Another Beautiful Nightmare is a Vamptasy anthology, following on from the success of Beautiful Nightmares. The book is due for release on Feb 1, 2019. I asked some of the authors a few questions about their contribution to the anthology, their thoughts on Women in Horror Month, and their other published work. Today it's Faith Marlow's turn on the slab. A quick confession first. I have a massive crush on this woman so if I go all starry eyed just pass the smelling salts, patchouli will do in a pinch.
What story did you write for Another Beautiful Nightmare?
Blood Moon. I wanted to tell a horror story that was distinctly female this time around. Even though "Hair" had a female lead (Lucie), who was dealing with the end of her relationship and longing for her girlfriend to be back in her life, it was a situation that would be familiar to anyone in a relationship, regardless of gender. Lucie's loss and heartache were
almost like an invisible character in the story. One day, I ran across a meme that had a couple of wolves in the background. Written over the image a message that said "I wish that instead of bleeding for a week every month women turned into werewolves. I would rather hunt animals in a pack with fellow shewolves than deal with that bull". I sent it to my friend, Felicia Fox, and we had a good laugh about how this would make an interesting story. I filed the idea away, and when submissions came up for Another Beautiful Nightmare, I knew I had found the opportunity to explore the idea. And so Blood Moon is about a young woman who is struggling in every possible way, economically, socially, emotionally, and physically. Libby works a dead-end job in a poverty stricken southern town and has limited access to healthcare of any kind, especially gynecological care. When I was writing the story, the defunding of Planned Parenthood and the loss of services in rural, low-income areas was a hot topic in the news. The two ideas spun together from there.
Were you also part of Beautiful Nightmares and if so what did you learn for that and how well the collection was received?
I am very proud to be a returning author from Beautiful Nightmares. My story is "Hair" and it is one of my very favorite pieces. The collection was wildly successful, staying in Amazon's top 100 Horror Books list for two years. I remembered how much I loved the short story format. I learned that women horror creators were a tribe. I have made so many contacts and friends from being a part of this series. I also learned a very good lesson on the importance of eye-catching visuals for promotion. Horror is a fantastic genre to promote because even though the reader base may be smaller than more mainstream genres, horror fans and creators are fiercely loyal and love to share new things with their friends and followers.
Why is Women in Horror Month important?
I think it's important because horror has long been seen as a male-dominated genre, almost as though "good girls" shouldn't like things that are creepy, scary, or even grotesque. Women in Horror not only showcases that woman can be just as competent in the genre as their male counterparts, but it's also a chance to show some support and love for each other, as a group of creators. We can inspire each other, other women and girls, and show everyone that it's more than okay to like things that may not be traditionally seen as "girly". Not every girl likes traditional romance or YA novels, or pink lacy things, and that's okay too. Some like black and bloodstains, some like both. It's all wonderful and welcome in the horror community. I guess the moral of the story is Women in Horror have an opportunity to define themselves and the genre in ways that may not be possible in other avenues.
Who are your favourite Women in Horror?
You are at the top of my list, of course! I have been in love with the darkly beautiful horror of Carmilla Voiez for many years now. Lily Luchesi is also a contributor to the series and co-author on another project, but I do sincerely enjoy her work. Horror with heart. Anne Rice may be a patron saint to women in horror. She is admired and loved by so many. In film and TV, I have a huge crush on Vera Farmiga. I love her paranormal roles, everything from Lorraine Warren to Norma Bates. Sarah Paulson is also a favorite. She is a chameleon, can step into any role and the creepier or crazier the part, the brighter she shines. In music, I adore Maria Brink of "In This Moment" and her balance of striking sex appeal and horror that I adore. Their songs "Sex Metal Barbie" and "Whore" sum it up perfectly. My friends Nancy Nightmare and the Wizard are crazy talented, and their music is so much creepy fun. Of course, I have to mention Hannah Forman, the founder of Women in Horror month and Axe Wound Film Festival. She is an amazing, hardworking lady who is always sharing content from other Women in Horror.
Apart from the anthology release are you doing anything to celebrate Women in Horror Month?
I am just planning on doing more of what I did last year, which is spreading the word as much as possible about all the amazing Women in Horror. I have friends who are authors, publishers, magazine editors, film directors, makeup artists, crafters who create beautiful accessories, artists across all mediums, including painting and music. I want to share as much as I can. My Women in Horror T-shirt is my superhero costume in February! I wear it everywhere I can.
Is horror the only genre you write in? If not what other genres do you write?
I primarily write Dark Fantasy/ Paranormal. I also write quite a bit of Urban Fantasy, but elements of horror are a common thread in all my work.
What is your favourite book/story that you’ve written so far?
My favorite is still my first book, "Being Mrs. Dracula". It was my firstborn book and my realization that I was capable of achieving my dream of being a published author. I have so many emotions attached to that book that I can't imagine anything taking its place as number one.
Who is your favourite character that you created and why?
Valeria from "Being Mrs. Dracula". When I decided I wanted to retell the story of the brides of Dracula and intertwine that with stories of Vlad Tepes, the story of the tragic death of his first wife pricked my heart. When I learned that history had forgotten her name and that the brides of Dracula from Bram Stoker's book are also nameless, I wanted to change that. Valeria
means "to be strong" in Romanian. She is my unsinkable girl, my warrior. She will always be a part of my heart.
What do you do when you aren’t writing?
I'm probably working my day job! I am an IT Help Desk analyst by day, author by night. When I'm not working, I'm hanging out with my husband Scottie (and our son if he is home from college). We love watching movies, particularly horror, and TV series like Black Mirror and American Horror Story. We also try to go to concerts and live shows as much as we can.
What is the strangest or spookiest experience you’ve had in real life?
I have had several strange experiences, mostly in the house we lived in when our son was young. We were the third owners. The couple before us was moving to their retirement home on the beach, and they had bought it when the original owner, Julia, had passed away in the home. It didn't bother me because she had died of old age in the home she loved, what better way to go? However, it wasn't long before strange things started to happen, little things at first but over the years things got stranger. Many of the occurrences could be explained away, but one in particular defied logic.
Our son was maybe four or five years old at most. My husband and I were looking forward to a quiet night together after he went to bed. One unusual feature of the older home was the living room had a door that separated it from the hallway. This was great since our son's room was right against the living room door and he didn't like his door closed. We closed the living room door so we wouldn't disturb him.
While watching TV and having a glass of wine, we heard the unmistakable sound of bare feet on hardwood floors, sprinting past the living room door. This was unusual since he usually came looking for us as soon as he woke up and didn't sprint to the bathroom. We went to investigate and found that our son was still curled up in bed, sound asleep. He was tangled up in his sheets in such a way that he couldn't have done it if he had jumped back in bed when we opened the door, and he couldn't have gotten past us anyway. Just to make sure, I touched his bare foot and found it to be toasty warm, not cold like they would have been if he had been up playing or running around. The floors were always cold, even in the summer.
We went back to the living room and looked at each other, completely stunned. Not only had we heard the sound of bare footfall on the hardwood flooring, we saw the shadow as it passed under the door. We always left the bathroom light on because our son hated being left in the dark. The light from the bathroom shone under the door, and we saw the shadow flicker past when we heard the footsteps.
Many other things happened, but this was one of the few instances that we both experienced at the same time.
Give us a full list of the books you have published and links to where they can be found/purchased.
All of my work is available at Amazon.com, ranging from .99 to $2.99, and free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
The Being Mrs. Dracula Series: Being Mrs. Dracula (2013) Being Dracula's Widow (2014)
Being Dracula's Heir (tba)
The Dream Journal Series: The Nightmare Hunters (2014)
Standalones: Couple Therapy (2016)
Collaboration: Soul Syndicate (November 2018) co-written with Lily Luchesi
Anthologies: Beautiful Nightmares (2017) Another Beautiful Nightmare (2019) Black Magic (2017)
We want to follow you on social media. What are your links?
I am most active on Facebook and Instagram. I love sharing all the creepy fun there.
Faith Marlow's website is at - https://faithmarlow.wordpress.com/