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Joe Hill - The One With the Dragons

Nov 21, 2025

Guest

Joe Hill

Joe Hill, acclaimed author and son of Stephen King, dives into the craft of storytelling, discussing his latest novel, King Sorrow. He explains why horror is important for catharsis and how it mirrors real-life threats. Hill shares insights on creating lovable yet hateable characters and the importance of witty banter. He reflects on his literary upbringing and reveals how his family has influenced his writing. Expect intriguing discussions on the art of genre blending and the unique role of modern horror in today’s society.

57:37

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ANECDOTE

Family Became The Priority

Joe Hill fell in love in 2016, remarried in 2018 and had twins soon after, which shifted his priorities away from writing as the central life activity.
He consciously made family the primary focus and treated art as support for life rather than the other way around.

insights

INSIGHT

Rotate Writing Forms To Renew Craft

Joe Hill practices 'crop rotation' across forms: comics, screenplays, novellas and novels to avoid creative burnout and learn from each form.
He says skills from one form (dialogue-driven screenplays) and another (character depth from novels) create a virtuous cycle.

insights

INSIGHT

Horror As Rehearsal And Release

Hill references Matthias Clausen's evolutionary view that horror rehearses worst-case scenarios and offers adaptive value.
Horror lets readers rehearse responses to threats safely, making frightening stories both useful and pleasurable.

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Three-year writing span and family life

00:22 • 59sec

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Working across forms: comics to screenplays

Family influence and reading rituals

Keeping his pen name and early publishing

16:20 • 27sec

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Stephen King Easter eggs and influence

From The Fireman to King Sorrow

25:24 • 2min

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Casting the dragon's voice

27:40 • 3min

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Screenwriting, healthcare, and personal stakes

Donna Tartt and The Secret History influence

34:50 • 4min

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Hooking readers: peril, banter, concept

39:11 • 2min

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Writing characters we love to hate

41:20 • 9min

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Contemporary horror recommendations

The Very Nervous Person's Guide to Horror Films

Matthias Clausen

Rovers

Richard Lange

Tell Me I'm Worthless

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The great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Hobbit

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J.R.R Tolkien

Published in 1937, 'The Hobbit' is a children's fantasy novel that introduces readers to the richly imagined world of Middle-earth. The story follows Bilbo Baggins, a home-loving hobbit, who is persuaded by Gandalf to join Thorin and his twelve dwarves on a quest to reclaim their treasure from the dragon Smaug. During the journey, Bilbo encounters various creatures, including trolls, goblins, and the mysterious Gollum, and discovers a magical ring that renders the wearer invisible. The novel is a prequel to 'The Lord of the Rings' and explores themes of personal growth, courage, and unexpected heroism.

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The Dead Zone

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The Gunslinger

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The Gunslinger is a dark-fantasy novel that blends elements of Western fiction, science fiction, and horror. It tells the story of Roland Deschain, the last gunslinger, who is on a quest to catch the man in black, a sorcerous figure. The novel is set in a world similar to the Old West but in an alternate timeframe or parallel universe. Roland's journey involves encounters with various characters, including a boy named Jake, and flashbacks that reveal his past and his brutal training as a gunslinger. The story is inspired by Robert Browning's poem 'Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came' and other influences such as Milton's 'Paradise Lost' and the Western films of Sergio Leone.

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The Secret History

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#3353

• Mentioned in 11 episodes

Watership Down

Richard Adams

Watership Down is an adventure novel that tells the story of a group of rabbits who flee their warren after one of them, Fiver, has a premonition of impending disaster. Led by Hazel and Bigwig, the rabbits face numerous perils, including hostile rabbit communities and human threats, as they search for a new home. The novel explores themes of leadership, freedom, and survival, contrasting the democratic and caring leadership of Hazel with the authoritarian rule of General Woundwort. The story is rich in anthropomorphic details, including the rabbits' own culture, language, and mythology, and it provides deep insights into the trials and triumphs of life through the eyes of its rabbit characters.

Why Horror Seduces

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Lonesome Dove

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Lonesome Dove is a classic Western novel that follows the journey of two former Texas Rangers, Augustus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call, as they embark on a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. The novel is renowned for its vivid descriptions of the American West, its exploration of themes such as friendship, loyalty, and the decline of the Old West, and its well-developed characters. It is the third book in the Lonesome Dove series and is widely regarded as McMurtry's magnum opus.

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'The Fireman' is an apocalyptic novel where a deadly virus causes people to spontaneously combust. Harper Grayson, a pregnant nurse, contracts the disease but learns to control it, becoming known as the Fireman. She seeks refuge in a camp of similarly infected individuals while navigating a world consumed by fear and destruction. The novel explores themes of survival, community, and the power of hope amidst chaos. It combines elements of horror, science fiction, and social commentary.

The son of Stephen and Tabitha King and brother of Owen King, Joe Hill was raised in a uniquely gifted literary family and has long established a reputation of his own as a first rate storyteller across prose fiction, comics, TV and film. Drawing on influences as diverse as The Secret History, The Hobbit, and his father's dark fantasy classic The Gunslinger, his new novel King Sorrow follows six friends as their Faustian pact with the deliciously cruel eponymous dragon unravels over many decades.

Why is horror good for us? How do you write characters readers with fall in love with - and those they will love to hate? Who are the real monsters in American life? Joe Hill reveals the answers to all of these questions and more in this episode of the podcast.

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