Women in Horror: Interview with Mercedes M. Yardley
Mercedes M. Yardley is a dark fantasist who wears red lipstick and poisonous flowers in her hair. She is the author of Beautiful Sorrows, the Stabby Award-winning Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love, Pretty Little Dead Girls, and Nameless. She won the Bram Stoker Award for her story Little Dead Red and was a Bram Stoker Award nominee for her short story “Loving You Darkly” and the Arterial Bloom anthology. Mercedes lives and works in Las Vegas with her family and strange menagerie. You can find her at mercedesmyardley.com.
What inspired you to start writing?
I always wrote, but I needed to give myself permission to write as an adult. When my husband, sweet disabled son, and I moved to Las Vegas, I simply exploded. I had stories to tell and experiences to work through. I wrote my first novel, staying up all night and cramming in words with a tiny, ill boy on my lap. Writing was my release. After that, I realized that I needed to write, and it wasn’t a luxury I had to withhold from myself. It was basic human need for me. There’s nothing noble about martyrdom.
What was it about the horror genre that drew you to it?
I adore delicious, dark things. There’s that piercing thrill of it. It’s dangerous in a secret, safe way. Also, I grew up on those 1980s children’s shows like The Secret of Nimh, The Last Unicorn, and Unico and the Island of Toys. They’re all terrifying and dark, and I responded quite well to that. Every year on Easter I make my children watch Watership Down with me as some strange holiday tradition. Why should they get off unscathed? Horror also allows you to discuss things with your children and each other that might not otherwise come up. It’s an invitation to checking each other’s psychological pulses, and that’s healthy.
Do you make a conscious effort to include female characters and themes in your writing and if so, what do you want to portray?
My female characters and themes are unintentional. They’re there because I’m female, because I’m going through these thoughts and emotions myself, and writing is how I process the world around me. The literary discourse around rape culture, the “hysterical female” trope, and the juxtaposition of women’s strength/fragility are issues I feel every single day of my life. They show up naturally in my work.
What has writing horror taught you about the world and yourself?
The world has always been terrifying, especially for women, and we’re just now beginning to talk about it. We’re now discussing sexual harassment, domestic abuse, and the way women are taught to look over their shoulder from a young age. We, as women, tended to keep silent. We’d tell our friends which streets to avoid at night, but I don’t think my father, for example, ever knew I had a knife in my boot while walking to and from my college campus at night. I’ve recently started telling my husband how common salacious online messages are, or how someone catcalls my girls and I every time we walk to the gas station to get a treat. He’s starting to notice how men speak down to me in person and online. My husband, who is a wonderful person, was just aghast. “I didn’t realize this was happening until you told me.” So, I’m glad I’m telling him. I’m glad we’re not only speaking up, but people are starting to listen. Writing horror has shown me that our words do have power, and you may have to repeat the same thing over and over, but eventually change will come. Horror is the perfect genre to introduce uncomfortable ideas and bring about change. It’s the ultimate genre about good and evil, right and wrong. I think we almost have a duty to challenge the status quo.
How have you seen the horror genre change over the years? And how do you think it will continue to evolve?
Horror is growing to be ever more inclusive. Editors and directors are seeking out different viewpoints and ideas. Again, it has to do with social change. It has to do with feeling the ambiance of the room and situation. I also love how horror embraces current situations like the pandemic and technology and uses that to tell our narratives. I love stories told through online video, for example, and things that find the horror in our current technology. We’re constantly finding new ways to terrorize and kill ourselves. The horror genre constantly has its eyes peeled for what is going on around us, and I hope it continues to do that.
How do you feel women have been represented thus far in the genre and what hopes do you have for representation in the genre going forward?
I think women as characters seemed to originally be damsels in distress or the catalyst for men to do something extraordinary. They weren’t fully dimensional characters themselves. That’s changed, for the most part. As more women are accepted as authors, storytellers, directors, and creators, we’re getting more authentic work that show how resilient women really are. Women are hardwired for horror. Murder is the number one cause of death for pregnant women. Isn’t that insane? We park under streetlights and walk to the car with our keys between our fingers. We bleed every month for decades in physical preparation for a little parasite growing inside of our bodies. Labor is its own terror. Now that the world is more open to our stories, we’re able to share what a normal day is like. I think it’s wonderful and horrifying and fascinating. I hope that openness continues.
Who are some of your favorite female characters in horror?
I adore Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs. She’s written so beautifully. I like The Bride of Frankenstein, who is a tragic figure, and Ellen Ripley in Alien. She’s tough and brilliant, but also shows humanity. I also love Alice Liddell from the video games American McGee’s Wonderland and Alice: The Madness Returns. She’s a twist on the typical Alice and she’s uncovering some dark, dark trauma, particularly in the second game. I love her.
Who are some women who write horror you recommend our audience check out?
Oh my goodness! So many! First, I suggest, of course, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus. It’s exquisite and so heart-felt. I also love Tannarive Due, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and anything by Joyce Carol Oates. I loved Jac Jemc’s The Grip of It, Carmen Maria Machado’s “The Husband Stitch” (in her collection Her Body and Other Parties), and Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Also, Cynthia Pelayo and Gwendolyn Kiste. Cinna and Gwendolyn are favorites of mine, and their work is insightful and stunning.
What is one piece of advice you would give horror authors today?
Enjoy this new horror renaissance that’s going on. Horror is quickly shedding its stigma and we’re seeing it everywhere. It’s a beautiful time to be writing in this genre.
And to the women who write horror out there who are just getting started, what advice would you give them?
Never put yourself in an uncomfortable position to advance your career. If you don’t want to go to that party or talk to that editor, if something feels off, then follow your intuition. Your safety is worth it. That late-night hotel room meeting at the convention? If you don’t feel good about it, don’t go. That can be an email. Give yourself permission to take care of yourself.
