Interviews Archives - Cemetery Dance Online

Interview: Johanna Van Veen on Bone of My Bone and the Convergence of Religious, Historical, and Folk Horror

Cemetery Dance OnlineMay 27, 2026InterviewsHaley Newlin, Interviews, Johanna Van VeenLeave a comment

Johanna Van Veen’s debut Gothic horror novel, My Darling Dreadful Thing, was a Bram Stoker Award nominee, and her sophomore novel, Blood on Her Tongue, became an instant USA Today Bestseller. Both journey into historical settings, as does her latest release, Bone of My Bone, set in Germany during the ruthless Thirty Years’ War. It explores the convergence of three horror subgenres: folk, historical, and religious. As well as the effects of war on everyday people.

Author Johanna Van Veen — Johanna Van Veen

Johanna Van Veen sat down with Cemetery Dance to discuss her new release, Bone of My Bone.

Interview: A. Rushby on Slashed Beauties and Feminist Body Horror

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 27, 2026InterviewsA. Rushby, Haley Newlin, Interviews, Slashed BeautiesLeave a comment

A. Rushby (also writing as Allison Rushby and A.J. Rushby) has published more than thirty books. Whether writing for junior and middle grade readers or adults, Rushby is known for her love of all things dark and peculiar. Sometimes she writes about Victorian death photography and installation art. Sometimes it’s haunted houses or kittens who have midnight tea parties.

In Slashed Beauties, Rushby’s adult body and feminist horror novel, she writes about bewitched anatomical wax models, cursed lockets, and women’s never-ending fight for autonomy.

Rushby sat down with Cemetery Dance to discuss, Slashed Beauties, Anatomical Venuses, her favorite feminist/body horror books, and her next release, All Her Beautiful Deaths.

You can connect with her on Instagram @allisonrushbyauthor and at allisonrushby.com

Discussing Reincarnate and the Ugly Side of Heroes with Barry Hoffman

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 15, 2026April 13, 2026InterviewsBarry Hoffman, Interviews, Reincarnate, Rick HipsonLeave a comment

banner graphic that says Cemetery Dance Interviews

cover of Reincarnate — My beautiful picture

If you’ve read any of the numerous works written by Barry Hoffman, then you already know there’s a few boxes you can count on checking off when reading him. Ruthless, complex villain with at least a few sympathetic qualities? Check. Spotlighting controversial issues in today’s society that demands the attention they seldom get? Check. A page-turning thriller fueled by relatably flawed main characters committed to the justice they seek despite the risks? Check again.

You can also expect a modest infusion of the supernatural sprinkled throughout Hoffman’s work, which he uses to syphon the inner most thoughts and fears of characters to the surface, adding to the intensity of the already dangerous games they’re forced to play. Reincarnate, published by Cemetery Dance Publications, is a worthy addition to Hoffman’s library of work, and can easily be considered among his best.Continue Reading

Night Time Logic with Jo Kaplan

Cemetery Dance OnlineApril 3, 2026March 1, 2026Interviews, Night Time LogicColumns, Daniel Braum, Interviews, Jo Kaplan, Night Time Logic1 Comment

Night Time Logic with Daniel Braum

Music and Horror, Embracing Tropes, and the Midnight Muse

Night Time Logic is the part of a story that is felt but not consciously processed. It is also the name of this interview series here at Cemetery Dance online and over on my YouTube channel where we explore the night time part of stories, the strange and uncanny in horror, dark fiction, and more.

My latest book, Phantom Constellations: Strange Tales and Ghost Stories, out now from Cemetery Dance Publications, is full of these kind of subtle, strange, and intentionally ambiguous tales the operate with Night Time Logic.

Author Jo Kaplan is an author whose work uses Night Time Logic and she is a repeat guest on the Night Time Logic YouTube series. Her latest novel is called The Midnight Muse. I recently had a chance to speak with her about the new book.Continue Reading

Interview: Kristi DeMeester on Dark Sisters

Cemetery Dance OnlineFebruary 17, 2026February 10, 2026InterviewsDark Sisters, Haley Newlin, Interviews, Kristi DeMeesterLeave a comment

banner graphic that says Cemetery Dance Interviews

photo of author Kristi DeMeester — Kristi DeMeester

Kristi DeMeester is the author of Dark Sisters, Such a Pretty Smile (which was selected as a Georgia Author of the Year finalist) and Beneath. Her short fiction has appeared in publications such as The Dark, Black Static, multiple volumes of The Year’s Best Horror, Year’s Best Weird Fiction, and in her short fiction collection Everything That’s Underneath. She lives, writes, and makes horror-themed candles in Atlanta, Georgia.

She is represented by Stefanie Lieberman at Janklow & Nesbit Associates. She is at work on her next novel.

DeMeester sat down with Cemetery Dance to talk about her new folk and religious horror novel, Dark Sisters, what it’s like growing up in a mega church, the increasing demand for feminist and pink horror, and book recommendations within the subgenre. Continue Reading

Eclusive Interview/Preview: Vampyre: A Horror Folktale

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 27, 2026January 24, 2026Interviews, The Comic VaultColumns, Danica Davidson, Interviews, Previews, Ricardo Delgado, The Comic Vault, Vampyre A Horror FolktaleLeave a comment

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of Vampyre: A Costa Rican Folktale Graphic novelist, writer and Hollywood conceptual artist Ricardo Delgado spoke to Cemetery Dance in 2022 about his Dracula of Transylvania, and now he’s back in that dark world with his new work, Vampyre: A Horror Folktale. It is currently on Kickstarter. Cemetery Dance has exclusive artwork to show, and also caught up with Delgado about Vampyre, its connection to his childhood and previousDracula work, and what else he has going on.Continue Reading

Exclusive Preview/Interview: Weird Tales – “Shambleau”

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 20, 2026January 18, 2026Interviews, The Comic VaultBlake Northcott, Columns, Danica Davidson, Interviews, Previews, The Comic Vault, Weird TalesLeave a comment

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of Weird Tales The iconic Weird Tales franchise is getting a graphic novel adaptation from Monstrous Books through Kickstarter. Cemetery Dance has some exclusive artwork to share, and can confirm first and exclusively that one of the stories in it will be “Shambleau” by C.L. Moore, adapted by writer Blake Northcott (best known for her work on Catwoman) and artist George Quadros (best known for his work on Sumerian). Northcott spoke to Cemetery Dance about her work on the comic adaptation of“Shambleau.”Continue Reading

Nick Cagnetti on Unleashing the Spirit of the Shadows

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 16, 2026December 18, 2025Interviews, The Comic VaultColumns, Danica Davidson, Interviews, Nick Cagnetti, Oni Press, Spirit of the Shadows, The Comic VaultLeave a comment

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of Spirit of the Shadows #1 Nick Cagnetti of Pink Lemonade co-wrote the five-part comic Spirit of the Shadows with Daniel Ziegler and also took on all the artwork. The series takes the superhero genre into the world of horror, and the first issue drops on January 28. Cemetery Dance spoke to Cagnetti about inspiration, The Phantom of the Opera, working with his co-writer, and some of the crazy, spooky places the story goes to.Continue Reading

Interview: Laurel Hightower on The Long Low Whistle

Cemetery Dance OnlineJanuary 7, 2026December 29, 2025InterviewsHaley Newlin, Interviews, Laurel HightowerLeave a comment

banner graphic that says Cemetery Dance Interviews

photo of author Laurel Hightower — Laurel Hightower

Laurel Hightower is a bourbon-loving native of Lexington, Kentucky. She is the Bram Stoker-nominated author of Whispers In The Dark, Crossroads, Below, Every Woman Knows This, Silent Key, Spirit Coven, The Day Of The Door, and The Long Low Whistle, and has more than a dozen short fiction stories in print.

Hightower sat down with Cemetery Dance to talk about cryptid horror, powerful and flawed female characters, horror films, The Long Low Whistle, and Shortwave Publishing’s Killer VHS Series. Continue Reading

Interview: Viggy Parr Hampton

Cemetery Dance OnlineDecember 30, 2025December 14, 2025InterviewsA Veritable Household Pet, Haley Newlin, Interview, Viggy Parr HamptonLeave a comment

banner graphic that says Cemetery Dance Interviews

photo of author Viggy Parr Hampton — Viggy Parr Hampton

Viggy Parr Hampton, MPH is an epidemiologist, host of the podcast “Horror Humor Hunger,” and the author of A Cold Night for Alligators, Much Too Vulgar, The Rotting Room, and A Veritable Household Pet. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. She is also a member of the Purgatory Media team, producing the popular YouTube segment “Tag Team Tales of Terror,” where she challenges fellow horror authors to create a progressive story with her.

Hampton sat down with Cemetery Dance to talk about feminist horror, lobotomies, and A Veritable Household Pet. Continue Reading

Interview: Erika T. Wurth on The Haunting of Room 904

Cemetery Dance OnlineDecember 24, 2025December 18, 2025InterviewsHaley Newlin, Interviews Erika T. Wurth, The Haunting of Room 904Leave a comment

banner graphic that says Cemetery Dance Interviews

photo of author Erika T. Wurth — Erika T. Wurth

Erika T. Wurth is an urban native of Apache/Chickasaw/Cherokee descent. She is the author of the New York Times editor’s pick, White Horse. She is both a Kenyon and Sewanee fellow. She’s published in Buzzfeed and The Writer’s Chronicle, and is a native artist for the Meow Wolf Denver installation. Her most recent release, The Haunting of Room 904, has garnered national attention and received praise from some of the biggest names in horror, including Paul Trembly, S.A. Cosby, and Phillip Fracassi. She also has a short story in the recently published and highly anticipated Howl: An Anthology of Werewolves from Women-In-Horror alongside Gwendolyn Kiste, Christina Henry, Ai Jiang, Katrina Monroe, and so many other incredible women from the genre.

Wurth sat down with Cemetery Dance to discuss The Haunting of Room 904, religion and lore in horror, Howl, and more.

You can find Erika T. Wurth on Instagram @erikatwurth or on her website. Continue Reading

Rafael Scavone talks Devil’s Luck

Cemetery Dance OnlineDecember 19, 2025December 14, 2025Interviews, The Comic VaultColumns, Danica Davidson, Interviews, Rafael Scavone, The Devil's LuckLeave a comment

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of Devil's Luck #1 Rafael Scavone’s Hailstone came out several years ago, and now he’s returning to his horror sandbox with his new 5-issue comic Devil’s Luck: A Hailstone Story from Comixology Originals and Stout Club Entertainment. Cemetery Dance spoke to Scavone about collaborating with artist Eduardo Ferigato, the story’s historical setting, and what he thinks the elements for a good horror comic are.

Be sure to stick around after the interview for a special preview of The Devil’s Luck!

Cover Artist Soo Lee on Bride of Rocky Horror

Cemetery Dance OnlineNovember 25, 2025November 25, 2025Interviews, The Comic VaultBride of Rocky Horror, Columns, Danica Davidson, Interviews, Soo Lee, The Comic Vault, The Rocky Horror Picture ShowLeave a comment

banner that reads The Comic Vault

cover of Bride of Rocky Horror by Soo Lee — Soo Lee cover for Bride of Rocky Horror

Soo Lee, a Bram Stoker Award–winning cover artist, is one of the talents involved with Bride of Rocky Horror, which is now on Kickstarter. Cemetery Dance spoke with her about her background with Rocky Horror, the franchise’s legacy, and how horror comics have influenced her work.

Be sure to stick around after the interview for a special Bride of Rocky Horror preview!

Folio Society Editor on Publishing Haruki Murakami, Horror, and More

Cemetery Dance OnlineNovember 14, 2025October 23, 2025InterviewsDanica Davidson, Daniel Liévano, Folio Society, Haruki Murakami, Interviews, Sophia SchoepferLeave a comment

banner graphic that says Cemetery Dance Interviews

The Folio Society is doing an illustrated edition of 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, a Japanese novel about a hitwoman and a dangerous cult. Cemetery Dance spoke with editor Sophia Schoepfer about the publisher’s involvement with horror books, why they decided to take on IQ84, and her favorite horror book she’s worked on so far.

1Q84 Volume 1

Interview: Crafting Horror with Jenny Kiefer

Cemetery Dance OnlineOctober 28, 2025October 9, 2025InterviewsCrafting for Sinners, Haley Newlin, Interviews, Jenny Kiefer, This Wretched ValleyLeave a comment

banner graphic that says Cemetery Dance Interviews

photo of author Jenny Kiefer — Jenny Kiefer

Jenny Kiefer is an award-winning author of spine-tingling, fierce, and cathartic horror. Her debut novel, This Wretched Valley, was a 2024 Bram Stoker Award Nominee and named a Library Journal Best Horror Book of the year. Readers have been anxiously awaiting her second release, Crafting for Sinners, a survival horror story about a queer woman trapped in a craft store run by religious fanatics. It is all over BookTok and Bookstagram as one of the most anticipated horror book releases of 2025.

Together with her mother, Kiefer owns and manages Butcher Cabin Books, an all-horror bookstore in Louisville, Kentucky.

Kiefer sat down with Cemetery Dance to discuss her debut novel, This Wretched Valley, her new release, Crafting for Sinners, survival horror, her favorite reads of the year, and of course, crafts.

You can find the author on Instagram @_jennykiefer and on her website. Continue Reading

FREE email updates!

Categories