In this episode, host Terry Shepherd dives into the "uneasy space" of literary horror with poet and dancer Kirsten Kashock. They discuss her unsettling new novel, An Impossibility of Crows, a story that examines the haunting boundaries of devotion, inheritance, and control.
The Horse-Sized Crow
Kirsten reveals that the book originated from a single, startling dream of a crow the size of a horse. While the image was jarring, she felt curiosity rather than fear, leading her to create a female "mad scientist" protagonist—a rarity in a genre typically dominated by male figures like Frankenstein.
Logic, Longing, and Motherhood
The conversation explores the character of Agnes, a scientist who begins the novel having lost her parents, her job, and her child. Kirsten explains how Agnes’s scientific mind attempts to "solve" her daughter Mina’s birth defect through a breeding program, inadvertently crossing the line between care and control.
Key Discussion Points:
"The things that we bury do not stay dead."
For readers who seek the "pleasurable dread" of the dark and the unsettling, this interview offers a deep dive into the craft of a writer who isn't afraid to get "close to the bone".
Connect with Kirsten Kashock:
We all inevitably become the brand. And that's why I wrote, "How to Become a Dynamic Podcast Guest and Sell Stuff." It's a sweet and short primer that teaches you about the gear, the appearance and the messaging that can grab and hold today's micro-attention spans and motivate your listeners to take action. It's Just a dollar ninety nine at Amazon. Grab your copy today and sell mo
