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Guest Appearance: Young Adult Horror, Audiobooks, and Paranormal with Danielle Muething – ParaGhoul Paranormal: Discoveries from the Dark
In this episode of ParaGhoul Paranormal: Discoveries from the Dark, I’m joined by Danielle Muething, a young adult and middle grade horror author and an audiobook narrator with nearly six years of experience behind the mic.
Danielle Muething has been a professional performer for over twenty years. She transitioned her career to audiobook narration in 2019 and published her first book in 2024. Check out her Linktree for more information – https://bit.ly/DanielleMuethingLinktree
We talk about how Danielle fell in love with horror as a kid, how her theater background led naturally into audiobook narration, what the audiobook process actually looks like behind the scenes, and why her house has become the setting for some truly bizarre paranormal activity (including a hallway she suspects might be a portal).
Interview Highlights
Who are you, and what do you create?
Danielle introduced herself as both an author and narrator, with a focus on horror that’s accessible for younger readers.
Danielle: “Right now I’m focusing on young adult horror because horror is my favorite genre.”
Danielle: “I’ve been an audiobook narrator for five years, coming up on six.”
She also mentioned that she records her own audiobooks for her books right now, and may collaborate with other narrators in the future.
How did you get into young adult horror, specifically?
Danielle’s path into horror started with a major shift: realizing reading could actually be fun when she found stories written for her age.
Danielle: “Christopher Pike was my first book that I found that I went, wait a minute, reading can be fun.”
Danielle: “I got into Fear Street… and then of course, graduated to Stephen King.”
That early experience shaped what she writes now: horror that acts as a gateway for kids who think they do not like reading.
Danielle: “I want to write the things that I would have liked to read as a kid.”
Danielle: “I don’t have language, I don’t have adult situations… I try not to get too graphic.”
When did writing become part of your life?
Danielle started in theater and performance, then moved into audiobooks right before the pandemic. When everything shut down, audiobooks were the one creative lane that stayed open.
Danielle: “I started out my career in theater.”
Danielle: “Right before COVID happened… I got into audiobooks.”
Danielle: “Every job I had went away except for audiobooks.”
Eventually, all those story ideas started demanding to be used.
Danielle: “I have all these ideas in my head and I was like, I want to try writing something.”
Her first book came from one very specific question (and her love of vampires):
Danielle: “What would happen if there was a sorority run by vampires?”
What’s the audiobook narrator life actually like?
Danielle described why audiobooks fit her so well: she still gets to act, but without the logistical chaos of theater.
Danielle: “I don’t have to memorize anything… I don’t have to put makeup on.”
Danielle: “I sit in my basement most of the time… and I still get to use my acting skills.”
She also broke down the part most people do not realize: audiobook “one hour” is not one hour of work.
Danielle: “I’m about 9,000 words an hour, a finished hour.”
Danielle: “Now I’m down to about six hours per finished hour.”
That includes prep, recording, editing, proofing, and finalizing.
And yes, keeping voices straight is a whole system.
Danielle: “You have a lot of files.”
Danielle: “I have a different voice file for every character.”
Okay, let’s get paranormal. What’s going on in your house?
Danielle lives in her grandmother’s former house, and she thinks the emotional weight of clearing out hoarded items may have stirred things up.
Danielle: “My grandmother passed away a year before we moved in.”
Danielle: “They were both hoarders… and we think us not wanting the stuff here brought some things forward.”
Two areas stand out: the basement and an upstairs hallway.
In the basement, it is often more of a presence than a spectacle:
Danielle: “You have that feeling that there’s somebody down here with you.”
But the hallway is where things get weird enough that she and her husband have used the word “portal.”
What’s your most unforgettable experience?
Danielle shared a few moments that felt less like “old house quirks” and more like reality glitching.
The mystery receipt: a receipt appeared from above, and it was from an airport Starbucks none of them had been to.
Danielle: “One of them saw a receipt… come down from the ceiling.”
Danielle: “It’s from a Starbucks in the airport. None of us had been.”
The photo frame: a frame that had sat for years seemingly shifted and dropped while multiple people watched.
Danielle: “We all saw it… and then it just fell and broke.”
The missing book prank: after searching for a book, buying a replacement, and coming home, the original showed up displayed face-out like it was making a point.
Danielle: “Not only is the book back in the bookcase, but it’s sitting face out.”
Danielle: “We were just like, girl, that’s not funny.”
And then there was the one that wasn’t funny.
Danielle: “I swear… a black shadow and two red eyes.”
Danielle: “He saw it too.”
Thankfully, she says that one only happened once.
Where to Find Danielle’s Books
Danielle has four books out, including:
- Sisterhood
- Arts & Crafts (witchcraft + art class)
- Terror at Camp Silverside (a cryptid story featuring Octo Man)
- Don’t Open the Box (a “nightmare box” story inspired by the idea of Hellraiser for kids)
She mentioned her books are available on Amazon, and several are also on Audible.
Conclusion
This episode is one of those perfect ParaGhoul mixes: craft talk, behind-the-scenes audiobook reality, and paranormal stories that start off funny… until they very much are not.
If you have ever lived in a house that feels like it remembers things, you are going to have thoughts about Danielle’s hallway.
Do you think a house can “hold” emotional energy, or do you think it’s all coincidence and timing? Let me know in the comments!
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