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Scream Queens: A Women in Horror Month interview (Part 1)

February is Women in Horror Month and while you may ask, why does there have be a gender division in the horror genre, or any genre for that matter, it’s important that all writers get the recognition they deserve. So I decided to give some of today’s leading women in horror the chance to share their thoughts on Women in Horror Month with a special interview.

In part one, you’ll hear from Marge Simon and Stephanie M. Wytovich, two very talented authors/poets from the United States.

Marge Simon’s works appear in publications such as Strange Horizons, DailySF Magazine, Pedestal, Dreams & Nightmares. She edits a column for the HWA Newsletter, “Blood & Spades: Poets of the Dark Side,” and serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees. She won the Strange Horizons Readers Choice Award, 2010, and the SFPA’s Dwarf Stars Award, 2012. In addition to her poetry, she has published two prose collections. She has won three Bram Stoker Awards ® for Superior Work in Poetry. Her poems appear in Qualia Nous (Written Backwards), The Dark Phantastique (Jasunni Productions) and more poems will appear in a HWA/ Simon & Schuster Y/A collection, It’s Scary Out There, 2015. http://www.margesimon.com

Stephanie M. Wytovich is the Poetry Editor for Raw Dog Screaming Press, a book reviewer for Nameless Magazine, and a well-known coffee addict. She is a member of the Science Fiction Poetry Association, an active member of the Horror Writers Association, and a graduate of Seton Hill University’s MFA program for Writing Popular Fiction. Her poetry collections, HYSTERIA and Mourning Jewelry can be found at www.rawdogscreaming.com, and her debut novel, The Eighth, will be out in early 2015 from Dark Regions Press. Follow Wytovich atstephaniewytovich.blogspot.com and on twitter @JustAfterSunset.

What first attracted you to the horror genre? Why do you write and read horror?

MS: I’d rather say I’m attracted to books with dark elements –unique to the writing style. I began with dark fantasy as a child, then found science fiction and finally literary horror (not counting the horror comics I drew in my early teens!) What attracts a moth to a flame or a bee to the honey?

SW: Horror has always been my genre of choice, even when I was little. The idea of monsters and fantastical beings was never something that scared me. In fact, I was intrigued—fascinated even—by the idea of the unknown, the unexplored. Horror pushed me to ask questions and then encouraged me to try and find the answers. And that’s why I love the genre! It makes me question everything: my faith, my morals, my reality. It forces me to look deep within myself at my most animalistic and primal needs, and then it asks me, is this real? Is this happening? Can you do this in order to survive?

And that’s what life is. It’s a game of survival. I wanted to read books that challenged me emotionally in the sense that I got to know to myself and my instincts better, and I wanted to write books and write poetry that tested what people thought about themselves, and then made them face their most private, personal shames and desires.

Humanity is the world’s scariest monster.

Horror lets me tame it.

And sometimes, it lets me set it free.

How do you feel about Women in Horror month? It’s most certainly warranted, but recently Acting HWA president Lisa Morton said she wished it was a “Celebrate-Horror-Writers-Regardless-of-Gender-Month”. What are your thoughts?

MS: I fully concur with Lisa on this! Who cares what sex you are, to celebrate Horror Writers! Who cares what sex the writers of horror are? We don’t.

SW: I can understand the concept of removing Women in Horror Month, because then it takes away the label of female horror writer and simply just leaves horror writer which is the absolute of the matter. However, the hard truth is that most male readers still only read male authors, and when it comes to the big names in the genre, it’s still predominately male. Most people don’t even know Shirley Jackson or Mary Shelly. Hell, I didn’t know them before I started studying the business, and even then, any How-to book I read was mostly edited by a man, and composed of almost male authors. Same with anthologies. Growing up, I knew Stephen King and Dean Koontz, and a couple others, but the idea of a female horror writer was lost of me. In fact, to me, it seemed like the closet any woman did to horror was paranormal romance.

Now yes, I was young and stupid, but I’ve always considered myself a voracious reader, so what does that say about the stereotypes and influences that are being pushed on readers when it comes to the genre? There’s the absence of femininity. The role of victim. The notion that women only write love stories about vampires and shape-shifters, or that we get kidnapped and need a man to rescue us. Until these obvious trope-clichés go away, I think there needs be awareness dedicated to gender equality in the genre, and I think Women in Horror Month is a great step in the right direction for that. Yes, we do need to show that there are strong female characters, but even more so, we need to promote that there are strong female writers creating them and working to keep them alive in the genre that we all share and love.

What are your perceptions of the number of female horror authors out there right now? What should the wider community be doing to encourage them?

MS: As I don’t write horror novels, or novellas, I asked a friend of mine who does. Here’s what she says, and I’ve heard her say it before over the past few years, so I tend to agree:

“I believe that there are many talented and prolific female writers in the industry today, but they are overlooked and often dismissed. There is bias among some publishers (not all) regarding women. Some are willing to work with male writers, asking for rewrites and edits, if they feel that a manuscript has potential, while a comparable manuscript submitted by a woman is flat out rejected.

Many readers in our genre are male and they also dismiss female writers. That’s a huge problem when the time comes for reader’s choice awards, and best selling lists, in some circles. All readers should be encouraged to read work by both men and women.

I believe that part of the community, some publishers and some readers are harder on women regarding reviews, sales and publishing.

The wider community should reach out, make themselves aware of women who have quietly contributed fiction, poetry and art over the years. Many of them are introverts who forsake message boards and social media in favor of honing their craft. Others should look beyond appearances and loud voices and learn that their are many unique and brilliant voices that have been dismissed for many years, by both the community and the publishing world.”

SW: There’s more and more women being celebrated and recognized for writing horror and that makes me happy because it’s putting us on the same playing field as men. I don’t think there necessarily needs to be encouragement, but rather support, but not as a female writer. Just as a writer.

At the end of the day, we’re all doing the same job: creating stories. If you like them, tell someone about it. Write a review. Share the book. Celebrate the author that built a world and shared it with you.

There are many women writing paranormal romance. Do you think that has had a positive or negative influence on women authors in the horror genre?

MS: I don’t read paranormal romance, but I have heard that it’s popular and pretty much dominated by women. That matters nothing to me, because I write speculative dark fiction, for the most part, and I see no bias going on in that area.

SW: Oy. Speaking from personal experience, I think this has had a negative influence on women in the horror genre. I know that when I tell people that I write horror, they immediately go, ‘oh, what, so like Twilight?” And there’s nothing wrong with writing paranormal romance—in fact, one day, I’d very much like to write one, but it’s the stigma that’s attached to female writers that we can only write love stories that bothers me.

Having said that, I think that love is one of the most horrific topics to write about as a horror writer, so in some ways, maybe it’s not the concept of love that’s the problem, but rather the implication that women can’t write violent, dark prose that’s more the issue at hand. To me, it seems like women get pigeonholed into extremes: we’re either not strong enough, and are therefore labeled as damsels in distress, or we’re too strong that we’re labeled as butch or masculine. That needs to stop.

Which women in horror inspire you and who should we be reading?

MS: Elizabeth Massie’s stories generate the most amazing inspirations for my work. But there are many others, old and new – Ruth Rendell, Daphne DuMaurier, Joyce Carol Oates and Kathy Ptacek to name a few.

SW: I love anything by Mercedes Murdock Yardley, Helen Marshall, Melanie Tem, and Damien Angelia Walters. I’m also a huge fan of poetry by Linda Addison, Marge Simon, Rain Graves, and Donna Lynch. These ladies both inspire me and motivate me, and I can’t recommend their work enough.

And finally, tell us about what you’re currently working on.

MS: I’m finishing up another poetry collection tbp by Eldritch Press this year, Naughty Ladies, illustrated by Sandy DeLuca. She and I are also collaborating on yet another collection, which will include some of my flash fiction, Dark Dolls.

SW: I’m currently working on a poetry collection titled, Brothel. It’s a collection of 100+ poems that explore the day-to-day life of women working in a whorehouse. I’ve wanted to tackle a dark, erotic topic for quite some time, and the more I read about brothels and how they operated and worked as a business, the more I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to comment on sexuality, feminism, and the truths and mysteries that surround the working girl. Each poem is told from the perspective of a different girl in the house as she reminisces and talks about past and present clients while discussing the good and bad about the job. It’s dark, it’s sexy, and I’ll be honest with you, not all the clients make it out alive.

Read more of Stephanie’s thoughts on Women in Horror Month over at her blog – http://stephaniewytovich.blogspot.com.au/2015/02/this-is-not-female-horror-writer.html

Thank you Marge and Stephanie. Extremely insightful. Stay tuned for part two, with Australian authors/editors Kaaron Warren and Amanda J. Spedding, later in the week.

In the meantime, read this very insightful post by fellow author Marty Young over at his blog.

I’d also like to acknowledge the recent passing of author Melanie Tem, an incredible loss in the horror community. Many condolences to her husband Steve Rasnic Tem and their family.

That Hoodoo, Voodoo That You Do anthology released

The Angelic Knight Press/Ragnarok Publications anthology, That Hoodoo, Voodoo That You Do, has been released today and includes my tale, “Wounds”.

The anthology was edited by Lincoln Crisler and contains 22 stories all exploring the theme of dark rituals. The splendid cover art illustrates it perfectly, don’t you think?

My story centres on a former FBI agent who is brought back in to help solve a series of murders committed by a killer who is already dead. The wounds in the victims bodies provide the answers. Here’s an excerpt from the story:

Robert entered an empty interview room and sat down with the case file.

Dante was at the gates and it was time to open them. Robert peeled back the cover and skipped the introductory report. He already knew there were two victims; what he had to read now was the finer details: the post-mortem report, the list of suspects, and of course, the crime scene photos. As he turned the pages, he turned the pages of his memory; sheaves of pain rolled over and crashed down like waves. He squeezed his eyes shut, eager not to let the past slice into his head. But this is the price Dante had to pay every time he abandoned all hope.

The killer had abducted his victims, stripped them naked and opened their torsos with a broad, arched blade. The wounds were scattered evenly over the torso, arms and legs in sets of seven. In Numerology, 7 is the thinker, the seeker of truth. Seven times seven, times seven. It was clear this killer was seeking some hidden truth, just like Sickle. And just like Sickle, this killer had disposed of his victims by displaying them inside abandoned buildings throughout the city.

A twinge of pain flowed down his right side. He pressed his hand to his abdomen, desperate to stifle it, but the pain was back now, as fresh as it ever was. If someone was copycatting the Sickle Killer then there would be five more victims. The magical number seven. A ritual of madness.

There was a knock at the door, wrenching Robert away from the pages of the case file. He turned and found Van Nouten looking at him with a pitying stare.

“The troops are ready for you, Bob.”

If you liked that you can pick up a copy of the digital version of the anthology via this LINK. The paperback version is expected to be released soon.

Allure of the Ancients: The Collected Edition!

If you’re like me, you prefer your vampires to be blood-drenched rather than sparkly.

Well, after quite a few years and much formatting and reformatting, the collected edition of the vampire comic I co-created with Mark Farrugia – Allure of the Ancients: The Key to His Kingdom – has finally been unearthed over at Comixology!

Allure of the Ancients: The Key to His Kingdom was first published in the pages of Midnight Echo magazine. It’s a very unique take on the vampire myth and I had an absolute blast bringing it to life for Mark.

Allure of the Ancients: The Key to His Kingdom

It’s really worth your time and better still, you get all 50 pages of blood-drenched madness for just 99 cents.

CHECK IT OUT NOW

Read and Review Vaudeville promotion

Want the chance to read my short story collection, Vaudeville and Other Nightmares for FREE?

The people at ChoosyBookworm are running a promotion for my book, where I’m giving away 25 ebook copies, in exchange for an honest review.

For more info, head over to the book’s listing on their website: http://choosybookworm.com/product/vaudeville-and-other-nightmares/#sthash.5BgACFzz.dpuf

Thanks for your interest!

Year in Review

2014 has been a year of ups and downs, quite literally like a year at sea, as far as my art and writing is concerned.

Around December/January 2013, I had my short story Mother’s House, and a bunch of art published in Midnight Echo Magazine Issue 10, which was had been one of my goals for some time.

Later in January I was selected as the Featured Artist on the very popular website, The Horror Zine, by editor Jean Rector, which was real nice. You can check that out HERE.

In February/March, my art graced a whole bunch of covers for fellow authors, including Kit Power’s tale, The Loving Husband and the Faithful Wife, which was released by Black Beacon Books. In February, C. M. Saunders also released his collection X, and Daniel I. Russell’s God May Pity All Weak Hearts. Rissa Cortez also released her poetry collection, Voices of the Fallen.

I also created a whole bunch of cat cartoons for Anne Carmichael’s Magoo Who series, which you can buy HERE. Covers for Kit Power’s tale Lifeline, Black Beacon Books’ Subtropical Suspense and Daniel I. Russell’s On Writing Horror, were also made by yours truly.

In April, Issue 30 of Lovecraft E-Zine was released and I provided some art for the King in Yellow themed issue.

My short story, The Fear Centre was published in Dark Eclipse Magazine #33

May was the big highlight for me. Not only did I get to take my first overseas trip to the United States, I also attended my first World Horror Convention. I ushered the late, great Rocky Wood, President of the Horror Writers Association, everywhere, meeting many of my awesome Facebook friends face-to-face, including my coven comrade, Lisa Morton. You can read my breakdown of the con HERE.

Throughout the year I also created a line of flyers and posters for the Horror Writers Association, to promote the 25th anniversary of the World Horror Convention, which will be held in 2015. Overall, I had a busy year creating art.

The biggest highlight as far as writing goes, was the publication of my collection, Vaudeville and Other Nightmares, by Black Beacon Books. The book aims to capture some of the best stories I’ve written since 2009. You can read a review HERE.

I also signed a contract with SST Publications to illustrate a one-shot comic written by Tom Piccirilli. The official announcement is HERE. I’ve also been locked in as a regular illustrator for Dark Discoveries Magazine, which is great and I’ll also be laying out Issue 11 of Midnight Echo Magazine, edited by Kaaron Warren in early 2015, so it’s all good, as far as art is concerned.

Next year I’m hoping to write more and see more of those tales published. Publication has been elusive this year, and in some ways so has my desire to write. But it only wants me to work harder. Perhaps some good news is on the horizon. I have words out there being read by editors and that’s always a good thing and ultimately what keeps me going.

As a great man once told me, “Keep Kicking Those Goals.”

I wish everyone the best in 2015! 🙂

Witch Hunts art fundraiser

In honour of my late friend Rocky Wood, I’ve created some new original art inspired by the graphic novel Rocky, Lisa Morton and I created together, Witch Hunts.

I’m auctioning the art off to raise funds for Motor Neurone Disease Australia. Lisa Morton has sweetened the deal by adding a copy of Witch Hunts, with a bookplate signed by all three of us.

Currently the highest bid stands at an amazing $350! Let’s raise some funds for research into this disease, which claims far too many lives each year.

For more information and to make a bid, follow this link to the original post on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205443156948747&set=a.1613624430900.86417.1544988008&type=1

If you can’t bid, please do the next best thing and share it far and wide 😉 Thank you!

Rocky Wood: A Tribute

There will be a lot of posts and and comments like this about Rocky Wood today.

Sadly, this great man of horror and great man all round, has passed away after a four year battle with Motor Neurone Disease.

Rocky was not only regarded as the world’s expert on Stephen King, having published several tomes on the author’s work, and the president of the Horror Writers Association, but he was also a father and grandfather, who had a lot of compassion for people. He was also an advocate for animals and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind on important issues. His Facebook feed was always full of insight and I admired his tenacity – oh, and he loved his All Blacks!

I feel extremely privileged to have known Rocky. Not only did I have the chance to work with him on our graphic novel Witch Hunts, with Lisa Morton, but I also benefitted directly from his wisdom and guidance, through the HWA. He was always supportive of my work, both writing and art and always encouraged me to “keep kicking goals”. He did this for everyone in the HWA horror community and really he has been the glue that has kept everyone together. Despite his illness, Rocky’s mind was always the driving force behind the HWA’s success.

Earlier this year, Rocky invited me to travel with him to the World Horror Convention in the United States as his helper. I helped push him in his wheelchair and with his feeding machine, among other things and I was proud to do so. Not having cared for someone in that condition I didn’t always get it right, but I’ll always remember how he told me I’d done a good job looking after him. Rocky I thank you for believing in me.

I wish I’d known you longer Rocky, and spent more time working with you, but I’m grateful for the times we had and the work we created together.

Thank you my friend, may you Rest In Peace.

http://www.rockywoodauthor.com/

A grunt, a ballerina … and Tom Piccirilli!

Gangsters, guns, a grunt and a feisty girl, all together in a graphic novel one-shot, written by multi-award-winning author Tom Piccirilli.

Sounds pretty good, don’t it?

Yesterday Short, Scary Tales (SST) Publications announced a new graphic novel project that I will be illustrating – BULLET BALLERINA.

download

Written by the legendary Tom Piccirilli, this is a modern crime noir tale of revenge and retribution and two unlikely characters joining forces to reap mayhem on some bad guys!

I’ve already started roughing it out, but naturally I can’t reveal any artwork just yet. It’s going to be a whole lot of fun drawing this!

Check out SST Publications’ official announcement on their Facebook page.

Find out more about Tom Piccirilli HERE

Halloweek!

It’s “Halloweek”!

Halloween Week will be a busy one for me, with my family and I hosting a graveyard display and a series of events to promote the release of my collection, Vaudeville and Other Nightmares.

If you’re reading this, and you’re from Rockhampton, then you can come along on October 29 to meet me at the Rockhampton Regional Library, where I’ll host a bit an informal open mike session on writing. More details HERE.

On Thursday October 30 – Halloween Eve – I’ll be having a signing event for my collection at the CQUniversity Bookshop from 12 noon. Visit the Bookshop’s website for more information.

Then on Halloween, after Trick or Treating around the neighbourhood with my kids, I’ll be heading to the Southside Cemetery for a Halloween Walk with Rockhampton Ghost Tours. I might even read a spooky tale while I’m there.

I hope to meet you at one of these events!

So all in all, it’s going to be an amazing week and one I’ll never forget! Happy Halloween to you!