Edgar Allan Poe did more than write The Raven and look creepy. He also basically invented the modern detective story. He was America's first "master of suspense" according to Stephen King and many other modern authors. He changed the way American authors wrote scary stories. He changed the way authors in general approached their craft, both creatively and business-wise. And yet he died penniless after a lifetime of financial struggle. And he married his thirteen-year-old first-cousin and died a mysterious death at forty. We dig into the life and struggle of America's first master of the scary story and talk about how much easier it is to make a living as an artist today as it was during Poe's time, and so much more, today on Timesuck. Listen to the end of the show if you need an introduction to Nimrod, Chikatilo, Lucifina, Bojangles, Triple M and more (or just want a refresher). Merch - https://badmagicmerch.com/ Want to try out Discord!?! https://discord.gg/tqzH89v Want to join the Cult of the Curious private Facebook Group? Go directly to Facebook and search for "Cult of the Curious" in order to locate whatever current page hasn't been put in FB Jail :) For all merch related questions: https://badmagicmerch.com/pages/contact Please rate and subscribe on iTunes and elsewhere and follow the suck on social media!! @timesuckpodcast on IG, @timesuckpodcast on Twitter, and www.facebook.com/timesuckpodcast Wanna be a Space Lizard? We're over 2500 strong! Click here: https://www.patreon.com/timesuckpodcast Sign up through Patreon and for $5 a month you get to listen to the Secret Suck, which will drop Thursdays at Noon, PST. You'll also get 20% off of all regular Timesuck merch PLUS access to exclusive Space Lizard merch. You get to vote on two Monday topics each month via the app. And you get the download link for my new comedy album, Feel the Heat. Check the Patreon posts to find out how to download the new album and take advantage of other benefits. And, thank you for supporting the show by doing your Amazon shopping after clicking on my Amazon link at www.timesuckpodcast.com

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.