Welcome, travelers. Our stop in the Otherworld today brings us out of the light and into the shadow. We’ll be spending some time with an author who explores the darker side of life, and what comes after. Whether you crave the macabre or just like being scared, author Anthony Josephson is sure to haunt your dreams well after you’ve finished any of his stories. Read on to learn more about this talented horror talespinner.
Tellest: Greetings Anthony! First, I wanted to thank you for introducing me to your catalog of work, and for the opportunity to learn more about you and what you’ve developed across your writing career, as well as the chance to share that with eager readers. You showed up seemingly from behind the mist, dropping a pretty extensive set of stories, and I’m sure folks will be excited to learn more about them.
Anthony Josephson: Thank you, Mike. The stories in Vado Mori are largely from the first decade of this century. The first nine stories in the collections were previously published back in that era. A goodly number of them were written while I was teaching at a university in Japan from 2001-2003. You can see the impact of my living in East Asia with stories like “Jikininki,” “Izanami in Copper,” “Just Beyond the Middle of the Journey,” “Like Stardust is the Longing for the Days Gone By,” and “Demeter in the Delta.”
T: One of the first things that I like to ask about in these interviews is a foundational question: what was it that inspired you to write? Did you have a favorite author or entertainer growing up? Or did you have other family members, or people in your community that made you eager to grab a pen or pencil and jot down your thoughts?
AJ: Growing up, as a boy, I would say Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Edgar Allan Poe were my favorite authors. Also, Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was a great favorite of mine as a boy. I was a huge fan of old horror and science fiction movies starting when I was about seven; I still love those films, have passed them down to my daughters. No one else in my family had a disposition to write, although we all loved reading.
T: The stories that you write are also a little darker, though you can certainly see that they come from a place where the light isn’t completely gone. What made you decide that those were the stories you wanted to tell?
AJ: I’m one of those people who likes spooky stories, always have. You know, the old idea of sitting around a campfire and trying to scare each other with stories. That relationship of light and darkness has long fascinated me, it may have to do with my upbringing. I was raised in a conservative Catholic family, there’s a lot of darkness in that religion, at least when I was growing up, we were taught so, lot of suffering, etc.
T: Do you think that you sort of looked for the spooky stories and the light and darkness as a bit of an escape, or just a reframing of what you experienced in your upbringing?
AJ: Above all else, it’s the enjoyment of telling a story, which I just loved to do. Not all of my stories are horror per se. But certainly there is some reframing, as you’ve suggested. Maybe it’s bringing closure to something that has bothered me down through the years. I remember when I was a Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin, I had a big fight with my advisor. I was so angry at him and was ready to quit the program. He later apologized and we got along great after that. He supported me tremendously, but I never forgot what that felt like. It lingered and bothered me. Years later I wrote “Shakers of the Earth,” the opening story in The Late Twilight, as a response to it.
T: So, you and I first spoke about Vado Modi: Stories when we first entered discussion. But you have a pretty extensive set of stories already, and they seem like they’re all fairly free-standing. What is the book that you’ve written that you tend to recommend that readers start with?
AJ: Actually, it would be Vado Mori. I’ve also published two other volumes of stories, The Preparer of Death and The Late Twilight, but these stories are more recent efforts. I wrote a lot throughout my adult life, but the stories in Vado Mori represent the best work I had done up to that time. Also, my novel Cold Raven Moon was written during my “Japan” period as well, and it reflects authors who had a great influence on me at the time: Arthur Machen, T. E. D. Klein, and Fritz Leiber.
T: When you’re exploring the stories that you want to tell, what pulls you in and tells you that is the tale that needs to be told? What spark ignites the idea into a wildfire in your mind?
AJ: I tend to believe that it’s the story that chooses the author, and not vice versa. But I think what draws me in more than anything is the characters I’m working with. What are they capable of doing? How are they going to react when something that is seemingly impossible is happening to them? A character in my stories goes along very sure of how the world works, then is confronted by the impossible – I like creating that shock, that discomfort, and see how they’re going to deal with it.
T: Do you sometimes feel you have to rein your characters in? Or do you like to give them the ability to make choices that you wouldn’t have expected for them?
AJ: I have a strong fascination with the interplay between author and character. Who actually creates whom? I love that characters have a power and certain independence to go off in unexpected directions. Controlling them is always a challenge, particularly when you’re writing a novel, because they have so much more room to grow than in a short story. My novel Cold Raven Moon was originally intended to be seen primarily from the standpoint of the father, Josh, but his wife, Rachel, ultimately took it over. I didn’t anticipate that, it was just that she was a strong, sincere character who demanded more time on center stage, and I came to realize that the novel worked best with her as its heart. Or maybe she was telling me that’s what needed to happen, I don’t know.
T: What made you decide that this was the right time for you to come out of the shadows and publish your work? Did you have everything done and released before, and now you’re rebranding, or did you recently polish everything to your liking? Or was there something completely different that set this as the right time?
AJ: I got the idea from Adam Neville. I only discovered him last year, read several of his novels, enjoyed them a lot. Very fresh, original voice in contemporary horror fiction. In one of his later books, he discussed getting into self-publishing, and that got the wheels turning for me. This was late 2024. I found a book-formatting program that works very well for me, then found graphic artists who’ve done a fabulous job with designing covers and out popped the books. More are on the way.
T: That’s excellent. Has this made you more eager to write, or are you pretty much moving at a pace that you feel comfortable with, and going with the flow, so to speak?
AJ: It’s some of both, I’m definitely devoting more time to writing now, but moving at a pace that is working for me. This self-publishing venture has given me a clear direction in which to move, so that really helps with wanting to sit down and create.
T: Do you have a system that helps you to keep on top of your writing? The hardest words to work on are the first ones, but there are other times when authors struggle, and we’re always looking for some tricks that help others succeed.
AJ: I usually don’t have trouble getting started. A story of mine usually begins when I get a scene or a series of thoughts in my head and write them down. Sustaining it is a problem I have. Compartmentalizing the piece is very helpful. In other words, not thinking too far ahead, just trying to get the beginning of the next scene written, or get a dialogue started. Another thing I do is shoot for a certain number of words—maybe just 200 or so—as a goal for moving the story forward. Once I’ve hit that, I look at what I’ve written, see if it’s working, if it’s decent copy. I usually find when I take such an approach, I end up writing past my goal and getting little deeper and more comfortable into the piece.
T: Since Vado Modi is the book of yours that I was first introduced to, I can say that it’s a fairly broad set of stories that look at things through a supernatural lens. It does this across regions and time, showing that certain things beyond the veil are always waiting for us. Because the changes in location and period are so prevalent, it makes me wonder, do you have experience traveling and researching the areas you go to, or are you an internet traveler that goes down a number of rabbit holes to learn how to make your stories pop?
AJ: A bit of both. As I said earlier, I lived in Japan, traveled to Cambodia and Vietnam. Some of the other stories, such as The Mountain of Forgotten Nightmares, which is set is Switzerland, is based on an E. F. Benson story. The last story in the volume, which is an homage to Algernon Blackwood’s The Wendigo, is set in Wisconsin, where I lived for a number of years. Also, the first story in the volume, The Strange Summer of Duke Bogardis, is set in my hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida.
T: Do you think that the foundational knowledge that people often bring to their stories makes it a great place to start for new writers? Since you’ve been at it for a while, is it always a great resource to tap into, especially for those who love to explore new experiences?
AJ: I certainly agree. Again, so much of that is reflected in my stories. I mentioned my Catholic upbringing, which features in a number of stories. As you’ll see later in this interview, I had a previous career as an archaeologist, and I draw on my background in anthropology in any number of stories. Then, of course, there are my travel experiences that figure in.
T: Do you tend to keep your personal experiences for your main character for each of your stories, or do you let everyone in your cast get a little piece of you, so to speak?
AJ: I think I tend to spread those around when drawing on personal experiences. I certainly don’t have any formula when it comes to that.
T: When it comes to the stories that you write, do you find a particular reason that one might need to be closer to a feature than a short story? Does the story itself dictate that, or do you know you want to cut down or expand the words when the idea comes to mind?
AJ: My sense is that the story dictates that. For example, in my volume The Preparer of Death, there are two stories, Pep Olanka and Portrait of the Girl of the City. I originally projected them to be about 7,000 words, and they both took 10,000 to tell the full story. Another story, A Walk on the Beach, turned out to be considerably shorter than I originally imagined it.
T: There are certainly some situations where you might need to hit a specific word count, like a contest you might be trying to enter, but what would you say to a newcomer storyteller who feels like they might need to go longer with their story strictly to hit a word count. What is it artistically that makes a tale feel “ready” or “done”?
AJ: That’s always a little tricky. I do tend to keep track of word count as I’m writing a story. The key question I ask myself once I have a draft is: have I done what I set out to do in this story? Several of the stories that have appeared in my collections were ones that I thought I had finished, then looked at them some years later and realized that they did not do what I wanted them to do at all. So, I rewrote them with this fresh perspective and am much happier with them.
T: There is a notion among the writing community that we always look back and think that our work is not as good as what we remembered upon first writing it. Do you think that’s because we’re always improving as storytellers, or is it a sort of subconscious element to the writer’s toolbelt that keeps us wanting to write more?
AJ: I think it’s difficult to remember exactly how we felt, or what we were thinking, as we’re writing. Especially with longer pieces. I know I’ve gone back and looked at finished work and thought, “I don’t remember writing that; where did that come from?” I’m sure all creative writers experience this. I agree, as well, that as we improve as storytellers and stylists, we look back and cringe a bit at our earlier work. Once I determine that a story is finished—in other words, I don’t intend to work on it anymore—I usually don’t look back at it. I let it go and work on my current, unfinished stuff.
T: While you’ve written and published a pretty sturdy collection of books, there’s always the question of, “What next?” Are you still working on expanding your catalog? Or are you taking a break for a while to focus on the marketing side of things?
AJ: I finished a novel about five years ago titled The Archer’s House. It’s an homage to Fritz Leiber and takes its premise from his story, The Dreams of Albert Moreland. There was a lot about it I liked, but it just did not work. I’ve dusted it off and have extensively revised it, expanded the role of one of the characters, and hope to have it completed by the end of the month. And I’m working on a new batch of stories as well.
T: When you run into a problem with a story, what are the ways that you tackle that and avoid things like writer’s block? Since you have such an extensive collection of stories that you can turn to, do you just put one aside and work with another until you can come up with ideas to unknot certain things in the “trouble” story?
AJ: I like to have three of four pieces going at a time so that if one of them bogs down I could turn to another one. I don’t worry much about writer’s block at this stage because I’m writing mainly for my enjoyment, to entertain myself as much as anything. I don’t feel pressure of getting a story finished, or meeting deadlines, that sort of thing.
T: People tend to sort of want to recreate the biggest, best, most popular things, and financial incentive is typically behind it. Would you suggest writing creatively for oneself over that until a certain point? At one point would you suspect adjusting course and trying to query agents or pushing for something more “to market” or mainstream?
AJ: There was definitely a long period in my young adult life (probably ages 25-45) when I did exactly that, wholly without success. To be honest, I don’t know what the world of commercial publishing, agents, etc. looks like these days, and I’m not terribly interested. I’m content now, not having broken into the commercial markets, to do what I’m doing the way I’m doing it. I just finished my latest novel, The Archer’s House, and spent the past two days formatting it and discussing the cover with my graphics designer. I had such great fun doing it, making the book look exactly the way I want it to. And I can’t wait to see the cover. In my law practice I’m my own boss, so I guess I’m accustomed to being the boss and making all the decisions myself. It’s part of what makes this self-publishing venture so much fun.
T: While we’re certainly seeing a lot of horror from you, that may not be all that you are known for. Do you dabble in any other genres? Are there any pen names that you keep yourself separate from to explore the macabre?
AJ: Yes, I have. I am a diehard fan of L. Frank Baum’s Oz novels. I’ve read them multiple times and just love them. I’ve written and published an Oz novel, trying to remain very faithful to the original, titled The Crescent Moon of Oz, under the pen name T. Jacob Madison. I’m working on two more of them. I’m also working on getting my poetry published, which will be under my true name, Joseph Ezzo.
T: You really are keeping busy! Are there any other things you would want readers and fans to know about you?
AJ: I do devote a fair amount of my free time to writing. I’m not a young man by any stretch, I’ve been around the block, I qualify for AARP! I do have a day job as a solo practicing criminal defense attorney in Tucson, where live. I love the job and look forward to it every day. Many moons ago I had a career as an archaeologist but traded that in in middle age when I decided to go to law school. I believe in staying fresh, always learning, growing, evolving. Lastly, and most important to me, I have two grown daughters and a 9-year-old grandson I spend a lot of time with.
T: We talked earlier about different experiences taking our characters in different directions and to different places. It sounds like you’ve got a whole slew of new experiences to mesh into your works!
AJ: I don’t know about too many new experiences. I’d say in my law practice I have to deal with a lot of very damaged, marginalized, difficult people. They are constantly trying to take me for the proverbial ride with lies, conning, etc. Understanding how they operate and what they’re doing—and why they’re doing it—has helped me sharpen my ability to develop characters. But I also get ideas to mesh into my works from reading.
T: As you’ve just withdrawn from the shadows, it stands to reason that there’s still some mystery about you. But if readers wanted to get to know you better, what would you recommend? Do you have a website or social media channel for them to follow you on?
AJ: No website. I’ve never done social media until recently. I have an account under my true name, Joe Ezzo, on bluesky. There’s not much on there yet. I would love to hear from people who have a look at my books. On the copyright page of all my books is an email address where they can contact me, and I’d be happy to tell them anything they might like to know. By the way, the address is jaj2127 at hotmail.com.
T: Anthony / Joe, it was very nice to speak with you about your work and your experiences. It’s always great to have time that you can spend talking to creative folks, and to see the art they bring to the world. I’m hopeful that more people happen upon your stories, and that they delight and surprise the people who find them.
AJ: Thanks for all the thoughtful and interesting questions, Mike, and for giving me this forum.
T: Once again, I’d like to thank Anthony Josephson, also known as Joe Ezzo, for taking the time to pull the veil back on his story and on his books. It’s always a great time learning more about someone who is dedicated to crafting tales that they love, and it seems apparent indeed that this author is one who appreciates the art experience. For those interested in the author’s work, we suggest checking out their anthology of short horror stories. Check out Vado Mori: Stories on Amazon today!
Michael DeAngelo
Latest posts by Michael DeAngelo (see all)
- Sigil Art – Cynos - June 18, 2025
- Fantasy Promo – Sword of Vengeance - June 18, 2025
- Urban Fantasy Promo – The Blues of Atlantis - June 16, 2025