Latinx Heritage in Horror Month 2024: An Interview with Victor H. Rodriguez
What inspired you to start writing?
It was a combination of two things: reading, and my day job. After I started working full-time, I developed the terrible habit of not reading anything longer than a magazine article. Then, per my mother’s recommendation – which is odd, considering how not into horror she is – I picked up The Books of Blood, short story collections by Clive Barker, those slim American paperback editions with the monstrous faces on them. The stories The Midnight Meat Train, The Forbidden, and In the Hills, the Cities tore a hole in my brain. I could barely believe people could write such things. I became a lifelong fan of his work. Meanwhile, my career took me in the direction of audio production for TV, movies, and video games. If you combine high-concept short-form story ideas and my fascination with sound, you get the lion’s share of my fiction.
Tell us about your work in 25 words or less.
All the stories in my first collection, The Sound of Fear, are about people coming into contact with music or noises from the beyond.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
Out of the major literary genres, horror seems to attract the greatest number of writers who are adept at metaphorically addressing the collective fears of society. Their work tackles things we are hesitant to discuss in polite company, or thoughts so frightening we keep them repressed from our own conscious minds. I believe that confronting our fears – even in a symbolic way, like when we experience events through a point-of-view character in a work of fiction – makes us more complete individuals. I forget if it was the Ancient Greeks or Stan Lee who popularized the maxim, “Know thyself”. And if we can be entertained while integrating our darkest aspects… I mean, what’s NOT to love about horror?
Do you make a conscious effort to include LatinX characters and/or themes in your writing and if so, what do you want to portray?
I’m Cuban American, and if you imagine I grew up immersed in both cultures, you are 100% right. The LatinX term avoids a specific gender, and if you think about it, the usual pronunciation of the “X” at the end leans towards people equally comfortable with the Spanish and English languages, so it extends beyond cultural boundaries also. If you consider all my characters are expressions of (parts of) me, I think you will find a similar identity there, collectively speaking. I’m not consciously trying to portray anything groundbreaking, just being honest with what I know so the details of my characters ring true.
What has writing horror taught you about the world and yourself?
Everything I write starts with a few points of inspiration (e.g., works of art, real-life experiences, etc.). In each episode of my podcast mini-series, Inside the Sound of Fear, I narrate one of the stories from my first collection, and then my producer (thanks, Josh!) interviews me about what inspired me to write the story. Recording that podcast let me recognize that the things that inspired me to write are the same things I value most: artistic expression, relationships, and confronting the unknown. I focused on those things to restart my life after moving from Los Angeles to the Pacific Northwest, and in my second career as a talent manager.
How have you seen the horror genre change over the years? And how do you think it will continue to evolve?
Besides technological innovations that deliver horror more effectively or conveniently to us, I’d say horror fans today have a growing interest in voices from other cultures and are more accepting of non-traditional narratives. I mean, look at the success of movies that build towards non-traditional conclusions like Longlegs, or books that incorporate the weird, like Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez. Would they have been as widely received if they had been produced thirty years ago?
Time to daydream: what are some aspects of LatinX history or culture – stories from your childhood, historical events, etc — that you really want our genre to tackle? (Whether or not you’re the one to tackle them!)
Besides, classic horror themes (set in a different country or time period) expressed through a LatinX lens, I personally want more immigrant stories or characters caught between two (or more) cultures.
Who are some of your favorite LatinX characters in horror?
Private Vasquez from Aliens, of course. The Traveler from the anthology movie Satanic Hispanics. Dolores and Luis from the TV mini-series The Horror of Dolores Roach. Marcos from the book Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. Oh yes, and my own character that appears in Kill Fee, Love’s Hard Edge, and a couple more of my stories, Carlos Amador.
Who are some LatinX horror authors you recommend our audience check out?
If you like your horror fiction mixed with crime, I highly recommend Gabino Iglesias. His latest book, The Devil Takes You Home is brilliant. If you aren’t afraid of a little s.e.x. with your horror, check out V. Castro’s book Hairspray and Switchblades. I also loved Mayan Blue by Michelle Garza and Melissa Lason.
What is one piece of advice you would give horror authors today?
Learn how to give and receive critique, and join a peer review group where you give each other notes on works in progress. One of the coolest things about writing fiction is that no one tells you what to create… yet the moment you get to the editing phase, your team should expand to include beta readers, editors, and a publisher. It’s easy to lose objectivity with your own writing the more intimately familiar with it you are. The other members of your team keep you on the right track. Not everyone will give you great advice, however, considering other perspectives as you run screaming towards publication will empower you to maximize the expression of your work so it reaches the greatest number of your other team members – your readers.
What is one piece of craft advice you’ve gotten that has really worked for you? Alternatively, what’s one that you’ve happily rejected?
Ah, the blank page. Getting started on a new story is one of the hardest parts of the process for me. How to best structure a new narrative (where to start the story, character voice, tense, etc.) creates a gridlock of possibilities in my brain. My preferred method of crushing writer’s block is shifting to write a cover letter to the publisher that will accompany the manuscript. It’s low-pressure to draft something in the simple format of a cover letter, so I build momentum there. Then I identify the main points of the story in the summary. By the time I add the signature line, I’m usually re-focused and fired up to finish writing the manuscript.
One thing I reject, and encourage other writers to reject, is submitting to contests or where you pay to enter. Sure, I know some publishers give the excuse that submission fees help finance the publication where the contest winner’s work will appear. Here’s the thing, though: if you are interested in making money with your creative work, don’t give away the exclusivity of first publishing rights to a publisher that can’t stand on their own legs without your donation. One day, if managed well, that publisher will be able to pay you for the right to publish (and make money from) your work. That’s when you should submit a manuscript to them.
And to the LatinX writers out there who are just getting started, what advice would you give them?
Right now is the best time in history to be a LatinX writer since the Latin American Boom of the 1960s. Finish and submit your CNF essay, short story, novella, and novel, and watch your repertoire grow. (And if you want someone to professionally represent your work, or help you negotiate a contract, look me up!)
Victor H. Rodriguez is a talent manager and writer based in the Pacific Northwest. He’s been a music supervisor, audio director, and soundtrack producer for hundreds of film, TV, and video game projects, including Hellbound: Hellraiser II, The Crow, the original God of War, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. You can pick up a copy of his debut book The Sound of Fear (paperback or digital) via Amazon now. Follow him on Twitter/IG @dimestorecaesar. Check out his podcast mini-series Inside the Sound of Fear here.
I humbly ask for your help on how to better promote my published psychological thriller. It’s both timely and timeless. The Malevolent Nephilim by Lydia Ortiz Avant. What in the world is a Nephilim? The title comes from the curse that 9-year-old Nina lives through 1954-1958 in the humble Rio Grande countryside of Alamosa, CO. The beautiful San Luis Valley.
countryside of the San Luis Valley. Alamosa, Colorado.