Jo Loveday joins me to discuss Campus of Shadows, a psychological horror thriller that follows a vulnerable mind as it begins to break. We talk about crafting a believable mental decline, how Jo’s nursing and psychiatric training informed Dave’s deterioration, and why portraying addiction felt personal.
Jo also opens up about living with dyscalculia and how it helped shape Dave’s character, the challenge of writing from a male POV, and the ten-year journey of learning story structure, rewriting, and cutting entire early chapters to sharpen the emotional core of the book.
It’s a thoughtful conversation about identity, vulnerability, and writing psychological darkness with care and realism.
Jo Loveday's book: https://a.co/d/gAgs2Al
Follow Jo Loveday online: https://joloveday.com/
Join the After Show on Patreon and get early access to episodes, bonus after-show segments with guests, and my free novella Cognitive Breach. You’ll also be able to support the show and help me keep bringing on great thriller authors. https://patreon.com/markpjnadon
Today's Sponsor Mark P.J. Nadon's novels including his psychological action tech thriller, The Genesis Project: https://mybook.to/marksthrillers
Authors: Want to be a guest? Apply here → https://markpjnadon.ca/the-thriller-pitch-podcast
Explore thrillers by Mark P.J. Nadon: • https://markpjnadon.ca/novels/
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