Tuesday, 11 August 2026

A Scary Interview with Rodney Hatfield Jr.

The Black Beacon Book of Horror 2 will be released on the 1st of October, but in the meantime, the Kindle version is available for pre-order at just $1.99 instead of $3.99 and you can add the anthology to your Goodreads TBR list. To get you pumpkin-spiced up for an unforgettable Halloween 2026, we’re interviewing the contributing authors. Step into the corridors of their dark minds, if you dare!

Hi Rodney,

That classic question to get started. Do you have to be a horrible person to write horrible things?

You don't have to be a horrible person to write horrible things. In fact, the opposite is often true for writers like me. Horror, creepypasta, and dark fiction are acts of imagination and empathy, exploring the shadows so readers can confront fears, process trauma, or just get a thrilling rush in a safe way. I draw from life in the coal fields of southern West Virginia, my own battles with autism, depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, panic disorder, and sensory sensitivities. Those don't make me "horrible", they give me authentic material for suspense, unease, and the weird corners of the human experience. Writing the monstrous lets me externalize it, play with it, and often inject dark humor or absurdity into an otherwise horrific situation. Plenty of the kindest, most gentle people I know write the darkest stuff. It's catharsis, craftsmanship, and entertainment. The real "horrible" people usually don't need fiction, they just live it. My goal is simpler: entertain, unsettle, and maybe make someone laugh while their skin crawls.

Which horror writers do you admire—old or new, famous or hidden gems?

Edgar Allan Poe — Obvious and eternal.
Thomas Ligotti — Philosophical nightmare fuel. Weird, existential, and bleak in the best way.
Algernon Blackwood — Classic weird fiction with nature-as-menace vibes.
Ramsey Campbell — Modern Master of Urban and psychological decay.
Paul Tremblay — Modern voice doing fresh takes on grief, and home-invasion terror.

Can you describe your perfect horror-themed night in, out, or away?

I don’t people, unless it is something I need to do. My place somewhere in the mountains of West Virginia. Sitting on the porch with a large tea, and the darkness. Fog rolling in off the hills, distant sounds of wildlife (that is what we tell the tourists), and that crisp night air that smells like damp leaves, dark earth, and old country memories. No bright city lights to ruin the mood, just the weak porch light buzzing with moths and the occasional creak of the house settling.

Are there any urban legends, folktales, or real-life tales of horror that happened (just maybe) where you live or grew up?

You have to be joking. I live in the only state that is entirely inside the Appalachian Mountains. I have written Wild and Feral West Virginia. Field Guide to Cryptids, Myths, and Legends from the WV Book Company. It will be out sometime before the end of the year. It has 91 random entries.

Do you have any writing rituals?

I do most of my writing in my dungeon. It sounds cooler than it is. It is a large closet with an armchair, a table, laptop, stein full of tea, and a single light. It is the quietest place in the house.

Would you share something about yourself that your readers don’t know yet?

My brain is basically a bingo card of mental hurdles, and I’ve learned to treat it like a chaotic superpower rather than just a list of diagnoses. Aspie (High Functioning Autism), panic/anxiety disorder, Hypochondriac, ADHD, OCD, Sensory sensitivity, Haphephobia, Depression, SPD (Sensory processing disorder), Oppositional defiant disorder, Mild Agoraphobia, Aquaphobia, Manic, Lilapsophobia. Think about trying to live with all these at a time when it wasn’t common knowledge.

Where can we find you online?

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