EP. 5 | Hailey Piper — Destroying What We Love, Emotional Horror, and Reading More Women

EP. 5 | Hailey Piper — Destroying What We Love, Emotional Horror, and Reading More Women

In this episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, Teenage Girls Can Be Demons, No Gods for Drowning, This Movie Doesn’t End the Way We Want, and She Isn’t Herself Tonight, among many more. Hailey discusses her two upcoming releases, including the cursed-film horror of This Movie Doesn’t End the Way We Want and the emotional, strange, alien-abduction spiral of She Isn’t Herself Tonight. Together, they explore horror as a genre of emotion, the integrity of art, grief, cosmic horror, queer women in horror, and the ways fear can help us sit with discomfort instead of looking away. The conversation also dives into No Gods for Drowning, motherhood, worldbuilding, complicated characters, writing cityscapes and large-scale settings on the page, letting emotion guide narrative logic, the expectations placed on women writers, and why reading horror by women and marginalized authors expands what the genre can be. Hailey also shares her recent favorite written by a woman in horror. Hailey Piper's Woman in Horror Book Picks: Sleep Alone by J.A.W. McCarthy: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798897320103 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798897320103] Hailey Piper's Books Mentioned in this Episode: Queen of Teeth: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781946335418 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781946335418] Game in Yellow: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781668077085 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781668077085] No Gods for Drowning: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781967846160 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781967846160] She Isn't Herself Tonight: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781668077122 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781668077122] This Movie Doesn't End the Way We Want: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781835411483 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781835411483] Other Authors Mentioned in this Episode: RJ Joseph Connect with Hailey Piper: Instagram / Bluesky: @haileypiperfights Website: haileypiper.com [http://haileypiper.com] About the Host, KJ Brantley: KJ Brantley is an indigenous-mixed, autistic horror and dark fiction author whose work explores motherhood, feminism, identity, neurodivergence, trauma, and psychological horror. Drawn to the intersection of entertainment and social commentary, she crafts stories that are both unsettling and emotionally resonant. She is the host of The Uncanny Women Podcast and founder and organizer of the SoCo Women in Horror Fest. She is currently the President of the Women in Horror Arts and Media Association. KJ lives in Colorado with her husband, two toddlers, and an ever-growing stack of spooky books. Learn more at WomenInHorrorFestival.Com [http://WomenInHorrorFestival.Com]

EP. 4 | CJ Leede — From Maeve Fly to Headlights: Grief and the American Landscape

In this episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with CJ Leede, author of Maeve Fly, American Rapture, and Headlights. CJ reflects on the acclaim that followed the release of Maeve Fly and what it's been like navigating the expectations that come with a breakout debut. Together, they discuss how religion and grief have each shaped her work, the emotional power of body horror, and the ways America's cultural and physical landscapes finds its way into her fiction. The conversation explores writing flawed, unapologetic women, writing a MMC with emotional depth, the influence of place on storytelling, horror publishing, how she researched Colorado for her latest book, and the inspiration behind Headlights. CJ also shares her latest favorites written my women in horror. Books by CJ Leede Mentioned Maeve Fly: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250857859 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250857859] American Rapture: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250857927 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250857927] Headlights: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250857965 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250857965] Books & Authors Recommended in This Episode Kiss, Slay, Replay by Rachel Harrison: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798217188574 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798217188574] Cranberry Cove by Hailey Piper: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798988128632 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798988128632] Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781668077085 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781668077085] Connect with CJ Leede Instagram / Threads / Bluesky: @ceejthemoment

EP. 3 | V.S. Lawrence — Female Friendships, Religious Horror, and '90s Nostalgia

In this episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with V.S. Lawrence, prolific indie horror author of 80s Ghosts, With Friends Like These, and the upcoming Just Us Here. Together, they discuss women's friendships in horror, growing up as '90s kids, religious upbringing and religious horror, cults, nostalgia, and the ways our childhood and life experiences shape the stories they tell. V.S. also shares how her own experiences with isolation and illness influenced her recurring themes of friendship and found family. They also talk about indie publishing, horror community, book festivals, gothic horror, and the books and women in horror authors they think more readers should discover. BOOKS BY V.S. LAWRENCE MENTIONED * 80s Ghosts https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798223965145 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798223965145] * With Friends Like These https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798224335930 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798224335930] * Just Us Here [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798233648779] (coming July, 2026) https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798233648779 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798233648779] BOOKS & AUTHORS RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE * The Auctioneer [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781948405706] by Joan Sampson https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781948405706 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781948405706] * Trifles [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781420970067] by Susan Glaspell https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781420970067 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781420970067] * When the Reckoning Comes [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9780063035041] by LaTanya McQueen https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9780063035041 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9780063035041] * Work by A.C. Hessenauer, including the upcoming Going to the Six * Work by Candace Nola * Work by Red Lagoe Please see the Uncanny Women Podcast affiliate store [https://bookshop.org/lists/books-featured-on-uncanny-women-podcast] at Bookshop.org [https://bookshop.org/lists/books-featured-on-uncanny-women-podcast] for full list of books featured with each episode: https://bookshop.org/lists/books-featured-on-uncanny-women-podcast [https://bookshop.org/lists/books-featured-on-uncanny-women-podcast] CONNECT WITH V.S. LAWRENCE * Website: V.S. Lawrence: https://vslawrence.com/ [https://vslawrence.com/] * Instagram: @vslawrence.author [https://www.instagram.com/vslawrence.author/]

EP. 1 | Sara van Os — Survival Skills, Opera Drag, and Why Women Are Better

In the debut episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with author Sara van Os to discuss horror, wilderness survival, queer identity, and the strange confidence that comes from watching far too much Naked and Afraid. Together, they dive into van Os’s debut novel Decomposition Book, writing deeply flawed characters, survival narratives, and women in horror fiction. The conversation also explores: * writing protagonists with OCD * opera and performance * gender presentation * Sara’s writing process * writing women with agency * why Sara believes she would absolutely survive Naked and Afraid If you enjoy dark humor, survival horror, and conversations about women writing horror on their own terms, this episode is for you. BOOKS AND AUTHORS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE FOLLOW SARA VAN OS Instagram: @saramcclarinet [https://www.instagram.com/saramcclarinet/] https://www.instagram.com/saramcclarinet/ [https://www.instagram.com/saramcclarinet/] BY SARA VAN OS Decomposition Book Purchase Here: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781335001894 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781335001894] BOOKS MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer Purchase Here: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9780385486804 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9780385486804] Wilderness of Girls by Madeline Claire Franklin Purchase Here: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781638932826 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781638932826] The Grace Year by Kim Liggett Purchase Here: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250145451 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781250145451] Follow Uncanny Women Podcast Instagram: @uncannywomenpodcast https://www.instagram.com/uncannywomenpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/uncannywomenpodcast] Follow Host, KJ Brantley Instagram: @authorkjbrantley https://www.instagram.com/authorkjbrantley [https://www.instagram.com/authorkjbrantley] Threads: @authorkjbrantley https://www.threads.com/@authorkjbrantley [https://www.threads.com/@authorkjbrantley] TikTok: @authorkjbrantley https://www.tiktok.com/@authorkjbrantley [https://www.tiktok.com/@authorkjbrantley] Follow the SoCo Women in Horror Festival Instagram: @womeninhorrorfestivalco https://www.instagram.com/womeninhorrorfestivalco [https://www.instagram.com/womeninhorrorfestivalco] TikTok: @socowomeninhorrorfest https://www.tiktok.com/@soco.women.in.horror [https://www.tiktok.com/@soco.women.in.horror]

EP. 2 | R.J. Joseph — Literary Splatterpunk and Being the Monster

In this episode of Uncanny Women Podcast, KJ Brantley sits down with Shirley Jackson and Stoker Award-nominated author, editor, and scholar R.J. Joseph to discuss horror through the lens of history, identity, monstrosity, and the Black lived experience. Together, they explore Joseph’s acclaimed collection Hell Hath No Sorrow Like a Woman Haunted, her upcoming collection My Monsters Ain't Like Yours, the idea of literary splatterpunk, Blackademic scholarship, motherhood in horror, and the lasting influence of Beloved on horror literature and storytelling. The conversation also dives into: * horror as historical reckoning * the monstrous feminine * Black womanhood in horror * the intersections of academia and genre fiction * how horror reflects real-world trauma and violence * why monstrosity can be a powerful literary lens BOOKS, STORIES, AND AUTHORS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE FOLLOW R.J. JOSEPH Website: https://www.rjjosephwrites.com [https://www.rjjosephwrites.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rjjosephwrites/ [https://www.instagram.com/rjjosephwrites/] Threads: https://www.threads.com/@rjjosephwrites [https://www.threads.com/@rjjosephwrites] BY R.J. JOSEPH Hell Hath No Sorrow Like a Woman Haunted Paperback: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781990082184 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781990082184] Hardcover: https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781990082191 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781990082191] My Monsters Ain't Like Yours https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781967911448 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781967911448] “Screams from the Bayou” https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781970383027 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781970383027] OTHER BOOKS MENTIONED Progeny by Kenya Moss-Dyme https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798330337644 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9798330337644] Beloved by Toni Morrison https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9780525659273 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9780525659273] The Dead Spot https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781958598276 [https://bookshop.org/a/111724/9781958598276]