LOTF 63: 2020 Halloween Special | Ghost Stories

Welcome to Season Two of Ladies of the Fright!

The podcast wants to evolve as we have. We aren't exactly sure what comes next but we wanted to start putting out conversations again. The Interlude episodes are our return to the podcast and with this first Interlude episode, we share where we've been, what has shifted, and what to expect moving forward. 

To support the show join us on Patreon. 

To check out Mackenzie's editing services, visit her website here. 

To see what Lisa's been up to with tarot and creativity, check out her site here or sign up for her Substack Portals & Prisms.

What a fantastic time! We absolutely loved this conversation with Tracy Cross, all about her exciting new debut book Rootwork from Dark Hart Books (helped by Sadie Hartmann aka Mother Horror!) 

We learned all about Tracy's experience as a writer, why this book means so much to her, and a preview of the Conjure series. 

Find Tracy

Website | Twitter

We had a great time chatting with Konrad Stump about Summer Scares 2022.

In our conversation we discuss all the books from this season, why they are special—and what goes into choosing them—as well as why diversity in horror is so important. 

Check out past Summer Scares episodes below! 

LOTF 32

LOTF 34

LOTF 36

LOTF 46

LOTF 56

LOTF 57

LOTF 58

LOTF 72

We want to remind you that we have a Patreon! One really amazing thing the Patreon does is allow us to pay authors for original fiction published on our website! We're going to lots more of that and your support means everything to us.

Listen. We're often behind on our Patreon updates BUT--we've got 3+ years of content up there for you to enjoy (LOTS of it exclusive!)

We offer cool rewards at every tier, including early, ad-free episodes; bonus written, audio, and video content from special guest authors (like a special video from author Gwendolyn Kiste!); and the Patrons-Only podcast LOTF After Dark. Head on over to patreon.com/ladiesofthefright for all the gory details!

Show Notes

This episode was recorded at the end of 2021 as is our annual tradition, but these times have gotten to us and we are very behind at updating the feed. Regardled, we are delighted to welcome Bob Pastorella back to the show to discuss The Night House! This December movie chat is officially an annual LOTF podcast tradition (ahem yes we know it's June.) 

Listen. Bob Pastorella is a genius. Seriously. He is so smart. Our discussion of this film wouldn’t be nearly as intelligent without his insightful perception—and his thorough understanding of the genre. We had such a great time talking to Bob about this film to wrap up our 2021 lineup (which you now get to enjoy in mid-2022, lmao.)

Find Bob: Website | Twitter

Purchase They’re Watching!

Okay, so it wasn’t really a “girls night out”—but it really did feel like one! In truth, Hailey Piper and Jessica Guess joined Mackenzie Kiera and me on Zoom (I was in my pajamas—I can’t speak for the other ladies!) but this is one of the most fun conversations we’ve ever had on the show. It was a great time, filled with lots of laughs—and some deep reflections.

We talked about some of our favorite reads from 2021—and we also wet pretty deep on the connections between the romance and horror genres. It’s a fantastic conversation that got me really thinking for long after, and I think you’ll really enjoy it.

We last spoke to Hailey Piper in episode 54, and Jessica Guess in episode 60. If you want more of their personal and individual stories, feel free to check those conversations out!

Also, thank you so much for your patience in waiting for new episodes. It’s been a really rough year for me so far, with several illnesses (including cover) and physical set backs. We had to take an unintended hiatus but please know: we are planning a ton more exciting content for our 2022 season!

Books Mentioned

Red X

Root Magic by Eden Royce

Sometimes We’re Cruel

The Loving Dead by Amelia Beamer

The Writhing Skies by Betty Rocksteady

Someone to Share my Nightmares With Sonora Taylor

Night Bitch Rachel Yoder

We Are Wolves anthology

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

Spoiler Alert (book)

The Forest by Lisa Quigley 

Immortals After Dark series - Kiss of the Demon King

When Things Get Dark  - Edited by Ellen Datlow

Movies Mentioned

Evil Dead Remake

Lake Mungo

Susperia Remake

Malignant

Candyman (remake)

I Know What You Did Last Summer show

We want to remind you that we have a Patreon! We offer cool rewards at every tier, including early, ad-free episodes; bonus written, audio, and video content from special guest authors; and the Patrons-Only podcast LOTF After Dark. Head on over to patreon.com/ladiesofthefright for all the gory details!

Show Notes

As ever, it is a pleasure to host Ellen Datlow on our show. This time, she’s back to discuss two brand new anthologies: When Things Get Dark: Stories Inspired by Shirley Jackson and Body Shocks: Extreme Tales of Body Horror. In what is, at this point, our annual catch-up call with Ellen, we talk about a lot more than that. She shares a bit about current NYC life amidst a pandemic, the horror movie that scarred her for life, and so much more.

Other Ellen Datlow Favorites

Edited By

The Devil and the Deep

Echoes: The Saga Anthology of Ghost Stories

Final Cuts: New Tales of Hollywood Horror and Other Spectacles

Find Ellen: Website | Twitter

This episode is brought to you by the Ladies of the Fright Patreon! When we hit our goal of 30 patrons, we’ll begin paying authors $25 for short story reprints! We’ve got tons of exclusive content for patrons at every tier. Head on over to patreon.com/ladiesofthefright and join our community today!

Show Notes

For our eighth tropisode, we're talking FORESTS with debut author Katherine Silva.

Katherine Silva is a Maine author of dark fiction, a connoisseur of coffee, and victim of cat shenanigans. She is a two-time Maine Literary Award finalist for speculative fiction and a member of the Horror Writers of Maine, The Horror Writers Association, and New England Horror Writers Association. Katherine is also a founder of Strange Wilds Press, Dark Taiga Creative Writing Consultations, and The Kat at Night Blog. Her latest book, The Wild Dark, is now available wherever books are sold.

AND as you all know, Lisa Quigley is a horror author and pagan witch. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of California, Riverside’s low-residency MFA program in Palm Desert. Her work has appeared in such places as Unnerving Magazine, Journal of Alta California, and Automata Review. She is the co-host of the award-winning horror fiction podcast Ladies of the Fright. Hell’s Bells (2020) and Camp Neverland (2021) from Unnerving are her novellas. The Forest is her debut novel. Lisa lives in New Jersey with one handsome devil and two wild monsters. Find her at www.lisaquigley.net.

Forest Group Reads

The Forest by Lisa Quigley

The Wild Dark by Katherine Silva

Forest Book and Film Mentions

• The Wizard of Oz (film and book)

• The Forest by Lisa Quigley

• The Wild Dark by Katherine Silva

• The Ritual by Adam Neville

• The Night Will Find Us by Matthew Leions

• Pines by Blake Crouch

• The Blair Witch Project 

• The Fiends and the Furrows folk horror anthology

• Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

• Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton

• The Neverending Story

• The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

• Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

• The Bear in the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

• The Changeling by Victor LaValle

Find Katherine: Website

This episode is brought to you by the Ladies of the Fright Patreon! We are only FIVE patrons to go to hit our goal of 30 patrons—at which time we’ll begin paying authors $25 for short story reprints! We’ve got tons of exclusive content for patrons at every tier. Head on over to patreon.com/ladiesofthefright and join our community today!

A Note on the Term “BIPOC”

In this episode, Joe uses the term “BIPOC” and at the top of the show, I read a quote from Rachel Ricketts’ powerful book Do Better: Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy, in which she beautifully clarifies the term, why it’s used, and the nuance of experience it contains (in her book, Rachel modifies the term to BI&PoC, to help us remember what the phrase is intended to represent: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.) I hope this clarification supports our listeners who maybe weren’t previously aware, and I highly recommend Rachel Ricketts’ book (and her work!) to anyone interested in dismantling the internalized, harmful system of white supremacy from within themselves first.

Show Notes

Well, this episode was a TREAT to record, and Joe Monti is a delight to talk to. He is the award-nominated editorial director of Saga Press, working with bestselling and esteemed authors Charlaine Harris, Stephen Graham Jones, Rebecca Roanhorse, and Ken Liu, to name a few. He fell in love with the literature of fantasy and science fiction at an early age and never let go.

This is the first time we’ve ever had a book (novel) editor on the show, and not only was it awesome to hear about Joe’s journey to Saga, it was also really cool to hear how he approached editing one of the horror world most beloved horror books of 2020: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. Joe also talks about what he looks for when selecting books for his list—aka how he just KNOWS when a book is for him. Joe also declares he has a knack for predicting book trends, so it was really fun to hear his predictions for the future of horror! We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.

Find Joe: Website | Twitter

This episode is brought to you by the Ladies of the Fright Patreon! We are only THREE patrons to go to hit our goal of 30 patrons—at which time we’ll begin paying authors $25 for short story reprints! We’ve got tons of exclusive content for patrons at every tier. Head on over to patreon.com/ladiesofthefright and join our community today!

Show Notes

In this episode, we have a great conversation with the powerhouse women duo behind Fright Girl Summer, a safe and welcoming place for marginalized genders and voices. It was a pleasure to speak with V. Castro and Sonora Taylor about the importance of amplifying diverse voices in horror and beyond. We also discuss why horror is an excellent genre for exploring themes of identity and sex, as well as dismantling harmful systems and stereotypes from the inside out. And so much more! Enjoy.

Find V: Website | Twitter | Instagram

Find Sonora: Website | Twitter | Instagram

Buy V’s books:

• Hairspray and Switchblades

• Goddess of Filth

• Queen of the Cicadas

Buy Sonora’s books:

• Seeing Things

• Little Paranoias: Stories

• Without Condition

• The One That Got Away: Women of Horror Anthology Volume 2

This episode is brought to you by the Ladies of the Fright Patreon! We are only THREE patrons to go to hit our goal of 30 patrons—at which time we’ll begin paying authors $25 for short story reprints! We’ve got tons of exclusive content for patrons at every tier. Head on over to patreon.com/ladiesofthefright and join our community today!

Show Notes

For our seventh tropisode, we're talking PORTALS with Zoraida Córdova.

Zoraida Córdova is the acclaimed author of more than a dozen novels and short stories, including the Brooklyn Brujas series, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: A Crash of Fate, and The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina. In addition to writing novels, she serves on the Board of We Need Diverse Books, and is the co-editor of the bestselling anthologyVampires Never Get Old, as well as the cohost of the writing podcast, Deadline City. She writes romance novels as Zoey Castile. Zoraida was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and calls New York City home. When she’s not working, she’s roaming the world in search of magical stories. For more information, visit her at zoraidacordova.com.

When we read Zoraida’s novel Labyrinth Lost—which features an incredible portal—we knew she would be an excellent choice for this topic. We’re so glad we had the opportunity to reconnect with her and talk all things portals in fiction!

Portals Group “Read”

Pan’s Labyrinth film

Portals Book and Film Mentions

• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

• The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis

• Warriors of Virtue

• Peter Pan by James Matthew Berry

• Midsommar

• Pirates of the Caribbean

• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

• Shades of Magic by VE Schwab

• His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

• A Blade So Black by LL McKinney

• Sucker Punch

Find Zoraida: Website | Twitter | Instagram