In this episode, author and medieval literature scholar Taylor Grothe joins host KJ Brantley to discuss Hollow and Lethal Kiss, two horror novels exploring identity, belonging, and the danger of hiding who you really are. From a forest community offering a vulnerable teenager acceptance to a university steeped in misogyny, deadly secrets, and monstrous desire, Taylor’s stories ask what it costs to fit in and what happens when you stop trying.

Taylor and KJ discuss the autistic experience behind Hollow, including masking, sensory overload, and learning to navigate a world that mistakes outward capability for an absence of struggle. Taylor shares how their own teenage attempts to change their appearance and behavior to be liked informed Cassie’s story, and why seeing an autistic character on the page can make a difference. They also explore how cults exploit the desire for belonging, turning promises of care into transactions and control.

Their conversation turns to Lethal Kiss, a dark academia horror romance pairing an autistic academic with a monstrous professor. Taylor reflects on the misogyny and power structures within academia, the satisfaction of writing ruthless characters, and the influences behind their monsters. Along the way, they make a case for why Grendel’s mother deserved a name, a story, and a chance to be understood.

Finally, they reflect on horror’s political and social dimensions, the importance of scholarship, and why readers should venture beyond familiar genres and perspectives. Taylor also shares a glimpse of an upcoming project and discusses the importance of supporting marginalized authors.

Taylor Grothe’s Uncanny Women Podcast Author Picks:

Andrew Joseph White
K. M. Enright

Taylor recommends exploring both authors’ work; no specific titles were selected during this portion of the conversation.

Books Written by Taylor Grothe Mentioned in This Episode:

Hollow
Lethal Kiss

Other Literary Works Discussed in This Episode:

Beowulf by an anonymous poet
Grendel by John Gardner
Grettir’s Saga

Connect with Taylor Grothe:

Instagram: @taylorlgrothe
Threads: @taylorlgrothe
Website: TaylorGrothe.com

About the Host, KJ Brantley:

KJ Brantley is an Indigenous-mixed, autistic horror and dark fiction author whose work explores motherhood, feminism, identity, neurodivergence, trauma, and psychological horror. Drawn to the intersection of entertainment and social commentary, she crafts stories that are both unsettling and emotionally resonant. She is the host of Uncanny Women Podcast and founder and organizer of the SoCo Women in Horror Fest. She is currently the Chair of the Women in Horror Arts and Media Association and co-owner of Broom Book & Candle Horror and Dark Literature Bookstore, Cafe, and Bar in Denver. KJ lives in Colorado with her husband, two toddlers, and an ever-growing stack of spooky books.

Follow KJ and the Women in Horror Arts & Media Association on IG and Threads at @uncannywomenpodcast | @authorkjbrantley | @womeninhorrorassociation

Learn more at WomenInHorrorAssociation.org and BroomBookCandle.com.

In this episode, author Bitter Karella joins host KJ Brantley to discuss Moonflow and Quaint Folk, two wildly different horror novels connected by queer identity, repression, cults, and the fear of revealing who you really are. From a psychedelic journey through a terrifying forest to the rot beneath an idyllic English community, Bitter’s fiction asks what happens when belonging comes at the cost of being yourself.

Bitter and KJ explore the family secrets at the heart of Quaint Folk: a mother struggling with religious trauma and repressed desires, a nonbinary teenager discovering their identity through witchcraft, and a family determined to maintain the appearance of a perfect life. They discuss the things parents and children hide to protect one another, and how that protection can become its own kind of harm.

Their conversation also considers the fear of being perceived, the pressure to downplay your needs, and the vulnerability of discovering and expressing your gender identity later in life. Bitter reflects on how writing Moonflow helped bring personal realizations to the surface, and how Quaint Folk became a place to work through the more complicated questions that followed.

There’s plenty of humor along the way, including invented insults, an allegedly unpublishable debut, and Bitter’s college experience attending religious meetings for the free food...until the group asked them to stop coming. Together, Bitter and KJ explore why cults are such compelling territory for horror, how well-intentioned parents pass down their baggage, and why the most unsettling stories often begin with someone else’s idea of the perfect life.

Bitter Karella’s Uncanny Women Podcast Book Picks:

Transmuted by Eve Harms
The Exodontists by Drew Huff
Ink Vine by Elizabeth Broadbent
Humboldt Cut by Allison Mick

Bitter also recommends exploring the work of Hailey Piper and Gretchen Felker-Martin.

Books Written by Bitter Karella Mentioned in This Episode:

Moonflow
Quaint Folk

Connect with Bitter Karella:

Instagram: @bitterkarella
Bluesky: @bitterkarella.bsky.social
Tumblr: @bitterkarella
Patreon: patreon.com/bitterkarella
Website: BitterKarella.com
Midnight Pals: @midnightpals.bsky.social

About the Host, KJ Brantley:

KJ Brantley is an Indigenous-mixed, autistic horror and dark fiction author whose work explores motherhood, feminism, identity, neurodivergence, trauma, and psychological horror. Drawn to the intersection of entertainment and social commentary, she crafts stories that are both unsettling and emotionally resonant. She is the host of Uncanny Women Podcast and founder and organizer of the SoCo Women in Horror Fest. She is currently the Chair of the Women in Horror Arts and Media Association and co-owner of Broom Book & Candle Horror and Dark Literature Bookstore, Cafe, and Bar in Denver. KJ lives in Colorado with her husband, two toddlers, and an ever-growing stack of spooky books.

Follow KJ and the Women in Horror Arts & Media Association on IG and Threads at @uncannywomenpodcast | @authorkjbrantley | @womeninhorrorassociation

Learn more at WomenInHorrorAssociation.org and BroomBookCandle.com.

In this episode, author and literary translator Tiffany Tsao joins host KJ Brantley to discuss her latest novel, But Won’t I Miss Me, a chilling blend of body horror and speculative fiction. In its world, becoming a mother means being consumed and replaced by a stronger version of yourself. But what happens when that transformation doesn’t go as expected?

Tiffany and KJ explore the physical and psychological toll of postpartum motherhood, the mental load, and the expectation that women should surrender their identities to become mothers. Their conversation considers the value of human life and what it means to struggle in a society that expects mothers to be inexhaustible.

They also discuss the diverse backgrounds and experiences of people across the Asian diaspora, Tiffany’s Chinese Indonesian heritage, and racism in Australia and around the world.

Finally, they reflect on raising sons: the love, the responsibility, and the fear that comes with wondering whether the boys you love will grow up to challenge the patriarchal systems around them or perpetuate them. Together, they explore how horror makes room for conversations about motherhood that society too often asks women to keep to themselves, while questioning what we’re complicit in normalizing about the way women and mothers are treated.

Tiffany Tsao’s Uncanny Women Podcast Book Picks:

Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution by Adrienne Rich

Night of a Thousand Hells by Indonesian author Intan Paramaditha translated by Tiffany Tsao and Stephen Epstein

Imminence by Argentinian author Mariana Dimopulos translated by Alice Whitmore

The Trial of Anna Thalburg by Mexican author Eduardo Sangarcía, translated by Elizabeth Bryer

Books Written by Tiffany Tsao Mentioned in This Episode:

But Won't I Miss Me

Tiffany Tsao's Non-Fiction Article Mentioned in This Episode:

Grave Years and the Undead Woman: On the Chilling Erasure of Mothers' Needs

Connect with Tiffany Tsao:

Instagram: @tiffanytsao

Website: https://tiffanytsao.com/

About the Host, KJ Brantley:

KJ Brantley is an Indigenous-mixed, autistic horror and dark fiction author whose work explores motherhood, feminism, identity, neurodivergence, trauma, and psychological horror. Drawn to the intersection of entertainment and social commentary, she crafts stories that are both unsettling and emotionally resonant. She is the host of Uncanny Women Podcast and founder and organizer of the SoCo Women in Horror Fest. She is currently the Chair of the Women in Horror Arts and Media Association and co-owner of Broom Book & Candle Horror and Dark Literature Bookstore, Cafe, and Bar in Denver. KJ lives in Colorado with her husband, two toddlers, and an ever-growing stack of spooky books.

Follow KJ and Women in Horror AMA on IG and Threads at @uncannywomenpodcast | @authorkjbrantley | @womeninhorrorassociation

Learn more at WomenInHorrorAssociation.Org and BroomBookCandle.com.

Award-winning dark fiction author Rachel Horak Dempsey talks with host KJ Brantley about her debut novella, PNOKO, a terrifying techno-horror retelling of Pinocchio in which the puppet is a machine-human hybrid and some strings were never meant to be cut. Rachel discusses transforming the familiar fairy tale into a story about artificial intelligence, toxic masculinity, intergenerational trauma, empathy, and the complicated legacies passed from creators to their creations.

The episode explores how motherhood, a later-in-life neurodivergence diagnosis, and Rachel’s health scares shaped the characters and emotional core of PNOKO. They discuss feeling othered, learning to stop apologizing for being “too much,” and why empathy must be modeled, whether the child in question is made of flesh or circuitry. They also consider the human consequences of rapidly developing technology, the exploitation of artists, and the danger of building AI from the biases and toxicity already present in society.

The conversation turns to women’s contributions to horror, including the power of community over hierarchy, protection over domination, and stories that challenge the idea that “might makes right.” Rachel shares how early criticism of her “nasty” female characters and psychologically dark writing ultimately pushed her to embrace horror more fully. She also offers an unforgettable message for women and marginalized writers who fear being judged, misunderstood, or kept outside the gates: take off the mask, write the story, and “be the biggest, baddest horror bitch that you can be.”

Rachel Horak Dempsey’s Uncanny Women Podcast Book Picks:

It Came from Neverland by Cynthia Pelayo

Headlights by CJ Leede

The Night Parade by Stephanie Feldman

Saturnalia by Stephanie Feldman

Jackal by Erin E. Adams

One of Us by Erin E. Adams

Books Written by Rachel Horak Dempsey Mentioned in This Episode:

PNOKO

Other Authors Mentioned in This Episode:

R.L. Stine

Caroline B. Cooney

Connect with Rachel Horak Dempsey:

Instagram: @rachelsdempsey

Facebook: Rachel Horak Dempsey

Website: rachelhorakdempsey.com

Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Blog: rmfw.org/blog

About the Host, KJ Brantley:

KJ Brantley is an Indigenous-mixed, autistic horror and dark fiction author whose work explores motherhood, feminism, identity, neurodivergence, trauma, and psychological horror. Drawn to the intersection of entertainment and social commentary, she crafts stories that are both unsettling and emotionally resonant. She is the host of Uncanny Women Podcast and founder and organizer of the SoCo Women in Horror Fest. She is currently the Chair of the Women in Horror Arts and Media Association and co-owner of Broom Book & Candle Horror and Dark Literature Bookstore, Cafe, and Bar in Denver. KJ lives in Colorado with her husband, two toddlers, and an ever-growing stack of spooky books.

Follow KJ and Women in Horror AMA on IG and Threads at @uncannywomenpodcast | @authorkjbrantley | @womeninhorrorassociation

Award-winning author, artist, and editor G.G. Silverman sits down with host KJ Brantley to talk about her feminist horror collection, The Blood Year Daughter, out now from Creature Publishing. Rooted in dark fairy tales and folklore, the collection explores female autonomy, desire, survival, motherhood, sacrifice, and the ways women are expected to give pieces of themselves to the people around them. She discusses how "Fold" within her collection is one impactful example of this.

They dig into how G.G.’s experience as the daughter of an immigrant mother—and later becoming a caregiver herself—shaped her writing about motherhood and sacrifice. They also talk about female rage, the real-life experiences behind one of the stories in her collection, "All Hail the Boy King," and what it means to be told “boys will be boys” when women are left to protect themselves. G.G. and KJ also discuss the growing visibility of women in horror, why women’s voices have historically been downplayed, and how horror can bring experiences that have long been ignored into the open.

G.G. shares the long road to finding the right publishing home for The Blood Year Daughter, the vulnerability of finally putting deeply personal writing into the world, and what she’s working on next, including another collection that brings together speculative futures, folklore, fairy tales, and “what happens when the old gods meet sci-fi.”

G.G. Silverman’s Uncanny Women Podcast Book Picks:

The Haunted Houses She Calls Her Own by Gwendolyn Kiste

Cyanide Constellations: And Other Stories by Sara Tantlinger

Books Written by G.G. Silverman Mentioned in This Episode:

The Blood Year Daughter

Other Authors Mentioned in This Episode:

Joyce Carol Oates

Connect with G.G. Silverman:

Instagram: @gg_silverman

Website: ggsilverman.com

About the Host, KJ Brantley:

KJ Brantley is an Indigenous-mixed, autistic horror and dark fiction author whose work explores motherhood, feminism, identity, neurodivergence, trauma, and psychological horror. Drawn to the intersection of entertainment and social commentary, she crafts stories that are both unsettling and emotionally resonant. She is the host of Uncanny Women Podcast and founder and organizer of the SoCo Women in Horror Fest. She is currently the President of the Women in Horror Arts and Media Association and is co-owner of Broom Book & Candle Horror and Dark Literature Bookstore, Cafe, and Bar in Denver. KJ lives in Colorado with her husband, two toddlers, and an ever-growing stack of spooky books.

Learn more at WomenInHorrorFestival.com and BroomBookCandle.com

Emerging Colorado Horror Author, Marissa Yarrow, sits down with host, KJ Brantley for a casual conversation in the ballroom at location for 2027's SoCo Women in Horror Fest, The Mining Exchange Hotel. The discuss Marissa's upcoming traditionally published horror debut where influencers receive an exclusive invite to an island festival that quickly goes from once-in-lifetime experience to a fight for survival, Island X, through Mad Axe Media (Out Now). They dig into the state of horror for women now and why someone would read Carrie as written by Stephen King and why some of the same readers may not have read it if it were written by a woman back then. They also talk about what's next for Marissa, including dabbling in cult horror and why one of her favorite books by a woman in horror is Queen of Teeth by Hailey Piper.

Marissa Yarrow's Uncanny Women Podcast Book Picks:

Queen of Teeth by Haley Piper

Sorrowland by Rivers Soloman

Books Written by Marissa Yarrow Mentioned in This Episode:

Island X

There It Is Again

Other Books and Authors Mentioned in This Episode:

Lojman by Ebru Ojen

Connect with Marissa Yarrow:

Instagram: @marissayarrowauthor

Website: https://marissayarrow.wordpress.com/

About the Host, KJ Brantley:

KJ Brantley is an Indigenous-mixed, autistic horror and dark fiction author whose work explores motherhood, feminism, identity, neurodivergence, trauma, and psychological horror. Drawn to the intersection of entertainment and social commentary, she crafts stories that are both unsettling and emotionally resonant. She is the host of Uncanny Women Podcast and founder and organizer of the SoCo Women in Horror Fest. She is currently the President of the Women in Horror Arts and Media Association and is co-owner of Broom Book & Candle Horror and Dark Literature Bookstore, Cafe, and Bar in Denver. KJ lives in Colorado with her husband, two toddlers, and an ever-growing stack of spooky books.

Learn more at WomenInHorrorFestival.com and BroomBookCandle.Com

In this episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with Angela Sylvaine, Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Frost Bite, Cold Snap, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls, and Chopping Spree—and a self-proclaimed “cheerful goth.”

Angela shares how she found her way to horror after beginning her writing career in her thirties and gradually learned to trust the voice and instincts that made her work distinctly her own. She and KJ talk about the pressure writers often feel to prove their work is sufficiently serious or literary, and the freedom that comes with recognizing that horror can be funny & quirky, emotionally honest, and deeply meaningful all at once.

Their conversation shifts to the ’90s-inspired worlds of Frost Bite and Cold Snap, where humor and familiar pop culture references help tell stories about real fears, loss, and uncertainty...and of course, cults. Angela talks about how her childhood shaped both her upbeat personality and the darker themes in her writing, and why strength, especially the strength of women and girls, keeps showing up in her work.

KJ and Angela also discuss the more unsettling emotional territory of The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls, the catharsis of female rage, and the assumptions people sometimes make about women who write violent or macabre fiction. Angela considers why her future work may be angrier, how horror allows writers and readers to face injustice without looking away, and why the horror community itself is often far more well-adjusted than you might expect.

Angela Sylvaine’s Woman in Horror Book Pick:

With Friends Like These by V.S. Lawrence

Angela Sylvaine’s Books Mentioned in This Episode:

Frost Bite

Cold Snap

The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls

Chopping Spree

Other Books and Authors Mentioned in This Episode:

With Friends Like These by V.S. Lawrence

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

The Troop by Nick Cutter

Hell Hath No Sorrow Like a Woman Haunted by RJ Joseph

Gwendolyn Kiste

RJ Joseph

Connect with Angela Sylvaine:

Instagram: @angela_sylvaine

Website: angelasylvaine.com

About the Host, KJ Brantley:

KJ Brantley is an Indigenous-mixed, autistic horror and dark fiction author whose work explores motherhood, feminism, identity, neurodivergence, trauma, and psychological horror. Drawn to the intersection of entertainment and social commentary, she crafts stories that are both unsettling and emotionally resonant. She is the host of Uncanny Women Podcast and founder and organizer of the SoCo Women in Horror Fest. She is currently the Chair of the Women in Horror Arts and Media Association and co-owner of Broom Book & Candle Horror and Dark Literature Bookstore, Cafe, and Bar in Denver. KJ lives in Colorado with her husband, two toddlers, and an ever-growing stack of spooky books.

Follow KJ and Women in Horror AMA on IG and Threads at @uncannywomenpodcast | @authorkjbrantley | @womeninhorrorassociation

In this episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, Teenage Girls Can Be Demons, No Gods for Drowning, This Movie Doesn’t End the Way We Want, and She Isn’t Herself Tonight, among many more.

Hailey discusses her two upcoming releases, including the cursed-film horror of This Movie Doesn’t End the Way We Want and the emotional, strange, alien-abduction spiral of She Isn’t Herself Tonight. Together, they explore horror as a genre of emotion, the integrity of art, grief, cosmic horror, queer women in horror, and the ways fear can help us sit with discomfort instead of looking away.

The conversation also dives into No Gods for Drowning, motherhood, worldbuilding, complicated characters, writing cityscapes and large-scale settings on the page, letting emotion guide narrative logic, the expectations placed on women writers, and why reading horror by women and marginalized authors expands what the genre can be. Hailey also shares her recent favorite written by a woman in horror.

Hailey Piper's Woman in Horror Book Picks:

Sleep Alone by J.A.W. McCarthy: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798897320103

Hailey Piper's Books Mentioned in this Episode:

Queen of Teeth: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781946335418

Game in Yellow: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781668077085

No Gods for Drowning: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781967846160

She Isn't Herself Tonight: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781668077122

This Movie Doesn't End the Way We Want: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781835411483

Other Authors Mentioned in this Episode:

RJ Joseph

Connect with Hailey Piper:
Instagram / Bluesky: @haileypiperfights
Website: haileypiper.com

About the Host, KJ Brantley:

KJ Brantley is an Indigenous-mixed, autistic horror and dark fiction author whose work explores motherhood, feminism, identity, neurodivergence, trauma, and psychological horror. Drawn to the intersection of entertainment and social commentary, she crafts stories that are both unsettling and emotionally resonant. She is the host of Uncanny Women Podcast and founder and organizer of the SoCo Women in Horror Fest. She is currently the Chair of the Women in Horror Arts and Media Association and co-owner of Broom Book & Candle Horror and Dark Literature Bookstore, Cafe, and Bar in Denver. KJ lives in Colorado with her husband, two toddlers, and an ever-growing stack of spooky books.

Follow KJ and Women in Horror AMA on IG and Threads at @uncannywomenpodcast | @authorkjbrantley | @womeninhorrorassociation