When Nazis Chase Occult Secrets and Eldritch Horrors Crash WWII: A Paranormal Adventure with Christopher Michael

Season 5, Episode 34: When WWII Meets Lovecraftian Horror — With Christopher Michael and His Seriously Haunted To-Do List

Hosted by Shauna Wooten (aka your friendly neighborhood paranormal geek)

What's up you phantaBOOlous hooman beans? Alright, folks, buckle up because this episode is like Indiana Jones crashed into The Thing — with a dash of ghost stories and a sprinkle of military-grade badassery. I had the pleasure of chatting with Christopher Michael, Army vet turned cosmic horror author, whose Danforth Eldritch Tale series is basically WWII with a Lovecraftian twist. Think Nazis hunting occult secrets, eldritch horrors lurking in the shadows, and a protagonist who’s smart enough to know he’s probably screwed but still dives headfirst into the madness.

Meet Christopher Michael: Veteran, Writer, and Occult Specialist (In Fiction, At Least)

Christopher’s military creds are solid enough to make you nod and say, “Yep, this guy’s legit.” Then he throws in some supernatural weirdness that makes you wonder if your bookshelf just turned into a portal to another dimension — or if you accidentally took a wrong turn into the Twilight Zone.

His star player, Robert Danforth, is basically what you get when a history professor and a paranormal investigator have a very nerdy baby. Forget the usual “grizzled commando” cliché — Danforth’s brainiac vibes make the horrors he faces way scarier. Because, spoiler alert: being smart doesn’t mean you get a free pass from cosmic nightmares. Sometimes, it just means you understand how utterly doomed you are.

The Books: From Desert Tombs to Creepy Castles (And Beyond)

• Book 1: Tomb of the Black Pharaoh: Set in Egypt, 1941. Danforth’s on the trail of a missing Nazi expedition, and the vibe is basically The Mummy crashing a very bad day party — think ancient curses mixed with “Uh-oh, what did we just unleash?” And here’s a fun twist: the audiobook is narrated by an Irish guy, so if you catch some unexpected pronunciations, blame the accent, not the author. Seriously, his voice is so phantaBOOlous you’ll want to listen just for the accent alone!

• Book 2: Horror on the Lamplights: Romania, 1942. Welcome to Dracula’s neighborhood — cold, dark, and packed with people you definitely don’t want to invite to your next dinner party. Missing kids, creepy religious orders, and Nazis playing with occult fire make this one a psychological thriller that’ll have you triple-checking your closet for vampires. Spoiler: the shadows might be watching back.

• Book 3: Coming Soon (Pacific Theater Madness): Danforth’s a hot mess (in the best possible way) and somehow ends up on a volcanic island that’s basically a supernatural game of Risk between Japan and the U.S. No big deal, right? Crystal Lake Publishing wants one book a year, so Christopher’s running on a potent mix of bean juice and eldritch energy — because caffeine alone can’t keep you sane when you’re writing about cosmic horrors.
  

Research So Hardcore It Would Make a Nazi Occultist Cry

Christopher is the kind of guy who’ll toss out entire scenes just because he found out the pistol his character was packing wasn’t even invented yet. Talk about commitment to accuracy — this guy probably dreams in WWII timelines sprinkled with occult mumbo jumbo. His brain is basically a history-obsessed, supernatural fact-checking machine.

He’s got a serious curiosity on Nazis and the Occult by Paul Rowland, using it like a supernatural GPS to navigate the weird truth from the Hollywood hype. Spoiler alert: yeah, the Nazis were into some seriously creepy stuff — but not always the way your favorite horror movie told you. Sometimes reality is even weirder than fiction.

Writing as Therapy (And Occasional Rage Outlet)

Turns out, writing about gunfights and cosmic horror is a pretty good way to deal with PTSD and anger. Christopher started writing as a kid but only recently found the guts to publish. Now he’s juggling self-publishing drama, traditional publishing surprises, and a marketing plan that involves social media — even though he’d rather be anywhere else.

Paranormal Tidbits You Didn’t Know You Needed

• Christopher’s skeptical about curses but respects that some people believe in “spiritual attachments” to objects. He once took a photo of Robert the Doll without asking permission and lived to tell the tale. (Take notes, ghost hunters and paranormal investigators.)

• Afghanistan stories include giant burials, pygmy mountain people who might eat you if you’re not careful, and a “City of Screams” haunted by the echoes of Genghis Khan’s massacres. Yeah, it’s as intense as it sounds.

• He’s got a hilarious story about a “curse bottle” that supposedly caused chaos in his office — but he just threw the whole thing in the trash. Sometimes, the simplest exorcism is just trash day.
  

What’s Next? More Books, More Horror, and a Paranormal Tour (Because Why Not?)

Christopher’s got a bunch of projects lined up:

• Arkham Confidential Anthology: Think Lovecraft meets investigative journalism — cold cases and creepy phenomena from the 1600s to WWII.

• The Shadow Crossover: A pulp hero meets eldritch horror in a mock true-crime thriller. Coming January 2027, when The Shadow enters public domain. (Yes, that’s a thing.)

• Dark Fantasy Inspired by Afghan Folklore: Giants, dragons, and mountain tribes. Spoiler: It’s a long way off, but we’re excited.

• Kids’ Book: Because even in a horror universe, someone’s got to write the Hardy Boys-style adventures.

• Key West Paranormal Tour: Launching around Horror on the Lamplights release, featuring Robert the Doll, haunted fire stations, and the creepy tale of Carl Tanzler — a guy who took “love” to a whole new level by digging up his crush’s grave. Yikes.
  

Cover Art and Publishing Drama

Christopher was very hands-on with his book covers, working with artist Joanna Haller until they got it just right — including making sure the character faces the right way (because apparently, that matters). The covers now scream “1940s pulp meets eldritch nightmare,” and they’re designed to stop you mid-scroll.

Final Thoughts from Your Host

If you like your horror with a side of history, a dash of military grit, and a whole lot of cosmic weirdness, this episode is for you. Christopher Michael’s stories don’t just scare you — they make you think about the real horrors lurking in history and the unknown.

Where to Find Christopher’s Work (Because You’ll Want to)

• Pre-order Tomb of the Black Pharaoh (September 25th) and Horror on the Lamplights (October 30th) at christophermichaelauthor.com or Amazon.

• Audiobook for Tomb of the Black Pharaoh narrated by JT Verona is available now — Irish accent included, no refunds.

• Follow Christopher on the Book of Faces: christophermichaelauthor and X: @chris_m_author.
  

Quote:

"When Nazis are chasing occult secrets and eldritch horrors are lurking in volcanic islands, you realize that ‘just a regular war’ was never really a thing. Also, if your haunted doll doesn’t bite, does it even count as paranormal?"

Community Question:

If you were an OSS operative like Robert Danforth, would you rather face Nazi occultists in a desert tomb, vampires in a creepy castle, or mysterious volcanic islands full of cosmic horrors? Why? Leave your comments and answers below.

Ifnya wanna listen to the full episode without the edits, you can go to the tube of you @geeksparanormal (don't forget ya gotta put the @ in front of the geeks) youtube.com/@geeksparanormal

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