Welcome to the Story Impact author interview podcast.

In this episode, award-winning crime novelist and host Lisa Towles sits down with horror author and illustrator Tec Weston to explore the intersection of visual storytelling, horror, time travel, and the creative process behind his novel You Are All Charlotte.

What happens when the monster hunting you isn't just somewhere out there — but somewhere else in time? You Are All Charlotte combines the visceral tension of a slasher with paranormal horror and time travel, following Magda Craig as she confronts the Scraggly Man, a serial killer who can reach across decades. Essential listening for horror readers, writers, visual storytellers, and anyone fascinated by where unusual story ideas come from.

Trained at the renowned Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, Tec brings an illustrator’s eye to fiction. He describes writing much the way he learned to create an illustration: beginning with the rough shape of a scene and building it through repeated passes, adding dialogue, texture, detail, and voice.

The premise for You Are All Charlotte came from a vivid nightmare in which Tec found himself moving between two time periods inside the same house — with an axe murderer waiting for him in the past. That image eventually grew into a larger mythology involving ghosts, portals, multiple decades, and the Scraggly Man.

In this conversation, Lisa Towles and Tec Weston discuss:

• How Tec’s illustration training influences the way he writes and revises fiction
• The nightmare that inspired You Are All Charlotte
• Blending time travel, paranormal horror, and classic slasher storytelling
• Influences including Scream, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Stephen King
• The deeper themes of violence, power, and control beneath the horror
• His upcoming follow-up, Retro Vibes, set 24 years after You Are All Charlotte

For horror fans, aspiring writers, artists, and storytellers interested in how imagination moves between visual art and the written word, this conversation offers a fascinating look at how one powerful image can become the foundation for an entire fictional world.

Watch the video interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fzCpovWGB00?si=-CXjflpD1HUtVR5q

Find Tec Weston and You Are All Charlotte: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F24ZS5W6

Story Impact is hosted by award-winning crime novelist, book coach, and speaker Lisa Towles and explores books, meaning, and purpose through conversations with authors and creatives about their work, their journeys, and the stories that shape us.

Learn more about Story Impact: storyimpactconsulting.com/podcast

Story Impact is available on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and YouTube. Follow the podcast on your favorite platform and subscribe on YouTube for new author conversations.

Stories hold the world together.