IN SOMNIO: A Chat with contributor Taylor Jordan Pitts

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!

IN SOMNIO: A Chat with contributor Hailey Piper

Hailey Piper is the author of The Worm and His Kings, An Invitation to Darkness, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, and other books. She is an active member of the Horror Writers Association and her short fiction appears in Year's Best Hardcore Horror, Dark Matter Magazine and elsewhere. She lives with her wife in Maryland.

This interview was conducted by IN SOMNIO editor Alex Woodroe.

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AW: Does your story touch on anything personal to you? 

HP: "Pretend It Doesn't Get Worse" touches on the sense of being trapped in a strange morphing skin, whether that's literal or a house that's slowly no longer feeling like home. It's a mess of adolescence, the odd feeling of parents no longer a unit, and the discovery of changes within a young me that weren't finding a way out.

AW: Do you have any specific formative memories that roped you into Gothic fiction?

HP: It's probably a usual go-to, but Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I picked it up in the library when I was seven; not an Illustrated Classics edition meant for kids, but the real one. It was too dense for me, but I still got chills from what little I could understand.

AW: Did you ever embrace the Goth culture? Carry a parasol? Do you still?

HP: Oh yes! That was a time of dark colors, pants with chains, and many nights staining the bathtub with many colors of Manic Panic. Once I got out into the grown-up world, I had to leave it behind, but I've eyed the hair dye now and then.

AW: Why Horror? Are you and Horror exclusive, and if not, what else do you flirt with?

HP: Isn't that always the question, especially to women? Why horror, why monsters and brooding and pain and blood? On one level, I think we're suited best for it. On another, horror is the genre of honesty, horror is healing, and it will always mean most even as I sometimes cross-pollinate it with fantasy, sci-fi, western, and romance.

AW: Seeing as you're an author who has a firm footing in publishing right now, and your upcoming Queen of Teeth is already killing it, what do you love about being in publishing?

HP: I've been fortunate to work with attentive people who care intensely about the art as well as bringing that art to readers. There's nothing like a good edit either. The right suggestion brings out a world of quality in a sentence, paragraph, chapter, entire narrative structure. You never know, and I enjoy working with others.

AW: Where can people see more of your past/upcoming work?

HP: My books Queen of Teeth, The Worm and His Kings, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy, Benny Rose the Cannibal King, and The Possession of Natalie Glasgow are available wherever books are sold, and links to all my short stories appear here as they're published: https://haileypiper.com/short-fiction/

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IN HER OWN WORDS:

Below, Hailey reads a selection from her story PRETEND IT DOESN’T GET WORSE. Then, be sure to support the IN SOMNIO campaign, live on Kickstarter now!

IN SOMNIO: A Chat with contributor Elou Carroll

Elou Carroll is a writer, graphic designer & photographer. Her work has appeared in Aloe, 101 Words, Apparition Lit and more. Her short story, “The Great Green Forever”, was shortlisted in the HG Wells Short Story Competition. When she’s not whispering with ghosts and plucking words from the dark, she edits Crow & Cross Keys.

This interview was 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?

EC: Beyond the unnerving certainty that one day in the far future, the world will likely just be one big sea, any reference to current events or the like is purely accidental. Unless you spot a really good one, at which point I definitely meant to do that and it was always part of the plan. Well done for noticing. (Ha!)

No, this one comes more from me than from external forces. When I was fairly small, I really wanted a dog—stick with me, I promise it's relevant—so every time my parents took my brother and I out without telling us where we were going, I just assumed that we were going to get a dog. We never did, not until I was already an adult anyway, but one of those times we left the car at my grandparents' house, hopped on a bus and headed into Oxford. It was dark. I was still thinking that somehow we would be getting a dog at night, after a bus journey and I couldn't think of any other place we might have been going instead. 

We ended up at the New Theatre, where Doctor Dolittle was being performed. Those were some of the most magical, life changing hours I've lived through. Since then, I've made it a habit to see at least one show a year, pandemic-willing. (I have some catching up to do.)

There is a character in GHOST LIGHT who owns a museum dedicated to the theatre. He and his museum are filled with all of the magic and wonder that I felt the first time I saw a show on stage. I've always wanted to pay homage to the theatre in fiction, and I will likely do it again, and again, and again.

AW: Do you have a favourite musical?

EC: I have several but there is one that's a teeny, tiny bit more of a favourite than the rest. The Light Princess, with music and lyrics by the ever-astounding Tori Amos, and a book by Samuel Adamson. It was on very briefly at the National Theatre in London. I'm so lucky to have seen it. The cast recording is on Spotify, and I highly recommend it.

AW: I know you have a deep love for publishing. What about it sparks joy?

EC: Big question. I love telling stories in any way I can, whether that's writing my own and convincing lovely people like yourselves that maybe they might like to publish it, or by publishing the work of other writers myself. I'm also a giant production nerd both digitally and in print—especially in print. You can often find me in bookshops, shoving books in my long-suffering other half's face and telling him exactly how they achieved certain finishes or why a certain choice was made or how thick the paper is. 

I love type, I love layout, I love finding the perfect image or colour combination, I love paper samples and cover clothes and foiling. I believe every author should be able to look at their work and think it's been presented as beautifully as it deserves to be. So that's what I want to do.

If I had all the money in the world, I would have my own publishing house—at the moment, I have my own online literary magazine and it fills me with warmth and delight.

AW: Do you have any specific formative memories that roped you into Gothic fiction?

EC: Angela Carter. It's all her fault. I stumbled across a copy of The Bloody Chamber when I was much too young to be reading it. I devoured it quickly, and as soon as I finished the final page, opened it back up and started again.

As soon as I touched that book, I was a goner. There was no turning back

AW: Did you ever embrace the Goth culture? Carry a parasol? Do you still? If not, what was your teen ‘scene’?

EC: In secondary school, my friends and I were definitely at the 'goth' end of the spectrum—especially according to other kids. Though I was always too shy to go all out back then. I was often seen sporting a HIM hoodie, a spiderweb or Ruby Gloom bag and very smudgy eyeliner. Let's not forget the shiny purple pentagram necklace. Teen Elou would likely be very happy with how I look in my author photo (shot with my best friend on a day in which we created an insane amount of wonder).

Now, when I have the rare occasion to dress up, I either tend to err on the side of goth or at the very least, try to look as much like Wednesday Addams as possible, or I wear something ridiculous and covered in owls, or polka dots. I'm like a potato: versatile. If I'm not doing anything in particular, I embrace my inner sloth and throw on whatever happens to be in front of me.

AW: Why Horror? Are you and Horror exclusive, and if not, what else do you flirt with?

EC: Oh, I'm a total flirt. I will write anything, or at least give it a good go.

My sweet spot is the humble gothic fairy tale, or just the gothic, or just a fairy tale—slow-simmering terror, more than a handful of wonder. Most of the things I write tend to feel either gothic or fairy tale in nature, even if I don't intend them to. It just seems to be where my writing goes and I love it. I think my 'voice' lends itself well to both genres. 

When I write horror, it's almost exclusively gothic. I'm a big fan of rising dread, rather than something overt. 

I love a good mash-up though—I'm currently shopping around a sci-fi fairy tale, and writing a gothic retelling of some Greek mythology in an epistolary style. Writing is fun.

AW: Where can people see more of your past/upcoming work?

EC: I post about all of my publications on www.eloucarroll.com and can often be found shouting about them on twitter.

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IN HER OWN WORDS:

Below, Elou reads a selection from her story GHOST LIGHT; and be sure to follow the IN SOMNIO Kickstarter here!

IN SOMNIO: A chat with writer Brianna McGuckin

Briana Una McGuckin's gothic and fabulist fiction appears in the 2020 Stoker-nominated anthology Not All Monsters (Rooster Republic Press), as well as The Arcanist and Hides the Dark Tower (Pole-to-Pole Publishing). She has an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Western Connecticut State University.

A tragic fable—or fabulous tragedy?—that will haunt you long after it ends, AFTER THE APPLES paints a world of foxes, madness, and that gun on the farmer’s porch…

IN SOMNIO editor Alex Woodroe digs deeper:

(CW: alcohol use disorder)

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AW: Does your story touch on anything personal to you? 

BM: Absolutely. Widow Wit, the mother fox in this story, manages her pain by eating these fermenting apples that fall at the edge of her forest, and her young kit doesn’t know how to deal with it. I grew up around a few alcoholic adults, and I wanted to tell a story about what it’s like to know someone who drinks like that when you’re young, to love them deeply. Not to put those people in a bad light, but to show how complicated it is: how much they love you when they’re sober, and how they may not even know the ways they hurt you when they’re not—because they don’t remember. Then suddenly there are these things that happened but don’t get talked about, out of fear and out of embarrassment, but also out of love. I wanted to be fair to both characters, the complexity of their bond, while also pointing out that that dynamic, of ignoring truths just to spare our loved ones who are struggling, creates new problems in ourselves. It sows self-doubt, and erodes trust in other people too, and that’s a very lonely reality. It’s dangerous.

AW: What little things bring you joy? 

BM: Smells. I collect perfume oils, which are subtler and truer smells than alcohol-based perfumes, and often made to smell like interesting things: the earth after rain, or hot chocolate. I have an embarrassing number of different ones—one that smells like a bonfire, one that smells like typewriter paper, one that smells like a church. You get the idea. But I don’t judge myself too much, because I wear them in my writing practice, to evoke settings, or characters, or moods for whatever I’m working on. It really helps to place me in the story. 

AW: Do you have any specific formative memories that roped you into Gothic fiction?

BM: I think it was watching Beauty and the Beast that did it, first. The prologue is haunting, with the stained glass vignettes, and Alan Menken’s dark reinterpretation of “Aquarium” (from Camille Saint-Saens’s Carnival of Animals) playing underneath. It takes my breath away even now. I am fascinated by the foreboding of it, and the foreshadowing of love—of hope. I think every Gothic romance is, more or less, the Beauty and the Beast fairytale. Rebecca certainly is. Jane Eyre is. Dracula…Well. Dracula is the beautiful, terrifying exception. I was so appalled to learn how badly Hollywood had misinterpreted Dracula. Stoker would be furious with Coppola for having the nerve to call it Bram Stoker’s Dracula. But that’s a tangent I won’t go on. Anyway, long live Beauty and the Beast.

AW: Did you ever embrace the Goth culture? Carry a parasol? Do you still? If not, what was your teen ‘scene’?

BM: I did not have the budget to embrace true Goth culture until after college, when I could splurge on a nice pseudo-Victorian dress or cape. I don’t go out like that, but I dress very eccentrically at home. Petticoats are vastly underrated undergarments. I have some that are so lovely I wear them as skirts in themselves. 

AW: Why Horror? Are you and Horror exclusive, and if not, what else do you flirt with?

BM: I feel I barely write horror, that I’m an imposter in the genre. I probably shouldn’t count myself out so much. To answer your question, I am very aware of the connection between fear and excitement, between dread and anticipation. They are so close to each other that they touch, and often that touching is electric, in almost a sensual way. That fascination, with sensuality and startling vividness, leads me some other places: fabulist fiction, and some romantic fantasy. I’ll go anywhere there’s room to suggest that there is more going on between people than just what can be objectively observed.  

AW: Where can people see more of your past/upcoming work?

BM: In addition to IN SOMNIO, I have a piece coming out in The Lost Librarian’s Grave in October of this year, which I’m especially excited about because I am a librarian myself. The story is called “Good Boy Anyway,” and it’s about a grave-digger who is haunted by his recently deceased wife. More on that here: https://redwood-press.com/  My blog has links to other anthologies (and some electronic publications) I’ve contributed to. That’s here: https://moonmissives.com/find-my-fiction/ 

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IN HER OWN WORDS:

Briana explains the origins of her story AFTER THE APPLES and reads a selection from it; follow the IN SOMNIO Kickstarter here!