Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hey, everyone. Jim Phoenix here. And in this episode of what's cracking, we have Dominic Mann. And we're gonna talk about small towns and the hauntings and horrors that can go on psychologically and paranormally, all this and more. And that's what's cracking. Hit it.
Hey, everyone. Jim Phoenix here. And today, today we've got Dominique Mann. That's right. We're going to talk about small town, big town, all sorts of towns and spooky stuff. I have to admit, I saw your stuff online and it blows my mind away.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:00:43] Speaker A: I want to thank you for being talented.
Thank goes to you for that one. I love that you're digging into the smaller towns. What inspired you to go small?
[00:00:56] Speaker B: Sure. So I grew up in a small town, and my sort of safe haven was a small town. So I grew up in New England, in a small town in Massachusetts, outside of Boston. And an even smaller town my grandfather lived in in Connecticut. And Connecticut's very spooky. And so my grandfather would just get thrills from scaring me as a kid. And I wasn't scared. I was like, do it more. And I think small towns, not only did they provide the inspiration for, like, the horror short stories I would write, but also it provides a level of intimacy, you know, to really understand humanity, especially, like, if you're consuming horror, for example, and you can really see the dynamics between different people because it's controlled space. And so that's why it's just nostalgia, what I grew up in. And it inspired me so much to just write and tell stories.
[00:01:52] Speaker A: That's a great idea, connecting those two. It's like the monster in the house. To control space is a small town.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: And think about a lot of small towns are isolated, so they can't, like, I'm gonna get out of here. Like, you can't.
[00:02:04] Speaker B: Yeah. I love that premise of, like, you're. I know this sounds so dark, but that you're trapped, you can't get out, you know, of a small town and there you can't leave. Like, that's why I'm into the show from on Amazon, MGM plus right now, because it's like that exact premise of, like, a small town that you can't leave.
[00:02:21] Speaker A: Really?
[00:02:21] Speaker B: So many horrors. Yeah, it's a really great show.
[00:02:24] Speaker A: I need to check that out.
[00:02:25] Speaker B: Yeah. And then at night, monsters come out, unless you have a talisman in your window. And they're monsters disguised as humans that smile at you and try to goad you into coming outside your house.
And then they maul you to death if. If you let them in, because once you invite them in, all of them can come in.
[00:02:41] Speaker A: Stranger danger all over again. It is a small.
[00:02:45] Speaker B: And they target people. Like, for example, kids. If you have a kid, you have to board up your window because the kid is more susceptible to being deceived. So it'll be like this, like, old lady, like, who's obviously a monster, like, knocking on the window, which, of course, is creepy in and of itself, but the kid doesn't know any better. So then the kid looks, and it's like, a woman. Be like, oh, it's Nana. Come out. It's Nana.
And you know what happens after that. So it's like, it's just, ah, man, it's a good show.
[00:03:12] Speaker A: I love that concept of it. And when you said, small town, can't leave, I thought it meant all my friends from high school.
[00:03:19] Speaker B: I actually meant that layer, too, because good horror also touches on your. Your deeper fears of, like, everyday life. We consume horror to face, right. To process the fears that we face in our everyday lives. And so I had that fear growing up, even though small town environments inspired me. I was, like, I was so eager to leave my small town to experience the world because I didn't want to be trapped in it emotionally, you know, even though my family's still there and I still love small town stuff. So it's not an aversion to it. It's just that I had this, like, itch to experience the world, and I didn't want to be limited by the. The neighborhood and the block that I grew up on.
[00:03:55] Speaker A: Yeah, I think if anyone's from a small town is very identifiable, is the. You'll go back. You're not, like, ashamed, but, yeah.
You want open past 08:00 a.m. or 08:00 a.m. 08:00 p.m. like, it's 08:00 p.m. exactly.
Like, the store closed down. Like, there's only one.
[00:04:15] Speaker B: And you have those friends who did stay there, and they're asking you the same questions they did ten years ago. Like, you want to go to this spot and get, you know, some chinese food? You know, it's like. Like, that's like a loop.
Exactly, exactly. I'm like, no, I want to. I want to evolve as a human, so I appreciate that.
[00:04:36] Speaker A: I. Photos go to. I remember we had a McDonald's. That was big news. You have McDonald's now?
[00:04:42] Speaker B: Yes. Yes.
That was a treat growing up for me. Like, the toy. The toy. And, like, you know, like everything that's.
[00:04:50] Speaker A: The thing is a treat. And that's exactly what it was back then, a treat. Now it's like the everyday occurrence and the small.
[00:04:56] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.
[00:04:58] Speaker A: Sometimes keeps us grounded more. Now, I understand that small towns can be scary. And your grandfather tried to scare you.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: Yeah, so he would. Even when I was, like, really young, like six years old, it just like, grew up around that. So we would watch the original wizard of Oz and. Right. And then it would be dark in our, like, small one floor home he built. So he knew all the nooks and crannies and where to hide. And so right when the part went, either the witch or definitely the flying monkeys, he would sneak outside and then the tv was in front of a window and then he would start banging on the window and we screamd, you know, or he would get on all fours and like, you know, just like we'd see, like in the grudge or the ring, he would just get on all fours and chase. I know, weird. Like, it seems weird. Why would you do it to a little kid? But he knew I loved it and I would just laugh and I was like, when can I be scared next, right, the wizard of Oz flying monkey scene, him banging on the window like that, that would always do me in. Every time. Every time.
[00:06:00] Speaker A: It's for those who never watched the original wizard of Ozdev, back then, kids movies were terrifying.
[00:06:07] Speaker B: Yes, they were.
[00:06:08] Speaker A: Like, Disney was not playing like, no, MGM. We're not. We want kids screaming.
[00:06:13] Speaker B: Yes, exactly.
[00:06:14] Speaker A: Forever scarred. And for him to do that, that's funny because I'm having flashbacks. I'm like, yeah, that scare me. Yeah, it's scary enough to have the boom, boom, boom. Oh, creepy, creepy, creepy. So that's where you got your love from. Horror from is your grandfather is, I.
[00:06:31] Speaker B: Would say, yeah, my grandfather. And the fact that he encouraged me when I would write short stories about horror, like, I was creating characters with weird names like Addison Foster. I probably saw it in a show or something. And I was like ten years old. And I would just sit there and start writing and writing because it was so dark outside in this small Connecticut town. Our house is right in front of like a. His house in front of the woods. And so I would write, and then whenever time I'd write, he'd be like, oh, my gosh, you write so much. And I'd be like, okay, so I like this feedback, so I'm gonna keep doing it. And it kind of just grew from there. So I guess, yeah, now that I think about it, would be my grandfather, who inspired horror and the layers of it that bring me so much joy and it's so much fun.
[00:07:14] Speaker A: That's an amazing thing. And we're just talking about this in theory before, where if you encourage a child's imagination, they will spark it forever. As soon as you say, no, that's not how it goes. You killed that child's imagination forever.
[00:07:30] Speaker B: Exactly. Oh, that's a really great point. That's exactly what he did for me. It was imagining possibilities on our small plot of land, right. And little things like if there was a hole in a rock, which is, like, weird but normal at the same time. I don't know. And I would, like, look, put my finger in the hole because I'm curious about it. Just, like, act like a snake was there was like.
I freak out. So, like, his small little house was just this, like, constant adventure and imagination, you know? Even though when you look at it now, it's like, okay, this very, you know, tiny space. But it was. It was so much more, to me, magical.
[00:08:06] Speaker A: Did you ever hide underneath the table on the weirdo?
[00:08:11] Speaker B: No, because I. Because. Because I. He would find me, you know, unless it was a tablecloth. You know what I'm saying? I.
And also, I think I'm. I like having control in situations, even though you can't always. And so the idea of hiding under beds or under things where you can't see what's, you know, like, around you like that.
[00:08:31] Speaker A: Right.
[00:08:32] Speaker B: You know, like that. I like to be able to see what the threat is. You know what I'm saying? Like, me too.
[00:08:37] Speaker A: I never understood, like, hide under the bed. That's where the monster lives.
[00:08:40] Speaker B: Exactly.
I also watch, if you remember, I don't know if anyone remembers this Disney channel show that had no business being on Disney, that don't look under the bed. And it was. It was so obviously Disney channels for kids, so it plays on kids worst nightmares. And it's a boogeyman, but not like some cartoonish, like, fun boogeyman. I mean, like, really, really warmed and, like. Like, grotesque. And it had these long fingernails, and it would, like, its claws would just, like, come up from underneath the bed of. And they really were trying. It was like kid whore. And then I'm like. But I loved it. You know what I'm saying? And so to me, though, that lesson learned. Don't hide under the bed.
[00:09:20] Speaker A: Yeah. Bad things happen there. If you can float above your bed and sleep even better.
[00:09:26] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:09:27] Speaker A: Yeah. Dizzy. Like something this way comes.
Although. Bread knob. Bread knobs. Bed knobs and broomsticks.
[00:09:35] Speaker B: And broomsticks. Yeah, I remember that.
[00:09:37] Speaker A: That was amazing. Little psychedelic movie. I watched it again.
That pick up as the kids, like, she's like, yeah, come on, kids. We're gonna fly this bed over to, like, animal Kingdom island and have everyone that we kind of already drew out for different stories in Disney appear in this movie. And then like the. The psychedelic scene happens.
[00:09:58] Speaker B: Like, yeah, that one. It's been a long time since I've seen that one, so I don't remember. I do remember being spooked by that.
But even, like the. Remember the Olsen twins? And they were like, big, but they had this movie that was double, double toil and trouble.
[00:10:13] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:10:14] Speaker B: And you would think it's like a cute, like, cute little twins. Halloween. It was dark. I was scared of that movie. I couldn't stop watching it, but I was scared like that old woman, Agatha. Who? I think her name was Agatha. I'm not even sure, but it was like she was a witch. And I just remember, I don't know, it like that. Like jump scares everything. So it was not like it was. Kid horror was a genre in the nineties. I feel right.
[00:10:38] Speaker A: I think we've gone away from that now. I'm looking at the kids stuff right now. As for kid kids. But you're right, the nineties, we grew up with Freddy Krueger. Whose mission in life was to kill little kids in their sleep.
[00:10:53] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:10:54] Speaker A: And that was like, targeted at, like, oh, you're twelve. Watch this. Like, yeah, you'll never sleep again. Like, you will never sleep again.
[00:11:01] Speaker B: You're right.
[00:11:03] Speaker A: Good rhyme.
[00:11:04] Speaker B: I watch. I'm so sorry. Go ahead.
[00:11:06] Speaker A: No. And now we're doing other things. What did you watch? What did you watch?
[00:11:09] Speaker B: The 6th sense. A fourth grade birthday party.
[00:11:12] Speaker A: Fourth grade.
[00:11:13] Speaker B: Yes. I don't know what parent signed off on it. And I'm just like, the idea that, like, only. Was it the kid who. Yeah. Was the kid who can't only see dead people and you only see them when you're alone. That was nightmares for me.
[00:11:26] Speaker A: Oh, that's gonna be creepy.
It's like fourth grade. Yes. This Bruce Willis movie.
[00:11:32] Speaker B: Exactly. It's like, it's only when you're alone. You know? Like, that creeped me out so much.
[00:11:39] Speaker A: So now I have to ask, have you seen ghosts as a kid?
[00:11:43] Speaker B: So I. So I hesitate because I think I have, but I'm not sure.
I think the. As I got older and the, you know, the rational, quote, rational side, whatever, was like. No, but I just had a very vivid. There was this. I thought it was a nightmare. Like, just a vivid nightmare of this, like, man wearing my dad's t shirt. It was not my dad, like, wearing this, like, purple t shirt, just standing in the hallway. And I just remember, like, I, like, looked up, and then he looked at me, and then I just, like, pretended I was asleep, and I got so scared. And I just. I remember that. And it's different because you think, okay, you were dreaming or nightmare. But I know I've had some very vivid nightmares where I can tell you the details.
[00:12:33] Speaker A: Right.
[00:12:33] Speaker B: This felt diff. This felt like I was awake, you know, and so still up for debate. Could have been just the most vivid nightmare I've ever had. Or. I don't know if it was ghosts of my father's past. I don't know. I don't know. I really don't know. Could be, um. And then actually, in adulthood, I had an eerie experience that really. I got confirmation that they. Someone else in the hotel I was staying and experienced it, too, but that's not when I was a kid, so.
[00:13:01] Speaker A: Do you tell people about these things?
[00:13:04] Speaker B: I I don't. I don't think. I think the kid, one, I don't. I didn't tell because, um, you know, I. You know, if I maybe I told my mom at the time because I thought that, you know, she'd be like, okay, you had a bad dream. But, like, later in life, I don't think of an occasion where I volunteer unless we have an explicit conversation, like, you know, have you seen a ghost? And even then, that one when I was a kid, I don't mention, but I share the one where more recently, where, like, I heard noises in a hotel and, like, a rocking chair above me and really down the front desk the next day and said no one was above the room above me that night and talked to other people in the hotel, like, did you experience this, too? And they're like, yeah, we heard some weird shit. Sorry. I don't know if you can swear on this.
[00:13:47] Speaker A: Oh, we just did.
[00:13:48] Speaker B: Okay, I'm sorry. You can edit it out.
[00:13:51] Speaker A: Yeah, no, Joe Bob Riggs took that away when he did the f bomb. It's like, we're all good after this guy. We earned that explicit label.
Yeah, it's. It's amazing when you're staying at these hotels because you think about all the people who come through these places.
[00:14:05] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:14:05] Speaker A: And some of them don't leave.
[00:14:07] Speaker B: That's my. That's what. And what was eerie about it is that so? It was in Mississippi. Why I was in Mississippi. It was some kind. I was. So my grandfather obviously was important to me. And years after he passed away, I wanted to trace his roots in Mississippi because he was pushed up north because of the largest flood in american history, the 1927 flood. And he luckily escaped like, the Red Cross evacuated him. He was a sharecropper in Mississippi, but not everyone survived. So turns out I wanted to trace his roots, go to the flood museum, this tiny little shack of museum and the only hotel that was available. It was right where the levee broke.
And they would house people who were struggling. Some died or who were, like, needed medical attention in the levee building, and the levee building became the hotel. So that's what made me think, like, these are some restless spirits. Someone who did them wrong did not evacuate them. You know, there was a lot of injustice during the flood in terms of who got saved and who did nothing, but.
So it just. I first I heard scratching on the walls. I'm like, okay, well, it's a storm. And of course, it's like a flood worthy storm. The night I get there, and I'm like, is it a rat? Like, it was just scratching. But in the middle of the night, and I couldn't sleep. I was really upset at the people above me. Like, I was like, who is rocking?
[00:15:28] Speaker A: There's no rocking chair.
[00:15:30] Speaker B: And then a kid. I heard a kid running up and down. I assumed it was a kid because who would be running up and back and forth? And I'm like, just so irresponsible. This is, like, I can't sleep. And then I went to go complain, and they said, ma'am, there was no one above you that night.
[00:15:43] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh.
[00:15:44] Speaker B: And I. So that. That made me think. That's hard. I have to challenge, like, what I think is rational because I know what I experienced, and that building has a history. They didn't just, like, build a new like this. That hotel was literally the levee building where people died or they were getting medical attention because of the flood state destruction in 1927.
[00:16:04] Speaker A: Yeah. Though I. I hear those stories. Like, nope, not staying there.
[00:16:08] Speaker B: No, only hotel.
[00:16:09] Speaker A: Like, I don't know, man. I'm camping outside. It's a big storm.
Okay, I guess I will, you know?
[00:16:16] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Even the people at the front desk were like, don't tell me this. I don't want to hear this. Like. And it's like, they accepted it. They weren't like, okay, she's a little off. They were like, you know, this sounds like what I've been hearing, I don't want to hear it because I need a job and I need to work here.
[00:16:31] Speaker A: I need to work here. Is it night? It's scary enough, yeah.
[00:16:33] Speaker B: Yeah. I don't want to hear confirmation of the fears that I already know exist. So.
[00:16:38] Speaker A: Oh, man. When you're going through this and your rational mind's like, no, it has to be, you know, when you hear this scratching the door, you think, especially during storm, it's got to be a rat or a field mouse trying to get in.
[00:16:49] Speaker B: Yeah, exactly.
[00:16:51] Speaker A: And then you don't see anything. And then you hear this stuff above you and you get the confirmation there was nothing at all above you.
Is that a place you want to go back to?
[00:17:03] Speaker B: Majority of me says no, but there is that small part of me that's like, I kind of do. I don't think I would stay there at night unless I was with company.
I don't know. Because it's almost like this need for validation. Like, did I really experience that? But of course, I'm the person in all those horror movies. Like, it's got, you know, that gets taken, like, dies because they're too curious. And I always judge those people. Like, what? Why would you do that? Why would you go into the basement right now and when it's dark, when you heard something and I say that, and I grew up in a family where we're like, oh, no. Like, I don't. I don't know if I believe in ghosts, but we will not entertain this just to find out. But there is. I would be lying if I said there wasn't a small part of me that does want to explore and validate what I experienced or not.
[00:17:49] Speaker A: You got to find out. And those experiences make us. And I do believe what you're making now. Is that based on an experience you've had?
[00:17:59] Speaker B: Yes. I mean, it's based on a series of experiences I've had, particularly in, you know, small towns. And the fact that I see connection between horror in our history, whether it's, like, literal history and, like, ghosts with unfinished business or, like, you know, just shows like Sleepy Hollow were literally.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: The Ghost Bob Crane version was scary.
[00:18:22] Speaker B: Yeah. I refuse to watch. I mean, I. Maybe I will, but even the cartoon version was scary. And then the remake, I think, was for Fox. Like, that was scary. And it's just. It's just like, it's just all the through line that people miss sometimes is that it is history. Like haunted houses. It's a house with a history. And so what I'm currently exploring a project that I'm going to start as a short film and try to sort of get it around the story, around a short format. But the longer format is basically like, because I have a background in politics and organizing and stuff, you know, I want to write what I know, and I think that increased my chances too, of people taking the voice seriously. But the premise is that after a grassroots organizer disappears in a small Connecticut town, you know, a diner host, a mental health advocate, land surveyor and ex White House aide search for answers. And the White House part because it's like, I don't want to lean too much into government conspiracy things in this climate, but it's more of like anything that represents institutions. But of course, when they go to this small town, they find more than they imagined and they have to confront the town's mysterious customs. Think the lottery, if you all know that short story. Fewer hours of sunlight each day, an eerie surrounding forest, a swaying presence in the trees, an abandoned schoolhouse at the edge of town, which I have experienced in Connecticut, a really eerie red schoolhouse that my grandfather would go to as a kid, but we would visit there when it was abandoned. I don't know why we wouldn't abandon. Yeah. So what drives the story forward is like, what is this town's secret plot? What's their deal? What are these horrors that are unfolding and they're in conflict with the town and, and the characters? Meanwhile, of course, I, like good horror intersects with, like, what makes us human and what we're all seeking. And so the characters are seeking belonging, you know, connectedness and a world that feels disconnected. And I want to show that through a small town, you know, horror story.
[00:20:20] Speaker A: I love that idea, especially a small town.
One of the things if you are in a major big metropolis, if you're on LA, for example.
[00:20:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:20:32] Speaker A: If something bad happens, you've got neighbors.
[00:20:34] Speaker B: Exactly. Know about it. Yeah.
[00:20:37] Speaker A: Almost immediately something bad is happening. It happens all the time. If you're a small town, ain't no one finding out.
[00:20:43] Speaker B: Exactly. Like on your own, no street lights.
[00:20:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
No pavement for half the time in the middle of forest.
[00:20:51] Speaker B: Exactly, exactly.
[00:20:54] Speaker A: So it brings the element, like, where's your house? Well, it's a third tree on the left.
[00:21:00] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:00] Speaker A: Go there.
[00:21:01] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:21:02] Speaker A: And you drive down another hour and a half and that's where the driveway is going to start, however.
[00:21:08] Speaker B: Yeah. And like, buildings tend to be like because of infrastructure issues, probably. Issues probably with the town, like buildings, like, versus a city, like, unless the city's really struggling, if there's an empty storefront. Someone's going to buy it up quickly. And if they're real estate agents are struggling to sell it there, you know, developers will bring down the price or whatever it is.
[00:21:29] Speaker A: Right.
[00:21:29] Speaker B: Small towns, it's like it could go abandoned for a minute, like, for a while. And so. And so I often see, like, the ghosts of a diner from, like, decades ago that I'm like, y'all didn't just tear it down, like. And just there. Maybe they're scared to tear it down. I don't know. But small towns is. There's not as much. Much investment in, you know, like, the houses and the buildings to make, like, people live here. And so that's eerie. And, yes, you're. You feel isolated. You're always an outsider to whatever is existing there. I don't know, it's like. It's. It's just. Yes, it's just, yeah, if something happens, you know, it's like if a tree falls in a forest and no one's there to see it, did it happen? So it's the idea of something happening and no one knows about it. Like, you hit it on the head.
[00:22:14] Speaker A: You're always an outsider. If you were not 12th generation in that small town.
[00:22:18] Speaker B: Exactly.
[00:22:18] Speaker A: You are an outsider.
[00:22:20] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:22:20] Speaker A: You're no longer trusted, and then you're being attacked on two fronts, from the inside and the outside as well. And it's trying to bring that rational world to a small town thing where things could be completely insidious happening.
[00:22:33] Speaker B: Exactly. And they live in an echo chamber of, like, how often are they leaving that small town, you know what I'm saying? To go. Do they know the world has changed? Do they think certain things are normal like they were, you know, that's why I believe that short story about the lottery. Spoiler. And feel free to edit this out if people want to go read it. They. This idyllic town. Turns out that their sort of lottery is not what you think it is. The lottery is. They stone people to death. And, yeah, if you win, you. Yeah, you get stoned to death in.
[00:23:03] Speaker A: Front of the whole island.
[00:23:04] Speaker B: And I. Even though it seems outlandish, given human history. Right. But also the fact that if you're in a small town, if that was the norm for, like, centuries ago or whatever, or even sooner, if you don't have anything gut checking you to be like, okay, this is pretty bad, actually, then, like, that's just normal for you. And so, to me, I'm very curious about, what are those customs in the town that get normalized, haven't changed over the years, you know, and just exists in this echo chamber of that town.
[00:23:33] Speaker A: Yeah. And the echo chamber part is correct when anyone leaves a small town. I went to Vegas, I guess, and I was like, wow. All those things I thought growing up, completely wrong, you know, completely wrong. There's like, you find a whole new world out there, and if you stay in a small town, you go back. If we go back talking to your friends, you almost have to talk to as a different dialect.
[00:23:57] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:23:58] Speaker A: And the words themselves, like, you know, it's weird learning up. And so I can see the connection with the small town. It does make a great story background, especially if you have people that small towners will not trust. The government.
[00:24:13] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:24:14] Speaker A: Will not trust that person. They will not trust the authorities. Right. Because they are in their echo chamber. Chamber. I say, like, in a little bubble. So without giving anything away for your story, when you're going through the human aspects of it, does it necessarily have to be mystical evil, or is it also also a small town mentality that could work against, you know, keep the secrets?
[00:24:48] Speaker B: I want to intentionally through my story. I think good horror, at least the direction we should move horror in as a genre, is to interrogate what is actually the real horrors. Right. And so I want in through my story. You're gonna, even though the horrors in the forest are scary and eerie, it almost, you'll get sort of distracted by that. But then slowly but surely, the town is. Is becoming more weird to you than you thought. And so then it sneaks up on you, and then you kind of realize, well, maybe the town is actually more horrifying than what's out there. Right? And.
And so I think that's something that I really wanted to play with in the, my story is this idea and interrogating what is the real horrors and the interplay between the things that the townspeople, you know, decide to do and normalize with, in conflict with the forest. And who knows? I'm not saying this will happen, but maybe the forest exists because the town did something pretty bad. You know, consequences that they have to face in the town doesn't. So they try to suppress the forest. Doesn't mean this force isn't scary, but you got to look at its root causes for the why it was. It exists the way it does.
[00:26:00] Speaker A: I love that idea because we always see things like the american Jeremiad and everyone, you know, going west, young man, you know, go on populous, and that was pushing some ideologies through the United States when it was a lot of like, the forests are brand new, these are undiscovered, yet someone is already living here country. You know, I was like, hey, wait a minute, we won't count that. But when they started to try to take over those lands, the land sometimes pushes back where the expeditions were scope missing and we don't know if something personal will happen to them or is just the land saying, we've had enough. Yeah, you know, and you kind of grow up in those things. Now, if you could give the young version of you who's writing that very first short story advice, what would you give? The advice, what advice would you give?
[00:27:01] Speaker B: Oh, I love this question.
I don't want to sound cliche with this, but don't give up imagining or creating.
Yeah, don't give up your imagination and sense of wonder and curiosity about the world because we as we get older and there are certain norms that get imposed on us, whether healthy or unhealthy, many unhealthy in today's society, especially the age of social media and such, that I think it stifles our sense of creativity and imagination. Like, what if? And I would tell her, even though she or this young version of me already has that imagination, that young me was also dealing with stuff in school, like bullying and other things, and I would tell her that, I mean, it gets better. That's number one.
And to continue to create these worlds that are fun, imaginative and yes, scary, because maybe you'll create a sense of belonging for other people and then you'll have it for yourself. I would translate it differently for a young version of me because I don't think she understand what I just said, but essentially just, I would say, keep dreaming, keep imagining, you know? You know, people. People want to join the world you're building, you know, because that's it. Doing so, you're creating belonging for other people.
[00:28:15] Speaker A: Yep. I agree 100%. That is the magic of it. Keeping your imagination and keeping the wonder of the world still alive, especially in today's age of cynicism, of everything's quick. You know, I think building that world for other people to enjoy because they need it. They need this world to be built. And I, that's perfect device to younger you. And, yeah, I have to say this has been fun. It's I, when I see small town, yes, I can talk about so much.
[00:28:50] Speaker B: Fun, you know, I can't have this conversation all the time about small towns with people. So, like, I was so thrilled when you got back to me about this. I was like, oh, my gosh, yes. Finally, I can really, like, dig deep into the small town and the layers of why they're so fascinating and why there's a reason why they're so popular across genres, you know, mystery and true crime and just. Just magical realism and Sci-Fi fantasy. Small towns are always it for a reason.
[00:29:18] Speaker A: They are, because this is where. This is where the invasion happens. Small town, USA. You know, it could be ghosts, it could be aliens, but this is. We're coming here first. And growing up in a small town, we've all had stories.
[00:29:34] Speaker B: We've all done. Even the most, quote, rational person, my uncle included. He's had some eerie experiences in that Connecticut town that he grew up in. I mean, Connecticut house. The same house.
So it's a real thing.
[00:29:48] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And keep believing, keep reading. And I look forward. I want to see this. When you get it all spiffy and you get it all on screen, let me know. I want to review. I want to enjoy your version of the small town. I do.
[00:30:06] Speaker B: Thank you so much. Makes me feel so good. And I hope that for you and for your listeners, too, it creates the escapism that is. You know, escapism has this bad name to it. Like, you think it's like you're not in reality. No. Escapism makes you bring out the best parts of yourself and to have a safe space to imagine, dream creative, be scared, and feel the full range of your emotions. So I hope to create that. And I will most certainly keep you updated on that.
[00:30:35] Speaker A: Please do.
[00:30:36] Speaker B: Yeah. Thank you for hosting me today.
[00:30:38] Speaker A: Oh, thanks for coming. Thanks for coming. And because where I am is going to be thanksgiving, I think. Tomorrow, I guess. Yes, for me to early thanksgiving for you, I guess. And, yes, that's how time works. Thank you again. Dominic Mann. Where can we find you on social media?
[00:30:57] Speaker B: Speaking of the evil, I'm primarily on Instagram, so. Dominique J. Mann. D o m I n I q u e j m a n n. I say that because people spell Dominique differently. So, yeah. Dominique J. Mann. That's just it.
[00:31:12] Speaker A: I love it. And Instagram is the perfect, especially for horror.
[00:31:15] Speaker B: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Halloween. I'm gonna be. My Instagram is just gonna be, like, grotesque images. So beware, be aware.
[00:31:23] Speaker A: I'm gonna be there.
[00:31:24] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:31:26] Speaker A: That's why I love it. Well, thanks again, Dominique. It's been lovely. And for everyone at home, good day. Oh, that's Paul Harvey. That is small town, then.
Bye, everyone.
