Taylor Jordan Pitts works in children's book publishing in New York City. Her fiction has appeared in Brilliant Flash Fiction, and her critical nonfiction has appeared in Logos. She is currently pursuing an MFA in writing for children and young adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Interview conducted by IN SOMNIO editor Alex Woodroe.
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AW: Does your story touch on anything personal to you? Alternatively, does it touch on any current events, world fears, philosophy, morality, moods, trends?
TJP: What We Sow touches on a few ideas and themes that terrify me: community fueled and destroyed by collective fear; the slow inevitability of living on a dying earth; finally arriving at the solution to your problem—and being too late. Also, plants! Which appear in just about everything I write.
AW: Do you have any specific formative memories that roped you into Gothic fiction?
TJP: I started playing piano around age 10, and I was totally obsessed with Chopin nocturnes, which are all extremely moody and romantic. Anytime I play one, I'm transported to a haunted castle in the moors. I think I've been chasing this vibe in fiction ever since. (My favorite is Nocturne 19 in E minor, Op. 72 No. 1, by the way.)
AW: Did you ever embrace Goth culture? Carry a parasol? Do you still? If not, what was your teen ‘scene’?
TJP: Oh, absolutely. I think the more era-appropriate term for what I dabbled in would have been Goth's sad sister, "emo": fishnets, fingerless gloves, way too much eyeliner, Panic! at the Disco (I still love Panic and always will), sharpie-colored hair, cloudy disposition. The works!
AW: Why Horror? Are you and Horror exclusive, and if not, what else do you flirt with?
TJP: I think Horror is one of the most universally misunderstood genres out there. People underestimate the power it has to move us, shape us, and stay with us long after it vanishes into the night. I'm drawn to Horror because of the impact the most terrifying tales have had on me, and my own desire to reach into the deepest, darkest parts of myself and readers, and create something universal.
I flirt with anything you might call "genre": fantasy, science fiction, Horror—specifically for young readers. I also write the occasional poem and essay.
AW: You're an expert in writing for children and young adults. What are the benefits and challenges in introducing (age-appropriate) Horror-esque themes into writing for young people?
TJP: There are some truly terrifying children's stories out there! Especially when I think back to what I read growing up—for example, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark ("Sam's New Pet" scarred me for life), anything Roald Dahl, and even stories that weren't meant to be outright scary, such as The Monster at the End of This Book—it's no wonder I delight in the disturbing. When I'm writing for young people, I try to think back to what I most loved about these creepy tales, root out why they've stuck with me all these years, and bring out some of those themes in my own work. For me, it's not about censoring or watering down—quite the opposite. It's about recognizing that children are uniquely perceptive and vulnerable to what's happening around them, and providing them a mirror for their very real fears.
AW: Where can people see more of your past/upcoming work?
TJP: You can visit my website at taylorpitts.com or follow me on the bird app @TaylorJPitts, where I can be found screaming about publishing, writing, and plants.
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IN HER OWN WORDS:
Below, Taylor reads a selection from her story, WHAT WE SOW. Then, be sure to support the IN SOMNIO campaign, live on Kickstarter now!