TELL THE DAMN STORY, ep 438: From Photographs to Horror Stories—James Chambers on Abandoned Asylum

What happens when a place gets into your imagination and refuses to leave? Writer and editor James Chambers joins Alex Simmons and Chris Ryan to discuss how years of hiking and photographing the grounds of a former psychiatric hospital helped inspire the horror anthology Abandoned Asylum. But getting the idea was only part of the work. James takes us through inviting writers into the project, sharing photographs as creative prompts, fictionalizing a real location, finding the right publisher, and arranging stories and images into a larger reading experience. We also follow his journey from childhood horror comics and science fiction to writing Kolchak, The Green Hornet, and other classic characters—and discuss why helping other writers find their community matters. Have questions or comments for us? Post in the comments section below or ... Write: TTDSOnAir@gmail.com And follow us on ... @Tell The Damn Story www.Facebook.com/Tell The Damn Story 00:00 Nostalgic comic book collections 07:32 Discovering Dune in 6th grade 14:39 Creating comic strips and graphic novels 20:59 Attending horror conventions and events 23:07 Starting with the membership committee 31:41 Smithtown Hospital history and closure 37:50 Creating an Album with Writers 42:21 Including my bonus story 49:08 Discussing projects post-publication 54:07 Barnes & Noble book talk event 57:41 Discussing Reading Presentations 01:01:40 Paranormal encounter during a hike