AI Summary
5 min readRichard Chizmar never planned to write a trilogy. The first book in his Boogeyman series, Chasing the Boogeyman, was supposed to be a standalone. Then he was mowing the lawn one day and, in a five-minute span, the entire first chapter of Becoming the Boogeyman arrived in his head—ending with a twist that connected so powerfully to the first book that he knew he had to write it. His editor then convinced him it had to be a trilogy. The result is Killing the Boogeyman, out October 6th, which Chizmar describes as a conclusion that blurs the line between human monster and something possibly supernatural, pushing readers "just to the right to the edge of that blurry line."
The Art of the Fake True Crime Book
The most disorienting feature of the Boogeyman series is its format. The books are written as true crime accounts, complete with photographs, newspaper clippings, and a protagonist named "Richard Chizmar" who lives in his actual hometown. Chizmar wanted the photos placed at the end of each chapter—not gathered in a glossy insert—so readers get immediate visual reinforcement of what they just read. "That's exactly how I am," he says. "I end up flipping through and being like, 'What does this person look like?'"
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:35) **The Accidental Trilogy** - Rich reveals the Boogeyman series was never planned as a trilogy; the idea for *Becoming the Boogeyman* struck him while mowing the lawn
- 2 (03:08) **The Blair Witch Marketing Dream** - Rich discusses his original plan to blur the line between fiction and reality with a full multimedia campaign
- 3 (04:04) **The Power of Photographs** - Ash and Rich discuss how the strategically placed photos throughout the books create a disorienting sense of reality
- 4 (14:01) **The Boogeyman's Origin Story** - Rich traces his personal relationship with the boogeyman back to childhood and explains why he still believes
- 5 (16:15) **The Haunted House and the Skeptical Wife** - Rich describes living in a 250-year-old house with bark-covered ceiling beams and the contrast between his and his wife's reactions to the supernatural
- 6 (19:58) **Small Town Legends and Lost Innocence** - Rich explains how growing up with local boogeyman legends and the contrast between safety and danger shaped the books
- 7 (26:59) **Why Small Town Horror Works** - Rich deep dives into the psychology of setting horror in seemingly safe, idyllic communities
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Weirdos! We are stoked to bring you this special Bonus MORBID BOOK CLUB episode, #sponsored by our friends at @ashleyofficial ! This month we are joined by the incredible Richard Chizmar to chat about his upcoming release, Killing the Boogeyman available everywhere on 10/6/2026! Richard takes us behind the scenes of the writing process of this series that blends memoir and horror, talks about ticking of not one- BUT TWO dream collaborations off of his bucket list, and what it’s like to spend YEARS willingly inviting the Boogeyman into your brain! #ashleypartner
Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022)
Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023)
Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley
Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally
Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025)
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