Chthonica episode #1: Interview with Laird Barron on the worlds, metaphysics, influences, and - yes - dogs in his horror fiction

Greg Greene conducts a wide-ranging interview with horror great Laird Barron on his twenty-year career as a pre-eminent author of horror, weird fiction, and noir. The conversation covers numerous themes and aspects of his work and upcoming projects and publications. Plus, answers to questions from Twitter and Reddit followers. Interview conducted on June 23, 2021.

• 00:00 - Metaphysics and meta-narrative in Laird’s fictional worlds; the consciousness and incongruities of the writer; and “quantum narrative”.
• 23:10 - “Time is a ring.” 32:06 - Laird’s protagonists and their relationship with violence: Isaiah Coleridge, Jessica Mace, and Rex, the last dog on earth!
• 48:18 - Aging and the relationship with pain.
• 56:46 - Dogs, humans, happiness and stewardship. Laird talks specifically about his long-time companion Athena.
• 1:09:58 - Craft & influences: narrative style in Swift to Chase; John Langan and Stephen Graham Jones; the new Jessica Mace story (hint: it's a *sequel* to another recent horror tale); and Xs for Eyes, Blood Standard, and switching between styles.
• 1:22:00: Nanashi, Man with No Name, and "We Used Swords in the 70s"; and Asian vs Western cinema.
• 1:40:49: Evoking an altered state of consciousness in the narrator/protagonist; the genius of Brain Evenson and Kelly Link; meeting readers' expectations as your writing career progresses; experimental vs. commercial fiction; and how Laird caught hell over "Catch Hell".
• 1:54:10: The dark genesis of "More Dark"; audiobook narrator Ray Porter; the folly of valorizing depression; and eff the bullies.
• 2:06:50: Questions from the mailbag, including Laird's current projects!