Anemone Moss (she/her) is a transgender lesbian speculative fiction and horror writer who grew up in the forests of the Sierra Nevada foothills in northern California and now lives in the outskirts of the SF Bay Area. She spends her time studying history and ecology, making art, watching too many horror movies, and exploring local marshes and forests.
Her story, “Everything You Dump Here Ends Up in the Ocean” originally appeared in Fish Gather to Listen (Horns and Rattle Press) 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.
A former radical's evening at sea with a mysterious wealthy woman takes a frightening turn when she learns what's really lurking below the waterline and in her date's past.
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?
I usually write little bits and pieces on my phone as it comes to me while I'm out and about. Once I have an idea strongly developed I sit down in bed with my laptop and a few mugs of tea and write continuously for several hours, sometimes most of the day. It's not ideal for my posture but I don't really have a working space right now and it's nice and cozy.
Phone Writers = Three! I don’t know why this fascinates me, I think it’s because my meathooks can barely tap the screen without smashing six buttons simultaneously; though Alex did recently beat the gospel of slide-texting into me.
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 fiction is surrealism that feels a little too real when you know it shouldn't. It moves in ways that break our rigid understanding of how things work while implying that maybe we need to question that rigidity. This frequently means horror and speculative fiction elements but I don't think those are necessary.
I've been inspired by many others--some standout influences are Jeff Vandermeer, Jorge Luis Borges, William Hope Hodgson, Hailey Piper, and William S Burroughs. I'm also a huge fan of horror film and pick up a lot from directors like David Cronenberg, Lucio Fulci, and John Carpenter.
Right on. I preach at anyone who’ll listen that Fulci’s Gates of Hell trilogy are as Weird Horror as anything ever filmed.
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.
Alien: Resurrection x Black Dresses
What’s the Weirdest thing—capital W—that’s ever happened to you (that you’re comfortable sharing)?
On my birthday in my mid-20s I was having a really awful time dealing with some trauma so I took a walk to cool off. There are these bicycle trails that run between the suburb houses, mostly mud and the backs of fences. As I crested the nearest hill I encountered a perfect stranger who asked me for a cigarette. When I sat down to roll one for him, he began telling me about how he had visions of demons and evil spirits he had to travel around fighting and people he had to help. Apparently that morning he'd had a vision of me and had been waiting there for me to walk by. He gave me a personal message about my family including details like my family members' names (they lived several counties away) and a conflict I'd had that he encouraged me to resolve. I never saw him again.
I don’t know how to tell you this, Anemone, but I think you’re the main character now.
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BRAVE NEW WEIRD: The Best New Weird Horror, Volume Two, is out June 26th.
