
Audio Collaboration: Mike Thorn + Yosh Des
Former apartment neighbors Mike Thorn and Yosh Des bonded over their shared commitment to creative expression and a mutual interest in industrial and electronic music. For their first collaboration, Mike recorded a reading of his short story “Entropy Major” (included in his latest collection, Peel Back and See), and Josh composed immersive soundscape accompaniment.
Night Worms Guest Post: PEEL BACK AND SEE Playlist Curated by Author Mike Thorn

“I tried to situate my narratives within the matter-of-fact nature of our dire contemporary circumstances: not only the pandemic and the disturbing realities it has revealed about our social structures, but also the increasing transparency of systemic corruption and oppression writ large, the unspeakable social/psychological ruptures created by social media, and the rapidly worsening climate emergency and other environmental catastrophes. This is a bleak book written during bleak times. What I have sought to do here is curate a sonic representation of its tone.”
Night Worms Cover Reveal: PEEL BACK AND SEE

On October 29, 2021, JournalStone will release Peel Back and See.
Visit Night Worms for an exclusive cover reveal (art by Mikio Murakami).
Night Worms Guest Post: DARKEST HOURS Playlist by Mike Thorn

“Heavy metal has always shared a close relationship with the horror genre. From metal grandaddy Black Sabbath’s very name (lifted from Mario Bava’s 1963 anthology film) to the occult aesthetics of black metal and the grisly imagery of death metal, this diverse sonic universe overlaps with horror in varying noteworthy ways. Indeed, I found my gateways into heavy music around the same time I discovered horror fiction and cinema, and it all seemed somehow connected.”
Night Worms Cover Reveal – DARKEST HOURS: EXPANDED EDITION

On June 11, 2021, Journalstone will release Darkest Hours: Expanded Edition. This definitive version includes:
• A new foreword by Sadie Hartmann (Mother Horror)
• Author notes for all 16 stories (newly revised)
• 17 essays on horror cinema
Visit Night Worms for an exclusive cover reveal (art by Mikio Murakami).
Pre-order directly from JournalStone.
Night Worms Guest Post: Playlist for Shelter for the Damned

“I have curated two playlists that aim to capture the novel’s spirit, one with vocals and one without. The former playlist includes songs recorded in or before the year 2003, ranging from industrial and nu metal to hardcore and post-punk. Many of these tracks summon vivid personal memories from my teenage years. The second playlist, comprised of instrumental pieces (black metal interludes, dark ambient works, horror movie soundtracks, field recordings, and more) seeks to capture the novel’s dark atmosphere.”
Night Worms Cover Reveal: SHELTER FOR THE DAMNED by Mike Thorn

On February 26, 2021, JournalStone will release Mike Thorn’s debut novel, Shelter for the Damned. This grisly, pessimistic, supernatural tale is Thorn’s contribution to the great tradition of suburban horror.
Visit Night Worms for an exclusive cover reveal (art by Trevor Henderson).
Pre-order directly from JournalStone.
Guest Post on Night Worms: 100 Favorite Metal Albums
“Exhume to Consume” was my working title for the second story in my new duology, Dreams of Lake Drukka & Exhumation ; unfortunately, the title already belongs to a song from Carcass’s Symphonies of Sickness (which is included on this list). Like many of the pieces in my collection Darkest Hours, this new story owes something to the atmosphere and imagery of death metal and black metal. For Night Worms, I’ve listed and (very, very roughly) ranked my 100 favorite metal albums.