What do you get when you cross two horror-loving writers, a glow-in-the-dark monster, and a six-year-old in a Jason mask? A conversation that’s equal parts creepy, creative, and surprisingly grounded.
Vienna and John join Corey (with Kendall in the main episode) to talk about their upcoming gothic novel Victoria Frankenstein, how horror shaped their relationship, and why fear is sometimes the most honest tool for growth. From Halloween chaos and killer clowns to writing trauma into fiction and raising spooky kids, this episode dives into horror as a lifestyle, a lens, and a language.
They break down their reimagined Frankenstein mythology (no erotica here, thank you), their DIY book design process, and how horror helps them, and their daughter, understand red flags, emotional safety, and the world at large.
Scream Together, Dream Together
🕷️ Topics Include:
- A new Frankenstein myth rooted in science, not sorcery (and glowing veins!)
- Vienna’s goth-mom origin story and John's fear-as-community philosophy
- Horror as emotional training: how spooky movies taught survival instincts
- Trick-or-treat streets, horror cons, and the great Fear Street defense
- Raising a “spooky girl” with good boundaries and better costumes
- Building a book series as a couple without killing each other
- Favorite final people and why Ready or Not still slaps
- How the Horror Heals podcast sparked personal reflection
🔬 About Victoria Frankenstein
Vienna and John’s debut novel reimagines Mary Shelley’s monster through a gothic-sci-fi lens, centered on a woman forced to rebuild her life after unleashing something she may not be able to stop. There’s bioluminescent blood, a juggernaut creature, and zero apologies for staying rooted in real science. Book one of The Dread Legacies series drops October 1st.
📚 Referenced in This Episode:
- Fear Street trilogy
- Ready or Not, The Others, Killer Klowns from Outer Space
- Dream House, Goosebumps, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
- Victoria Frankenstein: The Dread Legacies, Book One (pre-order coming soon)
👻 Stay Connected:
- Follow Vienna and John on Instagram: @dreadlegacies