Because of my son’s experiences, I’ve gotten to see the rot that lives beneath politeness, and I wanted to write a story where someone pulls up the floorboards and names it.

Todd Brown – 14 October 2025

The Back Flap

Some houses whisper. This one SCREAMS.

In the heart of Raven’s Cross, Virginia, the decaying Scott House looms. Its broken-window eyes watch a town desperate to forget. When Roxy, a teenage girl, vanishes into a sweltering night, long-buried fears erupt, and suspicion turns savage. The townspeople turn on the newcomers, blaming them for what they refuse to face in themselves. As polite smiles crack and old grudges resurface, Raven’s Cross’s genteel mask begins to slip, revealing the rot beneath.

Timothy Michaels came to town chasing a story. A true-crime podcaster investigating the haunted legacy of the Scott House, he never expected to be pulled into something so immediate or so dangerous. Alongside Amanda, Bob, and a few unexpected allies, Tim begins unearthing a legacy of complicity and cruelty—one the town would kill to keep buried. Because in Raven’s Cross, the shadows don’t just linger. They burn.

About the book

What is the book about?

When Shadows Burn is a Southern Gothic psychological thriller that doesn’t romanticize trauma; it interrogates it. As true crime podcaster Timothy Michaels returns to Raven’s Cross, Virginia. His descent into the decaying mansion on the hill becomes a confrontation with the fears, biases, and buried histories that haunt both the town and himself. In the tradition of Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Bly Manor and Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects, this is a mysterious, emotional novel about what it means to face the ghosts we inherit, and whether telling the truth can ever set us free.

When did you start writing the book?

I started writing When Shadows Burn in earnest in September of 2024, though the emotional scaffolding for it was laid years earlier, through looking at the world through my son’s eyes.

How long did it take you to write it?

My first draft took about 10 weeks. I was writing like a wild man with my hair on fire. I couldn’t help it. It sounds like hyperbole, but I wrote anywhere from four to ten pages a day, five days a week.

Where did you get the idea from?

First, it came from watching my son’s journey in life, and how many people hate him without knowing him, which unfortunately is what so many are living today. I’ve seen too many stories erase people who just want to exist peacefully and be loved. I wanted to see queer and neurodivergent characters centered not as plot devices, but as full humans. Because of my son’s experiences, I’ve gotten to see the rot that lives beneath politeness, and I wanted to write a story where someone pulls up the floorboards and names it.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

My education and experiences have been all about research papers and non-fiction commentary pieces. Those all must be incredibly succinct, so for me, having the ability to allow the text and story to breathe was a difficult thing. My wife would read a section and come back with the same thing. Stop rushing!! I’m still trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing and how to balance descriptive writing and writing with restraint.

What came easily?

The dialogue, without a doubt. All of the characters were so much fun to write. As weird as it may sound, I felt like I was a stenographer, just typing what was being said instead of creating it. James and David, especially, just rolled. They still make me laugh, even when they were dealing with some pretty bleak stuff.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

They’re fictional, but I wanted them to feel lived in. Tim and Bob are a little bit like me. Amanda carries my wife’s fire and looks. James has my son’s sharpness and clarity. I think we probably all went to school with a David Stone. So, yeah, they’re made up but based on people I know or have known. Every one of us has a life that is full of stories, especially through the people we meet, so I just rolled with the people I’ve come across…good, bad, and the in between.

Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and if so, how have they influenced you?

I know he’s technically not an author, but I LOVE all of Mike Flanagan’s stuff, so first and foremost, him. Next, like most humans on the planet, Stephen King, but not as a horror writer, but as a writer of grounded life stories such as The Life of Chuck, The Body, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, and others. Also, Catriona Ward, Paul Tremblay, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The writers who understand that horror isn’t just a monster. It’s memory, silence, and survival. They’ve all shown me that dread can be poetic and beautifully brutal.

Do you have a target reader?

Yes. Anyone who has been left out of the story, or who’s been told their existence is inconvenient. Also, readers who love character-driven thrillers that question who gets to belong, who doesn’t, and why.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so, can you please describe it?

It’s ritualistic. I write in my horror-themed office with a playlist of unsettling music. When I finally break the seal and begin writing, I treat it like a second job. I get up in the morning and write a specific number of pages, and then I’m done. Those pages may be flaming garbage or not. It’s more about consistency for me. I’m on the autism spectrum, so my superpower is hyper-focusing. Once I’m locked in, I can’t stop until I’m done.

Do you outline?

Not at all. It probably sounds odd, but I just write. I write people and how they interact conversationally. From there, I let them actively dictate the direction instead of the story dictating their reactions. Don’t get me wrong, I kind of know where I’m going, but that doesn’t mean I’ll end up there. I initially intended When Shadows Burn to be something that was totally different than the finished book. When I finished, I said to my wife, I don’t think I wrote the book I thought I was going to write.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

Both. The cycle is that I try to hit my goal of five pages a day. After I have knocked out twenty pages or so, I have my wife read them. Once she’s done, I backtrack to fix the rough spots while keeping the momentum forward.

Did you hire a professional editor?

I’m publishing through Koehler Books, so I’ve worked with their editing team (Miranda is incredible). I’ve also sent early drafts to a few trusted sensitivity readers like my son, especially for trans and autistic representation.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Yes always. The playlist depends on the scene, but it’s always movie instrumentals: Nosferatu, The Serpent, The Pale Blue Eye, The Crow, and more.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to agents?

No. I sent When Shadows Burn to a few indie publishers and was fortunate to have all but one come back to me with a yes. From there, I picked Koehler Books, which has been great from the outset, especially considering I was, and still am, a bit clueless with all of this.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

It was pretty easy. My wife works at our town’s indie bookstore, the Book Dragon. Plus, I’m a sucker for small businesses. With When Shadows Burn being a Southern Gothic, it felt like indie was the way to go. Also, I knew I wanted creative control and editorial collaboration that respected the soul of the book. Indie publishing gave me that.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

Professionally done through Koehler. I gave the designers my notes (What if fire burned downward? How about hands coming out of the sky like gods or monsters, or even cupping the house?), and they made something stunning out of it. Lauren Sheldon was tremendous. She was able to say, “No, you’re an idiot, this is much more of what you probably want”, and she was right.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

There’s a plan thanks to Simone Jung over at BooksFoward. I’ve got regional events, podcast interviews, guest articles, ARC outreach, and social media campaigns. I’m also leaning on my wife with her working at an indie bookstore. My son is my unpaid consultant who knows more than I do about all things social media. If it wasn’t for everyone, especially Simone and my son, I would be sitting on the floor, crying in my office, trying to figure out how to post on Instagram.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Don’t write safe, write honest (I should start selling T-shirts with: Write honest, not safe). Indie publishing is the one place you’re allowed to tell the story the market doesn’t believe has an audience until it does. Find your people. Make them cry, laugh, or shiver. Make the reader feel things through characters that they can love, hate, and see themselves in. To me, everything, and I mean everything, is about the humanity of the characters.

About You

Where did you grow up?

Everywhere. I attended four high schools in one academic year at one point (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Miami, Florida, Fort Pierce, Florida, and Hagerstown, Maryland).

Where do you live now?

Staunton, Virginia. My family and I love it. It’s quirky, beautiful, and old in the best way. There is a lot of love and acceptance here.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I’ve lived in 25 states and three countries. I’m a computational sociologist, a neurodivergent dad. My oldest son is a flight attendant and travels the world. My trans son is my hero and the reason I wrote When Shadows Burn. I’ve got a wife who somehow puts up with me and all my weirdness. I write about small towns because they’re complicated, and that makes for incredible storytelling.

What are you working on now?

I’m about 75 pages into the sequel, What the Ravens Saw, and within fifteen pages, there’s a twist that will blow everything open about When Shadows Burn. If you think you know what happened in the first book, this one will reframe everything.

End of Interview:

For more from Todd Brown visit his website and follow him on Instagram.

Get your copy of When Shadows Burn from Amazon US or Amazon UK.,