Full Transcript for D.C. Phillips

know it was going to be this big, and 40 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:05.400 I went to your table one of the first people 41 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:06.840 I talked to you. You were so nice to me. We 42 00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:11.400 had a great conversation and I was originally going to 43 00:02:11.479 --> 00:02:15.520 have you on Bonus over Drive Wednesday, because normally I 44 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:19.280 save Bonus over Drive for different subjects. But as we 45 00:02:19.319 --> 00:02:22.319 got talked and you're like, well, you know, I do 46 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:26.879 have experience of paranormal and investigations and experiences, I said, great, 47 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:29.280 let's put you on less find out. We're going to 48 00:02:29.319 --> 00:02:32.000 get into that very shortly as well as well we'll 49 00:02:32.000 --> 00:02:38.280 we're talking about, well, the newest book, the compilation is 50 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:40.039 came out no longer hot off the press. 51 00:02:40.039 --> 00:02:42.280 Yes, oh yeah, still warm at least. 52 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:47.919 Yes, And I love the cover because it reminded me 53 00:02:48.039 --> 00:02:50.199 of you know, we'll talk about that later. I'm gonna 54 00:02:50.199 --> 00:02:53.759 get lost in the sauce here, EFFI Jesus alimentation. What 55 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:55.759 we got tons to talk about. But first off, we 56 00:02:55.759 --> 00:03:03.159 don't want to congratulate you because you're recently Best Indie 57 00:03:03.159 --> 00:03:06.759 Book Award winner for The Flair Man. Congratulations on that. 58 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:10.560 Yeah, thank you. Yeah, that was a really nice surprise. 59 00:03:10.879 --> 00:03:15.280 You know, I had basically submitted the Flair months and 60 00:03:15.319 --> 00:03:18.840 months ago, and they go through their process to select 61 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.520 winners in each category, and so the Flair won for 62 00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:27.120 the novella category, and it was exciting on multiple levels. 63 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:31.240 I feel like novellas and short stories people are kind 64 00:03:31.240 --> 00:03:35.240 of rediscovering. I think we moved away from that format for. 65 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:36.639 A while, but I love it. 66 00:03:36.680 --> 00:03:40.520 I love short, punchy fiction with nice twists, and it's 67 00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:44.319 very much eighty Slasher inspired. There's lots of dark humor, 68 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:48.159 and it felt really nice, especially as an indie author, 69 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:51.479 to be recognized that way. So I'm excited for the 70 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:53.439 you know, my plaque to come in the mail and 71 00:03:53.479 --> 00:03:54.879 make it really official. 72 00:03:57.199 --> 00:03:59.240 Well, how did you find out that you won? Did 73 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:01.280 they say send you an email first or they just 74 00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:02.919 put it out there on socials and say, hey, man,

75 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:03.400 you got it. 76 00:04:04.360 --> 00:04:07.680 They did send an email first, which I was happy 77 00:04:07.719 --> 00:04:10.919 about because I know with some of the awards online 78 00:04:11.319 --> 00:04:15.879 circulating around, you do sometimes find out, hey, here's the 79 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:19.160 list of finalists. It's almost like in high school. I 80 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:21.519 was in theater, and you almost feel like a theater 81 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:25.079 kid going up to the bulletin board after school, like, oh, gosh, 82 00:04:25.120 --> 00:04:27.759 did we make it? You know, in real time? And 83 00:04:28.079 --> 00:04:29.319 so it was nice to get a little bit of 84 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:32.519 a heads up. They were super professional and asked for 85 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:36.839 marketing materials and that sort of thing, and so yeah, 86 00:04:36.839 --> 00:04:39.839 I had a little heads up and had to sit 87 00:04:39.920 --> 00:04:42.639 on it for a week or two. But it's nice 88 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:44.360 to be able to talk about it now and share 89 00:04:44.360 --> 00:04:45.120 that news. 90 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:45.879 Yeah. 91 00:04:45.879 --> 00:04:47.839 I saw that pop on on the Facebook, feeling, oh, 92 00:04:47.879 --> 00:04:50.319 we're definitely going to talk about that. Well they and 93 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:52.720 then you brought something up, Yes, we're talking about theater 94 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:58.920 now that you're an award winning author. Let's go back 95 00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:02.560 in time a little bit. Let's take Brian Paone's DeLorean. 96 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:03.839 We want to go back in time a little bit. 97 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:07.759 What was like for DC Phillips prior to become an author. 98 00:05:07.879 --> 00:05:10.399 Was this always your journey or were you doing something 99 00:05:10.439 --> 00:05:11.639 completely different at that time. 100 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:13.279 Yeah. 101 00:05:13.399 --> 00:05:17.279 You know, it's funny because I think a lot of writers, 102 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:19.439 or a lot of people who are creative in any way, 103 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:23.639 can relate to this. But even in school, I would 104 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:27.160 write stories and draw pictures to go along with those stories, 105 00:05:27.519 --> 00:05:30.160 and I think I even probably scared a few teachers 106 00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:33.680 with some of the stories that I submitted for creative 107 00:05:33.720 --> 00:05:34.560 writing projects. 108 00:05:34.600 --> 00:05:36.120 They're like, oh, this is morbid. 109 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:39.000 But by the time I got to high school, you know, 110 00:05:39.079 --> 00:05:42.639 that started to evolve a little bit. And I even 111 00:05:43.079 --> 00:05:47.759 recently recovered an external hard drive that I thought was 112 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:51.160 lost forever. And I even found a movie that I 113 00:05:51.279 --> 00:05:55.199 made with some friends about this sort of slasher story 114 00:05:55.240 --> 00:05:57.560 that I wrote in high school. So it's kind of 115 00:05:57.600 --> 00:06:01.199 funny to see that come full circle. There were even 116 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:04.040 manuscripts that I had written all the way back then 117 00:06:04.519 --> 00:06:08.480 that I've uncovered and reread. You know, sometimes you think 118 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:12.079 I was young, that's probably garbage, toss it out, But 119 00:06:13.079 --> 00:06:15.879 you reread it and you're like, Okay, the writing could 120 00:06:15.959 --> 00:06:18.519 use some polishing, but I like the idea here. So 121 00:06:18.800 --> 00:06:21.959 there are definitely some ideas that I've either salvaged or 122 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:24.959 that I've cleaned up and been able to put out 123 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:28.680 there in collections and anthologies. So that's a really nice 124 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:30.879 feeling and one that I'm sure a lot of creatives 125 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:31.560 can relate to. 126 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:35.879 Yes, similar to our believe to musicians, well, they're getting 127 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:38.920 in a studio, will record some stuff and then either 128 00:06:38.920 --> 00:06:41.399 it gets lost into tapes or somewhere down the road 129 00:06:41.439 --> 00:06:43.680 and say, oh, this is griff is really good, and 130 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:46.040 then you never know a great song can come out 131 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:49.319 of that. It's part of the creative process in a way. 132 00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:54.199 So then from that point, I'm curious to see when 133 00:06:55.399 --> 00:06:58.360 in your life did you get involved with a pair 134 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:01.360 of normal because it's I'm not saying this seems to 135 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:04.600 be a shift, but how did that start and are 136 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:06.240 you still kind of involved with that today? 137 00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:10.600 Yes, and yes, I would say that for a lot 138 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:14.160 of people who are into horror, dark and creepy things, 139 00:07:14.519 --> 00:07:18.160 horror authors, I think a lot of us have real 140 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:21.920 life experiences at a young age that sort of plant 141 00:07:21.959 --> 00:07:22.560 that seed. 142 00:07:22.759 --> 00:07:24.600 And really push that interest. 143 00:07:24.759 --> 00:07:25.000 You know. 144 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:29.040 It's funny because since we met at Fright Reid's, I've 145 00:07:29.079 --> 00:07:31.879 kept up with your podcasts, and I believe one of 146 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:37.399 your recent guests even went into their experiences with shadow people. 147 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:42.319 And that's something that I don't even like saying out loud, 148 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:44.959 because they say, there's a what is the saying that 149 00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:48.399 when

you peer into the void, things that are their 150 00:07:48.480 --> 00:07:50.319 peer back, you know, the more you want to know 151 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:55.560 about those entities and those those things in another realm 152 00:07:55.639 --> 00:07:58.319 or whatever, they want to know more about you. So 153 00:07:58.759 --> 00:08:01.399 it's not something that I talk about every day. Uh, 154 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:05.399 but yeah, at a young age, I remember having experiences 155 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:09.319 with shadow people. There's always kind of that archetype of 156 00:08:09.399 --> 00:08:13.879 a shadowy figure in a broad brimmed black hat. And 157 00:08:13.920 --> 00:08:17.240 so you know, now with with I kind of grew up. 158 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:18.920 On that line. 159 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:23.000 I'm a millennial and I grew up pre and post Internet, 160 00:08:23.480 --> 00:08:27.959 and it's been really crazy to read on Reddit and 161 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:32.440 these other forums of people describing that exact same entity 162 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:35.600 that you saw in dreams as a kid and that 163 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:39.480 sort of thing. So those experiences do definitely go way back, 164 00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:43.039 and for me, it's they always kind of center around 165 00:08:43.080 --> 00:08:48.919 that liminal space between waking and sleeping. But it was 166 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:50.840 very real to me. I got to say that. 167 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:56.639 I believe we talk about hat Man, right, yes. 168 00:08:56.639 --> 00:08:58.600 Yeah, and yeah you get a chill, right, you don't. 169 00:08:58.679 --> 00:08:59.519 It's kind of I don't know. 170 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:02.799 I don't even like same the name always, but I 171 00:09:02.840 --> 00:09:04.159 saved it for your podcast. 172 00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:06.279 So we're both talking about him. 173 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:09.799 Not to make light or be flippant, right, but hey, 174 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:12.159 if he visits one of us, he's gonna visit both 175 00:09:12.200 --> 00:09:15.720 of so at least there's numbers. 176 00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:19.919 Yeah, you're not lying there. I think that back long 177 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:23.159 before you, when I was in high school, there was 178 00:09:23.200 --> 00:09:26.399 a girl talking in class about very similar description of 179 00:09:26.440 --> 00:09:30.279 something she saw in her dreams as well. And back 180 00:09:30.320 --> 00:09:34.679 then there's bullies everywhere. When they kind of hear a story, 181 00:09:34.679 --> 00:09:38.240 they start bullying. You're making fun of you. But if 182 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:40.600 you start mentioning Man to her, she would go nuts 183 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:42.519 because it was that terrifying to her. 184 00:09:43.879 --> 00:09:46.039 Yeah, and you know, with the. 185 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:51.639 Real prominence of the Internet and platforms where people can discuss,

186 00:09:51.960 --> 00:09:55.559 I think that's probably why people gravitate toward your podcast, 187 00:09:56.080 --> 00:09:58.759 because you know, you do feel like, wow, I'm not 188 00:09:58.799 --> 00:10:02.559 the only one. I'm not crazy, you know, people don't 189 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:06.720 think I'm a total lunatic because I am describing this experience. 190 00:10:07.039 --> 00:10:09.200 So there's there's a real sense of community in that, 191 00:10:09.240 --> 00:10:09.960 I think. 192 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:13.720 And you touched on something there, because one of the 193 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:16.759 reasons why this podcast began is because I wanted to 194 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:20.799 have a conversation with like minded people who've had the 195 00:10:20.840 --> 00:10:24.360 similar experiences in order to help me figure things out 196 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:27.200 in questions that I have about the subject, not only 197 00:10:27.240 --> 00:10:31.919 with paranormal UFOs and cryptozoology and beyond. Because when you 198 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:34.799 have all these kind of experiences in your life, it's 199 00:10:34.840 --> 00:10:37.840 always nice to have a community, whether large or small, 200 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:40.000 that can relate to what you're doing and have a 201 00:10:40.039 --> 00:10:41.080 conversation about it. 202 00:10:42.639 --> 00:10:47.440 Yeah, now, how much of this well hold on? 203 00:10:47.720 --> 00:10:50.080 Because you said also we're talking about fright reasons that 204 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:52.840 you've also done some investigations. What locations have you gone to? 205 00:10:54.440 --> 00:10:58.000 Yeah, most of mine have been fairly amateur, I would say, 206 00:10:58.840 --> 00:11:03.799 but I've definitely have some some experiences that have told 207 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:10.080 me there is something beyond right. I think probably the 208 00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:13.320 one that had the biggest impact where it was a 209 00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:18.639 true investigation, uh, was actually something I found on Groupon. 210 00:11:19.519 --> 00:11:20.559 And you can. 211 00:11:20.480 --> 00:11:23.960 Pretty much guarantee experiences that you find in groupon are 212 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:26.080 either going to be some of the worst or best 213 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:30.120 of your life, right, there's no real in between. And 214 00:11:30.159 --> 00:11:35.000 so this was in Tennessee outside of Chattanooga, and probably 215 00:11:35.039 --> 00:11:38.639 about ten years ago because the memories popped up on Facebook, 216 00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:42.960 not that long ago. But it's a place called Hale's 217 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:46.840 Bar Dam. And forgive me, you know, if I don't 218 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:49.639 get the history one hundred percent correct. I am a 219 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:52.120 fiction author, so I you know, I take things and 220 00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:55.960 run with it. But of the actual historical facts of 221 00:11:56.000 --> 00:12:00.440 behind the location. But this was a dam that was 222 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:03.960 not active for very long. It was built in the 223 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:09.000 early nineteen hundreds. There were tons of accidents, flooding. There 224 00:12:09.080 --> 00:12:13.000 was even, allegedly, according to legend, a group of school 225 00:12:13.080 --> 00:12:16.600 children who would use one of the tunnels to cut 226 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:21.879 through from a little neighborhood to school every day and 227 00:12:21.960 --> 00:12:24.720 there was a flash flood and all of those kids 228 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:29.240 were carried away one day and never located. And so 229 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:31.879 there's there's a ton of history. I think it's been 230 00:12:31.879 --> 00:12:35.759 on one of the ghost hunting shows, and so they 231 00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:41.159 say that it centered around a whirlpool that had you know, 232 00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:44.519 I believe it was a Cherokee name that essentially meant 233 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:48.000 place of death or something along those lines, and so 234 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:51.519 you can imagine it's already steeped in history. There's so 235 00:12:51.639 --> 00:12:57.759 much lore surrounding it. And there were probably three spots 236 00:12:57.799 --> 00:13:03.000 inside that dam at really were mind blowing to me. 237 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:08.039 The first one, there's an area where people leave toys 238 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:12.200 for they say one of the children who was swept away. 239 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:16.720 And you know, you sit in the dark, you're all 240 00:13:16.759 --> 00:13:19.279 gathered around in a circle. You can't even see the 241 00:13:19.320 --> 00:13:21.720 people around you, you can't see your hand in front 242 00:13:21.720 --> 00:13:27.039 of your face, but you can hear footsteps. 243 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:29.759 After everything goes pitch. 244 00:13:29.559 --> 00:13:32.879 Black, the flashlights are out, you don't have to wait 245 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:36.919 that long, and you hear this echoing coming up the 246 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:40.639 hall and it's one of those things where obviously skeptics 247 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:43.320 can always explain away, oh they must have had a 248 00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:46.679 sound system, Oh there must have been somebody else down 249 00:13:46.720 --> 00:13:50.600 the hallway, But when you're in it, and you know, 250 00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:53.320 you know, I was just in that hallway, there's nowhere 251 00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:54.879 for a third party to hide. 252 00:13:55.679 --> 00:14:00.080 There isn't that echoe year or scratching of a sound system. It. 253 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:04.080 It was very real in that moment, and yeah, I 254 00:14:04.120 --> 00:14:06.559 did not sleep for two days after that. 255 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:09.240 Well, I can imagine. 256

00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:15.240 Totally transparent here from there it actually got even I 257 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:17.679 will say, creepy. I don't know there's a for anyone 258 00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:22.480 who's experienced real paranormal activity. I think it's not always 259 00:14:22.519 --> 00:14:30.919 necessarily the scare factor. There's also a sadness or a 260 00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:36.200 sorrow to it, because according Shin, they would add, there 261 00:14:36.200 --> 00:14:40.360 were two men who actually fell in while that concrete 262 00:14:40.399 --> 00:14:44.399 was being poured and at that time, and it was 263 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:48.679 it was one of the most impactful paranormal moments I've experienced. 264 00:14:49.919 --> 00:14:53.919 Terrifying to say the least. Now, with that experience that 265 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:56.320 you've had and then others after that, how much of 266 00:14:56.440 --> 00:14:59.440 that influenced your writing. 267 00:15:02.039 --> 00:15:02.919 A lot? 268 00:15:03.159 --> 00:15:07.159 You know, every time I'm at an event like Affright 269 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:10.720 Reads on my table, I have one title in particular 270 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:13.879 that we, as members of the Atlanta chapter of the 271 00:15:13.919 --> 00:15:18.840 Horror Writers Association, put together, and it's called Georgia Gothic, And. 272 00:15:18.840 --> 00:15:21.480 So people will ask, are these true stories? 273 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:27.639 And my answer is always, well, it's legend, it's folklore. 274 00:15:27.919 --> 00:15:31.879 It came from somewhere, right, and so you know, sort 275 00:15:31.879 --> 00:15:34.840 of a yes and no to that. To that question, 276 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:39.240 I would say, there are definitely places that I'll pull from. 277 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:44.120 There are occurrences, you know, dreams that I've had that 278 00:15:44.200 --> 00:15:47.679 I'll take and I'll run with. And so I would say, 279 00:15:47.799 --> 00:15:51.000 whether it's comes from a history book or a subconscious 280 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:56.039 these events and in these places and these entities, happenings, 281 00:15:56.080 --> 00:15:59.200 things and counters, whatever you want to call it, definitely 282 00:15:59.240 --> 00:16:03.279 form the found for pretty much everything I write. 283 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:07.799 Excellent, it seems to be the formula. Seems to be 284 00:16:07.799 --> 00:16:10.879 working for you, my friend. So we're going to fast 285 00:16:10.919 --> 00:16:15.720 forward now to Effigy's and incantation. I was talking to 286 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:19.639 you at the table because the cover, it's already creepy 287 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:24.039 enough of ventriloquis dummy. They're one of those things that 288 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:27.320 for me, I'm gonna say they terrify me, but it 289 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:32.759 already puts me in that element of creepy. And I 290 00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:35.919 was sharing a story with you, not about because I've 291 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:38.120 had experience. I've never held one, I've seen one. I 292 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:41.600 won't touch them like some people have things for clowns. 293 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:45.679 These ventriloquist dummy, especially old style looking ones, super creepy. Brother, 294 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:49.639 there was a I don't know what decade in nineteen 295 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:52.960 hundreds I'm gonna shoot for during the big radio time 296 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:57.240 before there was TV. There was a very famous person 297 00:16:57.320 --> 00:17:01.480 back then that had a ventriloquist act. But here's the 298 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:03.639 best part. But he did it on the radio. 299 00:17:05.119 --> 00:17:06.400 Huh. 300 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:10.119 Back then, this this person was super famous worldwide for 301 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:13.079 having an act, and back then there was no TV, 302 00:17:13.160 --> 00:17:15.279 so you have to use your imagination. I'm saying, did 303 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:17.000 he really need the dummy who could just fake the 304 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:21.960 whole thing? But his daughter was actually a very famous 305 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:27.759 actress in the eighties, so she couldn't fake that because 306 00:17:27.759 --> 00:17:29.960 she actually had to do the work on the camera. 307 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:33.279 That's a tangent. We'll talk about this another day. But 308 00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:35.960 with the cover, it is a collection of stories from 309 00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:36.720 different authors. 310 00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:39.119 Correct, yes, yeah. 311 00:17:39.319 --> 00:17:42.279 And you know what's really great is, like you said, 312 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:45.920 the vent trillock was dummies doll just like clowns. There's 313 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:51.519 such a classic trope and a classic theme. So working 314 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:55.319 with the cover artist, Lynn Hansen, super talented, you know, 315 00:17:55.400 --> 00:17:59.079 she came up with something, had something ready actually that 316 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:02.599 fit perfectly along with the stories that were included. And 317 00:18:03.400 --> 00:18:06.559 it's interesting because it's one of those things, like you said, 318 00:18:06.759 --> 00:18:10.839 at different events, people walk by my table and that 319 00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:15.680 don't catches their eyes because it's so classic and so 320 00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:20.920 the stories in the collection and the anthology are from 321 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:24.519 different authors. I have two in there myself, and it's 322 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:27.279 a lot of fun because yes, we have the classic 323 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:31.200 tropes of haunted dolls, but there are also twists. We 324 00:18:31.319 --> 00:18:36.799 take it into cosmic territory, we take it into domestic horror, 325

00:18:36.920 --> 00:18:40.039 and you know what might be lurking around your own home. 326 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:45.160 There's some supernatural and so I think it's nice because 327 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:48.680 it really is a mixed bag of a lot of 328 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:52.839 horror tropes and even subgenres that we all love, those 329 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:54.519 of us who love scary things. 330 00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:58.839 And that we do. My friend, so who's featured in 331 00:18:58.839 --> 00:19:02.079 the book with authors? Did you choose having there? 332 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:04.920 Oh, we've got a nice roster. 333 00:19:05.160 --> 00:19:09.559 So we've got William Sterling, We've got Don Major. 334 00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:12.640 A lot of people are active in the. 335 00:19:12.599 --> 00:19:18.000 Horror Writers Association, so if others are fall HWA or 336 00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:18.720 are part. 337 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:20.880 Of it, they'll recognize some names. 338 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:27.279 We've also got Laura McMurray, Keim Penzen, and just a 339 00:19:27.319 --> 00:19:31.079 ton of really great talented people who we have people 340 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:35.079 who are more seasoned and have more work out there 341 00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:37.559 in the open. And we have a couple of people 342 00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:40.319 who just were publishing a couple of pieces for the 343 00:19:40.359 --> 00:19:43.079 first time, and so that was exciting too to be 344 00:19:43.160 --> 00:19:47.960 able to work with them. We've also got co Davidson. 345 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:50.839 You know, I can go on and on. There are 346 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:54.720 seventeen of us, so it's a nice, nice roster. 347 00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:00.920 And did you choose them all the yourself or is 348 00:20:00.920 --> 00:20:02.400 it one of them? Is say, hey, man, would you 349 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:05.440 mind checking this work out? And out of all the 350 00:20:05.480 --> 00:20:08.279 horror stories, which ones? What kind were you looking forward 351 00:20:08.279 --> 00:20:11.359 to including there? Are there any specific themes or you 352 00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:12.599 just went with what they sent you. 353 00:20:17.559 --> 00:20:19.000 Yeah, that's a great question. 354 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:23.799 So it started out because William Sterling and I started 355 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:28.160 comparing notes and we each had doll stories that we 356 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:31.559 had just laying around, essentially, and we weren't sure what 357 00:20:31.680 --> 00:20:34.000 to do with them. I started talking to a couple 358 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:36.279 of other people and they said the same thing, since 359 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:40.480 it is so classic, and so I put out on 360 00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:44.240 Instagram a feeler, a call for submissions, and I was 361 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:47.839 really surprised by what came back. I basically put out 362 00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:53.680 the call asking for stories about haunted dolls, cursed objects, 363 00:20:53.839 --> 00:20:58.400 diabolical games, and so the stories that came back to me. 364 00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:03.359 We even have the story about a cursed mixtape, We've 365 00:21:03.400 --> 00:21:07.000 got one about that's an urban legend about a game 366 00:21:07.079 --> 00:21:11.440 that's played in a small southern town by Can Wiggs's 367 00:21:11.519 --> 00:21:12.400 one of my favorites. 368 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:13.359 Probably, I would have. 369 00:21:13.359 --> 00:21:17.119 To say we got some of the more typical Killer 370 00:21:17.160 --> 00:21:20.319 Doll stories that are just a lot of fun by 371 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:24.480 Mark Munroe. And I received some submissions by people I 372 00:21:24.519 --> 00:21:27.839 had never met, and so that was what was cool, 373 00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:32.319 because this call for submissions, because it went online, went 374 00:21:32.359 --> 00:21:35.960 to the far corners of the earth, right, and so 375 00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:39.359 that was really cool to see stories come in from 376 00:21:39.759 --> 00:21:42.279 people I didn't know, but now I've gotten to know 377 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:45.799 and I've been introduced to, and it was really exciting 378 00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:49.160 to be able to work with them. And sometimes when 379 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:52.240 you do have a specific theme at the editor, you 380 00:21:52.279 --> 00:21:55.480 know you're giving guidance and feedback on how we can 381 00:21:55.559 --> 00:21:58.599 shape this story to fit the theme a bit more closely, 382 00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:03.200 or if we have multiple porcelain dolls, hey could you 383 00:22:03.240 --> 00:22:05.960 do this in your story to kind of set years 384 00:22:06.039 --> 00:22:08.160 apart and to distinguish it. 385 00:22:08.440 --> 00:22:10.960 And so that was that was really cool to be able. 386 00:22:10.839 --> 00:22:14.400 To make sure that all of these stories mesh and 387 00:22:14.759 --> 00:22:16.440 they flow one from the new. 388 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:20.880 And each giving us something new. 389 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:26.000 And so tell you how many stories are there in 390 00:22:26.079 --> 00:22:27.160 the book currently. 391 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:34.759 Eight Yeah, so eight seventeen distinct authors and eighteen stories. 392 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:36.519 So it's a nice, nice mix. 393 00:22:36.720 --> 00:22:40.039 Especially when I'm meeting people at events and they ask 394 00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:43.480 what would you recommend or I'm not a big reader, 395 00:22:43.920 --> 00:22:46.519 you know, I tell them short stories are a great 396 00:22:46.559 --> 00:22:50.599 way to get back into reading for people who maybe 397 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:53.039 you're taking a break or feel like they don't have 398 00:22:53.079 --> 00:22:56.640 the attention span to commit to a five hundred

page 399 00:22:56.640 --> 00:22:57.960 epic novel, you know. 400 00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:01.519 And I feel like something to that because I've been 401 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:04.559 noticing more and more a lot of compilations and more 402 00:23:04.599 --> 00:23:07.240 short stories being published, and you know, I kind of 403 00:23:07.319 --> 00:23:13.200 like those those stories. And sometimes these short stories it's 404 00:23:13.240 --> 00:23:15.759 a challenge because you really got to tell every bit 405 00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:20.720 of that story. It's such a short amount of pages. 406 00:23:22.440 --> 00:23:25.559 I can imagine me kind of stressful to do something 407 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:25.920 like that. 408 00:23:27.880 --> 00:23:31.400 Yeah, you know, sometimes with shorter fiction, you really have 409 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:35.160 to streamline it, you really have to pare it down. 410 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:40.640 There's a big boom of flash fiction, and I've tried 411 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:44.240 my hand at that where it's like a sometimes it's 412 00:23:44.279 --> 00:23:47.799 maybe a thousand word limit, but that can be a 413 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:50.240 real challenge, and as a writer, it's a lot of 414 00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:53.519 fun because you have to be very intentional with your words. 415 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:57.319 You don't have a ton a ton of extra room 416 00:23:57.400 --> 00:23:59.480 to spare, so it can be a lot of fun. 417 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:06.079 And so what's been the feedback so far for Effigy Incantations. 418 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:09.720 I am really excited to share that. 419 00:24:09.880 --> 00:24:13.559 I also just found out it made the twenty twenty 420 00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:18.319 five list of recommended works for the Horror Writers Association, 421 00:24:19.480 --> 00:24:23.480 and that's something that people actually go in. Members of 422 00:24:23.480 --> 00:24:27.720 the HWA go in and they can nominate, So that 423 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:31.559 means that people connected with it, you know, even people 424 00:24:31.559 --> 00:24:36.799 who were not featured or didn't have stories submitted to it. 425 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:40.599 So that's really exciting to see that coming together. And 426 00:24:41.000 --> 00:24:44.440 we'll see there's voting that should happen early next year 427 00:24:44.920 --> 00:24:48.240 to see what makes the actual ballot for what we 428 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:49.799 call the Stoker Awards. 429 00:24:50.119 --> 00:24:54.400 They're like the top prize, the Grammy or the Emmy 430 00:24:54.519 --> 00:24:56.400 or you know of horror writing. 431 00:24:56.960 --> 00:25:00.359 And so so far the reception has been really great, 432 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:04.519 and that's exciting to put something out into the world 433 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:08.880 and you don't know what those Good Read reviews are 434 00:25:08.920 --> 00:25:11.200 going to look like, or those Amazon reviews are going 435 00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:14.599 to look like until they start coming in and again, 436 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:19.200 you know, total strangers are putting their reviews online and 437 00:25:19.279 --> 00:25:22.440 saying that they really are connecting with the material and 438 00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:23.039 enjoying it. 439 00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:25.480 So's there's nothing like that feeling. 440 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:29.880 We're full of excellent news today. So we're gonna hop 441 00:25:29.880 --> 00:25:32.920 on the excellent news topic here with the your war 442 00:25:33.039 --> 00:25:34.559 for the Flair. Let's talk about the flair? What is 443 00:25:34.559 --> 00:25:34.960 that about? 444 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:40.039 Oh yeah, so the flair again. When people come by 445 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:43.039 my table and they ask what is my favorite work 446 00:25:43.119 --> 00:25:46.200 or what do I recommend? H This was really my 447 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:51.680 first time trying my hand at longer form fiction. It 448 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:55.079 is still a novella, so it's a quick roller coaster 449 00:25:55.160 --> 00:25:59.000 of a ride. But people have compared it to an 450 00:25:59.119 --> 00:26:03.279 urban ledge and I was really inspired by eighties movies 451 00:26:03.359 --> 00:26:06.720 like Fright Night when I wrote it, because there's a 452 00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:10.039 lot of heart to the characters. One reader even referred 453 00:26:10.079 --> 00:26:14.319 to it as cozy interview, which when you know there's 454 00:26:14.319 --> 00:26:17.559 blood and guts and gore. That was a real compliment 455 00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:22.000 to me that people see the characters as relatable and approachable. 456 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:26.319 But it's funny, you know, we're tying this back to 457 00:26:27.119 --> 00:26:32.559 real events or real places, and in the flare there 458 00:26:32.680 --> 00:26:36.759 is an urban legend in the small southern town that 459 00:26:36.960 --> 00:26:42.720 basically says there's a serial killer, potentially of supernatural origins, 460 00:26:43.559 --> 00:26:48.000 living in an old, abandoned mill. And for me, there 461 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:51.079 are a few places and stories that I picked up 462 00:26:51.480 --> 00:26:55.480 throughout my childhood and my youth that I used for inspiration, 463 00:26:56.519 --> 00:27:00.319 one of them being the It's actually a venue or 464 00:27:00.519 --> 00:27:05.039 was a music venue in Atlanta called the Masquerade, and 465 00:27:06.079 --> 00:27:08.720 it was actually the first night club I ever went 466 00:27:08.799 --> 00:27:13.200 to at eighteen years old, and it was It's The 467 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:17.799 venue was in this old mill called the Excelsior the 468 00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:21.079 excuse me, the do pre Excelsior Mill. So it's this 469 00:27:21.400 --> 00:27:26.039 old building, creaky floors with three levels, and I mean, 470

00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:28.880 there could be three different shows going on at the 471 00:27:28.920 --> 00:27:32.359 same time, but it you know, the floors would creak 472 00:27:32.400 --> 00:27:35.319 so much, and people were in the mash pits you 473 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:38.319 really were afraid you might fall through. But the floors 474 00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:42.559 were called Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, which already gives it 475 00:27:42.680 --> 00:27:48.240 kind of a gothic feel. And there were rumors, because 476 00:27:48.279 --> 00:27:50.519 they did have these goth nights and these sort of 477 00:27:50.799 --> 00:27:56.559 dark industrial nights, that there were real vampires that frequented 478 00:27:56.559 --> 00:27:59.759 this place. And I know, you know, people may scoff, 479 00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:02.440 I think it sounds silly, but it was a very 480 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:06.400 real thing that people said that there was one vampire 481 00:28:06.440 --> 00:28:10.319 in particular who lived in the attic space and in 482 00:28:10.359 --> 00:28:12.960 the shadows, and you know, if you went to one 483 00:28:13.000 --> 00:28:15.359 of these goth nights, you had to be careful and 484 00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:18.440 watch your back. So that was a lot of fun. 485 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:21.480 And again it's one of those places that I use. 486 00:28:21.599 --> 00:28:25.440 My fiction is very grounded in these real places that 487 00:28:25.480 --> 00:28:26.519 do exist. 488 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:31.640 Man, can you imagined how much energy you have to 489 00:28:31.640 --> 00:28:34.839 play in order to conjure up these spirits are vampires 490 00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:37.200 to come chick out a show, that's. 491 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:39.039 What I'm saying, and to live there, you know, those 492 00:28:39.079 --> 00:28:41.119 must have been some talented acts. 493 00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:43.160 To really put up with at twenty first seven. 494 00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:46.400 But yeah, if people google it, it's the Masquerade, And 495 00:28:47.359 --> 00:28:49.599 actually I looked it up for some reason not that 496 00:28:49.720 --> 00:28:55.079 long ago, and it's a really creepy place because there's 497 00:28:55.160 --> 00:29:00.240 no real definition or define time that it. It just 498 00:29:00.279 --> 00:29:03.599 sort of kind of started popping up in news articles 499 00:29:03.599 --> 00:29:07.240 in Atlanta in the eighteen nineties and the first mention 500 00:29:07.359 --> 00:29:10.680 of it, the first reference was to the death of 501 00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:16.039 an employee there. So it's a very mysterious. Uh, it's 502 00:29:16.039 --> 00:29:19.359 an Atlanta staple. I would say, it's it's moved on 503 00:29:19.480 --> 00:29:23.839 to a new location. But everybody knows the masquerade in 504 00:29:24.319 --> 00:29:25.799 dark and spooky circles. 505 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:29.680 I would say, I'll tell you what. There are many 506 00:29:29.680 --> 00:29:31.759 people out there that have probably gone to this location 507 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:34.880 and have stories. I would love for them to either 508 00:29:34.920 --> 00:29:37.000 get a hold of you or be and just start 509 00:29:37.119 --> 00:29:39.400 talking about it, so I know your stories, because I'm 510 00:29:39.440 --> 00:29:42.680 curious to know did they see these vampires, what acts 511 00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:44.720 played there, what kind of experiences did you have? And 512 00:29:44.920 --> 00:29:47.319 because you're talking about three layers, that's a lot of energy. 513 00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:49.720 Yeah, yeah, definitely. 514 00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:52.960 But no, I'm thinking maybe I have to do a 515 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:54.200 little bit of road trip. I think you and I 516 00:29:54.279 --> 00:29:57.480 will go. We'll hang out and see what conjures up 517 00:29:57.559 --> 00:30:01.000 my friend. And now I know that. I mean, twenty 518 00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:03.720 twenty five has already ended, and where we are in December. 519 00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:06.759 What's coming up with you for twenty twenty six. 520 00:30:09.079 --> 00:30:13.319 I'm so glad you asked. I've got some projects in 521 00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:17.240 the works. One that I'm really excited about. I'm actually 522 00:30:17.279 --> 00:30:22.200 co authoring a young adult thriller with a friend, Vanessa Red. 523 00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:27.200 She's also featured in effigies and incantations. Extremely talented and 524 00:30:27.640 --> 00:30:30.960 I feel like our styles mesh really well. We're referring 525 00:30:30.960 --> 00:30:33.759 to this new project as sort of I Know what 526 00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:38.160 you did last summer meets frying tomatoes. So very Southern 527 00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:46.279 Gothic inspired and again lots of history incorporated. There's it 528 00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:51.519 was a mental hospital in Atlanta, Central State, in Milledgeville, Georgia, 529 00:30:51.759 --> 00:30:55.519 and it's long since operation, but some of the buildings 530 00:30:55.640 --> 00:30:59.759 do still stand. And that's one of the central focus 531 00:30:59.799 --> 00:31:05.000 point points and central locations of our story. And so yeah, 532 00:31:05.039 --> 00:31:09.319 we're going back in time. Her parts, she's focusing on 533 00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:13.440 the way past, and I'm focusing on thirty years later, 534 00:31:13.920 --> 00:31:15.400 which is still in the past. It's going to be 535 00:31:15.440 --> 00:31:19.519 in the nineties, probably of a grandmother and her granddaughter 536 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.000 and some of the secrets that they keep from each 537 00:31:24.039 --> 00:31:26.920 other and what they find out over the course of 538 00:31:26.960 --> 00:31:30.559 a summer. So really excited about that one. It's in 539 00:31:30.599 --> 00:31:31.279 the works. 540 00:31:31.920 --> 00:31:34.960 I would love to bring

you back once that's released 541 00:31:35.079 --> 00:31:37.359 on the show, we'll talk about that. Here's a question 542 00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:39.720 maybe you're not prepared to answer. Is that I got 543 00:31:39.720 --> 00:31:41.759 your question. I watch every once in a while, mix 544 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:44.119 it up. Now, I'm not too spicy of a question. 545 00:31:44.160 --> 00:31:46.960 Of course, if you were to put a soundtrack to 546 00:31:47.039 --> 00:31:51.279 The Flare, who would you have on that? 547 00:31:52.759 --> 00:31:56.960 Oh, that's a great question, and I think probably I 548 00:31:56.960 --> 00:32:01.400 mean dream big, right, I would say the Flair is 549 00:32:01.480 --> 00:32:06.759 very cinematic, it's very inspired by eighties slashers in particular. 550 00:32:06.920 --> 00:32:10.599 So we've got to get John Carpenter, right, who better? 551 00:32:11.519 --> 00:32:12.200 That's somebody? 552 00:32:12.680 --> 00:32:16.039 As I write, I actually will listen to the soundtrack 553 00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:20.640 of The Fog or the Lost Themes album, and so yeah, 554 00:32:20.720 --> 00:32:22.039 let's get John Carpenter on it. 555 00:32:22.119 --> 00:32:22.400 Why not? 556 00:32:24.200 --> 00:32:26.680 That's a winner for me. Anything John Carpenter. 557 00:32:27.039 --> 00:32:31.839 Exactly can't go wrong with a slasher soundtrack With John 558 00:32:31.880 --> 00:32:33.599 Carpenter in the background. 559 00:32:34.359 --> 00:32:36.799 Truer words have never been spoken on this show, my friend. Now, 560 00:32:36.839 --> 00:32:42.160 for our listeners who are our friends of let's find out? 561 00:32:42.359 --> 00:32:44.400 Don't want to get to know more about what you do, 562 00:32:44.480 --> 00:32:47.319 your projects, your books? Where can they go find out? 563 00:32:48.799 --> 00:32:52.440 I would say I'm probably most active on Instagram, followed 564 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:55.440 by Facebook. But if you want to find me, I'm 565 00:32:55.519 --> 00:33:01.000 at linktree dot com slash frightful Fable, So if you 566 00:33:01.079 --> 00:33:04.920 google Frightful Fables you will find me all over the socials. 567 00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:07.920 I'm everywhere excellent and I'll put all the links in 568 00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:11.119 the show description once the episode has released. DC, my 569 00:33:11.240 --> 00:33:13.759 friend has been awesome having you on the show. I 570 00:33:13.759 --> 00:33:15.799 look forward to having you back in twenty twenty six 571 00:33:15.880 --> 00:33:18.200 and let's stay in touch man. 572 00:33:19.240 --> 00:33:22.240 Yes please, I'm I'm a fan now I'm a listener, 573 00:33:22.359 --> 00:33:24.119 so I'll be tuning in for sure. 574 00:33:25.559 --> 00:33:29.480 Thank you, my friend. Copyright Diego the Podcaster. 575 00:33:30.079 --> 00:33:32.839 All content for Let's find Out is the property of 576 00:33:32.920 --> 00:33:36.640 Diego the Podcaster and is served directly from our servers 577 00:33:36.680 --> 00:33:40.079 with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. 578 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:43.480 All celebrity impersonators are paid performers. 579 00:33:43.920 --> 00:33:47.680 The impersonated celebrities do not endorse or promote any views 580 00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:51.839 or opinions expressed by our guests, Diego the Podcaster or 581 00:33:51.960 --> 00:33:52.839 Let's find Out. 582 00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:56.119 The information shared on Let's find Out with Diego is 583 00:33:56.119 --> 00:33:56.640 provided 584 00:33:56.680 --> 00:34:00.960 On an ass basis, with no guarantees of completeness, received, usefulness, 585 00:34:01.079 --> 00:34:06.000 or timeliness.