Brad Ricks returns to The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss Dead Mountain, his new creature horror novel set in Dyatlov Pass.

In 1959, nine experienced hikers cut their way out of their tent and fled barefoot into a blizzard in the Russian Urals.

Sixty years later, a documentary crew goes silent in the same frozen pass, and Caleb Forrester joins a desperate expedition to bring his twin sister home.

Brad explains why he chose not to solve the mystery, using the known facts as guardrails and writing into the blank space between them.

He talks about building a hero who refuses to believe his sister is dead, and how that refusal filters every warning he hears.

We dig into the empty white landscape as a monster in its own right, where the cold, the dark, and getting lost can all kill you.

Brad shares how he handled the real hikers with respect, why he chose not to write a found footage novel, and what a standalone lets him do that a series cannot.

He also discusses the slower, patient dread of Dead Mountain compared to the action of The Night Crew series, his early morning writing ritual, and his drywall approach to first drafts.

Brad closes the conversation with a reading from the book.

Official Website
https://www.bradricks.com

Dead Mountain
https://www.bradricks.com/dead-mountainbradricks

Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H46H5RBP

Amazon Author Page
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CRPYPF1Q

Barnes & Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Brad%20Ricks

Audible
https://www.audible.com/author/Brad-Ricks/B0CRPYPF1Q

Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/35228162.Brad_Ricks

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BradRicksAuthor

Brad Ricks's Book Crypt
https://www.facebook.com/groups/bradricksbookcrypt

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/bradricksauthor

TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@bradricksauthor

X
https://x.com/BradleyRicks

Threads
https://www.threads.com/@bradricks

The Night Crew Podcast
https://thenightcrewpodcast.podbean.com

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