In this wonderfully eerie episode of A LITERAL JOURNEY, I sit down with horror author D. W. Gillespie, to explore childhood fears, Halloween magic, and the persistence it has taken him to write these haunting stories for young readers.

D. W. Gillespie has published numerous books—and huge chunks of those books were written in his car… on his lunch breaks. D. W.’s journey is a wonderfully honest reminder that creative work rarely (if ever) happens under perfect conditions. Success doesn’t always arrive when (or how) we expect it, and sometimes the only thing we can control is whether or not we continue to put one foot (or one word) in front of another.

During the interview, D. W. and I talk about his books, the magic of Halloween, monsters and childhood imagination, cursed arcade games, Southern Gothic horror, the morality often hidden inside horror stories, and the frightening (and humorous) comparisons between Frankenstein’s monster and AI.

But, no spoilers! You'll have to listen to the FULL episode to learn more!

Whether you're a reader, writer, parent, teacher, or someone pursuing a dream in less-than-perfect circumstances, I hope this episode encourages you to open a book (or pick up a pen) and embark on your own literal journey.

ABOUT D. W. GILLESPIE:

Born and raised in Middle Tennessee, D.W. Gillespie has been daydreaming for as long as he can remember. His first short story was in second grade, and it involved (unsurprisingly) monsters wreaking havoc on some unsuspecting victim. Some things never change, and now D.W. writes a healthy mixture of horror, sci-fi, and supernatural fiction.

He began writing seriously in 2002, and after winning the MacDougal Award for his short story "The Home", he's since been published many times in print and online. His body of work includes the novels Still Dark, The Toy Thief, and One by One. In recent years, he’s moved into middle grade horror, and his novels include Give Me Something Good to Eat, Grin, and The Doll House.

💀 ORDER “The Doll House” here: https://amzn.to/4x91P12

📚 CHECK OUT other books by D. W. Gillespie here: https://amzn.to/3U3XfT9

🌐 Visit D. W. Gillespie’s website: https://www.dwgillespie.com/

🎧 LISTEN on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1CvEfBcK1xALUswAkOwlNf?si=98cea0829ca145e6

🍎 LISTEN on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-literal-journey/id1839517342

🎥 WATCH more episodes of A LITERAL JOURNEY: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRTQ34vyf-9NkrTcSH0KEwXPOhdVqZRVZ

Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to A LITERAL JOURNEY for more exclusive author interviews, book recommendations, and thoughtful conversations about the stories that shape us. 📖✨

#horror #author #aliteraljourney #halloween #chucky

How do you learn what is your heart is TRULY hungry for?

In this episode of A LITERAL JOURNEY, I sit down with Jacqueline West, the New York Times bestselling author of The Books of Elsewhere, The Collectors, Last Things, Long Lost, and her latest: Black Point.

Guys, I gotta admit: I REALLY enjoyed this conversation. (Jacqueline's"author origin story" resonated with me.) Long before she was a bestselling author, Jacquline West was *secretly* writing stories and hiding them in her sock drawer. She did that for years until one day she realized that being an opera singer wasn't what her heart was hungry for. She didn't want to sing the words that other people had written, she wanted to write them (talk about a plot twist)!

During our conversation, we talk about the novel she almost deleted (but eventually became the start of The Books of Elsewhere), a very real (very creepy) house that inspired the series, why she finds setting so important to her stories, and her new folk-horror novel Black Point—a story laced with the unsettling idea that maybe human beings are far scarier than any ghosts we may encounter...

But, no spoilers! You'll have to listen to the FULL episode to learn more!

Whether you're a reader, writer, parent, teacher, or someone trying to find out what their heart is hungry for, I hope this episode encourages you to open a book (or pick up a pen) and embark on your own literal journey.

About JACQUELINE WEST:

Jacqueline West is the author of the NYT-bestselling middle grade series The Books of Elsewhere, the Schneider Family Award Honor Book The Collectors, the YA horror novel Last Things, the Minnesota Book Award-winning middle grade mystery Long Lost, the recently published YA horror novel Black Point, and several other odd and twisty books for young readers. Her poetry and short fiction for adults appear in a variety of publications. She lives in Red Wing, Minnesota.

💀 ORDER "Black Point" here: https://amzn.to/4wyccdr

📚 CHECK OUT other books by Jacqueline West here: https://amzn.to/4hAF3u6

🌐 Visit Jacqueline West's website: https://www.jacquelinewest.com/

🎧 LISTEN on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1CvEfBcK1xALUswAkOwlNf?si=98cea0829ca145e6

🍎 LISTEN on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-literal-journey/id1839517342

🎥 WATCH more episodes of A LITERAL JOURNEY: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRTQ34vyf-9NkrTcSH0KEwXPOhdVqZRVZ

Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to A LITERAL JOURNEY for more exclusive author interviews, book recommendations, and thoughtful conversations about the stories that shape us. 📖✨

#horror #author #aliteraljourney #halloween #suspense #socks

You may write alone, but according to author Allison Anderson, you can’t write a book by yourself...

In this funny and thoughtful episode of A LITERAL JOURNEY, I sit down with fantasy author Allison Anderson, author of The Cartographer’s War series and the Children of Ash series, to talk about the strange and sometimes chaotic journey of reading stories to actually writing them.

But FIRST! It should be said that Allison blames her dad for ALL of this!

We talk about the realities of writing and publishing, why querying felt like “a dumpster fire,” (it's "for the freaking birds!") and the remarkable turn of events that gave Allison a publishing contract just three days (!!!) after she decided to quit querying and pursue another path.

We also talk about her books from The Cartographer's War and the Children of Ash series, but some of my favorite moments are when we go deeper—beneath the stories. Allison talks about why writers need other people, why “our lives are all the genres,” and why ancient stories (like Greek Mythology) continue to resonate with us.

Whether you're a reader, writer, parent, teacher, or someone trying to write their own unique story, I hope this episode encourages you to open a book (or pick up a pen) and embark on your own literal journey.

About ALLISON ANDERSON:

Allison Anderson lives her best life as a wife, a mom, a dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and a fantasy writer. As a life long fantasy nerd, she finds it natural to create stories of her own and you can often find her jotting down new story ideas or talking about dragons. She’s spent most of her life across the southwestern United States.

💀 ORDER "Son of Steel" here: https://amzn.to/45oL59N

📚 CHECK OUT other books by Allison Anderson here: https://amzn.to/4g3uVay

🌐 Visit Allison Anderson's website: https://www.allisonandersonauthor.com

🎧 LISTEN on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1CvEfBcK1xALUswAkOwlNf?si=98cea0829ca145e6

🍎 LISTEN on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-literal-journey/id1839517342

🎥 WATCH more episodes of A LITERAL JOURNEY: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRTQ34vyf-9NkrTcSH0KEwXPOhdVqZRVZ

Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to A LITERAL JOURNEY for more exclusive author interviews, book recommendations, and thoughtful conversations about the stories that shape us. 📖✨

#fantasy #greekmythology #childrenofash #authorinterview #fantasybooks #allisonanderson #aliteraljourney