01/24/2026: 2025 Fall & Winter Author Spotlight Series: Gavin Dillinger
- Candace Nola
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
This series will be showcased on my Patreon first, every Friday this fall and winter, through early 2026. If you are not a patron, look for the new author spotlight to appear here on the blog every Saturday! These will be for incredibly talented, but lesser known, authors that truly deserve a spotlight on their work!
As is our mission here at Uncomfortably Dark, we want to be a community support and while how we do that may change over time, we will always find a way to shed light on the many wonderfully talented people in this space. Please check out their interviews, click on their links, and check out their work for yourself. I promise you will not be disappointed.
This week's Spotlight falls on indie author Gavin Dillinger! Gavin Dillinger is an author based out of Nashville. He is the author of AN EXPLORATION OF EXISTENTIAL INDIFFERENCE IN A VOID OF CONFIDENCE (OR GOOD BOY: A NOVEL), a horror-comedy that has been called "a book."
His most recent novel, LOONEY! (co-written with Stephen Kozeniewski), continues in the vein of GOOD BOY with unhinged hyperviolence and over the top characters, while digging into deeper societal questions about patriotism and personal identity.
MEET GAVIN DILLINGER
Introduce yourself in 4 sentences or less.
I am the author of AN EXPLORATION OF EXISTENTIAL INDIFFERENCE IN A VOID OF CONFIDENCE (OR GOOD BOY: A NOVEL) and the co-author of LOONEY! My stories tend to be over the top premises mired in some sort of emotion, usually dwelling on isolation to an extent. Outside of writing, I've spent nearly a decade at nonprofits for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Describe your style of writing in 2 sentences or less.
I change things up depending on the story, but most of the time my writing is an attempt to reframe life. So, a little faux-philosophical, I suppose.
What is your favorite type of horror to write?
I love bizzaro, breaking the barriers of reality with little to no explanation why.
What is your favorite book or character you’ve written so far?
My first novel, AN EXPLORATION OF EXISTENTIAL INDIFFERENCE IN A VOID OF CONFIDENCE (OR GOOD BOY: A NOVEL), is probably still my favorite, even if I don't think it's my best.
Who are your top 5 favorite authors?
Jason Pargin tops the list, one of the most observant commentators of human behaviors in the information age, packaging his conclusion into borderline low brow humor which forces you to reconcile with the ridiculousness of human behavior. Then we have Joyce Carol Oates. I'm obsessed with the rhythmic nature of her writing style. Jeff Lemire comes next. He's a comic writer/artist who has an ability to drive home the sorrow of a child who feels excluded. He does this in numerous stories, and they hit every time. Then when he gets bored of that he writes insane sci-fi thrillers like Gideon Falls.
Sticking in comics, Daniel Clowes. His range as a storyteller is nothing short of prolific. The man can write Slice-of-Life (Ghost World), Crass Humor (Needledick the Bug Fucker), and artful satire (Nature Boy), then package it all together in a single zine that feels harmonic. And finally, Jack Ketchum. I'm not fond of extreme horror because I feel it often is grotesque and sexual solely for the shock factor (which makes the "shocking" parts all the less shocking), and that feels lazy to me. Ketchum's stories, however, are so steeped in humanity, that I often forget the violence involved because I'm more focused on the humans.
What most inspires you to keep writing when imposter syndrome hits the hardest?
I lean into it. I embrace the fact that there is a chance no one will ever want to read what I write and use that to write what I want. If I'm not enjoying my creations, then I need to create something different or stop creating. The days are too short for me to slave away chasing success, which can be dependent on luck.
Is there a genre, sub-genre, or trope you’ve not written, that you’d like to try?
I'm still at a point in my writing career where I call my own shots. I've written the styles I've most wanted to. They're just not all published yet. I do want to play with format more in the future. I don't think I'd ever go full Mark Z. Danielewski, though. I simply don't have the patience for that.
What is your hope for your writing career for the next five years? As in where do you see yourself?
I would love to write full-time, as many indie authors likely say. Beyond that, I would enjoy diversifying the types of things I write (i.e. Essays, comics, scripts, etc.). That second part is much more within my control.
Pitch your current WIP in three sentences or less.
Right now, my work in progress is tunneling under Stephen Kozeniewski's house to steal back my LOONEY! royalties as well as some of his underwear.
Where can we find you online and where can readers see you next?
Look for @GavinDillingerAuthor on various socials (Insta, TikTok, BlueSky, and Facebook). I'm hoping to get some more content recorded this coming week. As for in person appearances, I don't have any convention plans for 2026 at this time, but if there is someone out there dying to meet me, point me to a con near you and I'll see if I can procure a table.
FIND HIS BOOKS HERE:
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