From @R.L.Stine Fan to Published Horror Novelist: Kevin Johnson | FOX 13 Tampa Bay

What if the most beloved holiday figure on earth wasn’t a cheerful storybook character, but an ancient, bloodthirsty deity worshipped by an isolated cult? Tampa Bay author Kevin Johnson joins me on set for this week's edition of the FOX Local Book Club, featured on FOX 13 News at Noon. We break down his newly released debut novel, 'Twas the Night, and explore why flipping classic holiday tropes makes for the ultimate psychological folk horror. In this interview, Kevin shares how reading R.L. Stine's Goosebumps and Stephen King as a kid served as his gateway into dark fiction. You'll also learn the fascinating story of how his college internship inside a real television newsroom inspired his stubborn main character—an investigative journalist who charges straight past every warning sign in search of the truth. Plus, Kevin gets candid about weathering hundreds of literary rejections and scrapping full manuscripts before finally seeing his book hit shelves. Timestamps: 0:00 - Welcome to FOX Local Book Club 0:24 - 'Twas the Night: The Town of Yule & The Evil Santa Myth 1:23 - The Influence of R.L. Stine, Stephen King & Christmas Horror 2:25 - How a TV News Internship Created the Main Character 3:45 - The Reality of Rejection: Kevin's Advice to Aspiring Authors 4:08 - Book Signing Details at Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg Where to Watch FOX Local Book Club: New to the show? You don't need cable to watch our segments. Download the free FOX LOCAL app on your smart TV (available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV) or mobile device to stream FOX 13 Tampa Bay live and catch all our book club interviews on demand from anywhere! Subscribe for more author interviews, community spotlights, and breaking news.