What inspired you to start writing?
I was someone who always wrote fiction and poetry from an early age as an emotional outlet. I was always ‘different’ as a child and bullied. So, the very act of transporting my mind into another story, character, and events was – and still is – a way to deal with emotions at the end of each day. It is escapism as its heart and telling a story that is uniquely mine.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
I wasn’t an avid reader until about age twelve. I was immediately drawn to the Goosebumps series but craved more than those simple, tales. I loved ghost stories and fantasy. I started reading Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles and immediately found comfort in characters that were accepted for whatever their differences. As an adult, I now recognize the acceptance in those books of sexuality and gender as fluid aspects of the characters, not what defined them as a person. This is something that I connected with immediately and understood at a deeper level than my teenage self truly recognized. In horror, everything could be explored.
Do you make a conscious effort to include LGBTQ material in your writing and if so, what do you want to portray?
I do make efforts to portray LGBTQ themes and characters in my writing because this is the lens through which I see the world but I am very conscious that sexuality and gender are aspects of my characters – each has their own history, emotions, and personalities which are
influenced not only by gender and sexual preference. Not all of my writing is targeted at an LGBTQ theme though, the story and concept decide the characters, and sometimes, the themes of the work aren’t focused on LGBTQ themes or might not include LGBTQ characters at all and might be other marginalized groups or empowering individuals in other ways.
What has writing horror taught you about the world and yourself?
A lot of my writing is inspired by folklore, fairy tales, myths, history, and climate. Horror writing has been a really unique opportunity to explore all these darker aspects of the present, past, and alternate histories of ‘what might be’. I find horror has the greatest potential to explore these themes and it’s taught me a lot about different cultures, histories, and themes that are continuous across the globe and time. As an Australian horror writer, I am fortunate to be surrounded by a multicultural society and I’ve learned that nothing is static – the world and
different cultures are constantly changing, and perhaps what is commonly feared is change itself – the point when everything is uncertain and the world hinges of a knife point. I have also learned that what horror explores and imagines as nightmares are sometimes the very things
we need to explore as a society to avoid catastrophe and to understand humanity.
How have you seen the horror genre change over the years? And how do you think it will continue to evolve?
I think horror as a genre has always been a genre that explores the darkest side of humanity and circumstance and constantly pushes the envelope of what society deems “unnatural”. In the past, I think of works like Sheridan La Fanu’s Carmilla which pre-dated Dracula and followed the tradition that vampires were normally female in Irish tradition. The social morality is thrown into question with openly sensual scenes between the characters in Carmilla. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the vampire is now male, the predatory target of female morality in a victimized way rather than Carmilla where the female morality is one of predator against men and women, in the case of Carmilla, focused entirely on female sexuality and predation. In other ways, horror has always explored the limits of the “unnatural” in society by the monstrous or terrifying represented either as an actual monster or as a psychological terror. Over my time seeing the horror genre evolve, I’m pleased to see the shift to adapt to societal expectations and norms and the continuous development by writers to delve deeper into what makes people afraid and how the genre can explore that fear in varied 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 was fortunate to begin my journey into the horror genre with Anne Rice and to find that connection for myself in a shifting time and as a teenager, learning about the world and acceptance of everyone. This has not always been the case for many other LGBTQ horror writers and readers who couldn’t find the representation of themselves in horror. I am also a disability author and I have watched the horror genre explore more and more of the marginalized communities and I hope this continues to evolve with newer voices added to tome of the horror genre. I think there is a strong need as horror evolves, to step away from tropes and stereotypes and start exploring the subversive and inverse of the standard tropes that occur. To me, what makes horror truly something that can be frightening is exploring and experimenting with the uncertainties of time, humanity, and people. I hope to see more exploration of all marginalized voices and not just ‘token’ characters but a host of characters in a story that represents all aspects of humanity. I think there is a subtle shift to avoid depicting marginalized individuals as the terrifying. Certainly, this has been done with harm in the past, but these are true characters and shouldn’t be the only disabled, LGBTQ, female, BIPOC, or neurodiverse characters in a story. These are individuals who surround us, and I don’t want to see a ‘censoring of horror because we are afraid to represent what can be a terrifying character simply because they fall into a marginalized group. My own characters are certainly both marginalized and capable of being monstrous and terrifying, strong and empowering – sometimes all at once. I’m pleased my exploration of these themes that began in my Australian alternate history horror novella Bluebells will be continued in a trilogy of works In the Devil’s Garden coming from PS Publishing in the summer of 2025 where I can really delve into the character’s changes in the societal norms and marginalization over time. Further works will also explore these themes further and I’m really seeing room in the future of LGBTQ representation to expand in the future.
Who are some of your favorite LGBTQ characters in horror?
I’ll definitely start with Lestat and many other characters from “The Vampire Chronicles” by Anne Rice; Elise and Layla from “This Ravenous Fate” by Hayley Dennings; Carmilla from “Carmilla” by Sheridan Le Fanu; Mia Covere from “The Nevernight Trilogy” by Jay Kristoff; Gideon and Harrowhawk from “The Locked Tomb” series by Tamsyn Muir; and Ivory from “All the Hearts You Eat” by Hailey Piper.
Who are some LGBTQ horror authors you recommend our audience check out?
My fellow Australian LGBTQ horror author Aaron Dries and NZ horror/space opera author Tamsyn Muir. The amazing Hailey Piper and Eric LaRocca. No list is complete without the fantastic Oscar Wilde. There are probably many more to add to this list of LGBTQ authors who historically have written works on these themes but never openly identified. I look forward to adding many more to the list of contemporary LGBTQ authors.
What is one piece of advice you would give horror authors today?
Don’t be afraid to explore everything. If you don’t identify as LGBTQ it doesn’t exclude writing these characters. These are characters and gender and sexuality are aspects like any other individual so write them. If you’re unsure about the LGBTQ aspect of their character reach out to the amazing community of LGBTQ authors or your own friends to ask them to look it over. I still do this when writing a male-gay character. I’m not male or gay but it doesn’t exclude the writing of a character who is, so I ask a friend to discuss it with me.
And to the LGBTQ writers out there who are just getting started, what advice would you give them?
Write the characters and stories you want to see in the world. Don’t be afraid to push that envelope on the taboo or the previously unexplored areas of being LGBTQ. Most of all, never feel isolated or alone, never feel there isn’t a place for your writing in this genre. There is a need for more diversity in all aspects of horror and whether or not you openly identify as LGBTQ doesn’t exclude you from writing and examining those aspects of yourself and humanity. I never identified as LGBTQ for the first twenty years of my nearly forty years now. I was simply myself
and felt no need to add a label nor did I have a moment of “being in the closet” either because I was openly myself. I now realize that is a rarity and in identifying openly as LGBTQ, I can connect with many others who have different stories, and this adds to my understanding when
writing LGBTQ works. I want to advocate empowering marginalized individuals, or the unheard voices, and I try to have characters who achieve their own goals in various ways regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
Leanbh Pearson
(Any) lives in Ngunnawal Country in Canberra, Australia. An award-winning artist, LGBTQI, and disability author of horror and dark fantasy with writing inspired by folklore, fairytales, myth, history, and climate. Leanbh’s judged numerous awards and is an invited panelist and avid book reviewer. Leanbh has been awarded ASA, AHWA, and HWA mentorships and the 2023 HWA Diversity Grant. Leanbh’s alter-ego is an academic in archaeology, evolution, and prehistory. A museum devotee, insomniac, and photography enthusiast, Leanbh is always aided by the canine assistants. Learn more about Leanbh at https://linktr.ee/leanbhpearson.