Walking through my local Barnes And Noble a while back, I ran into a book titled “Wounds”. Interesting. The subtitle? “Six Stories From The Border Of Hell”. SOLD! After devilishly devouring the book, I got my hands on Nathan Ballingrud’s first story collection, “North American Lake Monsters”. I’m telling you, these two books have enriched my life immeasurably, with stories of Hell, Werewolves, Vampires, Aliens, but mostly, people. The people in Nathan’s stories come alive in my mind and refuse to leave, long after the reading is done, THAT’S the true sign of a great author, in my mind. Insidious. Here is my attempt to delve the depths of one of my favorite authors mind. How do the stories go from brain to book? IS humanity insignifigant, as Lovecraft would have us believe? What records would you take on your exile to a desert island? All of these questions and more are answered in this episode, plus you’ll get to know Nathan a bit better than you did before. Keep your eye on this dude – he’s going places, and rightfully so. The music of the episode is the perfect companion to the episode, you might say a “Hellish Hymnal” to guide you on this journey. Black Breath is the band and balefully beautiful songs are their game. Pop the iron cage on thine head, ignore the cries of the damned – or – revel in them and join me in this decsent into madness, mayhem and the mind of the best damn horror writer of our time.