquette. We also get a snippet of It Dies With You, talk about the boundaries of adolescent characters in adult fiction, and staying true to personal experience.
Scott Blackburn is an English instructor and a 2017 graduate of the Mountainview MFA program. He lives in High Point, North Carolina with his wife and two children. When he is not writing and teaching, Scott enjoys training in combat sports such as boxing, Muay Thai, and Ju-jitsu, in which he holds a black belt. His debut novel, It Dies With You, was released on June 7, 2022. Scott has also contributed to publications such as Crime Reads, Mystery Tribune, and Shotgun Honey.
You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated. -
Our last book club episode of the season, Hide by Kiersten White. In which, we discuss turning books into drinking games, how much character development is enough character development, reinterpretations of Greek myths, trauma bonding, and class struggle. Also repetitions of ideas and repetitions of ideas and repetitions of ideas and.....
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support -
We're joined by Hoosier and horror writer Mike DeFrench to discuss the lasting impacts of certain literature, different methods of editing and practicing writing, TikTok as a marketing tool, and the joys of discovering new genres. We also get a preview of his story "Lucy in the Sky with Demons" from his collection Amphetamine Daydreams Vol. 1.
Mike DeFrench is a horror writer from Indiana who occasionally dips his toe into science fiction and fantasy. A husband and dad to two kids, he enjoys reading, writing, and all things nerdy. All profits from his novels and short stories go towards purchasing craft beer. You can subscribe to his Substack, and follow him on Instagram and TikTok.
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support -
In which we discuss that the reasons why Nate loves this story are the same reasons why Kirstyn does not. Also nuance in dissecting interpersonal relationships, decaying haunted houses as allegories, and screaming at characters to please, please, just leave the dangerous place.
Also, proof that two people can read the same story and have completely different experiences.
TL;DR we really wanted this to be a full novel and have more of the story, but for contrasting reasons.
Want to submit your writing or be a guest editor? Email [email protected]
Intro/Outro music: www.bensound.com
Disclaimer: Any and all opinions expressed are the opinions of the participants and not of the organizations or institutions with which they are affiliated.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/darkwaters/support - Show more
