Derek Austin Johnson's Blog

I’ll be at NecronomiCon Providence this August. 
NecronomiCon Providence 2026 The schedule has not been posted yet. However, I can confirm I’ll be on the following panels:Mucho Mojo Storyteller: Joe R. Lansdale. With tales of an interdimensional creature obsessed with razors, apocalyptic drive-ins, and an elderly Elvis Presley facing down a soul-sucking mummy, Texas based author Joe R. Lansdale (American, 1951 -) has created his own distinct space in the world of speculative fiction. Join our panelists as they examine Lansdale’s lengthy career in both print and film, the one-of-a-kind narrative voice used in his stories, and the way he merges different genres, from mysteries to Westerns to horror, in unique and surprising ways with an emphasis on his contributions to the Weird.The Electric Nightmares of Philip K Dick. Exploring themes of identity, surveillance, paranoia and technology, Philip K. Dick (American, 1928 - 1982) was prolific as a writer of science fiction short stories and novels, but his tales frequently contained elements of the Weird. From the alternate history horrors of The Man in the High Castle to the various realities and unrealities in The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, our panel will delve into the strange and unforgiving worlds that sprung from Dick’s imagination.The Pale Song of the Butterfly Collector: Nabokov as Weird Fiction. Author, critic, and scholar Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (Russian, 1899 - 1977) is famous as the author of Lolita and Pale Fire. His fiction is known for rich character studies and prose, but is it weird? In addition to his explicitly secondary world work Ada, our panelists describe how, beneath the surface, his work is pervaded with hints of the otherworldly and strange. Arguably, the most famous weird fiction author you’ve never heard of!Tales from the Crypt: EC Comics. A cackling, cloaked figure opens a dusty tome and reads to their audience stories featuring the supernatural, twist endings, and comeuppance. Welcome to the world of EC Comics, who specialized in gruesome titles like Vault of Horror, Weird Science, The Haunt of Fear and, of course, Tales from the Crypt. Unfortunately, EC’s run of horror, sci-fi, and crime stories was short-lived due to their comics being used as a scapegoat by politicians and psychiatrists for cases of juvenile delinquency in the 1950s. But much like the Crypt Keeper, EC refused to stay dead. Our panelists discuss the writers and artists who contributed to EC’s unique tone, the relationship of EC to the Pulp Era Weird, and how film adaptations, comic revivals and a certain beloved HBO series have kept EC’s legacy alive to this day. I’ll provide more information as it becomes available.

This was nice to wake up to. Inkd Publishing has nominated my story "Day of the Devilfish for the Pushcart Prize. The story is my attempt to answer the question of what John Steinbeck's fiction would have looked like if it had been published by Weird Tales. The book also includes stories by Rachel Roth, Armand Rosamilia, A. M. Sutter, Ross Baxter, and Kelli Dianne Rule, among many others. You can pick up physical copies here, here, and here.

Out now. My story "Day of the Devilfish" is in Cthulhu Dreams edited by A. Balsamo and released by Inkd Publishing. It is my attempt to answer the question of what John Steinbeck's fiction would have looked like if it had been published by Weird Tales. The book also includes stories by Rachel Roth, Armand Rosamilia, A. M. Sutter, Ross Baxter, and Kelli Dianne Rule, among many others. You can pick up physical copies here, here, and here.

Out now. My story “Jellies” is in the latest issue of Midnight Tales, along with stories by Terry Alexander, Maxwell Shepherd, John Monsees, Stetson Ray, and others, with gorgeous art by Allen Koszowski, Gerrod General, and Steve Bejma. You can pick up your copy here.

Recently I attended the Con-Tinual Panel Room with Gini Koch, Marx Pyle, Fraser Sherman, Carole M Stokes/Ellis Colton, and host James P. Nettles III as we looked at Lovecraft stories, adaptations, inspired works, and the themes driving cosmic horror.  You can find the discussion on the Book of Faces as well as YouTube.

Via Mr. Midnight Eric Wright's Facebook page.

Midnight Tales #9 is now at the printers. Once we review the proof copy and approve it, the presses will be rolling! This issue will be the best yet.
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Here is the cover reveal, and you can't go wrong with the legendary Allen K.!

I can guarantee you'll want a copy.

StokerCon 2025 is now two weeks behind me, and I now feel comfortable writing about what was, for me, my personal high point.

I was at the Joyce Carol Oates signing table, where she sat with writer and editor Rebecca Rowland (who is president of the Boston HWA chapter, and edited my story “Movie Call” for the anthology Generation X-Ed ). As she signed my copies of Night-Side and Haunted: Tales of the Grotesque, she spotted my nametag and said, “Oh, are you a writer?”

My mind blanked.

Look, part of the reason I became interested in horror fiction was reading her story “The Bingo Master.” I picked up a copy of Night-Side almost immediately, and continued to read her work steadily. I’ve learned much by studying her work, though I’m hardly a completist. This was one of the great women of American letters acknowledging me as an actual writer.

“Oh, are you a writer?” My mind was bereft of a single thought. And then suddenly, my mouth made sounds, even as my brain waved at it and shouted, “Dude, don’t do that!”

“Uh,” I uhhed, “not a good one.”

And Rebecca Rowland proffered a kindness I can never repay.

She leaned to Ms. Oates’s ear and said, “He’s being extremely modest. He’s an outstanding writer.”

I managed to mouth a thank-you to her, then collected my books.

I was paid a compliment by an amazing writer and editor to Joyce Carol Oates. I’m going to live with that for a long time.

I received an email response to a query stating that I've sold a story to one of my favorite venues. Details to follow.

On CrimeReads, Laura Elliott talks about monsters and how they are created in horror fiction. 

I like her view of monsters being an offshoot of the Uncanny that branches into what she calls "the abject".

This construction of monstrosity relies on the notion of the abject, which literary scholar Julie Kristeva defines as something that moves beyond the simply uncanny, into something which disrupts the established order and so threatens a sense of identity and meaning. The abject is the thing that jeopardises the borders of self and society. It challenges the boundary between what is Us and Not Us, forcing who we are into battle against something that we are not.

The building of a monster operates at the border, and it is, above all else, revealing. The monster asks not just what are you afraid of, but who and why?

It's a rich article that also includes insights into how the abject is incorporated in Bram Stoker's Dracula , Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper", and River Solomon's Model Home .  It's worth your time.

My story "The Babysitter" is Story 14 of 16 in Crystal Lake Publishing's Flash Fiction Contest. This theme focuses on the Satanic Panic and appeared on June 17, 2025. You'll need to be a Patreon member to read it, but if you enjoyed it, consider giving it your vote.