The Wrath of the iOtians

Jake and Ron are honored and thrilled to have author Catriona Ward on the podcast!
Her latest novel is Looking Glass Sound published by Tor Nightfire.

https://tornightfire.com/catalog/looking-glass-sound-catriona-ward/
https://us.macmillan.com/author/catrionaward

I recently caught Catriona Ward at the Brookline Booksmith in Massachusetts, where she sat on a panel with former Wrath of the iOtians guest Christopher Golden and the inimitable Gretchen Felker-Martin, author of Manhunt. And it's obvious that Catriona's fan base is large and adoring, and rightly so. She has a generosity of spirit that's immediately palpable.

Look no further than her willingness to talk with us in the midst of an exhausting cross country book tour.  Catriona's work is influenced by her globetrotting youth. She was born in Washington, D. C., but grew up, well, all over, with stops in Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen, England, and Morocco. Catriona earned her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Oxford, and a Master's in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.

In 2015, she brought her experience, education, and energy to bear on Rawblood. Published as The Girl from Rawblood in the U. S. in 2016,  the book signaled the arrival of a major new talent in horror fiction and won an August Derleth Award at the British Fantasy Awards to boot.  Catriona followed up in 2019 with Little Eve, which also won a Derleth and a Shirley Jackson Award.

In 2022, Catriona blew readers, critics, and no less an authority than Stephen King himself away with The Last House on Needless Street, a mind bender of a novel that I hope every iOtian listener has already enjoyed.  The book won an amazing third Derleth Award for Catriona. And was also shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award, the British Book Award, and a Red Tentacle Kitschie, which, for those not in the know, is a juried prize awarded for elevating the tone of genre literature.

2023 brought us Sundial, which was nominated for the Bram Stoker and Locus Awards. Of its author, Danielle Trussoni of the New York Times remarked, “Ward is willing to go places so dark, so dismal, that it borders on sadism.” In our line of work, that's high praise.  Elevated horror indeed. 

 Catriona combines elements of the psychological thriller, the gothic, and a hallucinatory high strangeness to create a voice that is uniquely hers. No one else could have written Looking Glass Sound, her other 2023 release with Tor Nightfire. Which I might add continues to publish the best of the best of contemporary horror.

Catriona spoke with us about this book from a hotel room in the Twilight Zone, en route to her next speaking gig. We were thrilled!

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wrathoftheiotianspodcast
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Music

Land Of The Me-me by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic (TONO)
Licensed under the NEO Sounds Music License Agreement

We are so happy to have author C.S Humble kick off Season 4!

C. S. Humble is on a mission. He wants to help us be better people.  The author of the now completed The Light Sublime Trilogy, two of a projected five books in the Blackwell series, and Minotaur, a collection of short stories, this award winning horror writer has a flair for placing morally complex characters in harrowing situations to demonstrate the best and worst people can be.

He claims he's long winded, but we found he just had a lot to say about the human condition, the pleasures and perils of book publishing, and his beloved Texas. He spoke with us from a plushly appointed study in his home outside Houston about the newly published third book in the weird western The Light Sublime series, The Light of a Black Star, which follows the Massacre at Yellow Hill and A Red Winter in the West.

C.S. Humble

https://cshumble.wordpress.com/
X/Twitter: @cshumble
Instagram: cshumble
Substack: https://cshumble.substack.com/

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wrathoftheiotianspodcast
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Music

Land Of The Me-me by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic (TONO)
Licensed under the NEO Sounds Music License Agreement

Happy holidays everyone! Or should we say Happy Life Day! :) For Generation X the 1978 Star Wars Holiday special is remembered as something that "just wasn't Star Wars". Delving into the creation of this unique event is the new documentary, A Disturbance in the Force. Directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak the documentary offers fresh insights. Your perspective might shift after immersing yourself in its narrative.

During SIFF 2023 we had the pleasure of chatting with Scott Kirkwood, the Co-Producer of A Disturbance in the Force. Beyond his role in the film, he serves as the Site Curator for https://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/news/ and has been a featured speaker at numerous Star Wars panels, including Lucasfilm's Star Wars Celebration.

A Disturbance in the Force is now available on digital download, DVD and Blu-ray and available on Amazon. You can also download it on AppleTV.

Additionally, the book A Disturbance in the Force: How and Why The Star Wars Special Happened by Director Steven Kozak is now available.

Check out the A Disturbance in the Force web site for more info: https://geni.us/adisturbanceintheforce

A Disturbance in the Force (2023) directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13021790/

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wrathoftheiotianspodcast
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Jake and Ron celebrate Halloween 2023 by chatting with Nat Segaloff about his remarkable new book The Exorcist Legacy 50 Years Of Fear! It was too much fun listening to Nat and all of his stories. And Nat is an authority of The Exorcist; He was friends with both William Peter Blatty and William Friedkin! If you are a true fan of The Exorcist you're going to love The Exorcist Legacy 50 Years Of Fear!

It's been half a century since "The Exorcist" possessed the world's imaginations, and Nat Segaloff was on board from the day before the film opened in 1973. Here is a minute look at not only William Friedkin's monumental motion picture but at all the sequels, prequels, and TV series that spun off of it. Nat is Friedkin's biographer and brings his insights into what has been called the scariest movie of all time. This book hit #1 on Amazon's ranking of horror movie books.

The Exorcist Legacy 50 Years Of Fear
https://amzn.to/45V81Mp

Los Angeles Times article
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2023-07-24/50-years-on-the-exorcist-still-makes-your-head-spin

Vanity Fair article
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/07/the-exorcist-legacy-book

Nat Segaloff Web Site
http://www.natsegaloff.com/

The Exorcist Directed by William Friedkin (1973)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070047/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

William Peter Blatty
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0087861/

William Friedkin
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001243/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_1_tt_6_nm_1_q_william%2520Friedkin

The Exorcist: Believer
https://www.theexorcistbeliever.movie/

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wrathoftheiotianspodcast
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Happy Halloween from the iOtians! We're celebrating by replaying our most downloaded episode ever! All Hallows takes place on Halloween Night in 1984. Do yourself a favor and read this book after all the trick-or-treaters are done taking your precious candy!

Jake and Ron chat with the New York Times bestseller and two-time Bram Stoker Award winner about his latest novel, All Hallows! The book is set in 1984 in Massachusetts. Since Jake and Christopher both live near the Boston area, they end up talking not only about All Hallows, but about common experiences they had as horror fans growing up in the New England eighties.

At 55, Christopher Golden has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. He's been nominated for the prestigious Bram Stoker Award 10 times in eight different categories. He's won twice--once for Cut, his excellent edited collection of horror writers on horror film, and more recently for Ararat, his opening salvo in the riveting Ben Walker series. It's likely as not he'll win again--because, like his former podcast co-host Jonathan Maberry, his imagination is seemingly inexhaustible.

Jake first encountered Golden's work in 1997, when his Hellboy novel, The Lost Army, was released by Dark Horse. He immediately recognized that there was at least one writer other than Mike Mignola who really knew how to write one of the great characters in comics. Dark Horse apparently realized it, too, and went on to publish two more of Golden's Hellboy novels. Golden and Mignola together expanded Hellboy's "Otherverse," introducing readers to Joe Golem and the Baltimores.

A complete accounting of Golden's other work would require more time than we have. It would include a stint as a writer for Marvel's Punisher, a series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer tie-Ins, The Body of Evidence series, several series for young adult readers, and a slew of terrific standalone novels, including one of our favorites from last year, The Road of Bones (which you should run out and buy right now ... or after you listen to this interview). This year's All Hallows is set in the same fictional New England town as Golden's 2014 novel Snow Blind. We sat down to talk with Golden about All Hallows, which is releasing on January 24th.

All Hallows by Christopher Golden
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250280299/allhallows

Christopher Golden Web Site
https://www.christophergolden.com/

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wrathoftheiotianspodcast
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Music

A Spooky Night by Material Gurl
Licensed under the Soundstripe Music License Agreement

Land Of The Me-me by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic (TONO)
Licensed under the NEO Sounds Music License Agreement

Ron and Jake welcome Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey to the podcast! They chat about their collaboration, the urban horror novel, The Dead Take The A Train.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more impressive horror co-writing team than Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey.

A British Fantasy Award, Bram Stoker Award, and Locus Award finalist, Cassandra won a Stoker last year for Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection for Breakable Things. Widely published, their short fiction may be found in such venues as Fantasy Science Fiction, Lightspeed, Tor. com, and Nature. Cassandra is also a game writer, with credits on She Remembered Caterpillars, Wasteland 3, and Falcon Age, and projects for Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, World of Darkness, and Warhammer 40k.

Richard Kadrey is the author of the acclaimed New York Times best-selling Sandman Slim series, the first volume of which William Gibson called "a dirty ass masterpiece," and which Amazon included in its 100 science fiction and fantasy books to read in a lifetime. Kadrey's other books include King Bullet, The Grand Dark, and Butcher Bird.

Richard and Cassandra joined us to discuss their first collaboration, the urban fantasy horror novel The Dead Take the A Train, part of the Carrion City duology published by Tor Nightfire. For fans of Hellblazer, Angel, The Magicians, and yes, Sandman Slim, this is a must-read.

The Dead Take The A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey (Tor Nightfire)

https://tornightfire.com/catalog/the-dead-take-the-a-train-cassandra-khaw-richard-kadrey/

Cassandra Khaw
https://casskhaw.carrd.co/

Richard Kadey
https://www.richardkadrey.me/

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wrathoftheiotianspodcast
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

The 2023 Seattle International Film Festival was held on May 11-21. Ron was able to receive press credentials and had the opportunity to check out several short films and a few features.  Ron met with Director Peter Collins Campbell to chat about his extraordinary short horror film Variations On A Theme. Peter cites David Lynch and David Cronenberg as influences.

September 2023 updates from Peter:

He's still looking for funding for the Variations On A Theme feature film.
 
The delivery guy script is now called GRIND.

Peter Collins Campbell
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5232266/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
https://vimeo.com/ Search for Peter Collins Campbell Director

Seattle International Film Festival
https://www.siff.net/

Variations On A Theme will be showing at
BeyondFest October 7, 2023 Los Angeles, CA NEON Theater at Los Feliz 3
https://beyondfest.com/2023-films/

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival October 12-19, 2023
https://brooklynhorrorfest.com/2023-lineup/

Chicago International Film Festival October 11-22, 2023
Check web site for showtimes:
https://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/festival/all-films-list/

Dimland  Directed by Peter Collins Campbell (2021)
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13983486/
Available on Paramount+ and VOD

After Hours Directed by Martin Scorsese
https://www.imdb.com/find/?q=after%20hours&ref_=nv_sr_sm

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wrathoftheiotianspodcast
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Ron chats with author Scott Leeds about his remarkable debut novel, Schrader's Chord! It's a visceral story about cursed vinyl records that open a gateway to the land of the dead.

After his estranged father’s mysterious death, Charlie Remick returns to Seattle to help with the funeral. There, he discovers his father left him two parting gifts: the keys to the family record store and a strange black case containing four ancient records that, according to legend, can open a gate to the land of the dead.

When Charlie, his sister, and their two friends play the records, they unwittingly open a floodgate of unspeakable horror. As the darkness descends, they are stalked by a relentless, malevolent force and see the dead everywhere they turn.

With time running out, the only person who can help them is Charlie’s resurrected father, who knows firsthand the awesome power the records have unleashed. But can they close the gate and silence Schrader’s Chord before it’s too late?

Schrader's Chord by Scott Leeds (Tor Nightfire)

https://tornightfire.com/catalog/schraders-chord-scott-leeds/

Schrader's Chord Song List
Apple: https://apple.co/480GomA
Spotify:Go to https://linktr.ee/scottleeds and select Spotify

The Cuckoo's Nest Merch!
https://www.teepublic.com/user/scottleeds

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wrathoftheiotianspodcast
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Happy Labor Day weekend! Put on the glasses and see the iOtians as they truly are: hideous skeleton-aliens with formaldehyde faces tricking you to go to sleep , obey, and consume! It's the 35th anniversary of John Carpenter's They Live! Jake and Ron reflect back on their memories of the fabled cult film.

They Live (1988)
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096256/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Fathom Events Special Showing of They Live 35 Anniversary
https://www.fathomevents.com/events/They-Live-35th-Anniversary

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wrathoftheiotianspodcast
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

I had a wonderful time chatting with Leopoldo Gout!
Leopoldo has written several books, including Ghost Radio. Check out the audiobook. It's actually narrated by Pedro Pascal of The Last of Us and The Mandalorian!

His latest horror novel, Piñata, published by Tor Nightfire and is now avaialable on audiobook, e-book, hardcover and paperback.

It's the tale of a young family that went to Mexico to connect to their culture, history and roots. Upon their return to New York, they discover that something unexplainable and possibly sinister has followed them back.

Leopoldo is also an accomplished artist and sculptor creating wonderful works out of his studio in New York.

He loves music. He's friends with David Byrne,  produced music videos and created album covers for Mos Def. He's friends with Carlos Santana and was the executive producer for an acclaimed documentary about him.

He is also accomplished in film and television. He was the executive producer for Molly's Game starring Jessica Chastain. He's the executive producer of the current top streaming show on Netflix, the critically acclaimed The Chosen One.

By the way, his brother, Everado Gout, is an accomplished director in his own right.
He directed episodes of Luke Cage, The Terror and Snowpiercer. He also directed Kaleidoscope and the aforementioned The Chosen One, both on Netflix.
He even directed the movie The Forever Purge.

With all of Leopoldo's  accomplishments the four things that made the biggest impression on me are his love for creativity, his natural curiosity about others, his love of his family and his generosity. He's so generous he chatted with me while he was on vacation!

Leopoldo Gout
https://www.leopoldogout.com/

Piñata by Leopoldo Gout
https://tornightfire.com/catalog/pinata-leopoldo-gout/

It was supposed to be the perfect summer.

Carmen Sanchez is back in Mexico, supervising the renovation of an ancient abbey. Her daughters Izel and Luna, too young to be left alone in New York, join her in what Carmen hopes is a chance for them to connect with their roots.

Then, an accident at the worksite unearths a stash of rare, centuries-old artifacts. The disaster costs Carmen her job, cutting the family trip short.

But something malevolent and unexplainable follows them home to New York, stalking the Sanchez family and heralding a coming catastrophe. And it may already be too late to escape what’s been awakened…

They were worshiped by our ancestors.
Now they are forgotten.
Soon, they’ll make us remember.

Leopoldo Gout IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1729114/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Everado Gout IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0332740/?ref_=ttfc_fc_dr1

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wrathoftheiotianspodcast
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Ron welcomes Director Zach Kashkett about his new documentary, The Mad Writer.

Zach is an accomplished editor. His documentaries include House of Secrets, Shawn Mendes in Wonder, and Sins of a Mother (due September 14th). All of which  can be found on Netflix. The Mad Writer is Zach's first time in the director's seat. It debuted at this year's Slamdance Festival and received much accolades. It was also a winner at the 2023 Atlanta Docufest.

The Mad Writer: Rising hip hop phenom L'Orange, is a recluse. Clinically depressed, he rarely leaves the comfort of his Nashville home or his faithful dog Scraps' side. But when he develops mysterious tumors in his ears canals, his world is thrown into chaos. With his career on the line, he will need to undergo several risky surgeries if he wants a hope of retaining his hearing.

The Mad Writer will be back on the Film Festival circuit by October 2023 and it will be available on Amazon Prime and Tubi later this year.

https://www.themadwriterfilm.com/

http://www.zachkashkett.com/

2023 Atlanta Docufest winner for Best Artist Documentary Feature
https://docufest.com/awards

Slamdance Film Festival
https://slamdance.com/

Special thanks to Cher Culver (Cher Culver PR) for reaching out and making this interview happen!

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/wrathoftheiotianspodcast
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Jake and Ron welcome  Pura Belpré Award Winner and Bram Stoker Nominee Vincent Tirado, author of the fantastic horror novel We Don't Swim Here!

Bronwyn is only supposed to be in rural Hillwoods for a year. Her grandmother is in hospice, and her father needs to get her affairs in order. And they're all meant to make some final memories together. 

Except Bronwyn is miserable. Her grandmother is dying, everyone is standoffish, and she can't even go swimming. All she hears are warnings about going in the water, despite a gorgeous lake. And a pool at the abandoned rec center. And another in the high school basement.

Anais tries her hardest to protect Bronwyn from the shadows of Hillwoods. She follows her own rituals to avoid any unnecessary attention—and if she can just get Bronwyn to stop asking questions, she can protect her too. The less Bronwyn pays attention to Hillwoods, the less Hillwoods will pay attention to Bronwyn. She doesn't get that the lore is, well, truth. History. Pain. The living aren't the only ones who seek retribution when they're wronged. But when Bronwyn does more exploring than she should, they are both in for danger they couldn't expect.

https://read.sourcebooks.com/young-adult/we-dont-swim-here.html

https://bookshop.org/

Vincent Tirado

Vincent Tirado is a non-binary Afro-Latine Bronx native. They ventured out to Pennsylvania and Ohio to get their Bachelor’s degree in biology and Master’s degree in bioethics. Their first novel, BURN DOWN, RISE UP (2022) was recognized with the Pura Belpré Award, and nominated for both the Bram Stoker and Lambda Literary Award. WE DON'T SWIM HERE (2023) is their newest novel. When they're not writing, you can catch them playing video games or making digital art.

Website: https://www.v-e-tirado.com/

The Pura Belpré Award

https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpre

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Music

Land Of The Me-me by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic (TONO)
Licensed under the NEO Sounds Music License Agreement

The 2023 Seattle International Film Festival was held on May 11-21. Ron was able to receive press credentials and had the opportunity to check out several short films and a few features.  One of my favorite films at SIFF was the short horror film Let It Kill You directed by David Cornue and starring Adam Bucci and Adam Hess. The film tells the story of a disaffected American soldier asserts to his superiors that an enemy combatant is innocent, only to discover his new friend may be concealing a far more sinister secret. I was amazed by all aspects of this film: the directing, cinematography, acting, script, special effects (practical and CGI). Clearly, there is great focus and passion for this project. The goal is for this short to become a feature film and I hope we all have a chance to see it soon!

Let It Kill You Official Web Site
https://www.davidcornue.com/letitkillyou

Written and Directed by David Cornue

Producer/Actor Adam Bucci

Producer/Actor: Adam Huss

Producer Milena Govich

Original Music by David Cornue

Let It Kill You IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15777136/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Let It Kill You (2023 Seattle International Film Festival)
https://www.siff.net/festival/let-it-kill-you

Molecule Productions Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/molecule_productions

Music
Theme from Let It Kill You composed by David Cornue
Courtesy of David Cornue

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Jake and Ron are honored to have the legendary Lucy A. Snyder as a guest for the podcast! We chat with her about her latest novel. Sister, Maiden, Monster published by Tor Nightfire.

Lucy A. Snyder

Lucy A. Snyder is the Shirley Jackson Award-nominated and five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of 15 books and over 100 published short stories. Her most recent books are the collection Halloween Season, the Tor Nightfire novel Sister, Maiden, Monster, and the forthcoming novel The Star-Stained Soul. She also wrote the novels Spellbent, Shotgun Sorceress, and Switchblade Goddess, the nonfiction book Shooting Yourself in the Head for Fun and Profit: A Writer’s Survival Guide, and the collections Garden of Eldritch Delights, While the Black Stars Burn, Soft Apocalypses, Orchid Carousals, Sparks and Shadows, Chimeric Machines, and Installing Linux on a Dead Badger. Her writing has been translated into French, Russian, Italian, Spanish, Czech, and Japanese editions and has appeared in publications such as Asimov’s Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, Pseudopod, Strange Horizons, and Best Horror of the Year. She lives near Columbus, Ohio. You can learn more about her at www.lucysnyder.com and you can follow her on Twitter at @LucyASnyder

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Music

Land Of The Me-me by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic (TONO)
Licensed under the NEO Sounds Music License Agreement

Emma Mieko Candon (she/they) is a bestselling queer author and escaped academic drawn to tales of devouring ghosts, cursed linguistics, and mediocre robots. Her work includes Star Wars: Ronin (2021), a Japanese reimagining of the Star Wars mythos, and the forthcoming The Archive Undying (2023), an original speculative novel about divine AIs, giant robots made of bone, and fraught queer romance in the post-post-apocalypse.

As an actual cyborg whose blood has been taken for science, Emma’s grateful to be stationed at home in Hawaii, where they were born and raised as a fourth-generation Japanese settler, and where they remain academically haunted by identity, ideology, and imperialism. At all hours of the day, they are beholden to the whims of two lopsided cats and relieved by the support of an enviably handsome wife. 

Find Emma airing unimpeachable anime opinions on Instagram at @emcandon, Twitter at @EmmaCandon, at website http://emcandon.com, or wailing about video games under the bushes in front of the nearest boba tea joint.

The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon published by TorDotCom
https://publishing.tor.com/thearchiveundying-emmamiekocandon/9781250821546/

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Music

Land Of The Me-me by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic (TONO)
Licensed under the NEO Sounds Music License Agreement

The 2023 Seattle International Film Festival was held on May 11-21. Ron was able to meet with Director Sarah Kambe Holland. Her debut  feature film, Egghead & Twinkie, received much accolades at SIFF. It was one of the few films that were nominated for the prestigious New Cinema Competition Award and the Golden Space Needle Award (best film at SIFF). That's quite an achievement when you consider there were over 6000 films shown at SIFF 2023.

Egghead & Twinkie is coming-of-age LGBTQ+ film of a recently out Asian American teen Twinkie and her nerdy best friend Egghead. Together, they set off on a 2,000-mile road trip to meet her online crush. It has all the tropes of a classic 80s teen movie. But its not an 80s reboot for Generation Z. Instead, it explores one person's story to comprehend cultural and sexual identity and learn the importance of unconditional love. And it's also a great comedy! Sarah has incredible creative vision and a sense for conveying emotional weight. She also directed a wonderful cast and managed a highly capable creative team. But make no mistake...this is Sarah's film. Not only was she the Director, but also the Writer, Producer and Editor. I believe Sarah is the best of her generation and we will see her directing major feature films in the future.

Egghead & Twinkie
https://eggheadandtwinkie.com/home
Director/Writer/Producer/Editor Sarah Kambe Holland
Starring Sabrina Jieafa, Louis Tomeo, Asahi Hirano

IMDB
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13242416/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm

SIFF 2023
https://www.siff.net/festival/egghead-and-twinkie

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Music

Land Of The Me-me by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic (TONO)
Licensed under the NEO Sounds Music License Agreement

The 2023 Seattle International Film Festival was held on May 11-21. Ron was able to receive press credentials and had the opportunity to check out several short films and a few features. One short film that received much attention was Get Away directed by Michael Gabriele. Get Away ended up winning Top Five Best Short Films at the Seattle International Film Festival by Audience Choice. Congrats to Michael and the cast and crew of Get Away! That's quite an achievement when you consider there were over 6000 films showing at SIFF 2023.

Get Away (directed by Michael Gabriele) stars Erika Lane Enggren, Camila Ivera, Steph Martinez, Adrian Quiñonez, Lisa Jacqueline Starrett. When a group of friends spend the weekend at a remote vacation rental in the desert, they play a mysterious VHS tape and realize that there are too many strange and terrifying coincidences.

We encourage you to check out the trailer for Get Away and Michael's other work at the links below. Expect to see Michael Gabriele directing big  budget horror films in the near future!

The 2023 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF)
https://www.siff.net/festival

Get Away
https://www.siff.net/festival/get-away

Music from Get Away "Go Westward"

Michael Gabriele
https://www.michaelgabrieledirector.com/

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Music

Land Of The Me-me by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic (TONO)
Licensed under the NEO Sounds Music License Agreement

The 2023 Seattle International Film Festival was held on May 11-21. Ron was able to receive press credentials and had the opportunity to check out several short films and a few features. One of favorites was the short film From The Depths (directed by Justin Robert Vinall, and starring Giovanni Accettola, Allegra Sweeney, Rebecca Rose). It's about a couple seeking to rebuild their troubled relationship. They travel to a remote lakehouse, but a malevolent presence lurks beneath the water’s surface. The acting, cinematography and sound design are hypnotic....creating a realistic and surrealistic atmosphere at the same time. One feels like they are experiencing a strange nightmare, but realizing they are fully awake. Although Justin cites David Lynch (Blue Velvet , Mulholland Drive, Twin Peaks) and  Krzysztof Kieślowski (Three Colors Trilogy) as influences, his vision is unique and singular.

We encourage you to check out Justin's other work at the links below. We expect big things from Justin Robert Vinall in the future!

The 2023 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF)
https://www.siff.net/festival

From The Depths
https://www.siff.net/festival/from-the-depths

Justin Robert Vinall/Next Floor Entertainment
https://vimeo.com/vinall
https://www.youtube.com/@nextfloorentertainment
https://www.instagram.com/justinrobertvinall

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Music

Land Of The Me-me by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic (TONO)
Licensed under the NEO Sounds Music License Agreement

The 2023 Seattle International Film Festival was held on May 11-21. Ron was able to receive press credentials and had the opportunity to check out several short films and a few features. One of the films that was a stand-out was The Unusualist directed by Mike Simses and starring Matt Gourley. Mike not only directed the film, but was also the cinematographer, editor and composer of the score! Matt Gourely researched script ideas and improvised much of his dialogue.

The Unusualist is a humorous and light-hearted take on the classic 1970s TV show In Search Of....with Leonard Nimoy as the host.   We hope that it somehow finds a way to have a home at the SyFy Channel as a series!

A huge thanks to the SIFF Press team (Amie, Dana, Madison, Victoria, Jesse and Jordan) for handling all the logistics and communications to setup this interview! They even booked a Press Suite at the Grand Hyatt Seattle for Mike and myself! Thank you!

Post interview corrections from Mike Simses:

The Unusualist monologues (incuding th one heard in this episode) were  written, rather than improvised, by Mike Simses. The dialogue was among the post production elements written by Mike (e.g. the re-enactments in the film).

Other corrections: It’s the EMS Synthi, not OMS; and the DX7 came out in ‘83, not ‘84.

The 2023 Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF)
https://www.siff.net/festival

The Unusualist (2023)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27663106/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
https://www.siff.net/festival/the-unusualist

Michael Simses
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3205976/?ref_=fn_al_nm_2
https://www.instagram.com/mikesimses/

Matt Gourley
https://www.mattgourley.com
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13713693/?ref_=tt_cl_i_4

Moxie Pictures
https://moxiepictures.com/

In Search Of....(TV series 1977-1982)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074007/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

During the interview Mike Simses references "Rinder and Lewis" who are the composers of the famous (or infamous!) In Search Of....theme music.

In Search Of.....Bigfoot episode Leonard Nimoy host (YouTube channel ZVJ1216)
https://youtu.be/qMGdZoMBfPA

In Search of Ancient Astronauts (1973 Rod Serling film)
https://youtu.be/X9KKLZmk5Uo

Music
Courtesy of Mike Simses....thanks Mike!

The Theme from The Unusalist (opening and closing music of episode) composed and performed by Mike Simses
The Unusualist Journey (closing music of the interview) composed and performed by Mike Simses

The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

The Dark Descent episode was originally published in April, 2021. Recently, Tor.com published an article on The Dark Descent (link below). It reminded Ron that he always wanted to revisit the episode to remaster the sound (vocal presence and clarity) and edit it down.  We hope you enjoy this remastered version!

Jake and Ron discuss the seminal horror anthology The Dark Descent, edited by David G. Hartwell.

Dissecting The Dark Descent: Stephen King’s “The Reach,” and Why Reading Order Matters by Sam Reader (Tor.com)

https://www.tor.com/2023/05/23/dissecting-the-dark-descent-stephen-kings-the-reach-and-why-reading-order-matters/

The  Dark Descent edited by David G. Hartwell
Macmillian Publishers/Tor Books Link

Great Tales of Terror and the Supernatural edited by Phyllis Cerf Wagner and Herbert Wise (original publication year 1944)
Penguin Random House Link

The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer
Macmillan Publishers

The following anthologies are out of print but may be available in the used market:

• Creeps by Night edited by Dashiell Hammett (1944)
• Dark Forces edited by Kirby McCauley (1980)
• Prime Evil edited by Douglas E. Winter (1988)

--
The Wrath of the iOtians

Email: thewrathoftheiotians@gmail.com
Instagram: thewrathoftheiotians
Twitter:  @OfiOtians
Website: https://thewrathoftheiotians.buzzsprout.com/

Music

Land Of The Me-me by Aleksandar Dimitrijevic (TONO)
Licensed under the NEO Sounds Music License Agreement