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

08/10/2025 56 min Episodio 13
Shirley Jackson Award Winner Scott Thomas on “Midwestern Gothic” | Exploring Small-Town Horror, Guilt, and Generational Haunting

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Episode Synopsis

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 heartlandWriting complex, morally gray characters and slow-burn dreadThe real-life inspiration behind his storiesHis thoughts on empathy in horror and generational traumaFavorite horror novels and films that shaped his writing (The Shining, The Exorcist, House of Leaves, and more)A sneak peek at the Kill Creek sequelIf 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/scottthomascaresaboutyouX: https://x.com/ninjawheneverFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/scottthomaswriteshorrorWebsite: https://www.scottthomaswriter.com/ Support the showFollow us on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or Bluesky for more horror hot takes and reviews!

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