A Point of Pride 2024: An Interview With Sirius
What inspired you to start writing?
I have always been writing ever since I can remember. I suppose I could say that what has inspired me to keep going over the years is that I do not know what I would do with myself if I wasn’t writing. The stories in my head do not stop spinning around for any occasion. I have
gotten in trouble at many day jobs for jotting down stories in notebooks while on the clock.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
There is a lot of freedom within the horror genre. I do, of course, love to write terrible and tragic stories that are filled with gore and erotica. Horror gives me the space to do that as much or as little as I need. Horror is also one of those genres that does not have rigid trope expectations
that, say, romance does. I do not have to worry about violating some unspoken rule within my own plot.
Do you make a conscious effort to include LGBTQ material in your writing and if so, what do you want to portray?
Yes, I definitely do. Because I am queer, and I want my characters to be queer and reflect my experiences. The majority of my readers are also queer, and I want them to be able to see themselves. Lately, I have been making a conscious effort to not be shy about my trans inclusion. It has gotten to the point where I will write stories where every single main character is trans/non-binary, and I don’t care if that is considered “realistic” or not. When I am non-binary and all my partners are trans/non-binary as well, why should my characters not be?
What has writing horror taught you about the world and yourself?
Horror has definitely allowed me to explore my own grief and religious trauma in a way that I would consider truthful, which has led to a lot of healing. In horror, there is no need to sugar-coat anything or turn it around so that it might be more palpable to the reader. I have learned a
lot about how I tick, what I want, and how I perceive other people just by embracing the horror genre. Sometimes I surprise myself when I go back to read over my work and I notice some blatant interpretations of how I feel other people perceive me, as well. Horror is a place where I
can be honest with myself.
How have you seen the horror genre change over the years? And how do you think it will continue to evolve?
It has definitely become MORE queer (even though at its roots, it always has been), which is something that I appreciate. I have seen a lot more authors like me being able to take up space in the community, and that is encouraging. I think we will see more of that. I feel like what falls
under the umbrella of horror these days is more diverse, as well. You don’t just have cosmic horror, splatterpunk, etc—you have eco-horror, romantic horror, quiet horror, and many more examples. It has become a more welcoming community in some ways.
How do you feel the LGBTQ community has been represented thus far in the genre and what hopes do you have for representation in the genre going forward?
I feel like there is always room for improvement, which will come with more queer authors being put into the spotlight. Typically, LGBTQ characters have been the butt of the joke, or subjected to violence that other characters do not suffer. There are still many harmful stereotypes
perpetuated by modern-day horror writers, under the guise of ‘if you can’t handle it, don’t read it’. So I hope that moving forward, we see more diverse representation from queer authors who feel like they don’t have to check every box in order to be considered ‘good’ representation. Let
your queer characters be awful, is what I say! I want queer villains and queer wrongs as much as I want queer heroes.
Who are some of your favorite LGBTQ characters in horror?
Most of my favorites are the ones I have written because they are the types of characters that I want to see and don’t really find anywhere else yet. Aside from my own though, it may be considered ‘typical’ of me, but I really like the characters from “The Vampire Chronicles” by Anne
Rice. They are all so complex and morally gray, and all so damn charismatic.
Who are some LGBTQ horror authors you recommend our audience check out?
I would definitely recommend the works of Ravven White (The Sentimental Dead, Haunted Hallways), Ladz (The Fealty of Monsters), Mars Adler (First Creation), Siggy Chambers (The Binding of Bloom Mountain), and H.S. Wolfe (In the Garden of Echo, Rotgut). For short stories, I
highly recommend Lennox Rex (who has shorts in the Doors of Darkness anthology and Trans Rites anthology, to name a few).
What is one piece of advice you would give horror authors today?
Be authentic with your writing, because you never know who will need the exact story you are working on. Don’t worry about whether it is ‘marketable’, write from your heart and your experience.
And to the LGBTQ writers out there who are just getting started, what advice would you give them?
It is not an easy road, but it is worth every step. Don’t let anyone discourage you from writing your queer characters exactly how you want to. Don’t let anyone gatekeep your experiences, and focus on writing for yourself and your queer audience.
Sirius is a lover of glory, gore, and monsters. They are a queer, nonbinary artist living in the hot and bothered South; currently residing in a little spot that has been dubbed ‘Halloweentown’, North Carolina. They are the writer of The Draonir Saga, the first book of which is Uncrowned (The Laughing Man House), The Gentleman Demon Series, the first book of which is Swallow You Whole (Curious Corvid Publishing), and The Dread South Series, the first book of which is Blackjack + Moonshine (The Laughing Man House).
Sirius began writing at a young age and started exploring the publishing industry when they were thirteen. With many bumps along the way, they have learned a lot and grown in the craft that they would consider their one true love. Queer characters, gothic aesthetics, and royal drama (fantasy of manners) form the foundation of their storytelling.
When they are not writing, they work as a professional drag performer, weaving the characters from their stories into visual art for the stage.
