Podcast
The Dark Mind Podcast
Hosted by Vincent Midgard · EN
Join your intrepid host, Vincent Midgard, as he interviews writers and filmmakers who produce works in dark literature and film, including horror, noir, gothic, as well as nonfiction and documentaries on dark subject matter.
24episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Kailee Pedersen on Opera, Horror, and the Cost of Perfection
1w ago01:07:49Tap to summarizeKailee Pedersen returns to discuss her new psychological novel, The Minimalist.The story follows gifted composer Mia Voss as she inherits her late mentor’s unfinished final composition and confronts the destructive legacy surrounding it.Kailee explores how classical music, repetition, perfectionism, and artistic scrutiny shaped the novel’s structure and psychological intensity.We also discuss Asian American adoptee identity, assimilation, grief, self-harm, and the mythology surrounding artistic genius.Kailee reflects on writing without an outline, deleting half a manuscript, balancing revision with instinct, and knowing when creative work is finally complete.The conversation also touches on opera, software engineering, video games, and her research for a forthcoming Western about a Chinese American family in Hell’s Canyon.KAILEE PEDERSENOfficial Websitehttps://kaileepedersen.com/Eventshttps://kaileepedersen.com/events/Presshttps://kaileepedersen.com/press/Amazon Author Pagehttps://www.amazon.com/Kailee-Pedersen/e/B0C7NPQ67LGoodreads Author Pagehttps://www.goodreads.com/author/list/18460978.Kailee_PedersenSOCIAL MEDIAInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/kailee_pedersen/Blueskyhttps://bsky.app/profile/kaileepedersen.bsky.socialThreadshttps://www.threads.net/@kailee_pedersenXhttps://x.com/KaileePedersenTHE MINIMALISTOfficial Book Pagehttps://kaileepedersen.com/the-minimalist/Macmillanhttps://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250328274/theminimalist/Amazon Hardcoverhttps://www.amazon.com/Minimalist-Kailee-Pedersen/dp/1250328276Amazon Kindlehttps://www.amazon.com/Minimalist-Novel-Kailee-Pedersen-ebook/dp/B0FMSDQXYZBarnes and Noblehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-minimalist-kailee-pedersen/1148028599Bookshop.orghttps://bookshop.org/p/books/the-minimalist-a-novel-kailee-pedersen/74a63d1b17d3a226Apple Bookshttps://books.apple.com/us/book/the-minimalist/id6751198732Google Play Bookshttps://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kailee_Pedersen_The_Minimalist?id=fnF-EQAAQBAJAudiblehttps://www.audible.com/pd/The-Minimalist-Audiobook/B0GTX94PVDPowell’s Bookshttps://www.powells.com/book/9781250328274Books-A-Millionhttp://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781250328274Targethttps://www.target.com/p/the-minimalist-by-kailee-pedersen-hardcover/-/A-1005450482Signed Copieshttps://murderbooks.com/pedersenGoodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240019985-the-minimalistSACRIFICIAL ANIMALSOfficial Book Pagehttps://kaileepedersen.com/sacrificial-animals/Macmillanhttps://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250328243/sacrificialanimals/Titan Books UKhttps://titanbooks.com/71950-sacrificial-animals/Amazon Hardcoverhttps://www.amazon.com/Sacrificial-Animals-Novel-Kailee-Pedersen/dp/1250328241Amazon Kindlehttps://www.amazon.com/Sacrificial-Animals-Novel-Kailee-Pedersen-ebook/dp/B0CGRY74QKBarnes and Noblehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sacrificial-animals-kailee-pedersen/1143881197Bookshop.orghttps://bookshop.org/p/books/sacrificial-animals-a-novel-kailee-pedersen/3c7d99648106284dApple Books Ebookhttps://books.apple.com/us/book/sacrificial-animals/id6476883510Apple Books Audiobookhttps://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/sacrificial-animals/id1707863330Google Play Ebookhttps://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kailee_Pedersen_Sacrificial_Animals?id=BlHTEAAAQBAJGoogle Play Audiobookhttps://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/Sacrificial_Animals_A_Novel?id=AQAAAECSQ3gD-MAudiblehttps://www.audible.com/pd/Sacrificial-Animals-Audiobook/B0CKM6BMJ1Libro.fmhttps://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781250349880-sacrificial-animalsPowell’s Bookshttps://www.powells.com/book/9781250328243Books-A-Millionhttp://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781250328243Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195790677-sacrificial-animalsSUPPORT THE DARK MIND PODCASThttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
Transcribe →
T. R. Napper: AI, Oligarchs, and the God of Technology
2w ago00:57:15Tap to summarizeT. R. Napper returns to The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his new collection, This Machine Kills Billionaires.Anchored by the award-winning novella The Hidden God, the collection explores artificial intelligence, concentrated wealth, corporate power, inequality, and the dangers of allowing oligarchs to control transformative technology.Napper discusses the possibility of AI becoming a new religion, whether a benevolent artificial intelligence could still become a tyrant, and the moral consequences of giving any person or machine absolute power.The conversation also examines why younger generations are rejecting generative AI, the deterioration of higher education, billionaire isolation, the difference between human creativity and algorithmic imitation, and why cyberpunk is no longer a distant future.This Machine Kills Billionaires also includes the connected stories Highway Requiem, Burned Like Coal, and Jack’s Fine Dining.T. R. NAPPEROfficial Websitehttps://nappertime.comThis Machine Kills Billionaireshttps://nappertime.com/this-machine-kills-billionaires-where-to-preorder-your-copy/Amazon Paperbackhttps://www.amazon.com/This-Machine-Kills-Billionaires-Napper/dp/1625678215Amazon Kindlehttps://www.amazon.com/This-Machine-Kills-Billionaires-Featuring-ebook/dp/B0GX35RRT6Blueskyhttps://bsky.app/profile/trnapper.bsky.socialInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/trnapperFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/trnapperXhttps://x.com/TheEscherManGoodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7826255.T_R_NapperTHE DARK MIND PODCASTT. R. Napper joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss This Machine Kills Billionaires, AI as religion, tech oligarchs, moral power, inequality, and why cyberpunk is already here.#TRNapper #ThisMachineKillsBillionaires #ScienceFiction #Cyberpunk #ArtificialIntelligence #DarkMindPodcast
Transcribe →
Boris Bacic: Appalachia, Slavic Folklore, and Domestic Terror
3w ago00:57:06Tap to summarizeBoris Bacic returns to the show to discuss his new psychological horror novel, The Thing That Followed You Home.Three years after his wife Ava dies following a trip to the Appalachians, Ethan tells himself the sleepless nights and the feeling of being watched are just part of grief.Then the signs inside the house become harder to explain.Typing comes from Ava's locked office.Fingerprints appear on dusty surfaces that should not have been touched.At night, something touches Ethan's hair while he sleeps.Boris talks about writing grief as horror, why he wanted both interpretations of the ending to feel correct, and how he built dread out of quiet domestic details instead of jump scares.He also opens up about his real life as a former security guard, his hometown of Subotica and its ties to Suicide Town, and the Slavic superstitions he grew up with.The conversation covers his move into cosmic horror and dark fantasy with The Beyond series, co-authoring Astrophobia with David Vujicic, and his journey from indie author to signing with Wicked House, an imprint of Aethon Books.Boris also shares updates on his life since his last appearance, including his Hungarian citizenship, his new scuba diving certification, and his ongoing US talent visa application.BORIS BACICWebsite:https://www.authorborisbacic.com/SOCIAL MEDIATikTok:https://www.tiktok.com/@author.boris.bacicInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/author.boris.bacic/Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBorisBacic/BUY AND STREAM HIS WORKAmazon:https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0843WFMN6Barnes & Noble:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Boris%20Bacic%22Audible:https://www.audible.com/author/Boris-Bacic/B0843WFMN6SUPPORT THE DARK MIND PODCASTPatreon:https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
Transcribe →
Jeff Strand: The Dark Comedy of Digital Addiction
4w ago01:10:49Tap to summarizeJeff Strand joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his new novel, Fun Times at the Bloodbath.The book follows Margo, whose brother dies during the beta test of a video game so addictive that players stop eating, sleeping, and caring about anything outside the screen.When anyone tries to make them stop, the obsession turns murderously violent, and the private addiction soon threatens to become a nationwide catastrophe.In this conversation, Jeff breaks down how he built the concept around the feeling of “just one more level.”We talk about balancing dark comedy with genuine brutality, keeping the horror grounded instead of supernatural, and using the story as satire on how games are designed to keep us playing.Jeff also discusses his wider career, including Pressure, Bloodsucker County, Your Body Will Never Be Found, and his novelization of the cult classic Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.It is a fun, bloody, and surprisingly thoughtful conversation about addiction, entertainment, and what happens when we refuse to look away.JEFF STRAND LINKSOfficial Websitehttps://www.jeffstrand.comPatreonhttps://www.patreon.com/JeffStrandAmazon Author Pagehttps://www.amazon.com/author/jeffstrandBarnes & Noble Author Pagehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Jeff+StrandTwitter / Xhttps://x.com/JeffStrandInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/jeffstrandauthor/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/JeffStrandAuthor/SUPPORT THE DARK MIND PODCASThttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
Transcribe →
Haunted Houses, Catholic Guilt, and Cosmic Grief With Michael Boulerice
Jul 701:12:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Vincent Midgard sits down with horror author Michael Boulerice to discuss his novella Inhalation.Michael talks about writing the book as a tribute to his late father-in-law and how hospice, cancer, autonomy, and grief shaped the heart of the story.The conversation explores the abandoned New England house at the center of the book, Catholic guilt, corrupted faith, family trauma, and the strange entity haunting the corners of Milo St. Lawrence’s life.Michael also discusses why grief horror and cosmic horror feel like close relatives, how blue-collar stubbornness became Milo’s weapon, and why the unknowable can feel more terrifying when it sits inside the home instead of somewhere beyond the stars.The episode also covers Feeding the Wheel, toxic relationships, narcissism, supernatural horror as a way to process codependency, and Michael’s upcoming collection Ether’s Wood.Along the way, Vincent and Michael talk about audiobook narration, Andrea Sorrentino’s artwork, writing strange formats, psychedelics as creative catalysts, revision habits, rural New Hampshire, and the daily life behind the horror.Guest Links:Website:https://www.michaelboulerice.comLinktree:https://linktr.ee/michaelboulericeInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/michael.boulericeFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/michael.a.boulericeX / Twitter:https://x.com/TherealkfmAmazon Author Page:https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-Boulerice/author/B00HSHMGC8Barnes & Noble:https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Michael%20Boulerice%22Audible:https://www.audible.com/author/Michael-Boulerice/B00HSHMGC8Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7761356.Michael_BoulericeSupport The Dark Mind Podcast:https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
Transcribe →
Philosophy, Murder, and Radical Freedom with Charlene Elsby
Jun 3001:07:32Tap to summarizeOn this episode, philosopher and author Charlene Elsby joins the show to discuss her novel Poor Damned Souls.The book follows a nameless narrator who works behind the glass at a payday loan business called The Money Store and lives with her partner, Scott.When she begins to suspect Scott is cheating, she investigates and uncovers something far worse than another woman.Rather than running, she is pulled deeper in.Charlene explains why the narrator is wounded more by being shut out than by the killing itself.We get into her view that the deepest fear is other people existing beyond our control, and the unsettling idea that to truly possess someone is to destroy them.She shares how her PhD in philosophy shapes the book, drawing on Aristotle, Stoicism, phenomenology, and existentialism.The conversation wanders into the Jungian shadow self, Nietzsche, consciousness, and why revealing our darkest thoughts feels so dangerous.Charlene also reveals that the Money Store is autobiographical, drawn from her own time working at a payday loan center.She breaks down how that job erodes empathy, why the bullet resistant glass is a quiet calculation on the value of a human life, and how corporate language like a folder labeled Human Resources sanitizes violence.We talk about the narrator's flat, methodical voice, the dark humor running through the book, and why grotesque discoveries sit right beside ordinary household routine.It is a bleak, funny, and deeply philosophical conversation about love, control, and the horror of never fully knowing another person.Author Websitehttps://charleneelsby.com/Social MediaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlene_elsby/X/Twitter: https://x.com/ElsbyCharleneFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlene.elsby/Where to BuyMerigold Independent: https://www.merigoldindependent.com/charleneelsby-poor-damned-soulsAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Charlene+ElsbyBarnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Charlene%20Elsby%22Support The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
Transcribe →
When Protection Becomes Possession with Cleo Ballard
Jun 2301:06:22Tap to summarizeCleo Ballard joins the show to discuss her new psychological thriller, This Is a Lie.The novel follows Penn, a former PhD candidate who traded her dissertation for a curated suburban life that detonates when her marriage, friendships, and her teenage daughter's trust all collapse.In the wreckage, Penn returns to her abandoned work and builds Aletheia, an AI designed to detect lies and tell only the truth.At first, Aletheia is the perfect friend, the one person who will never deceive her.But truth, it turns out, is not always merciful, and the AI's single directive slowly curdles into something monstrous.Cleo explains how the idea grew from a friend's joke about an "honest feedback" company into a full suspense thriller about an AI best friend with its own agenda.She talks about why the line between honesty and cruelty always comes down to intent, and why empathy is the one thing AI can fake but never truly have.We dig into Penn's imposter syndrome, her need for security, and the hypocrisy of demanding total truth while lying to everyone about who she really is.Cleo shares why she imagined Aletheia speaking in Meryl Streep's calm, faintly British voice, and how that eerie composure makes the character so unsettling.She reflects on the real danger of AI, not that it is evil, but that its goals may never align with human ones.The conversation widens into curated lives, social media echo chambers, the protective lies relationships quietly run on, and why chasing certainty can leave you with a mind-numbing existence.Cleo also opens up about her own winding career, from working for Ringling Bros. to ghostwriting sports autobiographies and Star Wars books, and the idea of the "path of not here" that runs beneath everything she writes.It is a thoughtful, often funny conversation about truth, technology, and the stories we tell ourselves.This Is a Lie is available now.Connect with Cleo Ballard (Nan Fischer)Website: https://nanfischerauthor.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nanfischerauthorX (Twitter): https://x.com/nfischerauthorGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/98412.Nan_FischerGet "This Is a Lie" & Other WorksAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=This+Is+a+Lie+Cleo+BallardBarnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/This+Is+a+Lie+Cleo+BallardSupport The Dark Mind Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
Transcribe →
The Horror of Being Seen but Not Known, Mark Mustian
Jun 1601:08:00Tap to summarizeMark Mustian joins The Dark Mind Podcast to discuss his newest novel, Boy With Wings.The book follows Johnny Cruel, a boy born different in a world desperate to call him angel, devil, freak, miracle, or monster.Together, we explore Southern Gothic fiction, literal wings, freak shows, turpentine camps, Jim Crow racism, religious fear, and the brutal cost of being seen as spectacle before being understood as human.Mark also discusses writing across difference, researching sideshow history, the emotional horror of being buried alive, and how faith, doubt, race, and memory shape all three of his novels.We also talk about The Gendarme, Armenian genocide, the publishing gaps between his books, his work as a public finance lawyer, his years as a city commissioner, and his role as founder of the Word of South Festival.Website: https://markmustian.comSocial mediaFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/markmustianauthor/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markmustian/X / Twitter: https://x.com/MarkMustianLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mustian-17066776Mark Mustian author page on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3463600.Mark_MustianPlaces to buyBarnes & Noble, Boy With Wings: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/boy-with-wings-mark-mustian/1146600022Bookshop.org, Boy With Wings: https://bookshop.org/p/books/boy-with-wings-mark-mustian/143eb36ac6f04f87Audible author page: https://www.audible.com/author/Mark-T-Mustian/B0CSF8JY2YSupport The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
Transcribe →
Trauma, Home, and Haunted Landscapes with CJ Leede
Jun 901:02:44Tap to summarizeCJ 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 Websitehttps://www.cjleede.comInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/ceejthemoment/Tor Publishing Author Pagehttps://torpublishinggroup.com/author/cj-leede/Simon and Schuster Author Pagehttps://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/C-J-Leede/242938571Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21833637.C_J_LeedeBuy CJ Leede’s BooksAmazon Author Pagehttps://www.amazon.com/stores/C.J.-Leede/author/B0B5N5BC88Barnes and Noble Author Searchhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/CJ%20LeedeBookshop.org Author Searchhttps://bookshop.org/search?keywords=CJ%20LeedeBooks A Million Searchhttps://www.booksamillion.com/search?query=CJ%20LeedeTarget Searchhttps://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=CJ%20LeedeHeadlightsAmazonhttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=Headlights+CJ+LeedeBarnes and Noblehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Headlights%20CJ%20LeedeTargethttps://www.target.com/p/headlights-by-cj-leede-hardcover/-/A-1007397194Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240019947-headlightsMaeve FlyBarnes and Noblehttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maeve-fly-cj-leede/1141976651Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/93030763-maeve-flyAmerican RaptureGoodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221524220-american-raptureSupport The Dark Mind Podcasthttps://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcast
Transcribe →
The Bomb Under the Table with Brian Sepanzyk
Jun 201:03:10Tap to summarizeBrian 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=0nUFupbEKFkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9R-IBvfLAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaAr5HhB2kTo watch or stream his short films and related work, these are the verified platform pages I found:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9R-IBvfLAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpaAr5HhB2khttps://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/musichttps://waingro.bandcamp.com/album/sportshttps://waingro.bandcamp.com/album/iiiSpotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/1tqsK5Px4s5tH6Mkehw6DkApple Music:https://music.apple.com/us/artist/waingro/935148728Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/waingrovancouver/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/waingro_van/Support The Dark Mind Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/c/thedarkmindpodcastFilm and interview pagesBuy and stream film workMusic and band linksSupport The Dark Mind Podcast
Transcribe →