02 - John Langan and Writing Under "The Influence"

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In the second episode i'm in conversation with John Langan, contemporary literary horror superstar and all round scholar of the genre.

John is the author of the Bram Stoker Award-Winning classic The Fisherman and his latest collection is Children of the Fang and Other Genealogies. We talk about great influences and literary ventriloquism, what makes a great horror title, and what it's like to be part of the coolest club in the horror community. There are few writers out there with a better understanding of their own genre than John, and this interview is a primer in horror writing for newbies and aficionados alike. 

Books mentioned in our conversation include: 

• Robert E. Howard - Wolfshead, and Other Stories
• Stephen King's Christine, Cujo and Skeleton Crew
• Laird Barron - "More Dark" in The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All
• Laird Barron - The Isiah Coleridge series (Blood Standard, Black Mountain, Worse Angels) 
• Clive Barker - Books of Blood, Volumes 1-6
• Stephen Graham Jones - "Raphael" in The Ones That Got Away
• Henry James · What Maisie Knew 
• Peter Straub - Ghost Story 

Come talk books with us on Twitter @talkscaredpod or reach out direct to [email protected].

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