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Black Heritage in Horror: Interview with C.C. Adams

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London native C.C. Adams is the horror/dark fiction author behind books such as But Worse Will Come, Forfeit Tissue and Downwind, Alice. A member of the Horror Writers Association, he still lives in the capital. This is where he lifts weights, cooks – and looks for the perfect quote to set off the next dark delicacy.

What inspired you to start writing?

Firstly, as a member of (Canadian author) Kelley Armstrong’s previous online discussion forum. I’d dabbled in some fanfic based on her work, which was well received. And it was on the same forum that I heard about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). By the time I’d studied other people doing it, I decided that I’d have a crack at it. That was back in 2009 – and I knocked out 52,000 words in 29 days. I’ve been writing with professional intent ever since.

What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?

That it’s open season on any and everything. And everyone. It’s not like a rom-com where it might turn out to be Happy Ever After, or at least Happy For Now.

Not only do you have that kind of unpredictability, but horror takes villainy to much darker places. Yeah, sure, a U-certificate film like The Lion King undoubtedly had younger audiences in mind during production – but Scar still murdered his brother Mufasa. That’s dark already! Now imagine going to places darker than that.

It doesn’t matter what form the story takes, the protagonist needs an antagonist; a monster or villain, as it were. For me, horror is where I get to craft something eerie. Malicious. Terrifying. All the good stuff.

Do you make a conscious effort to include African diaspora characters and themes in your writing and if so, what do you want to portray?

Absolutely. As someone born in the capital (London) and proud of, I want to capture the landscape in my work. That’s everything from literal to figurative – and you have such diversity in the city in race, culture, age, sexual orientation, etc., you’d be doing it a disservice not to capture it.

For black characters, I want to portray them as any other character; 3D and realistic. Everything from their appearance and culture to their motivations, their flaws, their challenges, their past, their dreams, their fears, their secrets – any and everything.

What has writing horror taught you about the world and yourself?

What it’s taught me about myself? Putting in work, that I can grow and evolve, that my craft can engage and wow an audience. It’s a humbling and gratifying thing to experience – that all of this is from writing not a story, but stories. That your game – your creation(s) and your method – can deliver. It’s pretty cool. There are always two gates of quality my work passes through: 1) would I proudly put my name to it and 2) would I buy it? As long as I can answer ‘yes’ to both of those, I’m golden.

What writing horror has taught me about the world? The merits of resilience. Persistence. Drive. You’ve got your work cut out if you want to grab the attention of the indie horror community of fellow authors, publishers, reviewers, podcasters, et al, let alone the horror audience at large. Those nine-to-fivers, retirees, schoolkids, etc. And all of that as a black author in an industry which, from what I see, is mostly white? Yeah, your work’s cut out for you.

How have you seen the horror genre change over the years? And how do you think it will continue to evolve?

I’ve certainly seen it become more diverse; more inclusive. That’s not to say all individuals in the genre have been so thoughtful or welcoming, because they haven’t. Still, I think that progressive nature will continue, in terms of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, etc. I see more of that diversity now the longer I spend in the game. It’s promising.

How do you feel the Black community has been represented thus far in the genre and what hopes do you have for representation in the genre going forward?

Ahhh. Let me start by saying I don’t really watch horror any more (because it genuinely terrifies me), so it’s not a pleasant experience. That said, I’ve grown up watching horror films, and I love a horror narrative. I can read it, I can write it …but I just can’t watch it. Although there might be a relatively tame exception or two I can manage. Anyhow:

From how the black community is represented in horror entertainment media (books, TV, film, etc.), I think the representation gets progressively better. From Wesley Snipes’ Blade franchise some twenty or so years ago(!), to Marvel’s recent Werewolf By Night on the Disney Plus streaming service. Sure, you might see some instances where a black character is a token one to add a ‘little’ diversity to the mix (e.g. there’s a Final Destination film that comes to mind as I’m saying this). But, generally, I feel that audiences and creators are more aware of a need for diversity, as well as a responsibility for it.

In terms of how the black community is represented in the genre community itself? I still feel we’re vastly under-represented. Certainly as a regular at the likes of FantasyCon, ChillerCon, Edge-Lit, etc., I’m one of the few black faces there. No more than a handful of us, if that.

What I think is an important conversation is how many black creators are in the community. Using the (UK) convention circuit as an example: yes, I know I’m a black author, but it doesn’t mean I’m the only one – there might be other black authors not attending the conventions. I’m interested in how many black horror authors there are in the community regardless. If we don’t have so many, then, why? What can be done to encourage a more diverse – and inclusive – community of creators?

If there are plenty of black authors in the genre community already, why isn’t there wider representation of them? For indie publishers alone, and this is something I’d love to see now, is monitoring of what demographic of authors are sending manuscripts in to open submission calls, for example. One or two publishers have done this, if memory serves – but that’s nowhere enough, in my opinion. But don’t just monitor for the sake of it – drive some positive change.

Who are some of your favorite Black characters in horror?

Oooooh. Does Blade count? Okay, let’s talk straight-up horror. Childs in John Carpenter’s “The Thing” gets the nod. All talk of ‘who’s human at the end of the film?’ aside, we have a black character that made it to the end of the film. A strong character showing irritability and drive, along with reluctance, fatigue and anxiety.

I’ve not seen the Candyman films, but I have to give the title character the nod. I like the idea of a villain or a monster that’s a person of colour, rather than the likes of Count Dracula, Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, David Kessler, etc.

Who are some African diaspora horror authors you recommend our audience check out?

Nuzo Onoh; also known as The Queen of African Horror. I read her offering, The Unclean. Uncompromisingly African, it’s harsh and brutal. And it’s well worth your time.

What is one piece of advice you would give horror authors today?

Start writing something, finish writing something, and repeat. This is how you develop and hone your craft, this is how you build a body of work, this is how you get the attention of your peers, this is how you grow your audience.

And this tenet is so deceptively simple that it’s what many lose sight of: the writing is the bottom line. Write.

And to the Black writers out there who are just getting started, what advice would you give them?

As before: start writing something, finish writing something, and repeat. We might face more challenge than our white counterparts. But if you’ve got the vision and drive, have at it. If the door doesn’t open when you knock, keep knocking – until you backhand it off its hinges.

2 comments on “Black Heritage in Horror: Interview with C.C. Adams

  1. Hi! Have you read the American author Dan Simmons? His books are written well and very good. Winter Haunting and The Terror are two of my favorites. I love horror and I think my first experience in reading a scary story was Sherlock Holmes which really is not horror but The Hound of the Baskervilles was just wonderful. Good luck in all your endeavors!

    • Wendy, hey – much appreciated. I’ve only read the one Dan Simmons story; Metastasis, I think. Truth told, I can’t remember it too well – it was in a Dark Visions collection which I mainly read for George R.R. Martin’s “Skin Trade” werewolf novella!

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