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The Writers Chair

The Writers Chair

By: Daniel Willcocks
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The Writer’s Chair is your all-access seat to honest conversations with the minds behind dark and dangerous stories. Hosted by bestselling horror author and award-winning podcaster Daniel Willcocks, this show peels back the curtain on the world of publishing — from indie to trad, and everything in between.


Whether it’s horror, thriller, dystopia or the strange and unsettling, you’ll hear from writers who live in the shadows. Expect raw truths, hard-won lessons, industry insight and the kind of unfiltered talk that only happens when dark minds get together over a glass of something strong.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episodes
  • Why Atmosphere Beats Gore: Writing Horror That Stays With You with C.M. Forest

    Why Atmosphere Beats Gore: Writing Horror That Stays With You with C.M. Forest
    Mar 27 2026

    KEY LINKS:

    Devil's Rock Books: https://devilsrockbooks.com

    Daniel Willcocks: https://danielwillcocks.com

    Twisted Tales Books: https://twistedtalesbooks.com


    SHOWNOTES

    In this episode, Daniel sits down with C.M. Forest — award-winning horror author, atmospheric storyteller, and creator of deeply unsettling, isolation-driven fiction.


    Together, they explore Christian’s unconventional path into writing, from studying animation and chasing a dream of comic art to discovering that storytelling—not drawing—was the real obsession. What followed was a decade-long journey into horror, experimentation, and ultimately finding his voice through short fiction and novels.


    They dig into the origins of his award-winning novel Infested, the unexpected impact of adopting a pen name, and how his short story collection The Roots Run Deep and Other Stories came together almost by accident—revealing recurring themes of loneliness, dread, and existential fear along the way.


    The conversation also dives into horror craft, from building atmosphere and sustaining tension to why slow-burn horror hits harder than shock value. Plus, Christian shares insights on the evolving horror landscape, the rise of indie creators, and why there’s never been a better time to be a horror writer.


    This is a grounded, honest conversation about finding your creative lane, embracing what scares you, and building a career in horror on your own terms.


    💀 In this episode you’ll discover:


    • How writing in Tim Hortons became Christian’s creative routine

    • Why switching to a pen name changed everything for his publishing journey

    • The surprising origin of his short story collection and how it came together organically

    • Why isolation, loneliness, and existential dread keep appearing in his work

    • The importance of atmosphere and slow-burn tension in effective horror

    • How authors like Nick Cutter and Adam Nevill shaped his writing style

    • Why indie horror is thriving across books, film, and games right now

    • The challenge of structuring a short story collection for pacing and variety

    • His love of classic slashers like Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and what makes them work

    • Why atmosphere matters more than gore when it comes to lasting horror impact


    Links & Resources:

    • Official Website: https://christianlaforet.com/

    • Explore The Roots Run Deep and Other Stories

    • Discover Infested


    Recommended in this episode:

    • The Troop by Nick Cutter

    • The Ritual by Adam Nevill

    • The Acolyte

    • Last Days

    • The Terror



    Subscribe to The Writer’s Chair


    If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow horror fan or writer.


    📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@devilsrockbooks

    🎧 Listen on your favourite app: https://pod.link/1829723468

    💬 Join the community: https://www.devilsrockbooks.com/podcast



    📚 About the Guest


    C.M. Forest (Christian Laforet) is a horror author based in Ontario, Canada. He is the author of the Benjamin Franklin Silver Award-winning novel Infested, the novella We All Fall Before the Harvest, and the short story collection The Roots Run Deep and Other Stories.


    His fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies across multiple genres, often exploring themes of isolation, dread, and the human psyche. A lifelong horror fan, he draws inspiration from film, literature, and the growing indie horror scene. When he’s not writing, he lives with his family—and his blanket-obsessed basset hound, Sully.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    33 mins
  • Writing the Algorithm: Social Media, Obsession, and Horror That Hits Home with Matt Serafini

    Writing the Algorithm: Social Media, Obsession, and Horror That Hits Home with Matt Serafini
    Mar 20 2026
    In this episode, Daniel sits down with Matt Serafini — screenwriter, author, and one of horror's most compelling new voices, hailed by grandmaster Brian Keene as one of the best in the genre. Matt's books include Rites of Extinction, Feral, Under the Blade, and his brand new social media horror novel, Feeders.Together, they dig into the obsessive joy of tracking down obscure slasher films, the nostalgia of video store culture, and how the algorithm-driven doom loops of modern social media became the seed of Matt's most ambitious novel yet. They talk about growing up on King, F. Paul Wilson, and Bret Easton Ellis, writing a teenage protagonist you'd never expect, and why Matt refused to change the last hundred pages of Feeders — no matter who asked.The conversation also hits the pressure young people face online, the cynicism baked into performative outrage, AI slop flooding our feeds, and why Matt believes the best thing any writer can do is tell a story only they could tell.This is a sharp, funny, and genuinely insightful conversation about horror fiction, social media, storytelling, and what it means to write something that couldn't have come from anyone else.💀 In this episode you'll discover:Why Ogroff the Mad Butcher might be the most gloriously unhinged slasher film you've never seenThe joy and consequence of video store culture — and what streaming has quietly taken from usHow King, F. Paul Wilson, Michael Slade, and Bret Easton Ellis shaped Matt's voice as a writerWhat it felt like to receive a blurb from Brian Keene — and why "validation" is a complicated wordWhy Matt built MonoLife (the fictional dark web app at the heart of Feeders) from real frustrations with social mediaHow working with college-age interns gave Matt an authentic window into Kylie's worldThe agent who told him to scrap the last hundred pages — and why he walked awayWhy the climax of Feeders was the most fun Matt has ever had writing anythingWhat Matt hopes readers take away from the book (without prescribing the answer)Why authenticity — not productivity — is the writer's best weapon against AIA sneak peek at Matt's next project, which his agent called "couldn't be any more you"Links & Resources:Matt Serafini on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattserafini Feeders by Matt Serafini: https://www.amazon.com/Feeders-Novel-Matt-Serafini/dp/1668060973 Devil's Rock Community Discord: https://www.devilsrockbooks.com/podcastSubscribe to The Writer's ChairIf you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow horror fan or writer.📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@devilsrockbooks🎧 Listen on your favourite app: https://pod.link/1829723468💬 Join the community: https://www.devilsrockbooks.com/podcast📚 About the GuestMatt Serafini is a screenwriter and author of horror fiction based on the East Coast. His novels include Rites of Extinction, Feral, Under the Blade — called "one of the best slasher films you'll ever read" by Film Thrills — and Feeders, a dark social media horror novel published in 2024. He has been hailed as one of the best new voices in horror fiction by Brian Keene.Matt's short fiction has appeared in multiple anthology collections. His non-fiction writing on film and literature has been published at Dread Central, Shock Till You Drop, Fangoria, and Horror Hound. He has a background in marketing and spent years managing social media for a university — an experience that fed directly into the obsessions at the heart of Feeders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr
  • Building a Sustainable Horror Press: Gatekeepers, Quality and the Long Game with Jennifer Barnes

    Building a Sustainable Horror Press: Gatekeepers, Quality and the Long Game with Jennifer Barnes
    Feb 27 2026

    In this episode, Daniel sits down with Jennifer Barnes — managing editor of Raw Dog Screaming Press, longtime champion of off-kilter horror, and a key force behind two decades of cross-genre, boundary-pushing publishing.


    Together, they dig into what it really takes to keep a small press alive for twenty plus years, how Raw Dog Screaming Press grew out of the early online zine era, and why “gatekeeping” is a more complicated conversation than most people want it to be.


    They talk sustainability over hype, why small presses collapse when they overextend, and how Jennifer protects quality (and her sanity) by scaling releases to reality. The conversation also hits horror poetry, novellas, writing craft, the rise of AI, and why community energy often comes more from writers than readers.


    This is a grounded, honest look at the publishing side of horror — full of practical insight, hard-earned perspective, and the kind of transparency writers wish they heard more often.


    💀 In this episode you’ll discover:


    • How Raw Dog Screaming Press began from the Dream People zine era and a love of cross-genre work

    • Where the name “Raw Dog Screaming Press” came from, and how language shifts over time

    • Why the “gatekeepers” conversation is more nuanced than it used to be

    • The biggest reason small presses burn out or implode, and how to avoid it

    • Jennifer’s approach to sustainability, self-sufficiency, and not overcommitting

    • Why horror poetry mattered to Raw Dog’s legacy, and how it helped shape the scene

    • What Jennifer looks for in standout horror, voice, craft, and character

    • The reality of novellas in the market, and why they’re gaining traction again

    • Why AI is unpredictable, and why she’s sticking to the same quality-first plan

    • What excites Jennifer most right now, including the upcoming Abandoned: Asylum anthology


    Links & Resources:


    Raw Dog Screaming Press: https://rawdogscreaming.com

    Raw Dog Screaming Press on socials: @RDSPress

    Horror Writers Association (mentioned): https://www.horror.org

    Abandoned: Asylum (edited by James Chambers): https://rawdogscreaming.com/book-deal-abandoned-asylum-anthology/


    Subscribe to The Writer’s Chair


    If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow horror fan or writer.


    📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@devilsrockbooks

    🎧 Listen on your favourite app: https://pod.link/1829723468

    💬 Join the community: https://www.devilsrockbooks.com/podcast


    📚 About the Guest


    Jennifer Barnes is the managing editor of Raw Dog Screaming Press, a small press publishing off-kilter, cross-genre books for more than two decades. She began her editing career in the early 2000s as an editor for Dream People Literary Magazine, and later helped build Raw Dog Screaming Press into a respected home for dark, distinctive fiction and award-nominated work.


    She is also an accomplished graphic designer, a longtime advocate for horror poetry, and co-chair of the Maryland Chapter of the Horror Writers Association. Jennifer graduated from the University of Maryland with a BA in English and a concentration in poetry, and she continues to work across editing, production, and publishing with a focus on craft, originality, and quality.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    41 mins
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