The Night Crew Podcast

Bryan Alaspa: When the Night Comes Out — Monsters, Myths, and the Madness of Horror Writing

🩸 Episode Description:
In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad sits down with horror author and podcaster Bryan W. Alaspa, the creative force behind Devoured, The Witch of November, and the chilling audio drama When the Night Comes Out.
Bryan opens up about a lifetime obsession with monsters — from Jaws and Godzilla to Lovecraft’s cosmic horrors — and how those early fascinations shaped his writing career. He talks about the long creative journey behind his kaiju-inspired novels, why editing feels like “an exorcism,” and how his collaboration with voice actor Allie James revived the spirit of old-time radio horror for a new generation.
Together, Brad and Bryan dig into the craft of writing fear, the balancing act between imagination and research, and the unshakable truth that every good story starts with taking the leap off that creative cliff.
If you love Cthulhu myths, kaiju carnage, and the eerie nostalgia of late-night monster movies, this one’s a must-listen.
🎧 Press play — and remember… when the night comes out, the monsters aren’t far behind.
👹 Topics Covered:
Bryan’s early influences: Jaws, Universal Monsters, and Saturday-night horror hosts
How Devoured became a Midwestern kaiju story
The real legend behind The Witch of November and the Edmund Fitzgerald
Creating When the Night Comes Out with narrator Allie James
The struggles of editing, self-publishing, and working with small presses
Why Cthulhu still haunts his imagination
Writing advice for aspiring authors (“Just brain dump the first draft!”)
🔗 Guest Links:
📚 Website: www.bryanwalaspa.com📖 The Witch of November — Out now on Amazon🎧 Podcast: When the Night Comes Out (available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube)📚 Follow Bryan on Amazon and social media for updates
🕷️ Keywords & SEO Tags:
Bryan Alaspa, The Witch of November, Devoured, When the Night Comes Out, Kaiju horror, Lovecraftian horror, Cthulhu, The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks, author interview, horror fiction, old-time radio, cosmic horror, creature feature, monster stories, indie horror, horror writing advice, supernatural thriller
💀 Hashtags:
#TheNightCrewPodcast #BryanAlaspa #WhenTheNightComesOut #HorrorPodcast #HorrorAuthor #Kaiju #Cthulhu #LovecraftianHorror #IndieHorror #MonsterLore #TheWitchOfNovember #Devoured #HorrorCommunity #WritingHorror #CosmicHorror #AuthorInterview

Every Thirst Has A Price - Special Episode about The Night Crew 2: Bloodlust

In this special episode of The Night Crew Podcast, author Brad Ricks pulls back the curtain on his latest horror novel The Night Crew 2: Bloodlust, launching November 14.
If The Night Crew Book 1 was about discovering the darkness, Bloodlust is about living in it.Brad dives deep into the evolution of Michael White, a soldier-turned-hunter-turned-monster who now fights to control the hunger burning inside him.
Expect:
🧛 A darker continuation — from vampire revenge to the struggle of addiction, power, and redemption.
🔥 New creatures & ancient wars — succubi, supernatural hierarchies, and a coming conflict that’s been simmering for millennia.
⚔️ Escalation over repetition — Book 1 taught the rules; Bloodlust breaks them.
🌙 Atmospheric New Orleans — gas-lit alleys, haunted jazz, and crimson reflections in Bourbon Street rain.
💀 Themes of humanity vs monster — How much of yourself can you lose before there’s nothing left worth saving?
Brad also discusses how writing a sequel means raising every stake — in blood, emotion, and consequence.Bloodlust moves like a fever dream — part horror, part redemption, all heart.
🩸 The Night Crew 2: Bloodlust drops November 14Pre-order signed copies at BradRicks.com
Buy it on Amazon: https://getbook.at/NightCrew2
🎧 Follow Brad on TikTok & Facebook → @BradRicksAuthor
📌 Keywords & Hashtags
Keywords: The Night Crew 2 Bloodlust, Brad Ricks, vampire thriller, New Orleans horror, dark fantasy series, vampire addiction metaphor, monster fiction, urban fantasy series, succubus lore, supernatural war, horror novel 2025
Hashtags:#TheNightCrew #Bloodlust #BradRicks #HorrorPodcast #VampireFiction #UrbanFantasy #DarkHorror #MonsterHunters #NewOrleansHorror #SupernaturalThriller #HorrorSeries #AddictionMetaphor #SuccubusLore #BookRelease #AuthorInterview

Pamela K. Kinney on Haunted Appalachia, Werewolves & Writing the Unknown | Ep 17

🔍 Episode Description:
In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with multi-genre author and paranormal investigator Pamela K. Kinney to talk about her lifetime of writing—spanning poetry, horror fiction, and bestselling true-ghost books—and her love of all things supernatural.
Pamela shares:
👻 From Poems to Paranormal Bestsellers – Starting with poetry at 17 and evolving into acclaimed non-fiction like Haunted Virginia, Virginia’s Haunted Historic Triangle, and the upcoming Paranormal Appalachian Trail.
🐺 Monsters of Choice – Why werewolves, dogmen, and shapeshifters fascinate her, from classic transformations (American Werewolf in London, The Howling, Dog Soldiers) to cryptids like the Werewolf of Henrico.
✍️ Fiction & Process – How she balances being a “pantser” with meticulous notes, weaves Powhatan legends and demonology into dark fantasy (Demon Memories trilogy), and brings eerie places like Nowhere Land to life.
🕯️ Real-Life Investigations – Using EMF meters, ghost boxes, and first-hand paranormal research to capture ghostly voices and mysterious phenomena for her non-fiction books.
🎬 Adapting the Supernatural – From urban legends like the axe-wielding Bunny Man to unique takes on werewolves inspired by Whitley Strieber’s The Wolfen.
Pamela also dives into:
Handling one-star reviews and staying positive.
Traveling for book research and conventions like StokerCon and AuthorCon.
Writing through edits and knowing when to set a draft aside.
🔗 Connect with Pamela K. Kinney
Website: PamelaKKinney.com
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100027533719941&ref=hl# 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamelak.kinney_author/
 
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/pamelakkinney.bsky.social
 
By the time you hear this, Pamela’s latest supernatural novel Nowhere Land will be out—a dark fantasy with psychic powers and haunted landscapes perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson and Stranger Things.
 
🧛‍♂️ Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and check out The Night Crew novel series wherever you get your monster-hunting fiction. Stay creepy, friends.
keywords
Pamela Kinney, writing journey, ghost stories, non-fiction, research, creative process, book reviews, werewolves, hobbies, reader engagement
Hashtags
#PamelaKKinney #TheNightCrewPodcast #HorrorPodcast #HauntedVirginia #HauntedAppalachia #ParanormalInvestigator #GhostStories #Werewolves #Dogman #Shapeshifters #BunnyMan #Cryptids #ParanormalResearch #DarkFantasy #NowhereLand #DemonMemories #AmericanWerewolfInLondon #TheHowling #DogSoldiers #UrbanLegends #HorrorFiction #SupernaturalMystery #MonsterLore #BradRicks

Lycanthropy in the Mirror: The Psychology of the Wolf Within | Ep 16

🩸 Episode Description
The moon is full, the snow is red, and the beast is staring back from the glass.In this introspective horror episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks takes listeners on a haunting exploration of lycanthropy—the legend of the werewolf—as both a monster story and a mirror for the human condition.
From ancient Greek curses to modern psychology, this episode dives deep into how the werewolf myth reveals the primal truth about rage, guilt, hunger, and the dark instincts we try to suppress.
You’ll discover:
🌕 Origins of the Curse – The story of King Lycaon and how the first werewolf became a punishment for moral corruption.
🧠 The Psychology of Transformation – Carl Jung’s “shadow self” and the idea that the beast within us is just our repressed humanity clawing its way out.
🩸 Clinical Lycanthropy – Real-world cases where people believed they were turning into animals, and how modern neuroscience explains it.
🐺 The Wolf in Culture – From medieval trials to Hollywood icons like The Wolf Man, An American Werewolf in London, Ginger Snaps, and Underworld.
🔮 Symbolism of the Moon & the Mirror – Why every generation redefines the werewolf as a reflection of fear, desire, and identity.
If vampires are about seduction and control, werewolves are about release—the primal scream we keep caged beneath civility.Because maybe lycanthropy isn’t a curse... it’s a confession.
🎧 Tune in for horror storytelling, mythology, psychology, and a chilling reminder that sometimes the scariest monsters are the ones in the mirror.
🔗 Connect with Brad Ricks:
Website & signed books: BradRicks.com
Facebook & TikTok: @BradRicksAuthor
The Night Crew Book 2: Bloodlust — available now for pre-order
📌 Keywords & Hashtags
Keywords: lycanthropy, werewolf psychology, Carl Jung shadow self, clinical lycanthropy, werewolf transformation, werewolf myths, horror podcast, Brad Ricks, The Night Crew, monster psychology, werewolf legend, ancient werewolves, horror storytelling, Jungian horror
Hashtags:#HorrorPodcast #Werewolves #Lycanthropy #PsychologyOfHorror #BradRicks #TheNightCrewPodcast #MonsterLore #ShadowSelf #CarlJung #HorrorMythology #WerewolfStories #FullMoonFever #DarkPsychology #HorrorFans #HorrorAnalysis

Viggy Parr Hampton on Body Horror, Shapeshifters & Writing Fast Without Outlining | Ep 15

🩸 Episode Description
On this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad Ricks sits down with Viggy Parr Hampton—author, podcaster, and epidemiologist—to explore the dark science and creative sparks behind her chilling fiction and hit horror shows.
Viggy shares how she:
🧬 Writes Science-Driven Horror – From her debut A Cold Night for Alligators (a rogue epidemiologist chasing a mysterious outbreak into a haunted theme park) to Much Too Vulgar and The Rotting Room, she blends disease, biology, and supernatural suspense.
🩸 Finds Beauty in the Macabre – Why body horror fascinates her and how real-life research on neurobiology, lobotomies, and contagion shapes her stories.
✍️ Builds Worlds Fast – With six completed novels, she reveals how writing during lunch breaks and nap times built her career, why she prefers “pantsing” over strict outlines, and how she found her authentic voice.
🎧 Hosts Hit Podcasts – Horror, Humor, Hunger and Tag Team Tales of Terror, where she interviews horror authors, exorcists, and mediums while cooking up recipes inspired by books.
👻 Chooses Her Favorite Monster – A shapeshifter in the spirit of John Carpenter’s The Thing and Pennywise—an alien, cosmic, contagion-like terror that embodies fear itself.
Along the way, Viggy talks about:
Childhood horror obsessions like Night of the Living Dead and Tales from the Crypt.
Why the unknown is scarier than any visible monster.
Literary influences from Stephen King to her high-school English teacher turned award-winning author Garth Greenwell.
Building resilience through rejection and finding readers who make every story worth writing.
🔗 Connect with Viggy Parr Hampton
Website: viggyhampton.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555649969988
 
Instagram, Threads, & TikTok: @viggyparrhampton
Podcast: Horror, Humor, Hunger (all major podcast platforms)
Whether you love body horror, cosmic monsters, or insider tips on writing and podcasting, this conversation is packed with inspiration, craft secrets, and nightmare fuel.
🧛‍♂️ Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and check out The Night Crew novel series wherever you get your monster-hunting fiction. Stay creepy, friends.
Viggy's Bio:
Viggy Parr Hampton, MPH is an epidemiologist, content marketing strategist, host of the podcast “Horror Humor Hunger,” and the author of A Cold Night for Alligators, Much Too Vulgar, and The Rotting Room. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.
keywords
Viggy Parr Hampton, horror writing, podcasting, A Cold Night for Alligators, The Rotting Room, Much Too Vulgar, writing process, literary influences, horror monsters, inspiration
 
Hashtags
 
#HorrorPodcast #ViggyParrHampton #BodyHorror #Shapeshifters #JohnCarpenterTheThing #Pennywise #IndieAuthor #WomenInHorror #TheNightCrewPodcast #BradRicks #MuchTooVulgar #TheRottingRoom #AColdNightForAlligators #HorrorHumorHunger #CosmicHorror #WritingProcess #PodcastInterview #DarkFiction #MonsterLore #BookRecommendations

From Tent Revival to Soul Mirror: Horror Writing & Kraken-Sized Fears with Edmund Stone | Ep 14

🔍 Episode Description:
In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks sits down with horror author Edmund Stone—the creative mind behind Tent Revival, Soul Mirror, and multiple dark short story collections, as well as the layout and formatting wizard for The Night Crew novels.
Together they dive deep into:
The Evolution of a Horror Writer – From early poems and shorts (2017’s Hush My Little Baby, Blue’s Blood and Love) to the cinematic, monster-filled chaos of Tent Revival and the deeply personal, emotionally charged Soul Mirror.
Writing Process & Daily Grind – How Edmund writes before sunrise, balances a day job in occupational therapy with weekend boat captain adventures, and thrives as a 100% pantser (no outlines allowed).
Origins & Inspirations – From small-town character studies and old mining stories to a mysterious “mixed parts” box and cryptid obsessions that shaped Tent Revival and Soul Mirror.
Influences & Literary Heroes – Clive Barker, Edgar Allan Poe, Lovecraftian creatures (even if he claims not to be a huge Lovecraft fan), and the avant-garde side of horror.
Favorite Monster – Think deep-sea terror meets cosmic dread: a kraken/Cthulhu hybrid that can strike from anywhere.
Wisdom for Writers – Persistence as a superpower, embracing the flow state, and trusting your first draft to teach you the story.
Along the way, Edmund shares funny behind-the-scenes convention stories (including TBRCon antics), the origin of his dedicated fan group The Edmund Stoners, and what it’s like to see readers react—good, bad, and baffling—to his books.
🔗 Find Edmund Stone online:
Website & newsletter: edmundstonehorror.com
Amazon author page & Crystal Lake Publishing catalog
https://linktr.ee/edmundstoneauthor
Facebook group: The Edmund Stoners
Whether you love cosmic horror, small-town mysteries, or creature features that belong on the big screen, this episode will feed your dark imagination and make you rethink what lurks beneath the water.
 
🧛‍♂️ Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and check out The Night Crew novel series wherever you get your monster-hunting fiction. Stay creepy, friends.
keywords
Edmond Stone, horror writing, writing process, character development, literary influences, book reviews, aspiring authors, horror genre, inspiration, collaboration
 
Hashtags
 
#TheNightCrewPodcast #HorrorPodcast #IndieAuthor #CosmicHorror #TentRevival #SoulMirror #EdmundStone #BradRicks #WritingProcess #Kraken #Cthulhu

Mecha Horror, Vampire Evolution & Cemetery Secrets - Author EM Otero | Ep 13

🔍 Episode Description:
On this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks sits down with author EM Otero—a writer who blends mecha sci-fi, cosmic horror, and blood-soaked folklore into unforgettable stories.
Eric takes us deep into:
Genre-Bending Fiction – From his breakout mecha-cosmic horror novel The Howling Between Worlds (soon to be a sound-enhanced audiobook) to the evolutionary vampire novella Night Hunters and his haunting story collection What the Witch Moth Brings.
Unique Monsters & Mythology – Why he reimagines vampires as a hidden branch of human evolution and how he fuses cultural legends with grounded science to create fresh horror.
Craft & Process – How a developmental editor shaped his first book, why he’s proudly a pantser, and the night-owl writing sessions that fuel his imagination.
Real-Life Gothic Inspirations – From tending century-old graves in a veteran cemetery to discovering forgotten epitaphs, Eric’s day job sounds straight out of a supernatural novel.
Literary Influences & Dreams – Laird Barron, Brian Lumley, Hideaki Anno, and a deep love for unexpected horror in fantasy worlds.
They also geek out about vampires—from Lost Boys and The Passage to Empire of the Vampire, The Strain, and the evolution of vampire cinema from 80s leather-and-motorcycles to grimdark epics.
Eric’s key advice for aspiring authors: skip the MFA, skip the rigid outlines—just read widely and write bravely.
Bio:
EM Otero is a Puerto Rican author and lover of all things weird. When he isnt writing he is living the busy life of a husband and father. While working outside or hiking, he loves to take pictures of plants, insects, and anything else he finds interesting or strange. He loves showing his daughter and wife the curious things in nature.
 
His writing is inspired by our weird world, robot anime, horror stories, and science.
 
🔗 Connect with Eric M. Otero:
Website: Emoteroauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHowlingBetweenWorlds/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/e.m._otero/
TikTok: @em.otero
Patreon (exclusive stories & sneak peeks): https://www.patreon.com/EmOtero
Whether you love cosmic mecha horror, evolutionary vampires, or the gothic quiet of old cemeteries, this conversation is packed with creative fuel and midnight chills.
 
🧛‍♂️ Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and check out The Night Crew novel series wherever you get your monster-hunting fiction. Stay creepy, friends.
keywords
Eric Otero, writing, horror, vampires, developmental editing, cultural influences, inspiration, cemetery, writing process, literary influences
 
Hashtags
#HorrorPodcast #MechaHorror #CosmicHorror #VampireLore #IndieAuthors #WritingProcess #BradRicks #EricMOtero #TheNightCrewPodcast #AuthorInterview

The Dark History of Werewolves: Ancient Curses, Medieval Beasts & Modern Movies | Ep 12

🩸 Episode Description
Welcome to The Night Crew Podcast, where shadows breathe and monsters listen. In this moon-drenched episode, host Brad Ricks takes you on a chilling hunt for one of horror’s oldest, hairiest legends: the werewolf.
From the first eerie howl to the silver bullet finale, discover:
🌕 Ancient Origins – King Lycaon’s curse in ancient Greece and Norse wolf-coat warriors who fought like beasts.
🏰 Dark Middle Ages – Gruesome true accounts like the Beast of Gévaudan and the bloody werewolf trials of Peter Stumpf.
🔬 Science & Myth – Rabies, rare disorders, and moonlit superstition that shaped clinical lycanthropy.
🎥 Pop Culture Evolution – From The Wolf Man (1941) to An American Werewolf in London, Teen Wolf, Underworld, and modern reinventions in gaming and streaming.
🐺 The Inner Beast – Why this creature still reflects our fear of losing control and our secret desire for wild freedom.
Packed with vivid storytelling—from a spine-tingling forest prologue to deep dives into history and film—this episode is part horror story, part cultural archaeology, and 100% nightmare fuel.
🔗 Stay connected:
Signed books & updates: BradRicks.com
Follow Brad on Facebook & TikTok: @BradRicksAuthor
Lock the door, load the silver bullets, and press play—because the hunt begins now.
 
#WerewolfHistory #MonsterMythology #HorrorPodcast #Lycanthropy #BradRicks #NightCrewPodcast #HorrorMovies #FullMoon

From Small-Town Horror to Godless Splatter: Author Shannon Bradner | Ep 11

📖 Episode Description
In this episode of The Night Crew Podcast, Brad sits down with horror author Shannon Bradner to talk about her journey from childhood stories inspired by her grandmother to publishing dark, twisted tales on Godless and with Baynum Books Press.
Shannon opens up about:
Her early love of reading and how it sparked her passion for writing.
The grind of balancing night shifts with writing time.
Why editing is her most dreaded part of the process.
Inspirations behind her chilling stories like One Night at Clyde’s, Songs to Dismember You By, and My Dad Is a Maniac.
Her favorite horror creature (spoiler: she’s a vampire fan, but definitely not the sparkling kind).
Her influences, from Stephen King and Clive Barker to Rachel Harrison and Chad Lutzke.
Upcoming releases, including her short story collection Filthorama (December) and a secret novella project in the works.
Along the way, Brad and Shannon also swap stories about The Lost Boys, zombie flicks, Fright Night (original vs. remake), and why practical effects still matter in horror.
If you love indie horror, dark humor, and authors who keep the genre alive with grit and passion, this is one conversation you won’t want to miss.
Follow Shannon Bradner:
📚 Find Shannon’s work on Godless and through Baynam Books Press, and follow her on Instagram at @murder_shan_wrote.
#HorrorPodcast #Splatterpunk #IndieHorror #Vampires #AuthorInterview #TheNightCrew
 
keywords
writing, horror, self-publishing, Godless, inspiration, editing, literary influences, vampires, practical effects, upcoming projects

Ross Killey Interview | Horror Author on Werewolves, Zombies & Bigfoot | Ep 10

🔍 Episode Description:
In this fun and cryptid-filled episode of The Night Crew Podcast, host Brad Ricks is joined by horror author Ross Killey for a wide-ranging conversation about writing, monsters, and that one time a tree started shaking in the Indiana woods.
Ross discusses his journey from outlining stories during security shifts to publishing werewolf horror comedies and zombie tales in Vietnam. You’ll hear all about his books—Full Moon Highway, Stuck to a Monster, and Nightmare Jungle—as well as the inspiration behind his wild and weird horror concepts.
The duo nerds out about Bigfoot (Ross’s favorite monster), horror movie recommendations (including the Blair Witch creator’s Sasquatch film Exists), the joys and pains of outlining, and the tragic sacrifices of Warhammer painting in exchange for writing time.
Stick around for Ross’s top cryptid book picks, including Dweller by Jeff Strand and The Mountain King by Rick Hautala—plus a hilarious story about the one time Ross might’ve almost met Bigfoot in the wild.
📚 Topics Covered:
Ross’s path to becoming a published author
How Stuck to a Monster was inspired by conjoined twins and YouTube
Cryptids as writing fuel: why Bigfoot reigns supreme
Horror comedy and writing for the horror fan
Balancing dad life with writing life
Warhammer, Airsoft, and the death of hobbies
Found footage horror gems: Exists and Willow Creek
The elusive art of outlining and creative procrastination
Bigfoot sightings in Indiana? You decide...
 
Cryptid Book Recommendations:📚 Dweller by Jeff Strand📚 The Mountain King by Rick Hautala
Follow Ross Killey:📸 Instagram: @rosskilley_author📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ross.killey.3📚 His books are available on Amazon
 
🧛‍♂️ Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and check out The Night Crew novel series wherever you get your monster-hunting fiction. Stay creepy, friends.
keywords
 
Ross Kelly, author, writing journey, horror fiction, cryptids, Sasquatch, Bigfoot, writing process, inspiration, horror comedy
 
#TheNightCrewPodcast #HorrorPodcast #AuthorInterview #RossKilley