Tamika Thompson returns to The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss her debut novel The Curse of Hester Gardens, a Black Gothic horror story rooted in grief, motherhood, faith, and survival.

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In this episode, we explore how haunted public housing transforms the classic haunted house framework into something inescapable, where economics, danger, and the supernatural are all bound together.

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Tamika talks about growing up working class in Detroit, the oral storytelling traditions in her family, and how fear became both a lived reality and a literary language for her work.

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We also dig into moral complexity, youth violence, religion, systemic neglect, and why the real monster in the story is often the conditions people are forced to survive.

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Along the way, Tamika reflects on her journalism background, her writing process, the role of research in shaping the novel, and what she hopes readers are left questioning after the final page.

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If you love horror that is psychologically sharp, socially grounded, and emotionally devastating, this is an episode you do not want to miss.

CONNECT WITH TAMIKA THOMPSON

Website:

https://www.tamikathompson.com

Newsletter/Blog (Tamika Talks Terror): https://www.tamikathompson.com/tamika-talks-terror

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tamikathompson

Instagram: https://instagram.com/tamikadthompson

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@tamikadthompson

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tamikathompson.bsky.social

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@tamikadthompson

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

X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/tamikathompson

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamikathompson

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tamikathompson

BUY THE CURSE OF HESTER GARDENS

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Curse-Hester-Gardens-Tamika-Thompson/dp/1645663191

Barnes and Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-curse-of-hester-gardens-tamika-thompson/1147750299

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/shop/tamikathompson

Penguin Random House:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/804756/the-curse-of-hester-gardens-by-tamika-thompson/

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/237693607-the-curse-of-hester-gardens

BUY UNSHOD, CACKLING, AND NAKED

Universal Book Link: https://mybook.to/unshod

Audible:

https://www.audible.com/author/Tamika-Thompson/B07XFFMRNP

BUY SALAMANDER JUSTICE

Universal Book Link: https://mybook.to/salamander

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