282 – CJ Leede & Peeling Back the Skin of the World

282 – CJ Leede & Peeling Back the Skin of the World

From Talking Scared by Neil McRobert

June 9, 2026 · 1h 20m

About this episode

CJ Leede returns to discuss her new novel 'Headlights' and its eerie themes.

Horror’s reigning Queen of Extreme returns to the show! CJ Leede is the author of Maeve Fly and American Rapture, and if you’re abreast of contemporary horror you’ve heard of her twisted take on Americana. She’s back to talk about her third novel, Headlights, in which people are waking up from fugue-like states, to find themselves draped in the flayed skins of other people. What’s going on? Who’s doing it? Is it human or supernatural? Does it have anything at all to do with Stephen King’s The Shining? And where does the songwriting magic of John Denver come into things? CJ answers these and many other similarly weird questions. There’s so much to cover, we barely even talk about the act of skinning someone alive. Enjoy. Other books mentioned: The Shining (1977), by Stephen King Doctor Sleep (2013), by Stephen King How to Disappear Completely (2027), by Liz Kerin Support Talking Scared on Patreon Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Neil McRobert

Guest: CJ Leede

Topics covered

  • horror literature
  • contemporary horror
  • Americana
  • novel discussion
  • supernatural themes

Keywords

  • CJ Leede
  • Headlights
  • horror
  • Stephen King
  • Americana
  • supernatural
  • novel

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Maeve Fly, American Rapture, Headlights, The Shining, Doctor Sleep, How to Disappear Completely

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