CJ Leede joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss her new novel Headlights, a slow burn supernatural thriller set in the high country of Colorado.

We explore serial murder by proxy, violence as a contagious force, and the terrifying loss of control at the center of the story.

CJ talks about grief, death, trauma, home, and why Headlights became one of her most hopeful books.

The conversation moves through Colorado’s beauty and danger, the shadow of The Shining, FBI procedural research, haunted landscapes, and horror as a way of telling the truth.

We also discuss Maeve Fly, American Rapture, Catholic guilt, rescue dogs, writing on the road, and the strange places where darkness becomes meaningful.

Official Website

https://www.cjleede.com

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/ceejthemoment/

Tor Publishing Author Page

https://torpublishinggroup.com/author/cj-leede/

Simon and Schuster Author Page

https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/C-J-Leede/242938571

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21833637.C_J_Leede

Buy CJ Leede’s Books

Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/stores/C.J.-Leede/author/B0B5N5BC88

Barnes and Noble Author Search

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/CJ%20Leede

Bookshop.org Author Search

https://bookshop.org/search?keywords=CJ%20Leede

Books A Million Search

https://www.booksamillion.com/search?query=CJ%20Leede

Target Search

https://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=CJ%20Leede

Headlights

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Headlights+CJ+Leede

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Headlights%20CJ%20Leede

Target

https://www.target.com/p/headlights-by-cj-leede-hardcover/-/A-1007397194

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240019947-headlights

Maeve Fly

Barnes and Noble

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maeve-fly-cj-leede/1141976651

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/93030763-maeve-fly

American Rapture

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221524220-american-rapture

Support The Dark Mind Podcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Brian Sepanzyk joins the show to discuss his short film Defile and the way empathy can curdle into survival horror.

The conversation explores remote cabin dread, moral gray zones, relationship collapse, and the fear that begins when your alarm bells go off too late.

Brian talks about building unease before violence, using the woods as a boundary between the ordinary and the monstrous, and deciding what to leave unexplained.

We also get into his other films, including Compulsion and In the Shadow of God, along with his work developing Into the Abyss.

Along the way, Brian discusses indie filmmaking, VFX work, writing under pressure, editing painful cuts, horror influences, and the creative outlet he finds in his band Waingro.

Website and professional profile:
https://image-engine.com/crew/brian-sepanzyk/

IMDb:
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1559870/

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

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

Defile coverage and interview pages:
https://www.leagueoffilmmakers.com/defile-when-horror-becomes-a-mirror-for-modern-anxiety/

https://readrange.com/brian-sepanzyk-in-the-shadow-of-god/

YouTube interview and short-film pages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nUFupbEKFk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9R-IBvfLA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaAr5HhB2k

To watch or stream his short films and related work, these are the verified platform pages I found:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9R-IBvfLA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaAr5HhB2k

https://letterboxd.com/film/defile-2025/

I did not find verified Amazon or Barnes & Noble purchase pages for Brian Sepanzyk’s films or books in the current search results, so I’m not listing unverified storefront links here.

Waingro official music pages:
https://waingro.bandcamp.com/music

https://waingro.bandcamp.com/album/sports

https://waingro.bandcamp.com/album/iii

Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1tqsK5Px4s5tH6Mkehw6Dk

Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/waingro/935148728

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

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

Support The Dark Mind Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast

Film and interview pagesBuy and stream film workMusic and band linksSupport The Dark Mind Podcast

In this episode, Vincent sits down with author Ben Young to discuss his new novel Ride the Spiral.

Ben talks about turning real life grief, parenting struggles, and the search for answers into cosmic horror.

The conversation explores neurodivergence, desperation, mental health, string theory, absurdism, and the terror of not being able to fix the people you love.

Ben also discusses the influence of Stephen King, Tool, heavy music, indie horror, and the process of writing characters who are already at the end of their rope before the monster appears.

Ride the Spiral is available through Aethon and Wicked House, and signed copies and more of Ben’s work can be found at benyoungstories.com.

Ben Young Website

https://www.benyoungstories.com

Ben Young Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/benyoungstories/

Ben Young Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/benyoungstories/

Ben Young TikTok

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

Ride the Spiral from Wicked House Publishing

https://wickedhouse.com/book/ride-the-spiral/

Ben Young on Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/43073675.Ben_Young

Stuck on Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/196306469-stuck

Home on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Home-Ben-Young-ebook/dp/B0CWXW5F63/

Ride the Spiral on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Ride-Spiral-Cosmic-Horror-Novel-ebook/dp/

Support The Dark Mind Podcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast