Ridley Harker is a gay, transgender author and editor from St. Louis, Missouri. His debut queer body horror novel, Parasite, is available now from Ninestar Press and Amazon. Ridley lives in the Middle of Nowhere with his two dogs, a grumpy old snake, and a host of pet tarantulas. He is currently working on his MFA in Creative Writing. Visit his website at www.ridleyharker.com, and follow him on Twitter @RidleyHarker.
Allison Church (a.k.a. DONALD ALLEN KIRCH) is a Transgender Author who lives in the Midwest of the United States. She is an avid lover of horror, science fiction, and fantasy and will challenge ANYONE on her knowledge of TV “pop” culture. A die-hard fan of “Star Trek,” “Babylon 5,” and “Doctor Who,” she does not believe in the “NO Win” scenario! She LOVES everything about the Paranormal!
Author, artist, and filmmaker, Aaron Dries was born and raised in New South Wales,I was always a creative kid, and grew up in the middle of nowhere in Australia. We would travel far to get groceries once a fortnight and I’d roam the video store while my parents bought food. But because the video store was so far away from our house, the owners wouldn’t allow us to rent from there. No matter. I’d take a pen and paper and sketch the VHS covers of all the horror movies I longed to see, and then would come home and write/draw comics based on what I thought the movies were about. Over time, the stories bloomed into whole other creative pieces. That’s where my love of writing began. I actually wrote about this quite extensively in my novel from 2021, “DIRTY HEADS: A cosmic coming-of-age novella”, which in addition to being a very personal nostalgia piece, also happens to be very queer.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
Ridley Harker is a gay, transgender author and editor from St. Louis, Missouri. His debut queer body horror novel, Parasite, is available from Ninestar Press in June 2022. He was also featured in the transgender and non-binary gothic horror anthology Listen (Ninestar Press, October 2022). Ridley currently lives in the Middle of Nowhere with his two dogs, a grumpy old snake, and a host of pet tarantulas. Please visit his website at www.ridleyharker.com, and follow him on Twitter @RidleyHarker.
Mark Allan Gunnells loves to tell stories. He has since he was a kid, penning one-page tales that were Twilight Zone knockoffs. He likes to think he has gotten a little better since then. He loves reader feedback, and above all he loves telling stories. He lives in Greer, SC, with his husband Craig A. Metcalf.
Honestly, my desire to make up stories and write them down goes back so far I can’t say exactly what initially sparked it. I think I just fell in love with stories, and once I realized they were actually made up by people and written down, I wanted to do that too.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
Damian Serbu is an author of gay horror/speculative fiction. After over twenty years of teaching history at the collegiate level, he now writes full time. He lives in the Chicagoland area with his husband and two dogs. You can find him at www.DamianSerbu.com, or keep up with his latest ramblings at https://twitter.com/DamianSerbu and https://www.facebook.com/damian.serbu.
Briana Morgan (she/her) a queer, disabled horror author and playwright. Her books include The Reyes Incident, Mouth Full of Ashes, The Tricker-Treater and Other Stories, Unboxed: A Play, and more. She’s also a member of the Horror Writers Association. When not writing, you can find her watching horror movies, reading disturbing books, or playing video games.
My grandfather was a storyteller. Whenever he visited us, he’d tell my brother and me all kinds of stories—some recounted from legends and family history, but most of them made-up off the top of his head.
He also instilled a love for storytelling in my father, who wasn’t a writer, but would write and illustrate short children’s stories for us. I have fond memories of both men reading to me. I came to view writing as a way to bond with them through a shared interest. That, combined with my early love of reading, led to me creating my first stories.
Psychology and human behavior have always fascinated me. Horror allows me to not only safely explore the darker sides of human nature but also understand what motivates fear, anger, violence, and other complicated emotional states.
Do you make a conscious effort to include LGBTQ material in your writing and if so, what do you want to portray?
Award winning author, Crystal M. Romero, no relation to George A. Romero, writes Lesbian Speculative Fiction (aka: Horror). A graduate of San Jose State University, her first novel, The Veil of Sorrow, printed under the name Crystal Michallet-Romero was a Masters’ final project for a Gothic Literature class in which she was enrolled. It went on to win a Gold Crown Literary Society Award for Speculative Fiction and was nominated for a Gaylatic Spectrum Award. Crystal Fell in love with the zombie genre at a young age. She enjoys both film and television shows depicting post-zombie-apocalypse worlds. Despite this, Valley of the Dead is her first foray into the zombie genre. In addition to two novels, The Veil of Sorrow and Valley of the Dead, Crystal had five stories published in an LGBT 2008 flash-fiction anthology, Chilling Tales of Terror and the Supernatural.
Roberto Carrasco was that kid who had an imaginary friend called Blue Eye. When they played Dungeons and Dragons he always asked to be a wizard. He wrote stories starring dragons that instead of eyes had pineapples, good monsters, and extraterrestrial princesses. When he was old enough to know the world, he knew the world and lived many adventures thinking that some of them would reveal to him the meaning of life. But life didn’t seem to make much sense so he published a rage-filled novel called So Sweet, So Bitter which was read by 172 people. Then he got fat, lost weight, and got fat again. After a second diet, he managed to stay at a healthy weight and continued to write many other stories because he had already decided that if any word defined him it was “writer”. Although he also really liked the sound of others like “doodle” or “custard apple” it was “writer” that had never left him. In the spring of 2013 he wrote a LGTB story about rainbows for a book of historical short stories and in March 2014 his second novel, Rottenmeier, a biography of Heidi’s governess, saw the light of day. Shortly before the summer of the same year, he published two LGTB novels with La Calle publishing house: Riku from the Hells and The Restlessness Under the Skin. Later, came the LGTB dystopian novel The Last Year in Hipona and the quantic and surreal Cosmic Girl. He is already preparing new stories because she intends her literary career to be as bright and beautiful as a bunch of fireworks, although longer-lasting than these, of course.
But Roberto also has a dark side… as he is the dark publisher in Dimensiones Ocultas, the publishing house that is bringing into Spanish the works of Kristopher Triana, Edward Lee, Aaron Dries, David Irons, and many others… He fights day by day to open those doors that are usually closed for those authors who dare to be different.
I had read horror books in English for many years and those inspired me to write. I could not find a publisher devoted to this genre so I decided to become one.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
James Bennett is a British writer raised in Sussex and South Africa. His travels have furnished him with an abiding love of diverse cultures, history, and mythology. His short fiction has appeared internationally and his debut novel ‘Chasing Embers’ was shortlisted for Best Newcomer at the British Fantasy Awards 2017.
His latest fiction can be found in the well-received ‘The Book of Queer Saints’, BFS Horizons and The Dark magazine. He also has a story in ‘There’s More of Us Than You Know’, a new anthology from Bloodrites Books in support of The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organisation for LGBTQ+ youth.
In addition to this, James’s Arthurian novellete, ‘The Dust of the Red Rose Knight’ is part of Books on the Hill’s Kickstarter, a campaign to bring dyslexic-friendly books to adults and featuring such luminaries as Bernard Cornwell, Peter James and Gareth Powell.
The details can be found here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/both-opendyslexia/open-dyslexia-the-sequel
James lives in Spain where he’s currently working on a new novel.
Feel free to follow him on Twitter: @Benjurigan
Typically, other books and TV shows. I used to make up stories and after reading ‘The Hobbit’ as an eight-year-old, I decided to try to write my own stories. I’ve been writing pretty much ever since.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
Steve Berman is the Lambda Literary Award-winning editor and publisher behind Lethe Press, one of the oldest queer and weird publishers around. He has sold over a hundred articles and short stories. His novel, Vintage, about an adolescent boy who meets the ghost of his dream and discovers this leads to nightmares, was a finalist for the Andre Norton Award. Steve released a collection of gay horror stories last year–Fit for Consumption received a starred review from Kirkus and praise from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. Steve works for Deerfield Academy, an eminent boarding school in Western Massachusetts. There may be murderous cats sharing his home address.
Cody Sisco is an author, editor, publisher, and literary community organizer. His LGBT psychological science fiction series includes two novels thus far, Broken Mirror and Tortured Echoes. He is a freelance editor specializing in genre-bending fiction and an editor for Running Wild Press. In 2017, he co-founded Made in L.A. Writers, an indie author co-op dedicated to the support and appreciation of independent authors. His startup BookSwell is a literary events and media production company dedicated to lifting up marginalized voices and connecting readers and writers in Southern California and beyond. He serves as a Co-Executive on the Board of Governors for the Editorial Freelancers Association and as a board member at APLA Health.
Although I had been writing sporadically for as long as I could remember, I got serious about it when two things happened in rapid succession: a young family member died tragically young and my career began to accelerate in a direction that wasn’t fulfilling. I thought, it’s now or never, and amid many other changes I began working diligently and obsessively on my first novel.
Horror reflects realities that many people would like to ignore. But that was never an option for me. I’m a natural worst-case scenario planner and cruelty, injustice, and sadness seemed inevitable parts of being human. Horror exposes undeniable truths and reveals through allegorical storytelling powerful forces and emotions like fear, grief, guilt, anxiety, and hopelessness that have always affected me deeply. Scary stories and stories about monsters— be they human, alien, or fantastical—grip me right away.
Do you make a conscious effort to include LGBTQ material in your writing and if so, what do you want to portray?
Photo by Mark Freeman
Lucy A. Snyder is the Shirley Jackson Award-nominated and five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of 15 books and over 100 published short stories. Her most recent titles are the collections Halloween Season and Exposed Nerves (both from Raw Dog Screaming Press) and the forthcoming apocalyptic horror novel Sister, Maiden, Monster (Tor Nightfire). She lives in Ohio with a jungle of houseplants, a clowder of cats, and an insomnia of housemates.
Robert Perez sleeps at the bottom of the ocean. Urban legend whispers that the writer can be summoned into your dreams if you read his work to a jack-o-lantern. You can find his poems and stories in the Horror Writers Association Poetry Showcase Volumes II, III, IV (Special Mention), and V, The Literary Hatchet #13 & #14, Deadlights Magazine #1, Five Minutes at Hotel Stormcove, and Community of Magic Pens. He is currently working on obtaining a master’s degree in counseling psychology at the University of Colorado Denver. Follow @_TheLeader on twitter to keep up with future projects.
I started writing when I was seven years old. My second-grade teacher introduced the class to the Bailey School Kids books by Marcia T. Jones and Debbie Dadey, a supernatural series that includes titles such as “Ghosts Don’t Eat Potato Chips.” Inspired by those books I wrote and illustrated my own mini horror book about a hotel run by aliens. Around that time I was also introduced to Pokemon, my Dad would let me use his computer to write my own Pokemon stories where I was the main character.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
Paula D. Ashe is a writer of dark fiction. Her debut collection, We Are Here to Hurt Each Other, was released in early 2022 from Nictitating Books. She lives in the Midwest with her family.
I’ve been compelled to write since a very young age, I’m not sure why. I’ve always had an affinity for language, storytelling, and a big dark imagination.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
Tenea D. Johnson is a multimedia storyteller, musician, editor, arts & empowerment entrepreneur, and award-winning author of 7 speculative fiction works, including 2021’s releases, Frequencies, a Fiction Album and Broken Fevers, of which Publisher’s Weekly wrote “the 14 hard-hitting, memorable short stories and prose vignettes in this powerhouse collection … are astounding in their originality” (starred review). Her debut novel Smoketown won the Parallax Award for excellence in a speculative fiction work by a person of color while R/evolution earned an honorable mention that year as well. Her virtual home is teneadjohnson.com. Stop by anytime.
I’m Avra Margariti, a Rhysling and Pushcart-nominated author from Greece. My poetry has appeared in Vastarien, Asimov’s, and is forthcoming from F&SF. My dark fiction appears in places such as The Arcanist and Daily Science Fiction. “The Saint of Witches”, my debut collection of horror poetry, has been published by Weasel Press.
I’ve always loved stories! Growing up in Greece, I listened to a lot of folktales and ballads preserved through oral tradition. Like most fairytales, these folk ballads included murder, monsters, and mayhem which I always found very appealing in storytelling. The first stories I ever wrote never appeared on paper. I either created them in my head, similar to a memory palace where concepts are explored and preserved, or I spoke those stories aloud, following my country’s folkloric tradition.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
Maxwell I. Gold is a multiple award-nominated author who writes prose poetry and short stories in weird and cosmic fiction. His work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines including Weirdbook Magazine, Space and Time Magazine, Startling Stories, Strange Horizons, Tales from OmniPArk Anthology, Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas and more. He’s the author of Oblivion in Flux: A Collection of Cyber Prose from Crystal Lake Publishing.
He’s a proud Columbus, Ohio native and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Horror Writers Association as the organization’s Treasurer.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
Caitlin Marceau is a queer author and, and an active member of the HWA, whose work primarily showcases queer women and her debut collection, Palimpsest, was released this past March by Ghost Orchid Press. Her work has appeared in collections such as Beyond The Veil: Supernatural Tales Of Queer Love, Blood & Bone, and Dark Hearts. Her debut novella, This Is Where We Talk Things Out, is scheduled for release this summer by Dark Lit Press and they’re also set to publish her second collection, Femina (which focuses on the horror of womanhood), in early 2023. A full list of her published and forthcoming works can be found at CaitlinMarceau.ca.
When I was younger, I wanted to do everything. I begged my parents to let me try ballet, painting, diving (even though I’ve always been scared of heights), soccer, soap carving, learning Latin, boating… you name it. Even though my parents knew I was going to get bored or decide this new hobby of the week wasn’t going to be for me, they let me try them all. And it was actually this desire to do everything that made me realize I wanted to be an author. I mean, in what other job can you live a thousand lives, you know? So even though I didn’t stick with soccer or Latin, I’m eternally grateful to my parents for allowing me to try them because it’s how I figured out what I was really meant to do.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
