TOD 033 Josh Malerman: With an Invisible Drummer by His Side

March 15, 2018
9 mins to read

In this podcast Scott Nicolay interviews Josh Malerman, author of Goblin and Unbury Carol (coming April 10, 2018). Plus Simon Berman of Strix Publishing and an update on The Outer Dark Symposium on the Greater Weird 2018 with Anya Marin.

The Outer Dark Symposium on the Greater Weird is a unique immersive one-day event featuring 26 authors/artists/filmmakers editors and approximately 12 hours of panels, readings, signings and social activities centered around contemporary Weird and speculative fiction. The second annual symposium will be held Sat. March 24, 2018 at the Winchester Mystery House. one of the Weirdest Places in the U.S. Limited to 75 attendees. Support the Indiegogo campaign here. Buy your memberships here.

Strix Publishing & The Outer Dark Symposium Update

Simon Berman of The Outer Dark Symposium 2018 sponsor Strix Publishing talks about current and past projects including an exciting Kickstarter campaign, the back story behind The Book of Starry Wisdom, a gorgeous new edition of Never Bet the Devil by Orrin Grey, future ‘luxury edition’ books, and a wild trip and mysterious collaboration with film director Richard Stanley. (00:08:15) Then Anya Martin updates listeners on the latest news about The Outer Dark Symposium on the Greater Weird 2018 including new guest Philip Fracassi, the Indiegogo campaign, the limited edition program chapbook (available also to supporting members), T-shirts, books, and more.

Show Notes

(00:13:10) Josh Malerman, author of Goblin and Unbury Carol (coming April 10, 2018), joins Scott to talk about his work including writing with an ‘invisible drummer’, being the subject of Quilt of Delirium: A Documentary About Josh Malerman, the roots of his artistry and the birth of a band The High Strung, writing the rough draft of Unbury Carol fast and editing behind the scenes, ‘gifts’ from past selves, establishing an ahistorical setting, lost Beatles and Life of Pi interludes, keeping the reader off-balance, occupying an island between horror and Weird Tale, a rise in genre elasticity, the road from six novellas to Goblin, main character as place not person, Stephen King, the importance of constantly reading, starting out with 10 years of failing at writing a novel, digging deep into a critique of American history, rhythm of the tour bus road seeping into his writing, studying an artist’s trajectory and approaching a critical mass, why albums become dated while books don’t, visiting the set of the upcoming Bird Box movie starring Sandra Bullock, what makes horror movies good, artistry and politics in Bird Box, gratitude to Kathe Koja and Christopher Golden, small press as an opportunity, the rewards of rewriting, The High Strung’s just finished new album, collaborating with fiancee vocalist/actress/SFX make-up artist Allison Laakko on immersive theatrical readings of his works, his interest in puzzle mysteries, his novella A House at the Bottom of a Lake (This Is Horror), ‘composing’ a career, books by musicians, and his reading recommendations including Jay Daniel Stone, Erik T. Johnson, John F.D. Taff, Rio Youers, and Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix.