Talking Horror
Claim This Podcastby Rachel Redd
Podcast Overview
<p>Welcome to <i>Talking Horror Podcast</i>, where we dive into the stories that haunt us.</p><p></p><p>Hosted by Rachel Redd, this show features conversations with horror and thriller authors about their books, their writing process, and what draws them into the shadows. From psychological dread to supernatural terror, we explore the dark stories readers can’t get enough of and why they are so important to fiction.</p><p></p><p>Each week Rachel talks with today’s most exciting horror and thriller authors about the stories that linger long after the lights go out.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
4/3/2026
1 verified contact email on file for Talking Horror
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Recent Episodes
June 23, 2026
Hannah Whitten turned Postpartum Depression into a NYT Bestseller
<p>In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with New York Times bestselling author Hannah Whitten, known for the Wilderwood duology (<i>For the Wolf</i>, <i>For the Throne</i>), the Nightshade Crown trilogy (<i>The Foxglove King</i>), and her brand new adult horror debut, <i>Reliquary</i>. Hannah opens up about how she started writing <i>For the Wolf</i> 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.</p><p></p><p>Grab your copy of <i>Reliquary:</i> <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3Q2bTbZ" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/3Q2bTbZ</a></p><p></p><p>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 <i>Ready or Not</i>-inspired spark behind <i>Reliquary</i>. 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.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Timestamps:<br />00:00 – Buffy in the Bedrock: Where the Whimsy Comes From<br />00:37 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Meeting Hannah Whitten<br />02:18 – A Spooky Evangelical Kid Sneaking Goosebumps Into Her Desk<br />05:31 – Best House on the Block: Halloween & Vintage Goosebumps<br />07:57 – Writing Since She Could Hold a Pen<br />09:27 – Postpartum Depression & the Birth of For the Wolf<br />12:44 – Meeting Erin Craig, Edit Letters & Rewriting the Book Four Times<br />15:46 – From YA to Adult: The Five-Year Road to Publication<br />18:56 – Advice for Writers: Finish It & Be Your Own Audience<br />23:13 – Building the Wilderwood Duology<br />25:01 – Becoming a TikTok Sensation (Without Being on TikTok)<br />27:09 – Trolls, Doom Scrolling & the Spider-in-the-House Rule<br />30:48 – Melting Fairy Tales & Balancing Whimsy With Horror<br />35:09 – Monsters, Grief, Religious Trauma & Female Power<br />39:01 – Going Darker: The Nightshade Crown & a Love Triangle Where Everyone Wins<br />43:23 – Lore the Performer & the Theater Kid Confession<br />46:13 – Soft Power vs. Hard Power in Romantasy<br />48:14 – Writing Her First Horror: The Ready or Not Spark & a Secret 55K Draft<br />52:43 – Meet Claire: Her Most Challenging Protagonist<br />53:54 – "She's Drew Barrymore in Scream" & the Art of the Slow Burn<br />57:10 – Anxiety, ADHD & OCD on the Page<br />59:04 – A New Era? Second Horror & Hawthorne and Oak<br />1:01:15 – Book Recs: The Starving Saints & Coffin Moon<br />1:02:39 – Dark Fantasy This or That<br />1:05:02 – Goodbyes & Reliquary Out August 11th</p><p></p><p>Connect with Hannah Whitten:<br />Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://hannahfwhitten.com/" target="_blank">https://hannahfwhitten.com/</a><br />Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/hwhittenwrites/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/hwhittenwrites/</a></p><p></p><p>Follow Talking Horror Podcast:<br />Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/</a><br />TikTok: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelredd" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelredd</a></p><p></p><p>If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell to help us grow the horror community!</p>
June 16, 2026
Nat Cassidy: Stephen King Wrote My Foreword & Why Theater Makes Better Horror
<p>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.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>Timestamps: </p><p>00:00 – Podcasting Interventions & Questioning Authors </p><p>00:38 – Introducing Nat Cassidy & The Messiness of Being Alive </p><p>03:14 – Childhood Monsoons, Macabre Textbooks, and a Mother’s Horror Legacy </p><p>07:18 – The Magic of 80s Video Stores & Unexpected Scares in Kids' Movies </p><p>16:02 – Discovering Shakespeare's Macbeth & The Hyperactive Child Actor 1</p><p>9:49 – Writing Stephen King Knockoffs Set in Maine </p><p>22:39 – How Playwriting Teaches Authors to Capture and Keep an Audience 2</p><p>8:37 – Designing Tension in a Sunken Submarine with a Low Budget </p><p>35:09 – Writing Mary: Tackling Invisibility and Hormonal Thresholds </p><p>42:31 – Sensitivity Readers, Toxic Patriarchy, and the NIH Reading List </p><p>53:54 – When the Wolf Comes Home: Moving from Slow-Burn to Terminator 2 Action </p><p>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 </p><p>1:19:18 – The Album Experience: Why You Must Read Short Stories in Order </p><p>1:21:20 – The Ultimate Literary Bromance: Appreciating Clay McLeod Chapman </p><p>1:26:36 – Why Horror People are the Best and Most Welcoming People in Fiction</p><p></p><p>Grab a copy of "I Know a Place": <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/43VW6ih" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/43VW6ih</a></p><p></p><p>Connect with Nat Cassidy:</p><p>Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.natcassidy.com/" target="_blank">https://www.natcassidy.com/</a></p><p>Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/natcassidy/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/natcassidy/</a></p><p>Twitter/X: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/natcassidy" target="_blank">https://x.com/natcassidy</a></p><p></p><p>Follow Talking Horror Podcast:</p><p>Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/</a></p><p>TikTok: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelredd" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelredd</a></p><p></p><p>If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell to help us grow the horror community!</p>
June 9, 2026
Unapologetic Women and Double Standards in Horror with CJ Leede
<p>In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with CJ Leede, author of <i>Maeve Fly</i>, <i>American Rapture</i>, and the brand-new release <i>Headlights</i>. 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.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p><b>Timestamps:</b></p><p>00:00 – Grad School Revelations & Discovering Horror </p><p>00:09 – Introducing CJ Leede & Her Unapologetic Characters </p><p>03:58 – CJ's Horror Origin Story & Media Freedom as an Only Child </p><p>13:59 – Unexpectedly Landing in the "Extreme" and "Splatterpunk" Horror Space </p><p>26:30 – The Inspiration Behind <i>Maeve Fly</i> & Finding Catharsis in Anger </p><p>32:48 – Balancing Maeve’s Monstrous Actions with Empathy and Relatability </p><p>36:12 – The Double Standard of Justified Violence for Women vs. Men in Literature </p><p>43:44 – Exploring Purity Culture and Religious Trauma in <i>American Rapture</i></p><p>48:05 – Horror as an Empathy Machine and Safe Space to Face Reality </p><p>52:30 – Finding Camaraderie and Support in the Welcoming Horror Community </p><p>55:27 – <i>Headlights</i>: Writing a Male Protagonist & Refusing to be Boxed In </p><p>1:01:08 – Guarding Peace and Ignoring the Pressure of External Expectations </p><p>1:03:51 – Processing Grief, Death, and Hope Through <i>Headlights</i></p><p>1:08:45 – What’s Next: A Sneak Peek at Books Four and Five </p><p>1:12:19 – CJ’s Favorite Books to Reread for Inspiration </p><p></p><p><b>Books mentioned:</b></p><p>Headlights: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/43WViJK" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/43WViJK</a></p><p>American Rapture: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/3QfoCrA" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/3QfoCrA</a></p><p>Maeve Fly: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://amzn.to/4dZb3pq" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/4dZb3pq</a></p><p></p><p><b>Connect with CJ Leede:</b></p><p><b>Website:</b> <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://cjleede.com" target="_blank">https://cjleede.com</a></p><p><b>Instagram:</b> <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/cjleede" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/cjleede</a></p><p><b>TikTok:</b> <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@cjleede" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@cjleede</a></p><p></p><p></p><p><b>Follow Talking Horror Podcast:</b></p><p>Instagram: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/rachelreddreads/</a></p><p>TikTok: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelredd" target="_blank">https://www.tiktok.com/@rachelredd</a></p><p></p><p>If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and hit the notification bell to help us grow the horror community!</p>
13 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Talking Horror?
<p>Welcome to <i>Talking Horror Podcast</i>, where we dive into the stories that haunt us.</p><p></p><p>Hosted by Rachel Redd, this show features conversations with horror and thriller authors about their books, their writing process, and what draws them into the shadows. From psychological dread to supernatural terror, we explore the dark stories readers can’t get enough of and why they are so important to fiction.</p><p></p><p>Each week Rachel talks with today’s most exciting horror and thriller authors about the stories that linger long after the lights go out.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Information about guest appearances is not available.
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