The Dread Alert Podcast

Shirley Jackson Award Winner Scott Thomas on “Midwestern Gothic” | Exploring Small-Town Horror, Guilt, and Generational Haunting

Dread Alert Media Episode 13

In this episode of the Dread Alert Podcast, Vince sits down with Shirley Jackson Award-winning author Scott Thomas (Kill Creek, Violet) to discuss Midwestern Gothic, a chilling collection of four interconnected novellas that redefine small-town horror.

Scott shares how his Kansas roots shaped his vision of Midwestern Gothic, explores the legacy of guilt woven into the land, and reveals how each story, The Boy in the Woods, The Door in the Field, One Half of a Child’s Face, and Wear Your Secret Like a Stone, confronts the sins of the past and the cost of looking too closely.

Episode Highlights:

  • How Midwestern Gothic expands the idea of Gothic horror to America’s heartland
  • Writing complex, morally gray characters and slow-burn dread
  • The real-life inspiration behind his stories
  • His thoughts on empathy in horror and generational trauma
  • Favorite horror novels and films that shaped his writing (The Shining, The Exorcist, House of Leaves, and more)
  • A sneak peek at the Kill Creek sequel

If you love cosmic horror, folk horror, slow-burn tension, and deep literary insight into the genre, this episode is for you.

Midwestern Gothic is available now from Inkshares, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
Follow Scott Thomas:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/scottthomascaresaboutyou

X: https://x.com/ninjawhenever

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

Website: https://www.scottthomaswriter.com/
 

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