What's Kraken with Jo Szewczyk
by Jo Szewczyk
Join bestselling author Jo Szewczyk in What’s Kraken?, Empty Hell’s signature interview series where raw, unfiltered conversations cut through the noise. In just 20 minutes, Jo—known for his dark narrative hit Surviving Gen X—dives deep with creators, artists, and the voices shaping culture, politics, and entertainment today.From filmmakers to musicians, writers to activists, comedians to elected officials—What’s Kraken? brings you the stories, struggles, and process behind the people changing the world around us. No scripts. No pretense. Just real talk with real people.Subscribe now and join our growing community of entertainment enthusiasts. New episodes drop regularly on our YouTube channel and everywhere you get your podcasts!
Episodes
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John Haas Interview (2026): Lunatics, Camp Nightmare, and the Not-Yet File
Writers of the Future winner John Haas joins Jo Szewczyk to talk about writing three novels in a year while holding down a day job, plotting chapter by chapter, and building his Midnight Library stand-alones (Stay Out, Lunatics, Camp Nightmare) to read like movies. He also explains how a review...
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Carla Matthes Interview: Footloose Church to Finding Herself
Carla Matthes is a memoirist shopping her first book, and she tells her story the way she wrote it: with dark humor and zero interest in looking good. On this What’s Kraken with Jo Szewczyk, she covers a dad who ghosted her before ghosting had a name, a stepfather’s Independent Fundamental…
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Jaymes Buckman Songwriting: Lyrics First, Stage Always
Jaymes Buckman is back, and this time it’s all craft. The Hot Apollo frontman started as a poet, still writes lyrics faster than his band can learn them, and treats the stage as the one place his brain finally shuts up and stays in the present. Jo and Jaymes get into lyrics-first songwriting, why...
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David R. Wilcox interview: Pat Robertson’s former bodyguard on the money behind the 700 Club
David R. Wilcox, award-winning author of Protecting Pat Robertson: Confessions of a High-Priced Bag Man, spent the mid-'80s to the mid-'90s as Pat Robertson's bodyguard. On What's Kraken with Jo Szewczyk, he takes us into the back seat of the company car where one sentence, 'give them the list,'...
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Brian Brady: Cop to Crime Novelist
Former Berkeley cop turned police chief Brian Brady writes the Golden Gate Tales, a series of San Francisco crime novels built from decades on the job. He and Jo talk about why fiction beats true crime for him and the dead time TV never shows. They also get into AI as a research tool rather than…
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Sharon Farber: Anyone Can Be a Medium
Llewellyn author and medium Sharon Farber wasn't born with 'the gift' — she chose it. A massage therapist and energy healer for years, she took up mediumship after a single home demonstration, trained at England's Arthur Findlay College, gave 118 free practice readings, and now teaches others to…
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Juan 'Bean' Romero — Thirty Years
Bean is the friend who's been in the hot seat since 1996 — the one who drove Jo everywhere, fronted the better motel, and shows up in Surviving Gen X because he was actually there. For Jo's birthday they go back through all of it: the AOL messages that started it, the two-for-a-dollar Big Macs…
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Rob Gutro — Pet Mediumship, Ghosts vs. Spirits, and the Physics of the Afterlife
Jo Szewczyk talks with Rob Gutro — a pet medium and award-winning paranormal author who spent his career as a meteorologist, working for the Weather Channel, NOAA, and NASA before retiring after 25 years. Rob uses the law of conservation of energy to explain what he thinks happens after death,...
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Tonya Todd — Banned Books and Re-Visioning Dracula
Tonya Todd identifies as an author, actress and activist, and when she stepped off the board of the Henderson Writers Group she decided the third A needed work. So she built a banned books series — seven books a year, seven different panels, and a new episode every day of Banned Books Week. Jo…
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Eric Miller: Sometimes the Light Is a Train
Screenwriter, publisher, and Horror Writers Association member Eric Miller joins What's Kraken? with Jo Szewczyk to talk about his first novel, Whatever Happened to Uncle Ed? It's a horror-comedy where a washed-up high school basketball star inherits a fortune, a haunted mansion, and a family…
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Raymond Creamer on Goody Goody, Horror, and the Soul of Filmmaking
Raymond Creamer, the writer-director of Goody Goody, a Shudder original about a home birth that goes very wrong in a snowbound cabin, joins What's Kraken? with Jo Szewczyk on press day for his feature debut. We get into festival whiplash, why Kill Bill: Volume 1 taught him cinema can hold...
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Mark Blacknell — From Marine to Zen Priest
Mark Blacknell grew up in working-class Philly in the '70s — the son of an atheist socialist union organizer who had him reading Mao at eight. He ran bets for guys named Little Sween and Big Sween, joined the Marines to spite his father, and got out of boot camp just in time for Saddam Hussein to...
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Camille Ellis on Grief, Choice, & Thriving
Grief coach Camille joins Jo Szewczyk on What's Kraken? for one of the most open conversations this show has had. After losing her youngest son to suicide in 2010, Camille refused the victim role and built a practice out of what she learned — helping people rebuild an identity after loss instead…
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Mark Steven Porro — His First Kid Was 89
Mark Steven Porro was a carefree LA bachelor — never married, no kids — when his mother stopped eating at 89 and hospice was called in. He moved from Los Angeles into the New Jersey house he grew up in and became a first-time parent at 50, to his own mother. A Cup of Tea on the Commode came out…
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Rob Yonover: The Invention Shark Tank Passed On
Dr. Rob Yonover is a volcanologist who rode a submersible two miles down, and an inventor whose See/Rescue Streamer has been saving lives for over 40 years. It's 40 feet of orange plastic with no batteries, no chemicals, and nothing to break — you deploy it in the water and it makes you visible...
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Dan Henk on Tattooing, D-Day Is Here, and Drawing From Life
Dan Henk is back — tattoo artist, novelist, illustrator, and a guy who got his head tattooed because brain cancer treatment left patches where his hair wouldn't grow. He's on his fifth novel, D-Day Is Here, and he's painting the cover and nine interior illustrations himself, the way the old pulp...
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The Birthday Charity Episode
Five people who have never met each other, and one voicemail from my mom. I asked friends from every era of my life to come on and tell me who I was to them. Nobody compared notes. They agreed on more than I'm comfortable with — including one thing all of them independently decided was wrong with...
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Jaymes Buckman was told he couldn't sing. Now he fronts the band.
Jaymes Buckman fronts Hot Apollo, a band he describes as Tempest Rock — loud like thunder, sparkly like lightning. He started out as the kid whose friends told him they hated his voice and handed him a drum kit instead, so he built his own band where nobody could tell him not to sing, and got...
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Ten Years of Writing, and His Wife Started It With One Sentence | Francis DiClemente
Francis DiClemente spent ten years turning medical records, teenage confessional poetry, and a shoebox of photographs into STUNTED: A MEMOIR OF DELAYED MANHOOD. Diagnosed with a brain tumor at fifteen that left him physically underdeveloped while everyone around him grew up, the Emmy-winning...
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Yvonne Pelling: Growing Bacteria in My House
Yvonne Pelling is the Patient and Community Engagement Lead at PASSERELLE, the SPOR National Training Entity — Canada's national hub for capacity development in patient-oriented research. She came into the field through Access Open Minds, a youth mental health service design project, and she's...
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Linda Drattell Interview: Everybody Is the Dragon
Linda Drattell wrote her first poem at sixteen and started her novel thirty years ago — long before she lost her hearing in her thirties, and long before she survived the 2016 Bastille Day truck attack in Nice. She talks with Jo about the dragon that turned out to be everybody, the two women who...
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Dr Randy Overbeck Interview — Abigail Trench & the Culper Ring
Dr. Randy Overbeck is back, and this time there's not a single ghost in the book. Abigail Trench is his first historical — a novel about the Culper Ring, George Washington's spy network in occupied New York, and specifically about Agent 355, the one woman in it whose identity nobody has ever...
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Ryan Güt: The Shastafarian, Vinyl, and Being the Best You
Ryan Güt spent two decades holding down the groove. He's played with some of the best including Stöner, Brant Bjork, and Mario Lalli & the Rubber Snake Charmers. On The Shastafarian, his debut solo record, he puts his art and soul into it and even painted the cover art. We get into the big band...
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Dr. Linda Plunkett — Ballroom Dancing Through Brain Surgery
Dr. Linda Plunkett was a practicing clinical psychologist with a counseling practice, a ballroom dancing habit, and no idea anything was wrong — until the people around her noticed she wasn't acting like herself and an MRI found a tennis-ball-sized tumor in her frontal lobe. She talks with Jo…
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M.K. McDaniel — 18 Days in a Coma and a Christmas Carol in Hell
M.K. McDaniel went into a drug-induced coma in 1999 with a 38% chance of coming out of it. She woke up 18 days later remembering every single minute of a place she is fairly certain was hell — bombed-out cities, demons, and a shack full of women waiting on customers. Jo, who had his own…
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S5 E5: Lee Hatfield — The Paranormal Prism, and Proving It Twice
Lee Hatfield rebranded his podcast a week before we recorded this. SIPA Paranormal Chronicles is now The Paranormal Prism, he's stepping back as co-lead of the SIPA investigation team, and he's launched a second show with two UK podcasters. He's also eighteen months into a weekly release schedule…
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Stephanie Roy: Chemotherapy, Tequila, and Fireworks | What's Kraken
Stephanie Roy joins What's Kraken to talk about her book Chemotherapy and Tequila: The Last Road Trip — part memoir, part her late sister's actual journal from the road trip she took to say goodbye to everyone she loved. Stephanie traces the road from shy straight-A dropout to the woman whose…
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Mad Ange: Sobriety, Grief & the Long Crawl Back | What's Kraken
In this episode of What's Kraken, Jo sits down with Mad Ange — artist, writer, publisher, burlesque performer, and lifelong Vegas weirdo — for two hours on sobriety, grief, the old internet, and the long crawl back to yourself. Funny, filthy, and a lot more personal than either of them planned....
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The RIP Man 2's Georgie Ray on Horror, Acting, and Art | What's Kraken Interview
In this episode of What’s Kraken, Jo talks with Georgie Ray about RIP Man 2, indie horror, acting, and building characters from the inside out. From self-doubt on set to the joy of making art on a budget, this one gets personal, funny, and inspiring. Support the work at…
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Madeleine Sims-Fewer & Dusty Mancinelli on Honey Bunch | What's Kraken Interview
In this episode of What’s Kraken, Jo sits down with filmmakers Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli about their chilling new Shudder premiere, Honey Bunch—a psychological thriller exploring lost memories, experimental trauma treatments, and the dark underbelly of a marriage tested to its...
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Amelie Delfly on Hotel Life, World Travel & Dreams | What's Kraken Interview
In this episode of What’s Kraken, Jo surprises co-host Amelie with a deep dive into her fascinating life – from growing up in a historic French bed and breakfast to working hotels across Europe, Asia, and beyond. Amelie shares heartfelt stories of family work ethic, saving fiercely for...
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Lee Hatfield from S.I.P.A. Paranormal Chronicles on Building a Monster Podcast & Real Hauntings
Jo goes FULL chaotic energy with Lee Hatfield (S.I.P.A. Paranormal Chronicles) as they unpack how Lee launched a paranormal podcast that exploded in 2025, booked guests until mid-January, and still finds time to get stroked by ghosts in creepy jails. From EVPs that make jaws drop to seeing a full...
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Robert Howell on Writing & Publishing | What's Kraken Interview
Jo gets local—and real—with author Robert Howell in this surprising and heartfelt episode of What’s Kraken. From childhood storytelling to publishing paranormal thrillers, Robert shares how a single rejection letter helped shape his 50-year writing journey. They dive into the origin stories…
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Portable Worlds & Dumb Dares with Matt Henderson (Loke Battle Mats) | What's Kraken
Jo chats with Matt Henderson of Loke Battle Mats about building portable, erasable battle-map books, why modular tools beat bulky map tubes, and turning “players derailed my prep” into a feature. Matt also teases Loke’s party-at-the-table card decks—Deck of Many Insults and Dumb Dares & Silly...
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Games for Everyone with Derek Chung of Nomnivore | What's Kraken Interview
In this episode of What’s Kraken, Jo sits down with Derek Chung from Nomnivore Games to talk accessibility, inclusivity, and why fun should always come first in game design. From the origins of the “Nomnivore” name to building games that double as therapeutic tools, Derek shares how titles like...
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Michael of Weathered Dragon on Crafting Gaming Tables | What's Kraken Interview
Jo sits down with Michael from Weathered Dragon, a true craftsman who turned a personal Dungeons & Dragons passion project into some of the most stunning custom gaming tables on the market. From his Gen Con beginnings to barstool-height builds that actually save your back, Michael shares the...
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Kyona Jiles on Winning Awards & Writing Fantasy Romance | What's Kraken Interview
In this episode of What’s Kraken, Jo sits down with Kyona Jiles, award-winning romance and fantasy author of First Death and Second Chance. They dive into her creative escape into writing, her early struggles with vanity publishing, and the resilience it took to turn setbacks into award-winning...
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Medium Jenny Lea on Empaths, Higher Self & The Spirit World | What's Kraken
Jo welcomes Medium Jenny Lea, a psychic medium and empath whose journey from a childhood filled with ghost stories to professional readings is anything but ordinary. Jenny shares how a chance TV moment sparked her realization that she was a medium, the difference between empaths and mediums, and...
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Connolly Brothers on Minutemen: Execute and Run | What's Kraken
Jo welcomes Christopher and Lawrence Connolly, the powerhouse creative duo behind the upcoming novel Minutemen: Execute and Run (out October 14). Born from Christopher’s vivid character sketches and Lawrence’s storytelling, this action-driven tale follows a team of wounded warriors who gain...
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Colin Krawchuk on Jester 2 | What's Kraken Interview
Jo sits down with Colin Krawchuk, director of Jester 2—the best horror movie of the year (Jo's words, not just hype). From its humble beginnings as a Halloween short film to a full-blown feature with indie grit and real emotional pull, Colin breaks down how Jester 2 became a must-see slasher with…
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Dr. Ewelina Kurtys on Living Neuron Computers | What's Kraken Interview
What if the future of AI wasn’t built on silicon — but on living neurons? 🧠💻 Jo sits down with Dr. Ewelina Kurtys from Final Spark, a Swiss startup pioneering the world’s first biohybrid computers. They dive into how neurons are sourced from human skin cells, why these living computers could be…
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Paula Hightower on Instant Reality Shift & Afformations | What's Kraken
Jo sits down with longtime friend and creative powerhouse Paula Hightower, the mind behind InstantRealityShift.com. Paula shares her journey from music and web design to creating powerful Afformations — not just statements, but questions that spark your brain into making change possible. They…
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Mary Van Doorn on Wellness, Diabetes & Sisterhood
In this enlightening episode of What’s Kraken, Jo sits down with Mary Van Doorn of SugarMamaStrong.com. A warrior on a 12‑year wellness journey, Mary shares how motherhood and a diabetes diagnosis sparked a complete life transformation. From triathlons at 215 lbs to founding a thriving women’s...
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Dr. Heather Leigh Landon on Ghosts, Science & the Shadowy Hat Man | What's Kraken Interview
Jo dives into the strange and science-meets-spiritual world of the paranormal with Dr. Heather Leigh Carroll‑Landon, a researcher and ghost investigator who blends metaphysical studies with boots-on-the-ground evidence. From seeing spirits as a child to using fidget spinners as ghost tools…
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Jeremy Rudd on 80s Slasher Horror & DIE'CED: Reloaded | What's Kraken
Jeremy Rudd — writer, director, actor, and all-around horror craftsman — joins Jo to talk about his debut feature DIE’CED: Reloaded. What started as a pandemic-fueled love letter to 80s slashers became a viral short, caught the eye of Dread Central & Epic Pictures, and is now a blood-soaked,...
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Dracula, Typewriters & Childhood Scares: JD Barker on Writing Fear & Owning His Publishing Empire
You read that right—JD BARKER is in the Kraken lair. Jo sits down with the international bestselling author of Dracul, Forsaken, and The Fourth Monkey to talk horror, publishing, and why chasing fear is the real writer’s journey. JD opens up about how Dracula changed his life at a garage sale,...
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Dr. Randy Overbeck on Haunted Mysteries & Hidden History | What's Kraken
Dr. Jo sits down with award-winning author and lifelong educator Dr. Randy Overbeck to talk about his chilling and thought-provoking Haunted Shores Mystery Series. These aren’t your average ghost stories—each novel dives into real societal issues like racial injustice, human trafficking, migrant...
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From Folklore to Fear: Justin Wood on Horror Writing, Podcasting & the Power of Storytelling
n this spine-tingling episode, Jo sits down with horror writer, podcaster, and screenwriter Justin Wood to explore the haunted roots of storytelling—from Southern Gothic folklore and ghostly childhood inspirations to self-publishing Needless Nightmares and crafting the screenplay Granny Willow....
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From Notebooks to Novels: How Jaxon Schelhaas Built a Tolkien-Level Fantasy World
Fantasy lovers, this one’s for you! Jo sits down with indie author Jaxon Schelhaas to talk worldbuilding, language creation, and the journey from handwritten notebooks to 600-page epics. Jaxon shares how Tolkien’s Silmarillion sparked his creative fire, the process behind his five-book fantasy...
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Dracula Castles, Celebrity Horror Lists & Haunted Cons: A Spooky Ride with Charles from DracTours
Ready for a fang-tastic journey through Dracula’s homeland, Universal Monsters nostalgia, and real-life haunted events? Jo sits down with Charles Rosenay of DracTours—the original vampire vacation master—for a wild ride through horror travel, celebrity top-10 horror booklists, and convention…
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About this show
Join bestselling author Jo Szewczyk in What’s Kraken?, Empty Hell’s signature interview series where raw, unfiltered conversations cut through the noise. In just 20 minutes, Jo—known for his dark narrative hit Surviving Gen X—dives deep with creators, artists, and the voices shaping culture, politics, and entertainment today.From filmmakers to musicians, writers to activists, comedians to elected officials—What’s Kraken? brings you the stories, struggles, and process behind the people changing the world around us. No scripts. No pretense. Just real talk with real people.Subscribe now and join our growing community of entertainment enthusiasts. New episodes drop regularly on our YouTube channel and everywhere you get your podcasts!
Hosted by
Jo Szewczyk