WritersWeekly Podcast

Episode 48: Misery: Real Authors Who Have Been Stalked

July 9, 2026 2 Comments

Episode 48: Misery: Real Authors Who Have Been Stalked
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Music: “Light Rays” (a song about Billy Bob Thornton’s stalker) is used with permission directly via text from Billy Bob Thornton (yes, really!). His awesome band is The Boxmasters. Check ’em out!

https://theboxmasters.com/store

Do you remember the movie based on the Stephen King novel “Misery?”

An author is stalked and captured by an obsessed fan, played by Kathy Bates. She proceeds to torture him while still professing her admiration of his works. “I’m your number one fan!”

Although most stalkers don’t revert to such extreme behavior, being stalked can be a terrifying experience for anyone. Knowing that someone who is clearly not thinking right has set their sights on you is stressful, to say the least. Not knowing what that person is capable of means you must constantly be looking over your shoulder and never letting your guard down. That’s a very traumatic way to live!

In today’s episode, an English Professor at the University of Tennessee, and professional editor and book marketer, Clayton Jones, joins Angela and Brian to delve into the dark world of authors who have been stalked by unhinged “fans” and how those events ended up. Clayton, Angela and Brian all share their own experiences with stalkers. We even have an example of an author who stalked someone who left her a bad review.

Grab some popcorn and prepare to immerse yourself into psychological darkness and drama (with a little humor on the side.) You won’t be disappointed!

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Do you think you might be the victim of a publishing scam? CONTACT ANGELA AND BRIAN.

LINKS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

SOURCES USED FOR THIS EPISODE (and more because we couldn’t squeeze all of the stories in):



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2 Responses to "Episode 48: Misery: Real Authors Who Have Been Stalked"

  1. R. K.  July 11, 2026 at 9:48 am

    Preceding “Fatal Attraction” was “Play Misty for Me” in 1971. I’m sure this genre goes back further than that even.

    Reply
  2. Philip Fletcher  July 11, 2026 at 7:25 am

    I created a poem recently called ‘The thing inside.’ It relates to being stalked by an evil entity that isn’t visible to the naked eye; it’s ‘the thing inside.’ A dark force who’s sole duty is to harass and torment you in any way it can. It can even interfere with your internet activity, making items you’re working on disappear just as you’re about to click on ‘Send.’ I call it the ‘squatting grub’. Guy de Maupasant called his ‘The Horla.’
    I should be a nervous wreck basket case after what this insidious horror has put me thru throughout my long and tragic life; hence the title of one of my collections: DYING OF LASSITUDE AND ENNUI, and their are plenty more titles in this vein I can assure you.

    Reply

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