As long as I can remember, I’ve been a horror fan. My mother is a massive horror fiend and shared that love with me early on. I have a distinct memory of watching Alien<\/em> with her for the first time and everything about the movie captivated me: a woman protagonist who is a total badass (that goes back for the cat; a very big deal to 5-year-old me) fighting a Xenomorph which still ranks as one of my scariest monsters. I grew up in the era of VHS rentals and at one point, we’d watched every single movie in the horror section! As I started reading, I would mow through the YA stuff (Goosebumps<\/em>, Animorphs<\/em>, etc) in about an hour and then was nagging my mom for more books. So, she tossed Stephen King’s The Stand<\/em> at me and said: Try reading this in an hour. Took me a bit longer than that!<\/p>\n SHANE HAWK: If we\u2019re restricting ourselves to literature, what really draws me to Horror is the way in which we can confront our own fears\u2014or step into someone else\u2019s shoes and experience their fears\u2014safely<\/em> and exist in some intangible liminal space for a little while before we must go back to the real world, our day jobs, etc. I enjoy the thrill, the mystery, the what-if of the dark. Realistic horror freaks me out just as much as supernatural horror does, and I love that I can visit those wispy, incorporeal playgrounds to reflect on how I would react, what I would do if I were ever in a similar situation. I think a lot of us who love escaping into fiction cherish stories in which we get to have a little fun and be vicarious, even for a short journey.<\/p>\n One of my first experiences with the genre was a third-grade reading project whereby the teacher allowed us to choose any book we wanted to read and we had to make some type of artistic expression from that book, whether it was a painting, drawing, model, etc. I chose R.L. Stine\u2019s Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes<\/em>, and I can still remember the cover with the plastic pink flamingos and the mischievous-looking gnomes in red hats. As a third grader, the story spooked me a bit, and it reminded me of the stories of the Little People from my tribe. Arapaho stories about the Little People are scary as they are depicted as entirely malevolent and cannibalistic rather than trickster-ish troublemakers according to other tribes. My dad helped me create my artistic component of the project by using a Tupperware bowl to form a papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 gnome mask. We painted it together. I\u2019m pretty sure I was the only kid who chose a scary book for the project.<\/p>\n JESSICA MCHUGH: I like the descriptive nature of horror, the icky sticky sights and sounds, the rusty earthen stenches and skin-bristling textures. All the revulsion, all the beauty. I love dissecting people\u2019s pasts and motivations too, and for me, horror is the best place to unravel those messy tales. It\u2019s just so much fun.<\/p>\n I consumed horror from a very young age, so it\u2019s hard for me to pinpoint the first experience, but I will say that I read a lot of generic spooky campfire stories, folk tales, and urban legend books when I was little. Paired with Scary Stories to Tell in Dark<\/em>, the inherent darkness of 80s kids movies like The Last Unicorn<\/em>, Return to Oz<\/em>, and The Black Cauldron<\/em>, and having two older brothers who were already deep into horror films, I\u2019ve always been comforted by all things creepy. I started reading Stephen King novels in late elementary school and was obsessed with RL Stine\u2019s Fear Street series throughout middle school. Horror has just always been there for me, thank goodness.<\/p>\n Regarding my first experience with the genre growing up, some of the first books I truly adored were the works of James and Deborah Howe, particularly, the Bunnicula series, as well as the Goosebumps and Fear Street books by R.L. Stine. Though, I had a rather bizarre experience when I was in third grade\u2026 I went to a friend\u2019s birthday party, and there was talk of watching a few scary movies, but when the movies in question were revealed, they were Leprechaun<\/em> and Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors<\/em>, far from appropriate fare for a group of nine-year-olds. I walked around in an Elm Street-esque, sleepless daze for about a week before the memories of those terror-inducing films began to lessen.<\/p>\n I steered clear of horror films for about four years, then gave the genre another chance with Halloween<\/em> when I was about thirteen. Though I was terrified over the possibility of Michael Myers climbing the trellis into my bedroom (despite my house not even having a trellis), something about this experience must have struck a chord, because from that moment on, I was drawn to horror.<\/p>\n EDEN ROYCE: Several things draw me to horror: the tension, the anticipation, and the eventual resolution of those feelings, sometimes in one decisive swoop. It\u2019s a way of dealing with the horrors and aggressions of the world at large, similar to the way some people embrace gallows humor.<\/p>\n One of my first experiences with horror was the book The Gashleycrumb Tinies<\/em> by Edward Gorey. It\u2019s an illustrated book of ABCs, with a decidedly morbid bent. As a young kid, I found a copy of it at the library and my mom flipped through it. Because of the content, I was afraid she wouldn\u2019t let me check it out. But she just chuckled and set it on the circulation desk with the rest of our book haul for the day. She\u2019s a horror lover as well, so I think she just thought it was a good way to prepare me for the wider world out there.<\/p>\n JAN STINCHCOMB: I like to ponder bad people doing bad things. Good people make me nervous. As a child I was always drawn to ghosts and witches. My first exposure to horror in popular culture was probably Scooby-Doo<\/i>, but one cannot underestimate the power of the Bible. I remember my older sister explaining that the devil was once an angel, and even though I was a little kid, I felt like I somehow already knew this. Of course he was an angel, I thought. That makes sense. Even the devil has an origin story.<\/p>\n What are your hopes for the future of the horror genre? <\/strong><\/p>\n N.J. GALLEGOS: It’s already happening but I want the horror genre to be more visible and respected. I feel like previously horror was considered low brow, full of cheap tricks and thrills. Almost the literary equivalent of sugary candy compared to foie gras of contemporary fiction, thriller, etc.<\/p>\n ANGELA SYLVAINE: My hope for the horror genre is that we continue to see the diversity grow. When I was young, I read white, male authors because they were all that I knew of and the most readily available to me. While those stores were great, there are so many other stories to be told, and I am really glad to see that happening today. I love Stephen King, but I hope horror readers broaden their horizons and continue to discover the wide range of talent that is thriving in the genre.<\/p>\n JESSICA MCHUGH: More unhinged, super weird, unlikeable, unredeemable, and diverse characters \/ situations. Gutsy horror, unapologetic horror, the kind of horror that makes me even more excited to find out that the author of that revolting mindfuck of a novel is the kindest, most caring person in the world.<\/p>\n CHRISTA CARMEN: More challenging and subverting of stereotypical tropes and more diverse stories and voices! Also, more women in horror getting deals for film and television adaptations based on their work!<\/p>\n J.A.W. MCCARTHY: I\u2019ve been happy to see a real effort towards inclusion in recent years, at least in the indie horror community. Readers have always been interested in works from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors, and those authors are finally getting a spotlight and more opportunities to publish. I want to see that continue. There are a lot of diverse voices out there and even more stories. The literary world is a better, more exciting place when it includes a wide variety of voices.<\/p>\n There is a deeply-rooted belief out there that horror is a \u201clow\u201d form of entertainment, so I\u2019d love for consumers of media to recognize horror can be as rich and layered and resonant as any other genre out there.<\/p>\n JAN STINCHCOMB: I love horror and I want to see it flourish. I want new voices, all the voices. For years the general public has associated horror with gore, but it is so much more than that. I want to see more readers give horror a chance, and I will keep blending genres in my own work regardless of the constraints of mainstream publishing. That said, I must acknowledge the independent presses out there supporting weird and challenging books: JournalStone, Clash, Apocalypse Party, Black Lawrence, Raw Dog Screaming, Unnerving.<\/p>\n What upcoming projects are you currently working on?<\/strong><\/p>\n N.J. GALLEGOS: Currently working on my second novel which follows a neurologist who invents implantable inhibiting chips that stop migraines at the source, but the side effects could be… murder.<\/p>\n I’ve also been kicking around ideas for a The Broken Heart<\/em> sequel but those currently reside in my brain.<\/p>\n SHANE HAWK: <\/span>I\u2019m working on my debut novel that revolves around an Indigenous punk band, heavy anarchistic music, government ops, and shapeshifters. I\u2019m also working with an established producer on a feature script for a global theatrical release and\u2014fingers crossed\u2014he will help me sell it to a major studio and get it made in the next few years. Keith Rosson also just asked me to write a story for a charity anthology due next year, and I\u2019m excited for that as well!<\/span><\/p>\n ANGELA SYLVAINE: I\u2019m finishing up my debut short story collection, The Dead Spot: Stories of Lost Girls<\/em>, which will be released in May of 2024, and I\u2019m expanding a previous novella, Chopping Spree<\/em>, which will be rereleased later in 2024 with new material. I\u2019ve also begun working on the sequel to Frost Bite<\/em>, which will come out in 2025.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gwendolynkiste.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/The-Broken-Heart.jpg\")
<\/a>N.J. GALLEGOS: There’s something magical to me about facing your fears through the horror genre, whether that means fear of death, losing the ones you love, or the scary things that go bump in the night. It’s always made me feel less scared and alone, oddly enough. My parents divorced when I was young and my mom worked a lot to support us, leaving me to my own devices quite a bit. Horror was there for me, keeping me company. It’s comforting to me.<\/p>\n<\/a>ANGELA SYLVAINE: I have a theory about that. Being North Dakotan and Norwegian, I was raised to be extremely polite and smile always, no matter what, so I think horror allowed me to explore darker emotions that I couldn\u2019t necessarily display on the surface. My first memory of horror was the movie Cat\u2019s Eye<\/em>. I would have been about seven, similar in age to Drew Barrymore in the movie, and I clearly remember seeing the little breath-sucking troll peeking through the door to my room. And I had no cat to save me!<\/p>\n<\/a>CHRISTA CARMEN: What draws me to horror is the ability for horror writers and filmmakers to examine a difficult topic\u2014be it mental illness, addiction, trauma, loss, guilt, regret, shame, etc.\u2014through the lens of something even more terrible, more disturbing, and more soul-splitting, resulting in a piece of art that\u2014in addition to horrifying the reader or viewer\u2014can entertain, teach, promote empathy, and even heal. Not too many other genres, if any, can claim that.<\/p>\n<\/a>J.A.W. MCCARTHY: Horror is a mirror of our current times and ourselves. I\u2019ve always been an anxious and fearful person, and writing horror allows me to safely explore those fears. My parents never limited my reading and viewing, so I was exposed to the genre early on. I saw movies like Poltergeist<\/i> and read books like Carrie<\/em> too young, probably. I was obsessed with the Christopher Pike books, and read a ton of Zilpha Keatley Snyder as a kid.<\/p>\n<\/a>SHANE HAWK: The future of Horror looks bright despite our obsession with the dark and macabre. I see far more stories and books being published by people whose community has been historically marginalized, and in effect, creating a rich diversity of style, voice, and experience within that community that then helps readers avoid making singular, monolithic assumptions and takeaways. I hope it continues to challenge people\u2019s views by tackling all sorts of relevant social issues of the past, present, and future in innovative and alluring ways. I see far more people flocking to it as we break down the barriers and make people understand that it\u2019s not all just the classic creatures and blood and guts. There\u2019s a lot more to it, and more people will continue to see that and spread the word. We will thrive.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>EDEN ROYCE: My hopes are that people who love horror read it more widely: various authors, themes, and sub-genres. I hope the horror community expands, becoming more accepting and more open, with less gatekeeping as to what qualifies as horror. I have people tell me they don\u2019t like horror at all, but they like my work. Horror isn\u2019t all slashers chasing teens through the woods. The horror genre is nuanced and can have subtleties that draw you in with beauty or strangeness, only to reveal something you don\u2019t realize is unsettling until after you\u2019ve put the book down.<\/p>\n