Victoria Nations writes horror and gothic stories about creatures with emotional baggage. Her work appears in Gothic Blue Book, A Krampus Carol and Burial Day Books’ short fiction. She lives in Florida, USA with her wife and son, who indulge her love of monsters. IN SOMNIO editor Alex Woodroe spoke with her briefly about her work.
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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?
VN: I love a beach in winter, the way the gray sand blends in with the dark water and faded sky. It’s both bleak and compelling. I wanted to capture that isolation. At the same time, I’m a mother, and “The Reaching Sea” came from a feeling I had with my son, when the outside world started opening up to him, promising all sorts of possibilities, and I knew there were monstrous things waiting for him, too.
AW: Does your life in Florida ever inform your writing? Does your work as a biologist?
VN: Absolutely. I say I write stories about swamp monsters with baggage because so many of them come from the wet and wild areas I love best. The creatures that live in these places are beautiful to me, even if other people think them frightening or abhorrent, and that otherness resonates with me.
AW: Do you have any specific formative memories that roped you into Gothic fiction?
VN: I loved creepy things at an early age, and my parents encouraged it. They introduced me to Bram Stoker and Edgar Allan Poe, and we watched classic movies with Dr. Paul Bearer, our local horror host. I love dark fiction from all eras, but I have a deep affection for the Gothic trappings of haunted places and people.
AW: Did you ever embrace the Goth culture? Carry a parasol? Do you still? If not, what was your teen scene?
VN: I'm forever a Goth and one of the Spooky Kids. I still check to make sure my blacks match.
AW: Why Horror? Are you and Horror exclusive, and if not, what else do you flirt with?
VN: I love creepy places and scary stories, but what I love most about Horror is how it touches on our deepest emotional connections. Horror is strongest - sharpest, scariest, most unsettling - when it combines with love and loss. All of what I write has dark elements, but some have hopeful endings in the midst of horrific events.
AW: Where can people see more of your past/upcoming work?
VN: You can find me at my website, www.LeavesandCobwebs.com, and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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IN HER OWN WORDS:
Victoria reads an excerpt from her story, “The Reaching Hands”; watch below, then go support the IN SOMNIO campaign on Kickstarter!