“In creativity, it seems, we can’t escape ourselves.” — Caleb Bethea
The summer is crashing upon us, and while we prepare to unleash a new summer issue of our magazine, we decided to take this time to shine our own light on one of our contributors.
Caleb Bethea is an indie horror author who left their mark on the horror-sphere with a uniquely brutal blend of the surreal and uncanny, dappled with classic horror scenes in all their grizzly glory. Their new, original flash fiction piece, “Pierre Pierrot, Sad Clown Extraordinaire,” will feature in our Summer 2026 issue. But for now, we’ve poked and prodded Caleb’s mind, asking them questions about their journey as an author and how their work found its home.
As a writer whose work often ventures into the experimental, what is your process like when beginning a new story? Do you sometimes sit and think, “I want to write something crazy different,” or does it just happen that way?
“For some reason, it’s just always been easy for my brain to go to the strange and dream-like. I didn’t need to be taught how to access that side of reality. I’ve certainly practiced and honed it, but the impulse is natural for me.
“One thing I’ve learned over the years is to wait for the second wave of weird to hit. I usually start with a single concept or image, one I know is good but not quite enough to float the boat on its own. After countless hours spent forcing it to work, I now just wait patiently for another wave of weird to hit — some other strange concept that will contrast the original. From there, I combine the two for a contrapuntal effect and hope for the best.”
It seems that the strange and bizarre are becoming more accepted into the mainstream diaspora, but it still isn’t uncommon for artists and writers to feel a nagging self-consciousness when the odd is turned up to 10. Have you ever felt a need to “dial back the weird”? Have you ever gotten so lost in it that you lose hold of the plot?
“I didn’t feel a need to dial it back until after my first book was released and I was actively searching for its audience. I let all the listicles get to my head as I realized more and more that my novel didn’t really fit on many lists.
“But, like so much of the art life, I just had to fall in love with my work again. I’ve even dug up some old stories that are even more amorphous in terms of genre and I was pleasantly surprised (by) how much I loved them.
“So, on one hand, my work doesn’t fit neatly on those lists, and that’s okay. On the other, we’re writing during a full-force weird horror boom. Some truly strange stuff can be found between the pages of Big 5 releases, and indie presses are leading the charge on the strange and unusual. The children long for the strange and unusual! It’s a killer time to be writing in that vein, regardless of where you land.”
Are there any themes outside of your preferred comfort zone or usual style you are excited to explore in future work?
“I’m currently writing a horror novel where much of the story is based on my own experiences as a college student. As someone who’s written books on sleep paralysis demons at the disco and surrealistic sad clowns, using real life as inspiration is a muscle I’ve used very little. This is taking me down a very personal road of exploring religious trauma, shame, and what humans do with their guilt.
“That being said, even in my most opaque work, I can dig the traces of myself out of the text. In creativity, it seems, we can’t escape ourselves.”
What are some things you look to for inspiration, as a writer who often dabbles in surrealism and oddities? Does the “ordinary” of everyday life ignite a flame, or does it stem from something deeper?
“More than I’m a writer, I’m a husband and a dad of four. It’s in that domesticity that I get a lot of inspiration for the Weird. Family life is naturally surreal. Items disappear and reappear around the house with no explanation. Any conversation is just one step away from total absurdity. I wake up in different rooms with no memory of how I got there. Toddlers pick up snakes. The list goes on.
“The more grounded I am in my home life, the more deeply connected I am with dream logic.”
Finally, could you describe for us your journey to publication, particularly for work that sits outside of the “mainstream” of most genres? What kinds of hurdles did you face, and what advice would you give to other authors facing similar difficulties?
“I briefly tried my hand at getting agented for my debut novel, DISCO MURDER CITY. However, it seems that while horror is in a great spot right now, allowing experimental content into the mainstream, experimental forms are still hard to come by. I was lucky enough to end up at a genre-bending press in Maudlin House that understood the batshittery I was putting on the page.
“My second book, Fever Clowns, coming out this September, is a six-story collection revolving entirely around clowns. I knew this one would have to be indie, and I was stoked (that) Anxiety Press was open to such a niche little shredder.
“My advice for anyone who writes outside of the mainstream is just to read and sub indie. I’ve met so many rad humans through publishing my short work and my books as well. There’s a whole sea of weirdos just like you.”
More About Caleb Bethea
Caleb Bethea is the author of DISCO MURDER CITY (Maudlin House ‘25) and Fever Clowns (Anxiety Press ‘26). Their stories have recently been anthologized in Found 2, Encounters, and Brave New Weird. You can also find their work in HAD, X-R-A-Y, hex, Bruiser, ergot, Vlad Mag, and elsewhere. They live in the forest with their wife and four goblins. Say hello on Instagram: @caleb_bethea_.
Make sure to check out Caleb’s new short fiction, “Pierre Pierrot, Sad Clown Extraordinaire,” releasing in the Fantastic Other Summer 2026 issue (date TBA), and their upcoming novel, Fever Clowns, to be published by Anxiety Press in September 2026!
The Fantastic Other 