For someone discovering it for the first time, what is Midnight Radio about?
Midnight Radio is about something knocking on your door and changing your life forever. Suddenly, you have questions: What does my normal life look like now? How do I move forward? How could God let this happen?
Horrible things happen to people. This story explores how they react and what they do next.
You mentioned the question, “How could God let this happen?” What made you want to explore faith through a horror story?
I’ve had terrible things happen in my life. I’m a war veteran. When I came home, I had to adjust. Then, when I left the service, I had to adjust again.
I went through bouts of PTSD. While I didn’t choose violence, I sometimes wondered what might have happened if I had. That question became something I could explore through fiction.
How did those questions shape your characters, and what do you hope readers understand about their choices?
One character is a doctor who measures the value of life in dollar signs, both professionally and personally. Faced with some of the horrors I experienced through PTSD, he acts on his immediate reactions.
He does what my addled brain might have done if I hadn’t stopped, taken a breath, smiled, and sat down. That pause matters.
What role does humor play in a story that explores such painful questions?
The humor isn’t intentional in the sense that I’m trying to make the reader laugh. It comes from my natural sense of humor and the everyday family experiences I had growing up. That’s how people talked and lived, and it comes through in the writing.
Where did the idea for Alex Knight and the late-night radio show come from?
The idea didn’t start with radio at all. It came from late-night television horror hosts. That’s what Alex Knight was originally based on.
In fact, when I wrote the first few chapters, I hadn’t heard Coast to Coast AM. Someone read those chapters and said, “Hey, this reminds me of Art Bell.”
After that, I listened to his show, and I loved it. But Alex Knight already existed.
What was it about those television horror hosts that stayed with you?
It was a lot of fun! The movie was creepy, and the host was just as creepy. You were always wondering what was going on with the host.
I thought it would be a shame for kids and adults who hadn’t experienced that to miss out. I wanted to give them some of that same fun.
Is that the feeling you want readers to have—that they’ve stayed up late watching something they probably shouldn’t?
Yes. I want them to start reading late at night and either find they can’t put it down or look forward to reading more the next night.
I’m saying to the reader, “Hey, you want to have some fun? Come on.”
With all that darkness in the story, where does hope come in?
In this novel, hope comes from theology, from the family dynamic, and from a friend who’s willing to sit beside you and say, “I know you’re hurting. I want you to come help me with something.”
What do you hope stays with readers after they finish the book?
I want them to think, “Wow, that was fun. I really enjoyed that.”
Whenever I finish a good book, I’m sad that it’s over. It’s like a beloved family member leaving after a long visit. You feel that sadness as you wave goodbye, but then you think about the good times and smile.
And maybe they’ve left you a gift—something to remember them by until you see them again.
That’s what I want my writing to do for people. That’s what I want to give them.
When can readers get Midnight Radio, and where can they learn more about you?
Midnight Radio releases on October 20, 2026. You can find information about me and my writing at midnightrad.io.