Women in Horror Recognition Month 2015

I'd like to state for the record that I had to recreate this article twice from my notes since the beginning of February. Sheesh. - JMC

     As a father, I'm proud to help support Women In Horror Recognition Month. #WIH666 Let's show all the kids of all ages and all genders they can do whatever the hell they want, and let's double emphasize for our girls they can do, like, and say whatever they challenge themselves with. Anyone saying "Girls shouldn't like gross things, horror things, ghastly things" (or anything really) should shut up and get out of the way.

There are many ways to support artists and creators; usually time and treasure goes the furthest, so I spent some time spotlighting some of my favorite women working in the horror field and showing off some projects I support. 

Authors

Anya Martin

First up, I'd like to introduce you to Anya Martin, who I consider a touchstone in the Atlanta horror scene. I first met Anya at the first event I attended as Horror In Clay, the Rockabilly Luau. (Anya was there repping her alt culture project, ATLRetro.com which is my favorite place to check for things to do in Atlanta). Turns out, she is also into horror in a big way (she is the programming director for World Horror Con in Atlanta this year, and is generally present (in spirit at least) at pretty much every nifty horror thing in the city).

She writes: I’m a storyteller in prose, comics and journalism whose passion is delving into the whimsical and bitter truths of reality through the lens of the often but not always dark fantastique. Her most recent work includes the story “Resonator Superstar!” in the anthology Resonator: New Lovecraftian Tales From Beyond edited by Scott R. Jones for Martian Migraine Press. Anya will also have work (the story “Sensoria”) in Giallo Fantastique, an anthology edited by Ross Lockhart for Word Horde Press. AnyaMartin.com

Delilah S. Dawson

Delilah is an acquaintance of mine through PDMI Publishing editor Clay Gilbert who I met Anachrocon last year. She is a highly engaging correspondent through social media, and a fun fan of horror, cosplay, and fiction. I particularly love her blog, WhimsyDark.com.

I'm Delilah S. Dawson, and I'm horrible. Or, at least, I've been a fan of Horror ever since I swiped my mom's copy of Pet Sematary when I was 10. My first YA book, Servants of the Storm, has been labeled Southern Gothic Horror, which pleases my cold, black heart, while my next YA, Hit, is being called a Thriller and focuses on teen assassins in a bank-owned America. In both cases, I love writing about strong women, a high body count, and maybe, just maybe, some kissing. Even my Blud series, billed as Steampunk Romance, has tinges of Horror, including blood-drinking horses. What can I say? Blood's funner than water.  WhimsyDark.com.

 

Tonia Brown

Once upon a time I had the singular experience of being on a horror movie panel where the attendees and panelists were evenly matched. Fortunately one of the other panelists was the wickedly hilarious Tonia Brown. We had a pretty damn good time engaging the audience on such diverse topics as kaiju sex and on who, if stripped of powers and magically made the same size, would win a MMA match between Cthulhu or Godzilla. (I still maintain Cthulhu would take the belt).

Hi! I am Tonia Brown, author, complainer and professional cat petter. I hail from a tiny little town in the back hills of NC where I live with my husband of many, many years as well as an ever fluctuating number of felines. I write in many different genres, including horror. I started reading horror at a young age when I overdosed on fantasy and got tired of it. I began with classics like Poe and worked my way up to Matheson and King, while also watching a fair dose of horror films alongside. When I took up writing in my adult life, I began with romance because I wasn’t certain horror was something I could tackle. It wasn’t that I thought of it as a male job, or that I couldn’t do it because I was a woman. I just didn’t know if I had it in me to scare the pee out of folks the way I was spooked as a kid. Eventually, I decided to try and tap into that same passion that still drove me to watch horror movies and read horror novels, and now it’s one of the many genres I love to explore. I tend to temper my horror with humor such as in the novels Badass Zombie Road Trip or Lucky Stiff, both from Books of the Dead. I also do straight up horror like Devouring Milo or the recently re-released Skin Trade from Permuted Press. www.ToniaBrownAuthor.com

Podcasters/Narrators

 This next bit I’m going to do as a block, since I haven’t yet met most of these women of horror in person. Some of you folks might remember that I occasionally do a bit of podcast narration for Pseudopod.org, the horror fiction podcast. Well, my pals over at Pseudopod Tower have put together an excellent program for Women in Horror Recognition month, so if you like your horror whispered in your ear, in the dark, these ladies have you covered.

Episode 424 - “The Godsmaid Clara And Her Many Smiles” by Sharon Dodge.
Reader: Kim Lakin-Smith

Episode 425 - “Works Of Art” by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Reader: the Word Whore

Episode 426 - February 20 – “The Devil Inside” by Shannon Connor Winward
Reader: Tatiana Gomberg

Episode 427 - February 27 – “Carnation, Lily, Rose” by Kelly Link
Reader: Anson Mount

Comedian Melissa Hunter has been cracking me up ever since I discovered her YouTube videos dedicated to Adult Wednesday Addams. 

Artists/Designers/Book Projects

I'd feel bad if I left out the creative ladies behind Littlest Lovecraft, now working on their 3rd childrens' book adapted from Lovecraft.  This time, they're tackling a story after my own heart, "The Shadow Over Innsmouth". Tro Rex & Eyo Bella have already adapted "The Call of Cthulhu" and "The Dunwich Horror". 

Littlest Lovecraft

The Littlest Lovecraft Presents: The Shadow Over Innsmouth Tro and Eyo are doing a followup full color, fully illustrated volume, written in verse and lovely. The book should be produced in hard and softcover. Their company website is Littlest Lovecraft (Please note: this is a non Horror In Clay Kickstarter campaign; you will not be charged until the project ends).

Another book project I'm bound to support is Dreams from the Witch House.

In Dreams From the Witch House : Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror the most intuitive dreamers have been assembled to give us glimpses into these ancient terrors and their whispered warnings. Featuring authors Joyce Carol Oates, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Lois Gresh, Gemma Files, Nancy Kilpatrick, Elizabeth Bear, Storm Constantine and others accompanied by the lavish artwork of Daniele Serra, Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror is a representation of some of the finest cosmic horror and weird fiction from female authors in the field today. (Please note: this is a non Horror In Clay Indie-go-go campaign; you will not be charged until the project ends).

That's all for now fright fans.  Check out each and every one of the dynamic dames, and remember; Ghouls just want to have fun.