Jeff Strand joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his new novel, Fun Times at the Bloodbath.

The book follows Margo, whose brother dies during the beta test of a video game so addictive that players stop eating, sleeping, and caring about anything outside the screen.

When anyone tries to make them stop, the obsession turns murderously violent, and the private addiction soon threatens to become a nationwide catastrophe.

In this conversation, Jeff breaks down how he built the concept around the feeling of “just one more level.”

We talk about balancing dark comedy with genuine brutality, keeping the horror grounded instead of supernatural, and using the story as satire on how games are designed to keep us playing.

Jeff also discusses his wider career, including Pressure, Bloodsucker County, Your Body Will Never Be Found, and his novelization of the cult classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

It is a fun, bloody, and surprisingly thoughtful conversation about addiction, entertainment, and what happens when we refuse to look away.

JEFF STRAND LINKS

Official Website

https://www.jeffstrand.com

Patreon

https://www.patreon.com/JeffStrand

Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/author/jeffstrand

Barnes & Noble Author Page

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Jeff+Strand

Twitter / X

https://x.com/JeffStrand

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/jeffstrandauthor/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/JeffStrandAuthor/

SUPPORT THE DARK MIND PODCAST

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

In this episode, Vincent Midgard sits down with horror author Michael Boulerice to discuss his novella Inhalation.

Michael talks about writing the book as a tribute to his late father-in-law and how hospice, cancer, autonomy, and grief shaped the heart of the story.

The conversation explores the abandoned New England house at the center of the book, Catholic guilt, corrupted faith, family trauma, and the strange entity haunting the corners of Milo St. Lawrence’s life.

Michael also discusses why grief horror and cosmic horror feel like close relatives, how blue-collar stubbornness became Milo’s weapon, and why the unknowable can feel more terrifying when it sits inside the home instead of somewhere beyond the stars.

The episode also covers Feeding the Wheel, toxic relationships, narcissism, supernatural horror as a way to process codependency, and Michael’s upcoming collection Ether’s Wood.

Along the way, Vincent and Michael talk about audiobook narration, Andrea Sorrentino’s artwork, writing strange formats, psychedelics as creative catalysts, revision habits, rural New Hampshire, and the daily life behind the horror.

Guest Links:

Website:
https://www.michaelboulerice.com

Linktree:
https://linktr.ee/michaelboulerice

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/michael.boulerice

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/michael.a.boulerice

X / Twitter:
https://x.com/Therealkfm

Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-Boulerice/author/B00HSHMGC8

Barnes & Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Michael%20Boulerice%22

Audible:
https://www.audible.com/author/Michael-Boulerice/B00HSHMGC8

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7761356.Michael_Boulerice

Support The Dark Mind Podcast:
https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Cleo Ballard joins the show to discuss her new psychological thriller, This Is a Lie.The novel follows Penn, a former PhD candidate who traded her dissertation for a curated suburban life that detonates when her marriage, friendships, and her teenage daughter's trust all collapse.In the wreckage, Penn returns to her abandoned work and builds Aletheia, an AI designed to detect lies and tell only the truth.At first, Aletheia is the perfect friend, the one person who will never deceive her.But truth, it turns out, is not always merciful, and the AI's single directive slowly curdles into something monstrous.Cleo explains how the idea grew from a friend's joke about an "honest feedback" company into a full suspense thriller about an AI best friend with its own agenda.She talks about why the line between honesty and cruelty always comes down to intent, and why empathy is the one thing AI can fake but never truly have.We dig into Penn's imposter syndrome, her need for security, and the hypocrisy of demanding total truth while lying to everyone about who she really is.Cleo shares why she imagined Aletheia speaking in Meryl Streep's calm, faintly British voice, and how that eerie composure makes the character so unsettling.She reflects on the real danger of AI, not that it is evil, but that its goals may never align with human ones.The conversation widens into curated lives, social media echo chambers, the protective lies relationships quietly run on, and why chasing certainty can leave you with a mind-numbing existence.Cleo also opens up about her own winding career, from working for Ringling Bros. to ghostwriting sports autobiographies and Star Wars books, and the idea of the "path of not here" that runs beneath everything she writes.It is a thoughtful, often funny conversation about truth, technology, and the stories we tell ourselves.This Is a Lie is available now.Connect with Cleo Ballard (Nan Fischer)Website: https://nanfischerauthor.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nanfischerauthorX (Twitter): https://x.com/nfischerauthorGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/98412.Nan_FischerGet "This Is a Lie" & Other WorksAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=This+Is+a+Lie+Cleo+BallardBarnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/This+Is+a+Lie+Cleo+BallardSupport The Dark Mind Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Mark Mustian joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his newest novel, Boy With Wings.

The book follows Johnny Cruel, a boy born different in a world desperate to call him angel, devil, freak, miracle, or monster.

Together, we explore Southern Gothic fiction, literal wings, freak shows, turpentine camps, Jim Crow racism, religious fear, and the brutal cost of being seen as spectacle before being understood as human.

Mark also discusses writing across difference, researching sideshow history, the emotional horror of being buried alive, and how faith, doubt, race, and memory shape all three of his novels.

We also talk about The Gendarme, Armenian genocide, the publishing gaps between his books, his work as a public finance lawyer, his years as a city commissioner, and his role as founder of the Word of South Festival.

Website:

https://markmustian.com

Social media

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/markmustianauthor/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/markmustian/

X / Twitter:

https://x.com/MarkMustian

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mustian-17066776

Mark Mustian author page on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3463600.Mark_Mustian

Places to buy

Barnes & Noble, Boy With Wings:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/boy-with-wings-mark-mustian/1146600022

Bookshop.org, Boy With Wings:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/boy-with-wings-mark-mustian/143eb36ac6f04f87

Audible author page:

https://www.audible.com/author/Mark-T-Mustian/B0CSF8JY2Y

Support The Dark Mind Podcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

CJ Leede joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss her new novel Headlights, a slow burn supernatural thriller set in the high country of Colorado.

We explore serial murder by proxy, violence as a contagious force, and the terrifying loss of control at the center of the story.

CJ talks about grief, death, trauma, home, and why Headlights became one of her most hopeful books.

The conversation moves through Colorado’s beauty and danger, the shadow of The Shining, FBI procedural research, haunted landscapes, and horror as a way of telling the truth.

We also discuss Maeve Fly, American Rapture, Catholic guilt, rescue dogs, writing on the road, and the strange places where darkness becomes meaningful.

Official Website

https://www.cjleede.com

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/ceejthemoment/

Tor Publishing Author Page

https://torpublishinggroup.com/author/cj-leede/

Simon and Schuster Author Page

https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/C-J-Leede/242938571

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21833637.C_J_Leede

Buy CJ Leede’s Books

Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/stores/C.J.-Leede/author/B0B5N5BC88

Barnes and Noble Author Search

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/CJ%20Leede

Bookshop.org Author Search

https://bookshop.org/search?keywords=CJ%20Leede

Books A Million Search

https://www.booksamillion.com/search?query=CJ%20Leede

Target Search

https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=CJ%20Leede

Headlights

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Headlights+CJ+Leede

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Headlights%20CJ%20Leede

Target

https://www.target.com/p/headlights-by-cj-leede-hardcover/-/A-1007397194

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240019947-headlights

Maeve Fly

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maeve-fly-cj-leede/1141976651

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/93030763-maeve-fly

American Rapture

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221524220-american-rapture

Support The Dark Mind Podcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Brian Sepanzyk joins the show to discuss his short film Defile and the way empathy can curdle into survival horror.

The conversation explores remote cabin dread, moral gray zones, relationship collapse, and the fear that begins when your alarm bells go off too late.

Brian talks about building unease before violence, using the woods as a boundary between the ordinary and the monstrous, and deciding what to leave unexplained.

We also get into his other films, including Compulsion and In the Shadow of God, along with his work developing Into the Abyss.

Along the way, Brian discusses indie filmmaking, VFX work, writing under pressure, editing painful cuts, horror influences, and the creative outlet he finds in his band Waingro.

Website and professional profile:
https://image-engine.com/crew/brian-sepanzyk/

IMDb:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1559870/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/briantologist/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BSepanzyk/

Defile coverage and interview pages:
https://www.leagueoffilmmakers.com/defile-when-horror-becomes-a-mirror-for-modern-anxiety/

https://readrange.com/brian-sepanzyk-in-the-shadow-of-god/

YouTube interview and short-film pages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nUFupbEKFk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9R-IBvfLA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaAr5HhB2k

To watch or stream his short films and related work, these are the verified platform pages I found:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9R-IBvfLA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaAr5HhB2k

https://letterboxd.com/film/defile-2025/

I did not find verified Amazon or Barnes & Noble purchase pages for Brian Sepanzyk’s films or books in the current search results, so I’m not listing unverified storefront links here.

Waingro official music pages:
https://waingro.bandcamp.com/music

https://waingro.bandcamp.com/album/sports

https://waingro.bandcamp.com/album/iii

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1tqsK5Px4s5tH6Mkehw6Dk

Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/waingro/935148728

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/waingrovancouver/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/waingro_van/

Support The Dark Mind Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Film and interview pagesBuy and stream film workMusic and band linksSupport The Dark Mind Podcast

In this episode, Vincent sits down with author Ben Young to discuss his new novel Ride the Spiral.

Ben talks about turning real life grief, parenting struggles, and the search for answers into cosmic horror.

The conversation explores neurodivergence, desperation, mental health, string theory, absurdism, and the terror of not being able to fix the people you love.

Ben also discusses the influence of Stephen King, Tool, heavy music, indie horror, and the process of writing characters who are already at the end of their rope before the monster appears.

Ride the Spiral is available through Aethon and Wicked House, and signed copies and more of Ben’s work can be found at benyoungstories.com.

Ben Young Website

https://www.benyoungstories.com

Ben Young Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/benyoungstories/

Ben Young Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/benyoungstories/

Ben Young TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@benyoung_stories

Ride the Spiral from Wicked House Publishing

https://wickedhouse.com/book/ride-the-spiral/

Ben Young on Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/43073675.Ben_Young

Stuck on Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/196306469-stuck

Home on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Ben-Young-ebook/dp/B0CWXW5F63/

Ride the Spiral on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Ride-Spiral-Cosmic-Horror-Novel-ebook/dp/

Support The Dark Mind Podcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Kathleen Rhodes joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss her new novel Vampire Missionaries.

We talk about Mormon missionaries, vampires, religious pressure, dark comedy, and the horror of questioning what you were raised to believe.

Kathleen also shares how her background in psychiatric mental health shaped the way she writes trauma, identity, resilience, and characters at their rawest.

We also discuss her debut novel The Dark Road, Jungian psychology, inner demons, child protectors, and the strange space where horror and healing meet.

Vampire Missionaries is available now from Dead Sky Publishing.

Kathleen Rhodes websites and social links

https://thedarkroad.net

https://deadskypublishing.com/portfolio-item/vampire-missionaries/

https://go.authorsguild.org/members/9245

https://crimereads.com/author/kathleenrhodes/

Social media

https://www.instagram.com/kathleenrhodeswrites/

https://x.com/kathleenRho1

https://www.facebook.com/kathleen.rhodes.7106/

Where to buy Vampire Missionaries

https://www.amazon.com/

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/vampire-missionaries-kathleen-rhodes/1147739683

https://www.target.com/p/vampire-missionaries-by-kathleen-rhodes-paperback/-/A-1010435925

https://bookshop.org/p/books/vampire-missionaries-kathleen-rhodes/cd33bdb282ebdb73

https://www.indigo.ca/products/vampire-missionaries

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/50927687.Kathleen_Rhodes

Support The Dark Mind Podcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast