We’ve got a great one for you this week.
In the latest episode of Friday Conversation, I sit down with one of the most inventive and genre-bending authors working today, Lincoln Michel, the mind behind Metallic Realms, The Body Scout, and the upcoming Haunted Hills.
This conversation hits on everything I love about talking with writers: craft, creativity, the realities of publishing, and where storytelling is headed in an increasingly chaotic (and AI-influenced) world.
🎧 What This Episode Covers
Lincoln walks us through his journey as a writer, from discovering his voice through art and literature to carving out a space that blends literary fiction with sci-fi, horror, and noir.
We dive into:
- The myth vs. reality of MFA programs and whether they’re worth it
- How genre constraints can actually unlock creativity
- Why mixing tropes (instead of avoiding them) leads to more original work
- The current state of publishing and the disappearing “midlist”
- The role of AI in writing and storytelling (and why the future is probably somewhere in the middle)
- His upcoming novel Haunted Hills and its wild haunted-house premise
✍️ Writing, But Make It Yours
One of the standout ideas from this conversation is Lincoln’s philosophy on genre:
Anything can work what matters is how you make it your own.
Instead of avoiding tropes, he leans into them combining elements from different genres to create something fresh. Whether it’s cyberpunk mixed with sports noir (The Body Scout) or literary analysis blended with sci-fi storytelling (Metallic Realms), his work proves that originality often comes from unexpected combinations.
👻 A Preview of Haunted Hills
We also get a sneak peek at Lincoln’s next project and it’s a killer concept.
Haunted Hills centers around a real estate development that relocates and resells haunted houses. It’s part horror, part satire, and fully in line with Lincoln’s love of remixing genre traditions into something new.
If you’re into haunted house stories, this one should absolutely be on your radar.
📚 Books, Influences & Staying Weird
From Kafka and Calvino to Stephen King and cyberpunk classics, Lincoln’s influences are as wide-ranging as his work. And that’s kind of the point.
This episode is a great reminder that reading broadly and embracing weird, unexpected ideas is one of the best ways to grow as both a reader and a writer.
🎙️ Listen Now
If you’re into writing, publishing, or just great conversations about books, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
👉 https://www.buzzsprout.com/1793148/episodes/19026007
💬 Final Thoughts
This was one of those conversations that sticks with you, especially if you’re someone thinking about writing your own work or trying to better understand how stories are evolving.
As Lincoln puts it:
Stay weird. Stay human.
Couldn’t have said it better.
