WHEN SHADOWS BURN

WHEN SHADOWS BURN
'Uncovering the Darkness We Carry and the Light We Choose to Create'
Exclusive Interview with Todd Brown
Featured in 'Innerviews'
Hosted by Allié McGuire

Some houses whisper, but in Todd Brown’s debut novel When Shadows Burn, the past doesn’t whisper — it screams. Set in a small Southern town with secrets as heavy as its history, this Southern Gothic thriller explores identity, silence, and the cost of truth. Today, we step into the shadows of Raven’s Cross with the author himself, to uncover the artistry and intention behind a story that feels hauntingly real.

ALLIÉ: Well, let’s get started. In your debut novel When Shadows Burn, Raven’s Cross and The Scott House are more than settings. They feel alive—almost like characters themselves. What inspired you to give place such a degree of presence? And second, how does that reflect the truths that communities carry, not only in their walls but in their histories?

TODD: The reality is that when people read, especially Southern Gothics, there is so little inclusion of neurodivergent and queer people. It may be unintentional, but it’s a form of erasure. When you never include certain groups—especially marginalized groups—in these stories, it’s as though they don’t exist. And that makes it easier to ignore them and excuse harmful behaviors toward them.

Ultimately, I wanted to write a reflection of so many towns in America that probably are doing this. They may use the excuse of heritage, or lean into clique bias—deciding who gets forgiven when something goes wrong. If you have historical roots in the area, you’re forgiven more quickly than the outsider—whether that’s someone who moved in or someone who is marginalized.

So I wanted to give the town itself, and the house, the feel of being characters. Neurodivergent and queer people do exist, even in rural America. They’re just not seeing themselves portrayed that way, and that’s a real issue.

ALLIÉ: Absolutely. And you do it so brilliantly. Let’s talk about how your novel opens—a quiet tragedy in the past that sets the tone for everything that follows. Why was it important for you to begin the story with history, and what does that say about the way communities handle—or fail to handle—their own scars?

TODD: I think you just hit it on the head. If something has historical roots, people tend to say, “That’s just the way it is.” I hear this a lot with marginalized communities.

When you apply today’s morality and ethics to history, you see enormous wrongs. But people often reclassify it and excuse it: “Those were just the times.” That doesn’t excuse the behaviors or the language. We’ve moved on, and we need to call a fault a fault. That’s how we progress—by unveiling and addressing these things through the lens of today. That’s why I started the book the way I did—to create that “whisper down the lane” effect, like the game Operator. A story can catch fire and persist with zero basis in fact, simply because it’s historical. But that doesn’t make it true.

ALLIÉ: Yes—and to that point, if we can’t see it, we can’t learn from it. If it’s buried, we don’t have the chance to grow. It’s bound to repeat itself because we never learned the lesson.

One of your central characters arrives in Raven’s Cross chasing a story, only to uncover something much deeper than expected. What were you hoping to explore about truth-seekers and the risks and rewards of asking questions that others might be afraid to ask?

TODD: First, I wanted to write the best book I’d ever read—that didn’t exist. There are things missing in this genre, and I wanted to fill that gap.

On the surface, the main character’s intention is one thing, but they get swept away into something else entirely. They’re just trying to stay afloat in the tidal wave of garbage they suddenly have to deal with. That mirrors real life. We set out to do one thing, and suddenly we’re caught up in something else. Social media amplifies this—one comment can bring judgment from millions of strangers who don’t know your context.

In fact, the sequel, What the Raven Saw, really interrogates this. It asks: What is the cost of telling a story? We consume true crime all the time, but what about the people involved—those who don’t want the story retold? Not for malicious reasons, but because they don’t want to relive it. What happens when the world commodifies tragedy, turning someone’s trauma into a tourist attraction? That’s what I wanted to explore.

ALLIÉ: And you do it so profoundly—showing the risks, the rewards, and the weight of truth.

ALLIÉ: Let’s talk about another character. Their journey is rooted in identity and the courage to live authentically, even in the face of fear and resistance. What does that arc reveal about resilience?

TODD: Without giving spoilers—the reality is people shouldn’t have to reach the point where bravery overshadows terror. That shouldn’t be necessary. The root of this story, to me, is that the ultimate horror is something that shouldn’t be happening but is.

I’m a father of a trans son. I can’t imagine what it’s like to wake up every day knowing people hate you for no reason. I’ll never have to face that. But my son does—for absolutely no reason. His bravery to live authentically, in the face of unfounded hate, is profound. And it’s disgusting that it even has to happen. That’s the true horror.

ALLIÉ: And what that must be like for your son, but also for you as a parent—knowing you can’t protect him from that.

TODD: Yeah, it’s horrifying. Fortunately, we live in a supportive area, but we do leave that bubble. I know I have to be armed with information and ready to snap back at ignorance every time we leave the house.

I also know what I’ve written will be controversial. My publicist and I are already discussing what happens when the book gets banned. Honestly, I’ll wear that as a badge of honor. But it’s absurd that we’re even here.

ALLIÉ: Yes—and we should be so much further along.

ALLIÉ: You develop your characters with such depth that I hurt with them, and I healed with them. Which character do you see yourself in most, and why?

TODD: Probably Tim, the podcaster. There’s also Bob, a teacher, who has a little of me in him. And Amanda, the female lead—that’s my wife. A lot of our banter is just straight from our house.

But Tim is the one I most identify with. He’s trying to do his best, tell stories, do his job—then gets swept into something bigger than he imagined. Once he realizes the truth, he decides to fight for what’s right.

That’s how I wrote it: write what you know, create good characters, and the story will follow. Stephen King said it best—“Write good characters and then the story will take care of itself.”

​ALLIÉ: Without giving anything away, your novel ends with a mix of loss and hope, darkness and light. What message do you most want readers to carry with them about truth, healing, and the possibility of redemption?

TODD: Life isn’t cut and dry. It’s full of plot twists, changes, and people who surprise us.

I want readers to reflect on their actions and words—because everything carries weight. Especially kids—they’re always watching how we react. I’d rather pass on love than hate.

Horror, at its best, holds up a mirror. It shows us parts of ourselves we might not like. That’s the real scary part—not the gore, but the recognition. If we can face that with humility and change, then we can find redemption. ∎

Learn more about When Shadows Burn online:
www.toddbrownwrites.net
Get your copy here:
www.awarenow.us/book/when-shadows-burn