This week we go to magic school, but there isn’t a f***ing owl or a talking hat in sight.Instead, it’s a much more macabre affair, as J. M. Miro begins his trilogy of dark sorcery with Ordinary Monsters. J. M. goes by a different name in his other, more prosaic writing life, but here, with us, in the blood and the shadows he writes as his second self. Which is a long-winded and torturous way to say this is a pseudonym.We talk about the creative and practical reasons behind that, as well as his tragic family history, his obsession with Victorian London, female detectives in history and how to write a compelling action scene.And we manage to do all that without saying a single hateful or prejudiced thing. Imagine!Enjoy!Ordinary Monsters was published on June 7th by Bloomsbury and Flatiron Books Other books discussed in this episode include:By Gaslight (2016), by Steven Price (AKA J.M. Miro)Lampedusa (2019), by Steven PriceBlood Meridian (1985), by Cormac McCarthyThe Forgotten Beasts of Eld (1974), by Patricia A. McKillipWashington Black (2018), by Esi EdugyanSupport Talking Scared on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/TalkingScaredPodCome talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, and TikTok or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com Download Novellic on Google Play or Apple Store.Support the show