Rebecca Rowland returns to The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss her new novel Eminence Front, releasing January 20th from CLASH Books.Set on a single New England street during a brutal snowstorm, the novel follows neighbors as an ancient entity preys on their secrets, sins, and regrets.We explore why snow creates such effective psychological horror, from its sound-muffling properties to the sensation of being smothered alive.Rebecca reveals how the title came from a Who song about false facades and self-deception, themes that run through every character on the street.We discuss agoraphobia as both vulnerability and advantage, dementia as a Cassandra narrative device, and why betrayal trauma appears in all of her work.Rebecca shares her extensive research process, from the science of snow to real historical blizzard accounts that inspired scenes in the book.We dig into the challenge of writing deeply flawed characters who are neither heroes nor villains, just people making terrible choices under pressure.Rebecca also talks about her novella Shagging the Boss, her background in psychology, and why she believes most people are fundamentally good despite writing horror.This conversation goes deep into quiet horror, art house atmosphere, and what happens when suburban pretense collapses under supernatural weight.Guest Websitehttps://rowlandbooks.com​Books Page (All Titles & Anthologies)https://rowlandbooks.com/the-books​Unburied: A Collection of Queer Dark Fictionhttps://rowlandbooks.com/unburied​Generation X-ed Anthologyhttps://rowlandbooks.com/generation-xed​Guest Social MediaInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/rebecca_rowland_books/​Blueskyhttps://bsky.app/profile/rebecca-rowland.bsky.socialX (Twitter)https://x.com/BecRowlandTikTokhttps://www.tiktok.com/@beccalrowGoodreads Author Pagehttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4738797.Rebecca_Rowland​Denver Horror Collective Profilehttps://denverhorror.com/rebecca-rowland/​Buy Rebecca Rowland's WorkAuthor Hub for All Books (various retailers linked per title)https://rowlandbooks.com/the-books​Amazon – Rebecca Rowland Bookshttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=rebecca+rowland+authorThriftBooks – Author Pagehttps://www.thriftbooks.com/a/rebecca-rowland/924284/​Godless – Rebecca Rowland Page (eBooks and more)https://godless.com/products/rebecca-rowland​Powell's Books – Search Results for Rebecca Rowlandhttps://www.powells.com/books/search?query=Rebecca+Rowland​Goodreads – Works by Rebecca Rowlandhttps://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4738797.Rebecca_Rowland​Dead Sky Publishing – White Trash & Recycled Nightmareshttps://deadskypublishing.com/portfolio-item/white-trash-recycled-nightmares/​(Unburied, Generation X-ed, American Cannibal, and other titles also link out to individual purchase and audio options from the books hub on her site.)​Support The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

A haunted house on Virginia’s Eastern Shore becomes a conduit between two women separated by 400 years.

Author and screenwriter Jacquie Walters joins The Dark Mind Podcast to talk about her new novel Turn Off The Light.

We dig into dual timelines, women of knowledge, and how small communities can be more terrifying than any ghost.

Jacquie unpacks how sleep deprivation, grief, and family secrets fracture her characters’ sense of reality.

We explore her use of quantum physics to reframe what a haunting actually is.

She shares how her TV background shapes her pacing, structure, and “cinematic” horror on the page.

Jacquie also opens up about mediumship, trusting her intuition, and how her daughter’s experiences with spirits helped inspire the story.

JACQUIE WALTERS - AUTHOR LINKS

Official Website:
https://www.jacquiewalters.com

Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jwalterswrites/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquiewalters
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15036438.Jacquie_Walters
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/61564033081098

Buy Books:
Dearest by Jacquie Walters:
https://www.amazon.com/Dearest-Novel-Jacquie-Walters/dp/0316580293

Turn Off The Light by Jacquie Walters:
https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Off-Light-Jacquie-Walters/dp/0316580323

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/turn-off-the-light-jacquie-walters/512b3cf20bdbb039

Mulholland Books (Publisher): https://www.mulhollandbooks.com/titles/jacquie-walters/turn-off-the-light/9780316580328/
Hachette Book Group: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/contributor/jacquie-walters/

Book Community:
Send Me A Book (Book recommendations): https://www.sendmeabook.me

In this episode, horror filmmaker A.K. Espada joins me to discuss her deeply personal short film I Could Just Die and That Would Be All Right.The film follows a woman struggling with suicidal depression who offers herself to a cryptid called the Bonecat in the forests of Southern Gothic suburbia, only to wake up undead and denied the escape she sought.Kate opens up about writing the script during one of the darkest periods of her life and how making the film became a form of therapy and advocacy.We discuss the COVID shutdown that nearly ended the production, the challenge of maintaining directorial distance while depicting your own trauma, and why she felt obligated to be transparent about her mental health struggles during festival Q and A sessions.Kate also talks about her other films including The Promotion, a darkly satirical office horror co-directed with Phil Cheney, This Is Our Home, a vegan versus pragmatist horror that won the Audience Award at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, and Laundry Night, which won a Special Jury Prize.We explore the importance of programming at festivals, how dark humor functions in horror, and why she believes everyone needs some form of artistic expression to process difficult emotions.Kate shares insights from her work as a scenic artist on productions like Stranger Things, her participation in the Sundance Horror Fellowship and Moonshot Initiative, and her philosophy on self-distribution and making films outside the traditional gatekeeping system.This conversation covers the psychology of horror, the ethics of depicting suicide on screen, and what it truly takes to make independent films that break stigma and foster genuine connection.OFFICIAL WEBSITEhttps://akespada.comSOCIAL MEDIAInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/akespada/LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/a-k-kate-espada-b24a1075FILM-SPECIFIC SOCIAL MEDIAI Could Just Die Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/i_could_just_die/STREAMING PLATFORMSShort of the Weekhttps://www.shortoftheweek.com/2025/07/17/i-could-just-die-and-that-would-be-all-right/Shudder (This Is Our Home - Etheria Showcase)https://www.shudder.com/movies/watch/etheria-film-night-2022/9bf212afcd42a5daALTERhttps://youtu.be/-GHVEeMJc0M?si=dE4MuNTNZvv3GkKoIMDB PROFILEhttps://www.imdb.com/name/nm6711544/SEED AND SPARK (Crowdfunding/Distribution)https://seedandspark.com/fund/i-could-just-dieCONTACThttps://akespada.com/contact