Elena Sichrovsky (she/they) is a queer disabled writer who uses the lens of body horror to explore themes of identity, grief, and trauma. Her work is inspired by a rich legacy of mothers and fathers who should have but did not go to therapy. In their next life they’d like to be a two-headed calf.
Elena’s story, “Embryo,” originally appeared in Mythaxis Magazine, and will appear in BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror Volume Two, available to preorder now.
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Give us the elevator pitch of your BNW-nommed story, please.
It’s set in a futuristic world and the main character is this nurse who isn’t human. She’s obsessed with what it would feel like to be born, to have a birthday, to have any kind of life cycle; this fascination escalates when she meets a patient’s pregnant daughter.
What does your writing routine look like? Do you have an office? A preferred coffee shop? The back of the bus? Standing under your neighbor’s eaves, avoiding the rain? Are you one of those true modern Weirdos who write your entire novel on your phone?
My writing routine always takes place in two parts: 1) I script/visualize 70-80% of the scene/story in my head when I’m on the way to work, in the shower, disassociating during a meeting, or supposed to be sleeping; then 2) I type it out (and it changes a good deal) while listening to a playlist that’s mostly horror movie soundtracks, Mitski, and Ethel Cain.
What does “Weird” mean to you, in the context of storytelling? And what creators/experiences/influences helped sculpt this definition for you in your creative journey?
Weird stories are the ones you feel physically; maybe it’s unconsciously curling your toes, or tightening your jaw, or having to glance away from the page to take a breath. It’s like taking a bite from a dish and immediately knowing something is off, but unable to figure out what ingredient is causing it - so you take another bite, and another, and the wrongness pervades your tongue, your gums, your mouth, and maybe there’s not one specific thing that’s wrong in the dish - it’s everything. In terms of inspiration, my introduction to Weird horror was the comic series Hellblazer (Vertigo/DC) that I read in my mid-twenties. The stories in Hellblazer were super dark and fucked up and the art was insane - artists like Lee Bermejo and Marcelo Frusin, and writers like Garth Ennis and Brian Azzarello. I’m such a visual thinker, so getting into this genre via graphic novels was the perfect gateway for me.
That original Hellblazer series is an all-time favorite of mine! Azzarello and Frusin did a four-part story during their run called “Freezes Over”, one of my faves.
Anyway, I can go down a Hellblazer wormhole, so moving on. On the Tenebrous Discord, we ask everyone to introduce themselves as a Film-meets-Music Artist (Citizen Kane x Metallica, f’rinstance). It doesn’t have to be your favorite, and don’t spend too much time overthinking it; now GO.
The Human Centipede meets Hans Zimmer.
Gross. No follow-up:)
What’s the Weirdest thing—capital W—that’s ever happened to you (that you’re comfortable sharing)?
Oh well I was born and raised in a cult so the first two decades of my life were full of Weird - for example they (the cult leaders) thought the world would end in 2000 (big Y2K believers), and then they kept changing the apocalypse due date. We had to keep an emergency backpack with flashlights and canned food and clothes under our bed, and then refresh the contents every few years. At one point the leader told us we could count the number of years left on our fingers and yes that did make me spiral! I thought I’d never live to be an adult, but this year I’m turning 30 so it’s nice to see I’ve defied the prophecies.
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BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror, Volume Two, is out June 26th.
