Nov 08 2023 40 mins
Episode Description:
Elena, Mel, and Cerid talk with former Metaworker Editor in Chief Matthew Maichen about his writing and publishing journey since he stepped away from leading the magazine. They discuss writing query letters, the challenges of marketing a novel and finding stories you didn’t know you were looking for. They also discuss what goes on behind the scenes in the slush piles, and Matthew shares what motivates him to continue slogging through those query trenches.
Author Bio:
Matthew Maichen typically writes as Johnathon Heart, and is the former editor-in-chief of the Metaworker. He is dedicated to writing stories for anyone who thinks that Halloween is better than Christmas, that love is worth believing in, and that all the best love stories are at least a little bit sad. Clearly enough people think this for him to get published. He has appeared in a variety of anthologies and is slated to appear in more. His hobbies include arguing with imaginary people and wasting the entire day. He does not actually enjoy these things, but he does them anyway.
Referenced in this episode:
Switchyard Tulsa and The Switchyard Podcast
Mermaids Monthly
George Lies Morgantown Writers Group
Super Eyepatch Wolf, Influencer Courses are Garbage: The Dark Side of Content Creation
Dick Pig by Ian Muneshwar, published in Nightmare Magazine
Matthew Maichen (aka Johnathon Heart) Publication List:
"To Summon Her" from Pressfuls (as Matthew Maichen)
"Woman Made of Stars" from Factor Four
"The Mourner" in Depths of Love, Love Thy Enemy
"My Darling Girl" in It Calls from Below: Anthology of Horror
"Tacos" in The Best of Bizarro Fiction: Volume 2
"Dorian" in The Devil Who Loves Me
"(im here)" in Bleed Error, Vol. 2
"Lorelai" in the Thirteen Podcast (Patrons only) and in Wicked Shadow Press
"The Door People" in the Nosleep Podcast (as Matthew Maichen)
"Like the Devil" in Collage Macabre: An Exhibition of Art Horror (as Matthew Maichen)
“THREEFOLD.WMV” by Johnathon Heart in From Beyond the Threshold: Cosmic Horror Anthology
Listen to the podcast on The Metaworker's website!