Hello, friends.

It's been a busy couple of weeks since the last This Is Horror newsletter and as always I've been diligently working on This Is Horror Podcast, my collaborative novel with John Crinan, and my horror-crime crossover novel I'm sharing with Ross Jeffery as I write it. I've also been involved in some things I can't fully talk about now that would be very exciting for my writing career and I hint at in the latest Walk 'n' Talk over on the MDW Patreon. I'll be less frustratingly vague soon and share specifics as soon as I can.

Coming Soon to This Is Horror Podcast

In the next 16 hours we will be chatting with the legendary master of horror, Mick Garris and we are so terribly excited to talk to him about his wonderful career and life thus far. Known for films such as Sleepwalkers, The Stand mini series, and the incredible Masters of Horror series, Mick Garris is horror royalty.

If you have a question for Mick, all you need to do is head over to Patreon and submit your question right now. ​

We'll also be welcoming Stephen Graham Jones back on the show in 30 or so hours to discuss Night of the Mannequins amongst other things. Stephen was last on the podcast for episode 484, back in February 2023 in which we discussed his This Is Horror Award winning novel My Heart is a Chainsaw amongst other things.

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Patrons will also be able to submit questions for Stephen, so make sure you're an active patron and look out for that question call in the next 24 hours.

What I’m Watching

In preparation for my conversation with Mick Garris, I have been watching and rewatching a lot of Mick's material. Highlights include the aforementioned Masters of Horror series, his adaptation of Stephen King's Desperation, and the hidden gem that is Quicksilver Highway. If you haven't seen Masters of Horror and get the opportunity—DO NOT DELAY. It was great when it came out and it really stands up today. Instant classics from literal masters of horror.

What I’m Listening to

I mentioned listening to DJ Krush in the last This Is Horror newsletter. I have been keeping the electronic vibe alive whilst writing. As I type this I have Feral's Kentaga EP playing and I've also been playing music by the likes of Dino Sabatini and Donato Dozzy. I really find listening to hard electronic beats helps focus me when writing.

On the subject of music, I've been rotating between Apple Music and Spotify. Observationally, Apple Music has the far wider library when it comes to music (Spotify doesn't have a number of DJ Krush albums and has no Maximum the Hormone albums here in Japan), but Spotify is infinitely more better when it comes to discovering new music. So, I find myself in a bizarre situation where Spotify is the better of the two services for expanding my tastes but Apple Music is the one likelier to have the entire back catalogue of any new artists I discover.

What's on This Is Horror Podcast

Since the last email, we have released three new podcasts. A two-parter with Ross Jeffery (episodes 650 and 651) in which we dive deep into his books and writing methodology, as well as a whopping two-hour-plus conversation with Kat Day (episode 652) in which we talk about all things PseudoPod following on from PseudoPod's 'Fiction Podcast of the Year' in the This Is Horror Awards.

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You can watch the full conversation with Ross Jeffery above on YouTube.

Check out the audio episodes below via the Spotify and This Is Horror website links or find gthe podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

​TIH 652: Kat Day on PseudoPod, Short Stories, and Editing a Horror Fiction Podcast​

​TIH 651: Ross Jeffery on Only The Stains Remain, Grief Horror, and Exchanging Novels with Josh Malerman​

​TIH 650: Ross Jeffery on Juniper Trilogy, Setting Stories in the US vs. the UK, Breaking Writing Rules​

TIH 652: Kat Day on PseudoPo... Feb 10 · This Is Horror Podcast 131:32   ​

TIH 651: Ross Jeffery on Onl... Feb 4 · This Is Horror Podcast 69:45   ​

TIH 650: Ross Jeffery on Jun... Jan 29 · This Is Horror Podcast 74:41   ​

What's on the This Is Horror Website

Since the last newsletter, Kev Harrison and Bob Pastorella have been hard at work previewing forthcoming horror fiction releases to look out for, such as Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward, as well as compiling the best horror articles on the internet and delivering you the latest horror fiction news.

​5 Must Read Horror Articles 9 February 2026​

​News Round-up Week Ending 6 February 2026​

​Look Out For … Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward​

​5 Must Read Horror Articles 2 February 2026​

​News Round-up Week Ending 30 January 2026​

​Look Out For … Temple Fall by R.L. Boyle​

​5 Must Read Horror Articles 26 January 2026​

​News Round-up Week Ending 23 January 2026​

What's Popular on This Is Horror TikTok

This Is Horror |Michael Wilson

Chuck Palahniuk on Heavenly Creatures depicting violence authentically. This Is Horror Podcast episode 536. #chuckpalahniuk #authorsoftiktok #podcastclips #writing #horrortok

♬ original sound - This Is Horror |Michael Wilson

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The clip that is really taking off on This Is Horror TikTok this week is Chuck Palahniuk talking about the depiction of violence in Heavenly Creatures. You can watch the video here or click it above if the video embed is compatible with your email, and if you like what you see, do consider following us @thisishorrorpodcast on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.

Well, that's about all for now. Reply to this email and let me know who you most want to hear us chat with on This Is Horror Podcast.

If you want to support the This is Horror Podcast as I vow to take it to the next level with the intention to make it my full-time endeavour then please support This Is Horror Podcast on Patreon and help me realise my dream.

If you want to advertise on This Is Horror Podcast, reply to this email and let's talk. There are some slots available for both the remainder of February and March.

And if you're a literary agent, interested in representing my work, I've got some very interesting things going on right now and would love to hear from you.

Have a beautiful day, my friends.

Michael David Wilson