Category Archives: Events

My Schedule for StokerCon 2024

So StokerCon is only a week away, and I seriously couldn’t be more excited for it! It’s in San Diego this year, and this will be my first time back in California since my husband and I were married there back in 2008. So needless to say, we’re very happy to be returning to The Golden State!

I’ll be super busy on Friday and Saturday, so if you’re looking for where to find me, here’s my full schedule for the weekend!

“I Go Both Ways”: Liminality and Depictions of Bisexuality in Turn-of-the-Century Horror Cinema on Friday, May 31st at 11am
Once again, I’ll be presenting at the fabulous Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference! Last year, it was bisexual vampires; this year, I’m all about liminality and bisexuality, in particular in movies from the 1990s and 2000s. Basically, this gives me an opportunity to share my love for Basic Instinct, Mulholland Drive, and Jennifer’s Body. <insert bi screams of joy> And if that wasn’t all cool enough, I’m in the same presenting block as the wonderful Rocky Colavito and Kevin Wetmore, Jr., so it’s sure to be a fabulous time!

The Rising Popularity of Folklore and Fairy Tales in Modern Horror on Friday, May 31st at 2pm
Moderated by the always awesome Ben Rubin of the Horror Studies Collection at the University of Pittsburgh, we’ll be discussing one of my favorite topics: folklore and fairy tales. This one is part of the Librarian’s Day event, and I’ll be joining panelists Cynthia Pelayo, Yaika Sabat, Tanya Pell, and Lee Murray. I can’t wait to see where this discussion goes, and I hope you’ll join us to find out!

Exploring Queerness as “Otherness” in Horror on Friday, May 31st at 3pm
I’m beyond thrilled to be moderating this one! I believe this is the only programming at the convention that focuses on queer horror, so I’m incredibly honored to be at the helm! The panel will include Chad Stroup, Norman Prentiss, Sofia Ajram, Lindsay King-Miller, and Ridley Harker, so with a lineup like that, you know it’s going to be an incredible discussion!

Purrfect Terrors: Cats in Horror on Saturday, June 1st at 2pm
Cats in horror! Is there anything better? Sarah Faxon will be moderating this one alongside panelists Sara Tantlinger, John Palisano, and Ashley (A.E.) Santana. No doubt I’ll be bringing up two of my favorite fearsome felines from cinema: Blanche from Hausu and Jezebel from The Sentinel! Hooray for creepy cats!

Witchcraft and Spiritualism in Horror on Saturday, June 1st at 5pm
Sarah Read is the dynamite moderator, and I seriously couldn’t be more excited. As a practicing witch myself, I’ve got plenty to say on the subject, and I’m very eager to hear everyone else’s thoughts as well. I’ll be joining panelists Christa Carmen, Johnny Worthen, Marie Whittaker, and Todd Keisling, and since this is my last programming of the weekend, it’s a perfect way to go out with a bang.

So those are all the places I’ll be on Friday and Saturday! And FYI: I decided to opt out of an author reading and the mass author signing, mostly because I have plenty to do already, and I don’t want to overtax myself at the convention. (This is me trying to practice better self-care after a lifetime of asking “What’s self-care?”) Also, if you can’t make it to any of the panels or my talk on bisexuality and horror, then just find me hanging around the convention and say hello! I’m fairly friendly when I’m not lurking in shadowy corners!

Happy reading, and happy StokerCon!

My Schedule for StokerCon 2023

So we’re just over a week away from this year’s StokerCon, and needless to say, I’m so excited for it! (I initially wrote “so stoked” but I mean, that’s a bit too much, yes? All right, fine, I’m totally stoked for it!) As always, I adore StokerCon and get downright giddy for the convention. This year, I’m cheerfully busy with both the in person and the virtual convention, so if you want to catch me somewhere during the con, then you’re in luck!

And here goes with all the places I’ll be next week at StokerCon!

You Can’t Get There From Here: Tales of Weird Pittsburgh on Thursday, June 15th at 4pm
With moderator Douglas Gwilym at the helm, I’ll be hanging out with panelists Frank Oreto, Nelson Pyles, Michelle Renee Lane, and Stephanie M. Wytovich as we ponder Pittsburgh’s place in the horror genre. I know I’ve already said this all over social media, but I’m so happy that StokerCon is in Pittsburgh this year, and as a member of HWA Pittsburgh, it’s so exciting to get to share our love for the city with everyone!

“We Belong to Each Other”: Reclaiming Representations of Bisexuality in 1970s and 1980s Vampire Cinema on Friday, June 16th at 1pm
I’m over the moon to be presenting at the Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference this year! As you can no doubt discern from the title, my talk is all about bisexual vampires of the 70s and 80s, including Daughters of Darkness, The Hunger, The Lost Boys, and more. I’m part of the block called “The Vampire’s Time Has Come: Symbols, Stories, and Sexuality,” alongside Naomi Borwein and Alex Aleco, and I’m so eager to hear their talks. Tremendous thanks to RJ Joseph and Bridget Keown for putting together this incredible conference. It’s truly such an honor to be presenting at it!

The Cannibal Panel on Friday, June 16th at 4pm
Moderated by the fabulous Sara Tantlinger, I’ll be joining panelists Rebecca Rowland, Owl Goingback, Wrath James White, and EV Knight as we discuss—what else?—horror tales about devouring human flesh. My recent story, “The Hungry Wives of Bleak Street,” is all about cannibalism, and appropriately appears in American Cannibal, edited by the amazing and aforementioned Rebecca Rowland, so it will be fun to talk about that story and anthology as well as hear all about the diverse work coming from other horror writers.

Mass Author Signing on Friday, June 16th at 5pm
I’ll be joining an expansive group of authors as part of the mass author signing! White Whale Bookstore will be on hand selling copies of the Stoker nominated works, so if you want to pick up Reluctant Immortals, then that’s a thing you should be able to do! Also, if you have copies of my books already, please feel free to bring them as I’d of course be happy to sign them!

You Just Live Here: Inhabiting the Modern Haunted House on Saturday, June 17th at 10am
I’ll be hanging out with panelists Aaron Dries, Johnny Compton, Craig Davidson, EV Knight, Sarah Read, and moderator Andrew F. Sullivan while we talk all about haunted houses. This one is particularly exciting for me since my next novel features not only one haunted house but a whole haunted neighborhood, so this is definitely timely for me and my own writing. And I can honestly listen to writers discuss haunted houses all daylong, which means I have no doubt this is going to be a great time.

The Invisible Other: Bisexuality and the Horror Genre on Saturday, June 17th at 12pm
Last but in no way least, I’m moderating this super cool discussion alongside panelists J.A.W. McCarthy, K.P. Kulski, Eric Raglin, and Angela Sylvaine. From what I can tell, this is the first ever panel at a genre writing convention to focus on bisexuality and horror, so I’m beyond thrilled for us to make a small bit of queer horror history as I talk with the ultra talented panelists about all things bi+ and creepy!

Virtual Author Reading (On Demand)
And then there’s the content for virtual StokerCon! This year, I’m doing a virtual author reading! I was the reading coordinator for StokerCon 2023, and since we didn’t have enough spots in person for everyone, I decided to take my role as coordinator seriously and not to take up the space of another writer, especially since I know how important author readings are, in particular for newer writers. And as it turns out, my schedule is packed with programming, so while I will of course miss out on the camaraderie of an in-person reading, everything definitely worked out this year. For my virtual video, I read an excerpt from Reluctant Immortals, my little psychedelic gothic baby (which, by the way, is currently on sale over at Amazon), so check it out if you’re part of the online convention.

Something Old, Something New: The Power of Horror Retellings at Virtual StokerCon (On Demand)
This panel, which explores what makes a good horror retelling, features authors Craig Laurance Gidney, Gaby Triana, Jessica McHugh, Alyssa Palombo, Addie Tsai, and Eden Royce. I’m the moderator of this panel, as we discuss our favorite horror tales and why we chose those particular stories to reinvent in our own work. It was a fabulous time conversing with this group of authors, so please give it a watch if you’re hanging around the virtual con!

Monstrous Metaphors: Horror Movies and Cultural Commentary at Virtual StokerCon (On Demand)
With S.A. Bradley as the moderator of this panel that’s all about the politics and cultural significance of horror, I joined panelists Stephanie M. Wytovich, Marc L. Abbott, and Britannic Zane for a lively discussion about the intersections of horror with race, gender, sexuality, and more. We recorded this one last month, and it was an absolute blast. Such a fun conversation with such fun people!

And finally, on Saturday evening, we’ll be attending the Stokers! Yes, I’ve already said it so many times already, but I’m so elated and surprised that Reluctant Immortals is nominated for Superior Achievement in a Novel. For a book that’s all about forgotten women, it’s such a lovely and amazing experience for it to be recognized. I can’t wait to spend the evening celebrating with all the other nominees! It’s such a terrific ballot, and it will be so wonderful to hang out with everyone at the ceremony!

So that’s my schedule for the convention! If you see me at any of the panels or just hanging out around the hotel, please say hi! I’m fairly friendly and would love to meet more of my internet writing friends in person!

Happy reading, and happy StokerCon!

World Dracula Day and Spring Writing Updates

Welcome back, and happy World Dracula Day! In honor of this auspicious holiday, today seems like the perfect chance to talk a little bit about Reluctant Immortals and what I’ve been up to lately. It’s been a busy year so far in my writing world, which is always nice, since it tends to keep the existential dread at bay.

So let’s dive into some updates about my little vampire baby!

Reluctant Immortals is a finalist at both the Lambda Literary Awards and the Bram Stoker Awards!

First and foremost, if you follow me on social media, you’ve already seen me screaming from the rooftops about this, but just in case you didn’t hear: Reluctant Immortals is nominated for Superior Achievement in a Novel at the Bram Stoker Awards as well as being a finalist for Bisexual Fiction at the Lambda Literary Awards!

*screams joyfully from the rooftops once again*

There have been a lot of wonderful things to happen with the book, so it’s beyond thrilling and humbling to end the promotion cycle for my Dracula-Jane Eyre retelling by attending not one but two awards ceremonies next month where Reluctant Immortals is a finalist. Honestly, even just typing that sentence is surreal.

Being a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards holds a very unique place in my heart. Most readers and reviewers didn’t mention the sapphic story line in Reluctant Immortals; I think that was in part because it’s not revealed until about the quarter mark of the book, and nobody wanted to give away spoilers. But it always made me a little sad it wasn’t discussed more because exploring the relationship between Jane Eyre and Bertha Antoinetta Mason was always one of the most exciting things about writing Reluctant Immortals. So needless to say, having the book recognized in the Bisexual Fiction category at an award ceremony that’s been called “the queer book Oscars” is an absolutely huge honor. Especially this year, with all the ongoing attacks on LGBTQ+ books, I’m proud to be a queer author representing queer horror fiction. So yeah, I’m very, very excited about this.

And of course, it should go without saying that being nominated for a Stoker holds a very special place for me as well. I still can’t believe I’ve been nominated this year, let alone ever won a Stoker in the past, so that remains a wonderfully mystifying part of my existence and career. The ballot for this year’s Stokers is out of this world, and I’m so eager to not only see everyone at the convention and award ceremony next month, but to get to share the excitement with all my fellow nominees. I know people say it’s an honor to be nominated, but here’s the thing: it really, really, REALLY is.

My personal writing archive is now live and open for research at the University of Pittsburgh

Another huge update: my personal writing archive at the University of Pittsburgh’s Horror Studies Collection has officially been processed and has its own page online. I’ve talked about this several times in the past, but it wasn’t open to research until recently. *squeals with delight* Again, I know I’ve said it before, but having my work archived at a university was a big dream of mine from the time I was a kid, and I remain stunned that this is real. But like I said, it’s got its own page and everything, so I guess it is indeed true. *pinches myself to make sure*

In related cool news, there will be a private event at the Horror Studies Collection the week of StokerCon for all registered attendees, so if you’ll be in the Pittsburgh area on the Wednesday before the con, definitely come and hang out with us. You should have gotten an official StokerCon email about the event, so check your inbox! Speaking of which…

StokerCon Pittsburgh is coming soon!

In just a few weeks, a swarm of horror authors will be descending on Station Square in Pittsburgh for StokerCon 2023! Hooray! I’ve already recorded two virtual panels and my author reading for the online portion of the convention, and I’ll be doing even more programming in person, including multiple panels that are still in the process of being announced.

I’m also beyond thrilled to be presenting at the Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference, which will be taking place all day on Friday, June 16th at the convention. My presentation, “We Belong to Each Other: Reclaiming Representations of Bisexuality in 1970s and 1980s Vampire Cinema” will be part of an incredible block of vampire-themed academic talks, which will also include Naomi Borwein and Alex Aleco.

Early next month, I’ll be doing a post on my full StokerCon schedule, so stay tuned for anyone who is interested!

I have new short stories in American Cannibal and Forbidden Magic anthologies as well as Cosmic Horror Monthly!

In other news, it’s been a really exciting year for short story writing here in my little corner of the word. I’m literally finishing up a new story now, and I’ve been fortunate to see three new tales released in the last few months. My flesh-eating 1950s melodrama, “The Hungry Wives of Bleak Street,” made its debut in American Cannibal edited by Rebecca Rowland. “Hear, Hearth, Heartbeat,” a witchy tale of strange friendship that survives the decades, was featured in the Forbidden Magic issue of The Cellar Door. And finally, my Three Mile Island cosmic horror story, “Melting Point,” was in the latest issue of Cosmic Horror Monthly. I’m deeply proud of all three of these stories, so please pick up a copy of one (or all of them!) if you’re so inclined.

Looking down the road, I have recent acceptances for Novus Monstrum and The First Five Minutes of the Apocalypse, as well as upcoming stories out in Shakespeare Unleashed, No Trouble at All, and Never Wake along with several others that haven’t been publicly announced yet, so there will be plenty more short fiction from me coming soon.

So those are all my major updates for the moment. Otherwise, I’m just hanging out here on the old abandoned horse farm, working on new fiction. Edits on my next book have been sent over to my publisher, so I will hopefully have some news to share about my fourth novel very soon. (And seriously, FOURTH NOVEL?! How did that even happen?)

Happy reading, and happy spring!

My Schedule of Spooky Fall Events

So the Halloween season is upon us, and I’m super excited that my schedule for the next month is filled with a bunch of very cool events. From panels to lectures to readings, you can catch me all over, celebrating the very best season of the year!

All of these events are online, because I’ve basically committed to the life of a pandemic hermit at this point. In fact, I might never stop being a hermit now. But hey, that also means you can attend, wherever you may roam!

Story Hour on Wednesday, September 29th at 10pm EST

This week kicks off my Halloween season of events with a late-night reading tonight! I’ll be featured alongside the supremely talented Premee Mohamad as part of the fabulous Story Hour event, hosted by Laura Blackwell and Daniel Marcus. This is such an amazing series, and I’m so honored to be part of it. You can find both the Zoom and the Facebook Live reading links here.

From Poe to the Present on Tuesday, October 12th at 6pm EST

Moderated by Corey Farrenkopf, this creepy horror panel is sponsored by the Sturgis Library! We’ll be talking all about Poe and lots of other genre goodies. If you’re interested in attending, be sure to call or email the Sturgis Library to get the Zoom link!

Grimm Tales at Fox Cities Book Festival on Saturday, October 16th at 10:30am EST

With the always amazing Sarah Read as moderator, this panel will be talking all about folklore and fairy tales. I can’t say enough how thrilled I am to be part of two different events this month sponsored by public libraries. I practically grew up at the library, and they’re seriously the best place ever. So if you want to hang out with us as we talk about horrifying fairy tales, register for the Zoom event here!

Horror Writing Lecture at the Massillon Museum on Thursday, October 21st

This lecture on horror writing is pretty exciting for me, because I’ll be lecturing alongside my horror-writing dad, John Kiste! This one is a Members Only event, but I can’t recommend becoming a member of the Massillon Museum enough. They do incredible work for the arts, so head on over to their site to learn more about them.

The Creative Quill on Saturday, October 23rd

And just a few days later, I’ll be doing another talk with my dear old dad, this time all about gothic horror. I don’t have a specific time for this one yet, but it will be sometime in the late afternoon. Feel free to sign up here!

Spooky Stories II on Wednesday, October 27th at 8pm EST

And finally, just a few days before Halloween, I’ve got one more super rad panel! Hosted by Russ Colchamiro, I’ll be joining Daniel Braum and Sarah Read, and the four of us will be talking all about horror! You can register for the panel here!

And those are my events for the next month! I believe there’s still one or two more that haven’t been officially announced yet, so I might be adding to this post down the road. But in the meantime, please check out these events and the awesome people hosting them. It’s such an honor to be involved with all these spooky goings-on!

Happy reading, and happy fall!

My Upcoming December Events

It’s finally December, which means the year is at last winding down. But even as quarantine marches on, I’ve been doing my best to keep myself busy over here, if for no other reason than to avoid the existential dread of 2020. So if you’re looking for something fun to do this month as you avoid existential dread as well, here are a few very cool places you can catch me virtually for the rest of the year!

Skeleton Hour: Witchcraft

First up, I’m absolutely over the moon to be part of this month’s Skeleton Hour! This is a fantastic monthly series, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of December’s event. And to make it even more exciting, the topic is all about witches! I’ll be part of a panel discussion with Alexis Henderson, Pam Grossman, and Zoraida Córdova, with Lisa Quigley as our moderator. This one is happening on Wednesday, December 9th at 10pm EST (or 7pm PST), so definitely sign up to hang out with us for a bewitchingly cool event!

The New York Ghost Story Festival

Then on Thursday, December 10th at 7pm, I’ll be joining Hysop Mulero and Rudi Dornemann for Daniel Braum’s awesome The New York Ghost Story Festival! Thursday will be the kickoff evening of the festival, and it’s going to be so fun to be involved! I’ll be reading from both The Invention of Ghosts and Pretty Marys All in a Row! You can join us over at the live YouTube page right here!

The Outer Dark Quarantine Readings series

This week, I was also thrilled to spend some virtual time with the incomparable Anya Martin, as we recorded for an upcoming Outer Dark episode. I got to talk about my time in quarantine as well as my favorite books from 2020. I also did a short reading from Boneset & Feathers, so that was exciting too! This episode is slated to air later this month, likely around December 17th, and will also feature a reading from Daniel Braum! It’s always a joy to be part of an episode of The Outer Dark, so definitely keep your eyes peeled for this one!

And that about wraps it up for December events! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe.

Happy reading, and happy holidays!

Books, Readings, and Other Fall Goodies: My October Writing Updates

So autumn is already upon us, which is strange, because it really doesn’t feel like we had a summer. Time seems sort of irrelevant this year, especially considering I’ve been sheltering at home since March. What are days anyhow?

At any rate, here we are, and 2020 is starting to wind down, and I’ve got lots of news that I haven’t shared yet on this old blog. So let’s get to it, shall we?

Two-book Deal with Saga Press

Everyone who follows me on social media has probably already heard about this by now, but just in case you didn’t know, I’m absolutely over the moon to announce that I’ve signed a two-book deal with Saga Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. The first book, The Reluctant Immortals, is due out in 2022. Needless to say, I’m beyond thrilled about this! Saga Press has been consistently releasing the very best fantasy, science fiction, and horror books over the last few years, and it’s an honor to be part of the illustrious roster of authors. Truly, I’m still stunned, and it’s been over two months since I signed the contract with editor extraordinaire Joe Monti. It’s surreal and exciting and I can’t wait to share these books with you.

Also, here’s the official Publisher’s Marketplace announcement!

Boneset & Feathers is almost here!

But before I get too far ahead of myself, I also have a new novel coming out this year! My second novel, Boneset & Feathers, is due out in just over two weeks! I can’t believe it’s almost here!

The cover art is from the amazing gawki, who did the artwork for Pretty Marys All in a Row! It’s also been terrific working with Scott Gable and Broken Eye Books again, and I’m very excited for Boneset & Feathers to officially make its way into the world! So mark your calendars for November 3rd, because these witches and ghost birds are on their way!

New Limited Edition Novella with Thunderstorm Books

And I’ve got one more book announcement for the year! I have a brand-new limited edition novella due out later this year with the new Tempest line from the fantastic Thunderstorm Books!

I recently got a peek at the layout, and reader, I swooned. The design is absolutely beautiful, which was truly not surprising considering Thunderstorm Books’ long history of putting together gorgeous limited editions. So many thanks to Mary SanGiovanni who’s at the helm of the Tempest line, Scott Cole for putting together the design of the book, and of course Paul Goblirsch who heads up the amazing Thunderstorm Books. I can’t wait to talk more about this book as the release draws closer!

New Short Stories & Translations

Over the summer, Filles de Rouille, the French translation of The Rust Maidens, made its debut from Editions du Chat Noir. They are such a wonderful publisher, and it’s been so much fun watching the book arrive to new readers!

Earlier this month, my Dracula retelling, “The Eight People Who Murdered Me (Excerpt from Lucy Westenra’s Diary)” made its debut in Spanish at Crononauta. This is another fantastic publisher, and one I hope to work with again in the future!

As for new fiction, my dark fantasy tale, “Lost Girls Don’t Cry,” appeared in the folklore-themed anthology, Places We Fear to Tread, from Cemetery Gates Media, and my dark fairy tale, “The Princes She’s Forgotten,” will soon appear in the charity anthology, Survive With Me, from Alien Agenda Publishing. I adore short fiction so much, and I’m super happy to have some new stories recently released or soon to make their debut.

Forthcoming Events

And finally, if you still haven’t gotten enough of me, then you can catch me at two very cool events this week! Tomorrow night, October 20th at 7pm, I’ll be joining Michelle Renee Lane, Kathe Koja, and Sara Tantlinger for Scream Queens: The History and Future of Women in Horror, an event sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh’s Horror Studies program. You can join the fun by heading right over here.

Then on Saturday night, I’ll be part of the HWA Pittsburgh Chapter Reading! There will be a big awesome group of us at the reading, and it’s sure to be a fun time, so sign up and hang out with us here!

And that’s pretty much everything for now! I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe and having a great Halloween season… or the best season we can have considering the dread is real this year. Sending lots of good autumnal vibes everyone’s way!

Happy reading, and happy Halloween!

Hope for the Future: Part 4 of Fright Girl Summer Roundtable

Welcome back for the final part of our Fright Girl Summer Roundtable! Today, I talk to our seven featured authors about where they’d like to see the horror genre go as well as what you can expect from them in the coming months!

So let’s take it away!

What are your hopes for the future of horror? In what ways do you feel like we’re making strides in representation, and where does the publishing industry still need to do the most work?

EDEN ROYCE: I hope horror eventually becomes a genre that isn’t frowned upon as “lesser”. I actually hope that happens for all of speculative fiction versus literary fiction. For as much as it’s maligned, horror can be a brilliant, sharp, and lingering way to express what we hold sacred as well as who and what and why we fear.

I’m seeing more discussions about the work of non-cis white male horror writers, more publishing announcements showing deals for these writers, and more attention being paid to writers who have traditionally been excluded from or minimized in the canon of horror writing. Much of it starts with gatekeepers – those who read slush or otherwise have the job of sorting through submissions. Have more people who understand different methods of storytelling. Look at your staff: are they all one demographic? Consider expanding that.

Also, look at how and to whom your books are marketed. Think more widely about how you describe and position your books in the marketplace. Do you want more BIPOC readers and reviewers? Seek them out; ask them if they will read your books and don’t assume they’re always aware of your releases.

GABY TRIANA: I would love to see more Latina/Hispanic voices, as well as more Black, Asian, and transgender voices in horror. There’s simply not enough. We’ve come a long way, but there’s still more work to do. One way to achieve this is by hiring editors who are Latina, Black, Asian, transgender and any other underrepresented group out there. Reading about a variety of people is how we learn about the world, how we develop empathy, and it’s time to get diverse.

LINDA D. ADDISON: My hope for horror is the same as my hope for the world: for differences to be embraced and enjoyed. The way to increase representation in writing is to have gate-keepers/editors that include the underrepresented, how else can different kinds of writing be selected. The publishing industry has to be mindful, put in extra work to seek out and include others in their platform. Old patterns don’t change by thought alone. We’ve had projects called out that are clearly not putting the work in to create inclusive anthologies, etc.

A recent example of a change in approach is The Twisted Book of Shadows anthology with editors Christopher Golden and James A. Moore. Chris put together a diverse editorial committee to read blind submissions; widely circulated the submission guidelines with a clear message of wanting work from everyone. In the end, Chris and Jim were given a list of fiction from the edit committee that could have filled three anthologies out of over 700 submissions. They made the final decisions on fiction from the committees’ selection. The anthology was on the final ballot for the HWA Bram Stoker award® 2019 for Anthology, and won the Shirley Jackson Award in Anthology.

Another anthology that changed the paradigm, Sycorax’s Daughters, was a HWA Bram Stoker award® finalist, gathered great reviews and was edited by Prof. Kinitra Brooks, Prof. Susana Morris and myself. The original idea was Prof. Brooks’ to create an anthology of horror fiction and poetry written by Black women.

The HWA has created outlets, like the monthly column The Seers Table, to introduce membership to underrepresented creatives.

There’s much work to be done, but these are examples of what can be done.

V. CASTRO: Again, we need more people of color represented in horror, and not as characters. We need to support writers of color so they continue because it’s very easy to become discouraged in publishing. It’s falling and getting up again. The more we show writers of color it is possible to be seen and heard, the more diversity we will see cropping up. The more opportunities offered to people of color will also boost morale.

I think women are making strides everyday in publishing, however, there have been a string of stories of harassment. We don’t just need our stories to be published, we require respect and dignity. We require to feel safe. If men can’t do that then they have no place in publishing and are just taking up valuable space. They can fuck right off.

R.J. JOSEPH: I see a lot more women being welcomed into the fold, as well as an inspiring number of men in the genre who understand why they need to proactively work towards equity for all horror writers. I hope this extends more fully to writers of color, at some point. There’s still way too much policing of the types of ethnic enactments that are “acceptable” and those that gatekeepers don’t want to support. A horrifying number of reviewers who approach books by own voices authors as alien works they just can’t relate to…pretty much because they just don’t want to expand their world views to include anyone not like them or the stereotypes they’ve built up about other folks inside their heads. I’d love to see all those walls broken down so that future horror writers of color never have to read reviews of their work written by people of other ethnicities bashing how they’ve chosen to write about their own experiences, or watch everyone around them (including less talented writers) get opportunities that are never extended to them.

G.G. SILVERMAN: I’d like to see horror get the same respect as literary fiction. As for representation, I feel like more women are getting represented in horror, but I’d love to see more intersectionality, more BIPOC folks represented, more LGBTQ folks, more disabled folks. and not just as writers, but in all areas of publishing. And I’d love to see all of us reaping the financial rewards, contract-wise, that white male writers get. Representation isn’t enough. The true financial support of the industry—that would go farther.

SONORA TAYLOR: I hope we’ll see less gatekeeping, both in the fandom and in the publication world. I can’t count the number of times I see people having the “What’s real horror?” debate. Horror is wide-ranging. It isn’t just monsters and blood. It isn’t just Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft (with a passing mention of Shirley Jackson to throw women a bone). Why spend all this time debating the intricacies and shouting down fans when you can just read it and enjoy it? Though I will say for every gatekeeper, I see 10 or 20 awesome fans who are open to all kinds of stories and all kinds of storytellers.

This is where publishing needs to keep up. People are only going to talk about King if you only promote King, if you only offer your entire horror marketing budget to King, if you only ask King to blurb new books coming out; and if your non-King authors are all almost the same demographics as King. The next Stephen King doesn’t need to be another white man. All kinds of storytellers should be given a chance to have their stories told on a widespread level.

What projects are you currently working on? Also, what works of yours have been recently released or are set for release?

EDEN ROYCE: I mentioned Root Magic earlier – that’s due to be released on January 5, 2021. I’ve turned in another middle-grade to my editor, this one is a Southern Gothic fantasy (magical realism !!!) and I’m working on a YA horror novel. You’ve also got me thinking about this romantic horror crime noir, so that will be percolating in my head as well!

GABY TRIANA: Right now, I’m writing a witchy occult novel called MOON CHILD. It’s in the beginning stages, so I can’t say more than that. I’ve also co-written a paranormal horror novel with two celebrity individuals. Sorry to be vague, but they’ll be making an announcement at the end of the summer! Also, I have a short story called “Don’t You See That Cat?” coming out in DON’T TURN OUT THE LIGHTS: A Tribute to Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (September, 2020, HarperCollins) and a flash fiction piece called “Gut Instinct” coming out in Issue #365 of Weird Tales Magazine, slated to release at the end of 2020, soon available in print, e-book, and audio.

LINDA D. ADDISON: I’m finishing edits on my first novel. This has been a grand adventure because it’s a new form for me to play in. For 2020 I have work in the following anthologies: Miscreations, Don’t Turn Out the Lights, Chiral Mad 5, and Weird Tales Magazine #364. I’m also excited about the 2020 release of a film (inspired by my poem of same name) “Mourning Meal”, by producer and director Jamal Hodge.

V. CASTRO: I have 3 short stories out.
“Asylum” in Lockdown from Polis Books
Cucuy of Cancun in Worst Laid Plans from Grindhouse Press
“Templo Mayor” in Graveyard Smash Vol.2 from Kandisha Press

Next year you can expect The Queen of the Cicadas from Flame Tree Press and Goddess of Filth from Creature Publishing.

R.J. JOSEPH: My most recent academic essay, “The Beloved Haunting of Hill House: An Examination of Monstrous Motherhood” appears in the essay collection edited by Kevin Wetmore, Jr., The Streaming of Hill House: Essays on the Haunting Netflix Adaption. I also have a poem appearing in the upcoming HWA Poetry Showcase VII.

I’m currently fleshing out screenplays for my short stories “Left Hand Torment” (historical horror from the Black Magic Women anthology) and “To Give Her Whatsoever She May Ask” (contemporary horror from the Sycorax’s Daughters anthology). I’m also pulling together a story collection that I plan to have done by the end of next month. I hope to have something exciting to say about those three projects at some point in the near future.

G.G. SILVERMAN: Currently, I’m working on a feminist speculative short fiction collection that lies somewhere between dark fantasy and horror. I still need an agent, and a publisher, but my proposed collection was a finalist for the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund (for feminist writers and artists) so I feel like the collection has potential.

I’m also working on a dark, feminist poetry collection. And hoping to shop that around next year as well.

As for recent releases, I had a story come out at Speculative City’s WEIRD issue, in celebration of Weird Fiction that defies the previously white male conventions of the genre. The story is called “I’m sorry, I tried, I love you” and can be found here: http://www.speculativecity.com/fiction/im-sorry-i-tried-i-love-you/

And, in a deep nod to my immigrant heritage, my gothic Italian sea monster story, The Miraculous Ones, is in the NOT ALL MONSTERS Women in Horror anthology, from StrangeHouse Books.

Soon, I’ll also have a witchy faux micro-memoir out from Rough Cut Press, which will be available online.

I feel so lucky that I get to do this work.

Thanks again for having me, Gwendolyn! Your work inspires me, and it is an honor to be here today.

SONORA TAYLOR: Right now I’m writing short stories. I’m submitting to journals, and I’m also planning to release my fourth short story collection in late 2021. It’s called Someone to Share My Nightmares, and it will largely focus on romantic and erotic horror.

My third novel, Seeing Things, was released this past June. It follows a teenage girl who discovers she can see the dead, but none of them want to talk to her. It’s a contemporary Gothic novel and I’ve been pleased with the reader response to it so far!

I’m also featured in the anthology Women of Horror Vol. 2: Graveyard Smash from Kandisha Press. It features 22 stories, all from some of the most exciting voices in horror right now.

V. Castro and I are also talking about ways to expand Fright Girl Summer into a year-round event. Stay tuned!

And that’s a wrap on this month’s roundtable! Tremendous thanks to our seven fantastic featured authors! You can also catch even more Fright Girl Summer by heading over here!

Happy reading, and happy Fright Girl Summer!

Advice and Horror: Part 3 of Fright Girl Summer Roundtable

Welcome back for part three in our Fright Girl Summer Roundtable! This week, we’re focusing on the advice that these seven fantastic authors would offer to new female horror writers as well as what different subgenres of horror they might like to explore in the future!

So let’s take it away!

What’s the most important advice you would offer to a female horror author who’s just starting out?

EDEN ROYCE: Stick with it. Find a deep reason within yourself to write. Cling to that reason with a sweat-slick grip when you have those low points or feel your love of writing beginning to wane.

GABY TRIANA: Just write what you write. Don’t worry about industry trends, don’t listen to your agent (ha!), just write what’s inside of your heart, and your passion will come through. When that happens, like-minded readers will find you. You will become the only person who can write your story exactly the way you can. Before you know it, you will carve out your own niche. Don’t second-guess yourself. You are amazing exactly the way you are. Just write your passion!

LINDA D. ADDISON: It’s very important to write what comes/appeals to you, without editing yourself, without judging whether you should be writing it. Write it as well as possible and submit to the top markets. Why not?

Read everything, not just what you like to write, other genres, forms. Try writing other things, to exercise your writing muscles. I’ve been journaling since high school; my journals are the source of most of the writing I’ve published. I write everything that crosses my mind: themes, characters, dialogue, anything that finds its way into my mind.

R.J. JOSEPH: I haven’t pulled out of my middle-aged cynicism far enough about this genre to really offer really positive advice. Sigh. However, I will borrow some that I repeat to myself often. I had the chance to sit in on a talk with Tananarive Due a couple of years ago. As I mentioned earlier, I love her work and have been frustrated that I don’t see people paying her to be all over the horror genre. I asked her if she was frustrated at having been at this for so long and watching folks act like Jordan Peele (who’s a genius, by the way) is the first black person they’ve ever seen do horror. She basically said she didn’t have the time to be frustrated because she stayed busy writing, writing, and writing. She said that by not dwelling on frustration, she had tons of work to pitch when the door opened in horror for Black people. I see that worked for her.

I would say to a new female horror writer: things aren’t as equitable as they should be for us just yet, but if you keep writing, writing, and writing, you’ll have a slew of work up for grabs when the door finally gets kicked down. Just don’t let the lack of opportunities get you to stop writing. If you can stop writing, you probably should.

V. CASTRO: Don’t compare. It is so hard to not to compare your journey to someone else’s journey. You can be happy for someone’s success and feel like a failure if you are not achieving the same.

Publishing is full of rejection and false starts. Keep going and put on blinders if you must. Write what feels right for you. No one else can tell your story.

G.G. SILVERMAN: First and foremost, embrace the darkness and write what you want to write. Ignore anyone who says that because you’re a woman, you can’t (or shouldn’t) write horror. Stick to your guns.

Also, horror, historically, has been treated as the lesser-loved stepchild of the literary world, but I think women are changing that viewpoint because of the nuances and expansion they’ve brought to the genre, and I think all writers benefit from having women in the genre.

So, ladies, if you’re writing something that feels bold and risky and you’re unsure of it and afraid to go forward, dig deep and keep going, because what you’re most afraid of is exactly the kind of work you should be doing, because it’s work that hasn’t been done yet, and the literary world needs it.

SONORA TAYLOR: Don’t be afraid to promote yourself, your books, and your accomplishments. Women are raised to be silent or, at best, humble about their accomplishments. Saying “I wrote a book and I’m proud” is not arrogant. Posting a link to your book and asking people to buy it is not being annoying. You need to market yourself! And, you need to market yourself with confidence. If you’re nervous about putting yourself out there, keep it simple. Something like, “My novel, X, is now available! Give it a read.” Easy, nothing asshole-y, and honestly, if someone thinks that’s annoying, that’s on them, not you.

Are there any subgenres of horror (e.g. body horror, sci-fi-horror, etc.) that you haven’t explored yet in your work but would like to? Likewise, are there any mediums (e.g. poetry, long fiction, nonfiction, novels) that you’re looking forward to writing one day or perhaps exploring more than you already have?

EDEN ROYCE: I’d love to tackle a horror romance and a horror crime noir. Possibly in the same book. My debut novel, Root Magic, is a first for me in many ways. Not only is it my first novel-length work, it’s my first work for a middle-grade age group (8-12). But I’ve found a lot of adults love reading middle-grade work, as well. Especially this kind of Southern Gothic with folklore, monsters, and magic.

GABY TRIANA: I’ve always wanted to write sci-fi horror. ALIEN is still one of my most favorite movies ever, and it’s always been in the back of my mind to write something set in space. Besides that, I think I’m perfectly happy writing witchy occult novels. It’s taken me a while to find my way home. Now that I’m here, I’m going to explore more. The only other format I’d be interested in writing, only because they say I write in a cinematic, scene-setting way as is, is screenplays. Otherwise, I’m perfectly happy with full-length novels!

LINDA D. ADDISON: Per subgenres, I write what comes to me without knowing what labels it would fit. I’m also inspired to try new things, so I can’t tell you what may come next, but I suspect something different.

I’ve avoided novels most of my career because I was afraid of starting one and getting lost in it, but I just finished my first novel! I have plans for several other novels. So we’ll see how that works out.

R.J. JOSEPH: I’m always dabbling in poetry because I just love how words feel and look and I like playing around with the space they take up. I’m not nearly as good at it as I’d like to be, so I’ll keep practicing. I haven’t written a novel length work since my grad school thesis (which was a romance novel, anyway), so at some point, I would like to write a horror novel. That goal is quite daunting, though, because my brain mostly works in short story or comic book form for horror. I’ve started but not finished a couple of horror novellas that I want to get back to at some point. My most recent forays in a slightly different direction has been towards screenplays. When I write poetry or short stories, I always see the stories in my head. A couple of short stories I wrote won’t stop haunting me until I finish their screenplays and give them some chance to be seen in film.

V. CASTRO: I just go for it. I explore all areas because I feel life generates experiences that can be expressed in all subgenres of horror. For me, the story dictates the length. You never know until you begin walking the path.

G.G. SILVERMAN: In truth, I feel as if I could stand to explore body horror a bit more, especially since my whole life as a woman, with experiences of disability, feels like body horror, haha.

As for future mediums, someday I will likely plunge into long fiction again, and I want to continue to get better at poetry.

SONORA TAYLOR: Hmm, that’s a good question! I actually love body horror but struggle with writing it. My short story, “Always in My Ear,” actually started as one that was more body horror-oriented, with the devices that people use to listen to podcasts 24/7 having dangerous effects. However, my story kept struggling until I shifted the focus to the two women and their violent personalities instead (though the devices still make an appearance). Maybe I’ll take another crack at body horror in the future, but a lot of what I write is centered on the mind.

I’d love to try writing a screenplay. I love writing dialogue and would find it interesting to write a story in my head truly cinematically. I’ve written short scripts and a treatment for a TV show once (it was a class assignment, nothing actually on TV), and would like to do it again.

And that concludes part three of our Fright Girl Summer Roundtable! Head on back here next week for the final installment in our series!

Happy reading, and happy Fright Girl Summer!

Challenges and Triumphs: Part 2 of Fright Girl Summer Roundtable

Welcome back for part two of this month’s Fright Girl Summer Roundtable! Last week, we met our seven featured authors and learned about what inspired them to become horror writers. Today, they share some of their challenges as well as the female horror authors they love and recommend.

So let’s take it away!

What are the biggest obstacles for you as a writer? Conversely, who are some of the publications, editors, or other writers who have made your journey through publishing a more positive one?

EDEN ROYCE: Self-doubt can be an enormous burden. As writers, many of us live in our own heads and negative self-talk can keep even the best creatives from producing work.

I’ve been lucky enough to work with some wonderful people in publishing, though. Everyone at Fiyah Lit Mag (past and present) is fantastically supportive and encouraging – they deserve all the kudos for the stunning work they do. Sandra O’Dell at the Drabblecast is a phenomenal editor as are Vajra Chandrasekera at Strange Horizons and Kerrie C. Byrne at Augur Mag. Last but not least, my editor Jordan Brown at HarperCollins loved my novel Root Magic from the start and his input helped make it shine.

GABY TRIANA: My biggest obstacle has always been branding. Because I cover a lot of ground, I can’t for sure say I’m a “horror writer” or a “YA writer.” I write stories about people. The one theme all my stories have is self-discovery, learning about the powers buried deep inside oneself, because this is how I’ve felt all my life, like I’ve slowly been uncovering supersecret hidden powers. But there’s no “Supersecret Hidden Powers” shelf in the bookstores, so I end up all over the place.

My journey through kid lit was difficult, though it started out easy. I got my agent as soon as I finished my first novel, and he sold my manuscripts to HarperCollins in two 2-book deals right out of the gate. Everyone thought I had it made. But then, the industry changed, I was asked to write more Latina heroine books, which I did, but they didn’t sell, so I tried going back to paranormal horror, but I was advised against it, because the “trend was dying.” I got lost. Really lost. But I finally decided I’m going to write whatever the hell I want. I’ve slowly been making my way back to my heart, mostly on my own, but I can definitely thank a few people. My agent, Deborah Warren, who’s been “new” for about 8 years now, Jonathan Maberry, who couldn’t understand why my books weren’t more widely read and has been instrumental in lifting my voice higher, Michelle Zink, who went indie and guided me through the process with such a generous heart. Too many people to name, but they’ve all been such an inspiration to me.

LINDA D. ADDISON: The obstacles now are very different from the beginning of my writing career. Now that I’m retired from day job you would think I have nothing but time to write, however, I’m also involved in projects with other creative folks, so it’s a constant learning process to balance my time.

I could fill pages with publications, editors, or other writers who have been invaluable in my career (including family and friends), a few highlights are: There are many small press magazines (Pirate Writings, Epitaph, Lore, etc.) and anthologies (Dark Voices, Rough Beasts, GSHW In A Fearful Way, Dead Cats Bouncing, etc) that published me early on. Asimov’s SF Magazine (after getting published in 1997 after years of rejections); Space & Time Books editor Gordon Linzner (whose editing/advice/friendship has meant everything to me & published my first three books, two received HWA Bram Stoker awards), CITH (Circles in the Hair) workshop from NYC, which came together in 1990 and have had so much to do with the evolution of my writing. Meeting Tananarive Due in 1997 at a World Horror in NYC when she was on the final ballot for a Stoker in Novels was completely inspiring.

Game changers like having a story published in Sheree Renée Thomas’ Dark Matter anthology; workshops with Terry Bisson, Nancy Kress and others, who became supporters and friends. There are so many I met at conferences like NECON, WHC, and groups like HWA who became my mentors/friends.

There are people who are no longer with us, who believed in me before anyone else knew of my work: Tom Piccirilli, Jack Ketchum, Charlee Jacob, Stephen M. Wilson, Rick Hautala.

V. CASTRO: The biggest obstacles are time management with home life and protecting my mental health with the chaos in the world.

Unnerving headed by Eddie Generous has always been great with publishing women. Flame Tree Press has bought two of my books that are very much inspired by my culture.

All the women in horror have made this journey truly special and amazing. I love how we support each other through the good and the bad. By us continuing to do this, I truly believe we can all achieve what we want on our individual writing journeys. We are stronger together.

G.G. SILVERMAN: My biggest obstacles, currently, are the unfolding horrors of the political landscape. I do believe that writing is an act of resistance and reclaiming one’s voice is ever more important as the days progress, but I sometimes wonder if I should be doing something else—as in, are the lives of Americans in clear and present danger? I’m constantly evaluating our emergency supplies, making sure we have enough food, medicine, for the humans and the dog. And though I’m checking on the mental health and wellbeing of friends and family when I can, I’m always wondering if it’s enough, if there’s someone I’ve missed.

As for those in the writing field who’ve made my publishing journey a positive one—there are so, so, so many people. I think the ones who’ve impacted me the most are the teachers—they’ve given me a huge gift by teaching me what they know. Most of them write in genres outside of horror, but I feel that’s what makes my work richer. Some of those teachers are Alexander Weinstein, Amelia Martens, Sequoia Nagamatsu, Matthew Gavin Frank, Christopher Citro, and Francine J. Harris. Without them, I don’t think I’d have as many tools as I do to write, and I’d probably be floundering a lot more.

R.J. JOSEPH: Being a Black, female horror writer is the biggest obstacle for me, by far. I’ve been writing in this genre for years, albeit, doing so undercover for much of that time. I grew up in the 70s and 80s, so my first readings in horror were by Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and John Saul. I didn’t see work being published by other Black women in the genre. Even the inimitable Toni Morrison’s Beloved wasn’t immediately embraced as horror when it was first published. When I finally found Tananarive Due and Octavia Butler in the 90s, they never got the fanfare I felt they deserved. Even now, I ask myself, “If those queens with their masterful and passionate wordplay couldn’t get a huge break, who are you to think you can do this?” I’ve seen how long Due has been at this. She’s incredible and humble. My all time favorite writer. But I haven’t seen her works in movies, as they all should be. Granted, things are moving for her now, but she should be held up as a standard in horror.

I have to give a lot of credit to the faculty, mentors, and fellow students in the Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction program. They were the first people, besides my mother, who made me believe I could write horror. They accepted me as I was and the horror writing pod embraced me as one of theirs. Elsa Carruthers and Stephanie Wytovich are a part of this awesome family. I walked in a duality there, writing a romance thesis but workshopping horror short stories. The faculty and mentors gently prodded me along towards the things they knew I could do that I didn’t think were possible, especially in academia. I also have to give a lot of kudos to so many newer horror family members I’ve met more recently, like Linda Addison who is simply exquisite. She’s not only a brilliant writer, but she always makes opportunities to bring the rest of us along with her. Cina Pelayo, John Edward Lawson, V. Castro, Gabino Iglesias, Nicholas Diak, the Ladies of Horror Fiction…just about all the horror peeps I engage with regularly on Twitter are people I look up to and folks who’re fighting the good fight. They all make this thing worthwhile.

SONORA TAYLOR: I have a hard time writing down a bad first draft. I want each sentence well-written and each plot point fleshed out as soon as I write it. As such, I don’t write when I feel like I can’t do that, and I have to force myself to open the document and just start writing. It can be especially hard when I’m stressed. But, I always feel better having written, even when I know I need to revise.

I’ve been lucky to work with really good editors and publishers. Evelyn Duffy, who edits my novels and short story collections, has been a blessing. She’s given me so much helpful advice as well as encouragement. She’s also a hell of an editor: all of my work has improved with her edits.

Sirens Call Publications has an amazing team behind them. I frequently submit stories to The Sirens Call, a free online eZine; and they always take good care of my work. They were even kind enough to feature me last summer! I also had an amazing experience with Camden Park Press, which published Quoth the Raven. It was my first time being published by a third party, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

What books from female horror authors are you most excited to read this year? Which female horror authors do you feel more people should be reading?

EDEN ROYCE: I’m so behind on my reading. This year has been … interesting. I’m looking forward to reading The Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Out of Water by Sarah Read as well in indulging in rereads of Fledgling by Octavia Butler, White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi, All the Fabulous Beasts by Priya Sharma, and New Music for Old Rituals by Tracy Fahey.

GABY TRIANA: BONESET & FEATHERS, baby! Anything by you, Christa Carmen, Ania Ahlborn, Sonora Taylor, Catherine Cavendish’s THE MALEN WITCH, Sara Tantlinger, Briana Morgan, Stephanie Wytovich, Alethea Kontis, Sarah Read, Kiersten White…there’s so many!

LINDA D. ADDISON: Female horror authors with work out or coming out I follow: Sheree Renée Thomas, Kaaron Warren, Christina Sng, L. Marie Wood, Cindy O’Quinn, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Sara Tantlinger, Tananarive Due, Gwendolyn Kiste, V. Castro, Silvia Moreno Garcia, Cynthia Pelayo, Nicole Givens Kurtz, Sonora Taylor, B. Shares Moore, Claire C. Holland, Valjeanne Jeffers, Mercedes M. Yardley, EV Knight, Lisa Morton, Lee Murray, Tonya Liburd, Marge Simon, Sarah Read…

V. CASTRO: I have such a back log of books I don’t even know where to begin! Between editing and writing new stuff with my family life, it has been a challenge. I’m excited for Laurel Hightower’s new book, Crossroads.

I will always say read more women of color. Read more Black women in genre fiction. Black Lives Matter is not a fad or trend, it is a call for fundamental change. That begins with what we consume and purchasing power.

Women of color are still sorely underrepresented.

R.J. JOSEPH: I have SO MANY unread books in my Kindle app right now! I’m happy to have reached a point where I can set a book buying budget and just buy books. I can hardly wait to dig into Cirque Berserk, by Jessica Guess, Hairspray and Switchblades, by V. Castro, the first two Graveyard Smash Women of Horror anthologies, Worst Laid Plans: An Anthology of Vacation Horror, and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. And I know there will be many, many others to come when I’m done with these.

Everybody should be reading everything Stephanie Wytovich and Cina Pelayo touch in any way. They should devour V. Castro’s work. I really feel like everyone who writes should read or re-examine all of Toni Morrison’s works. Chesya Burke is a phenomenal writer who I don’t hear enough people talk about. And Kinitra Brooks writes extensively about Black women in horror, so she’s a must read writer.

G.G. SILVERMAN: I’m excited to read Wonderland by Zoje Stage, and waiting with bated breath for Karen Russell’s Sleep Donation, her first horror novel, I believe! I’ve also heard Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic is exquisite. I also need to delve into Alma Katsu’s work, which I’ve heard is gorgeous.

It’s hard for me to single out one female horror author (read them ALL!), though if anyone hasn’t read Mona Awad’s Bunny, I recommend you drop everything and do it now. It’s the ONE horror novel that so deftly weaves so many pop culture and literary influences, and is therefore mind-bogglingly fun. Comedic horror doesn’t get as much attention in the literary world as it does in the film industry, and, as an author who has also written comedic horror, Mona Awad’s Bunny was so “me.”

SONORA TAYLOR: I’m so excited for the upcoming releases in Unnerving’s Rewind or Die series. I just heard about All You Need is Love and a Strong Electric Current by Mackenzie Kiera, and I’m stoked. I loved Hairspray and Switchblades by V. Castro and Cirque Berserk by Jessica Guess; and I’m currently reading Food Fright by Nico Bell. The whole series deserves some kind of special award.

I’m also looking forward to Crossroads by Laurel Hightower. I see everyone talking about it and I’m so jealous because I preordered and have to wait!

I think more people should be reading horror by women of color. Women are making a name for themselves in the horror genre, but I still see a lot of conversations, promoted books, and talked-about horror reads dominated by white women. Extending horror readership and publication to women doesn’t end with white women. Read Black women. Read Latina women. Read Asian women. There’s a wide world of stories to be told, and the most exciting voices are the ones as far away from your own as possible.

And that’s all for Part Two! Join us next week as our Fright Girl Summer roundtable continues!

Happy reading!

Horror Beginnings: Part 1 of Fright Girl Summer Roundtable

Welcome back for a brand-new horror roundtable! In case you hadn’t heard, we’re currently in the middle of Fright Girl Summer, an awesome online book festival organized by V. Castro and Sonora Taylor. This festival, which kicked off back in June, celebrates female horror authors, especially authors of color, QUILTBAG authors, and indie authors.

So in honor of Fright Girl Summer, I’m beyond thrilled to spotlight seven incredible female horror authors for the entire month of August! For the next four weeks, we’ll be discussing what horror means to these authors, how they got started in the genre, and where they hope to see horror go in the coming years.

And without further adieu, let’s get started with Part One!

Welcome to this month’s roundtable! Thank you so much for joining me! Please tell us a bit about yourself, your work, and how you got into horror.

Eden RoyceEDEN ROYCE: I’m Eden Royce and I write a variety of genres, most often Southern Gothic, dark fantasy, and folk horror. I grew up on horror; many of my weekends growing up were spent with my mom and grandmother watching those old black-and-white Hammer movies. I’m from a culture of storytellers and I’m from Charleston, SC, a city of ghosts, and that’s always been a part of my writing.

GABY TRIANA: Thanks for having me, Gwendolyn (ever since I interviewed you for my blog The Witch Haunt, I have wanted to call you Gwednesday)!

About me, I have been writing since I was a child and publishing books since 2002, everything from YA comedy, to romance under a pen name, to paranormal suspense, to witchy horror. I’ve published with Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, and Entangled, and I’ve indie published under my own imprint, Alienhead Press, as well. Ten novels are under my own name, five under a pen name, and 50+ as a ghostwriter. My most-read novels are The Haunted Florida series starting with ISLAND OF BONES, WAKE THE HOLLOW, and CAKESPELL.

I got into horror because I loved reading anything scary, occult, paranormal, or terrifying as a child. I was never into the books other kids were reading. I wanted my stories intense, so I was already reading adult suspense by the time I was 10. To this day, I have no idea how I ended up writing YA or romance comedies, because I never read books in those genres until I was an adult, ghostwriting for clients. In my heart, the occult still reigns supreme.

LINDA D. ADDISON: Hi, I’m Linda D. Addison, the second oldest of 10 children. I have been living in an active imagination from my earliest memories; meaning I saw magic and strange unreality in what others call Reality forever. I’m known for my horror poetry, but I also have published fiction in horror, SF and fantasy. I’ve received five HWA Bram Stoker awards for poetry and received their Lifetime Achievement award. Writing horror wasn’t a conscious decision, it evolved out of exploring my own pain/fears and my reactions to the shadows in the world.

V. CASTRO: I’m Violet, or V.Castro. I am a Mexican American woman originally from Texas.

I like writing horror that incorporates my Mexican American culture, Mexican folklore and urban legend, and writing Latinas for all the leads. I also write a lot of sex because I’m sick of our sexuality and bodies being misrepresented. If I don’t write it a man will.

I got into horror because as a mother of 3 I found myself missing something. I love my children, yet wanted something for myself. As a long time horror junkie I decided to just start. I sat down and have not got up since. Also, there is very little Latina representation in horror. I wanted to infuse my culture into my stories and old tropes.

R.J. JOSEPH: I’m a Texas based writer with the second very best day job of teaching college English classes. I got my MFA through Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction program. I went in as a romance writer and a closeted horror writer and came out a better writer all the way around. I also sort of fell into academia and loved it, so I stayed. I now write primarily horror creative pieces and academic pieces about horror. I mostly write about the intersections of race and gender in the horror genre and popular culture.

I’m a lifelong horror fan, having read Stephen King’s Carrie at a really, really young age. His works helped to feed my obsession with monsters, real and imagined. I come from a reading household where everyone read heavily. My father was a horror and sci-fi fan, my mother was a romance reader. It was the South, kissy kissy was bad, so they hid the romance novels and magazines. They didn’t hide the horror novels or comics. This is what they got for those half efforts.

I also have a lot of teenagers at home. My husband and I have a huge blended family of eleven. Four of those are grown up. The other seven are always around the house, devouring everything that doesn’t eat them first. They’re my locusts.

G.G. SILVERMAN: Hi, Gwendolyn! Thanks for having me! I’m a female and feminist author, currently living just north of Seattle, Washington—the conceptual home of Twin Peaks, and the real home of Sasquatch, allegedly. I’m also the daughter of immigrants.

As for my work, currently I’m focusing primarily on short speculative fiction, which lives somewhere in the shadows between horror and dark fantasy, with a bit of SF thrown in there on good occasion. I also write poetry, and it tends toward the darkly fantastical, with elements of horror.

I’ve been a horror fan since I was very young, when I got up in the wee hours on a Saturday morning and flicked on my family’s small, grainy, black and white television, and was greeted by some late night/early morning horror film. The imagery wasn’t graphic in the sense of blood and guts, but it was shocking in the sense that it portrayed a sibling potentially drowning another sibling, if my memory serves me. I remember having this sense of awakening to the frightening potential of humans to hurt each other. It made me wonder, did I have that potential? I loved my younger brother deeply, and would have been devastated if anything happened to him, so the film scared me and made me view horror as a way of learning about the world. I think this was really healthy for me, because it made me realize that though the world wasn’t 100% safe, that one could navigate it, with enough preparation.

Then I was introduced to Stephen King’s THE SHINING at the ripe old age of 9. A friend had loaned it to me, after he swiped it from his older brother. It was definitely forbidden reading material, and I snuck it home in my backpack, then read it under the covers, by flashlight. It was deeply terrifying, especially the bathtub scene, and that image has been seared in my memory ever since.

After that, I couldn’t get enough horror. Though it would be a while before I got my hands on anything adult again, I was reading everything I could find in our small town library that had anything to do with the paranormal. I remember being scared so thoroughly by vampire stories as a kid, that I locked the windows shut on hot summer nights and sweltered. Good times.

Shortly after that, I wrote my first short horror book in 4th grade, “Tara and the Haunted Doll,” named for my friend. I did the illustrations myself with fruity-smelling markers. My friend Tara was not impressed, but I had fun. The rest is history, I guess.

SONORA TAYLOR: Thanks for having me! My name is Sonora Taylor. I’ve been writing stories off and on my whole life, but got serious about it in 2016. I began to publish my work in 2017, and got my first anthology acceptance in 2018.

I like to keep my horror varied, but my work tends to be character-driven, especially with anxious minds. I also like taking innocuous things in daily life–stick figure families, a bulletin board with children’s accomplishments on them, etc.–and give them a sinister twist.

This interview series is in honor of the fabulous Fright Girl Summer, an online book festival for women in horror fiction. This year has seen many book events go to an online-only format for obvious reasons. How has this year changed your own approach to writing?

EDEN ROYCE: It hasn’t changed my approach to writing, honestly. I’m a homebody for the most part so I don’t attend many events. I’d planned to have a book launch party closer to my novel’s release date, so I may need to rethink that, but I still hole up in my office and write most days.

Wake the HollowGABY TRIANA: I was born for quarantine. I’ve always written about 2,000-3,000 words daily, and COVID hasn’t stopped that. My kids are older now, so I don’t have to keep them busy or entertained like other parents do. Only thing that has changed—my reading habits. I’m a lot more anxious these days, worrying about the state of the world, so my reading has suffered. I can’t concentrate. Instead, I find myself reading the news or going down the YouTube rabbit hole of dermatologist videos at 3 AM.

LINDA D. ADDISON: My day job until six years ago was computer software development, so it was easy to accept events going online. However, I didn’t realize how much I was used to traveling to other locations for conventions, etc. and now without that travel I’m saving money and time, but I also greatly miss spending time with other writers. There are days when I am writing more and other days that getting writing done is difficult, because the entire planet is in stress, not just my own life.

V. CASTRO: With my children around I had to get creative with time. The anxiety that comes with all the uncertainty has also required me to take more time to clear my head. With that said, writing is always a safe haven for me. I have actually managed to write a lot.

R.J. JOSEPH: I absolutely love what V. Castro and Sonora Taylor have done with Fright Girl Summer. I hope Fright Girls have the entire year of seasons, for eternity! One thing about the pandemic is I get to spend time in my favorite place: my home. I’ve always felt most comfortable in my little cocoon, surrounded by our things, puttering about. My commute to work is super long because of Houston traffic, so when I go to campus, I have to time comings and goings to avoid the longest times. By the time I get home, I’m exhausted and the kids are wanting to know what’s for dinner.

Sycorax's DaughtersNow that I’m already at home, I have time to do so much stuff. Like, pretend to be a domestic goddess who cooks and makes all these crafty things. I get to be the doting abuela to my darling little grandboo. The biggest impact: I’ve felt relaxed enough to start writing again. Frustration with the genre gatekeepers and so few opportunities held me in a perpetual state of anxiety about even attempting to write while I was also juggling work and home. With the escalation of the Black Lives Matter movement and what just might be sincere overtures by some publishing gatekeepers, I’ve found myself willing to start submitting more.

G.G. SILVERMAN: This year, in truth, has been difficult, because it seems that basic survival is about ten times harder (I’m looking at you, pandemic!), which makes writing time more fractured. That said, I’m committed to continuing the work, and having to find ways to cocoon away from the distracting news cycle. I did somehow write a slew of poetry so far this year, and one piece of new short fiction, and have to remind myself that any progress, however small, is progress. Those other stories that are halfway done, they will eventually be born.

Regarding events moving online due to the pandemic, I must say that as a person who has struggled with disabilities, I think the move toward more accessible events by streaming them is fantastic. There are so many people who were previously shut out to certain things because of physical limitations. Now I can attend classes or readings anywhere from the comfort of my home. I hope that after the pandemic, we as a society consider making physical events more inclusive by streaming them for the sake of those who are physically prevented from attending in person.

SONORA TAYLOR: Honestly, it’s made writing harder. You’d think being home more would mean more time to write and to write even more. I certainly thought so. And while I’ve gotten stuff done, the mental toll has had a greater effect on my ability to sit down and write than I anticipated.

It’s made me learn to be gentler with myself and understand that it’s okay to pace myself when it comes to writing stories. What’s meant to be done will get done.

So that’s Part One of our roundtable! Join us again next week as we discuss these fantastic authors’ journeys through the publishing industry as well as the books on their TBR list!

Happy reading, and happy Fright Girl Summer!