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Hey y'all - the creepy Halloween reading that @Joaqertxranger and I are hosting less than two weeks away! From now through next week, we're going to spend a little time telling you more about our fabulous readers. First up...
The incredible @ambernoelle! Amber Sparks is the author of four books of short fiction, including most recently And I Do Not Forgive You. She has also written nonfiction widely for print and online, on everything from film to beauty to motherhood.
You can find Amber most days on Twitter at @ambernoelle. She adores Halloween and celebrates the holiday all month long.
In the spirit of the spooky season, we asked Amber a few questions about scares and about writing. Here's what she had to say:
What's your favorite spooky story/book/movie/piece of art?
The Bride of Frankenstein! I love it so much, I watch it every year. James Whale is such a brilliant director, and Karloff never gave a better performance. And the camp! The hair! Ernest Thessiger! I could go on.
The Bride of Frankenstein! I love it so much, I watch it every year. James Whale is such a brilliant director, and Karloff never gave a better performance. And the camp! The hair! Ernest Thessiger! I could go on.
What can you tell us about the piece you're planning to read ?
Everyone has heard noises upstairs if they live in an apartment. But what if they were...sinister?
Everyone has heard noises upstairs if they live in an apartment. But what if they were...sinister?
What's a favorite and/or new piece of yours that you'd like for us to share?
My book! I Do Not Forgive You: Stories and Other Revenges https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781631496202
My book! I Do Not Forgive You: Stories and Other Revenges https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781631496202
Read more about Amber and her incredible work at http://www.ambernoellesparks.com/ .
And stay tuned in the coming days for more about our other readers!
And stay tuned in the coming days for more about our other readers!
Next up in our lineup of readers for the October 24 Halloween creepfest: @mcarphil, who sent us this wonderful pic of her executing some precocious jack-o-lantern skills:
The amazing @mcarphil, aka Meghan Phillips, is a 2020 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellow. Her flash fiction chapbook Abstinence Only is forthcoming from Barrelhouse Books.
We also asked Meghan a few questions about spooky stuff and her wonderful writing. Here's what she had to say:
What's your favorite spooky story/book/movie/piece of art?
I love Kelly Link's stories, and one of my all-time favorites of hers is "The Specialist's Hat." LeVar Burton recorded it for his podcast and it is a creepy delight: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stitcher/levar-burton-reads/e/64754521?autoplay=true
I love Kelly Link's stories, and one of my all-time favorites of hers is "The Specialist's Hat." LeVar Burton recorded it for his podcast and it is a creepy delight: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stitcher/levar-burton-reads/e/64754521?autoplay=true
What can you tell us about the piece you're planning to read?
How does it feel to be an urban legend?
How does it feel to be an urban legend?
What's a favorite and/or new piece of yours that you'd like for us to share?
My only fiction published this year seems like a good fit because it's about making a monster movie:
https://fracturedlit.com/it-came-from-the-bottom-of-the-lake-1954/
My only fiction published this year seems like a good fit because it's about making a monster movie:
https://fracturedlit.com/it-came-from-the-bottom-of-the-lake-1954/
Read more of Meghan's incredible work at her website. And stay tuned for more reader spotlights! https://meghan-phillips.com/
Next up in our Halloween creepfest lineup: the amazing @janstinchcomb!
Jan Stinchcomb is the author of The Kelping (Unnerving), The Blood Trail (Red Bird Chapbooks) and Find the Girl (Main Street Rag). Her stories have recently appeared in Wigleaf, Hobart and Pithead Chapel.
A Pushcart nominee, Jan is featured in Best Microfiction 2020 and The Best Small Fictions 2018. She lives in Southern California with her family.
Here's what Jan had to say in response to our questions:
What's your favorite spooky story/book/movie/piece of art?
Favorite book and movie change constantly. Current favorites: I'm really into Ari Aster's films, both Hereditary and Midsommar...
Favorite book and movie change constantly. Current favorites: I'm really into Ari Aster's films, both Hereditary and Midsommar...
...one horror-esque collection that has stuck with me is Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez. And I love Sara Gran's possession novel, Come Closer.
What can you tell us about the piece you're planning to read?
I'm going to read from one of my favorite scenes in The Kelping. It's a conversation between the main character and his son. Kids say the scariest things!
I'm going to read from one of my favorite scenes in The Kelping. It's a conversation between the main character and his son. Kids say the scariest things!
What's a favorite and/or new piece of yours that you'd like for us to share?
My latest micro in @CleaverMagazine, "Northwest Stalker," seems to have struck a chord. https://www.cleavermagazine.com/northwest-stalker-by-jan-stinchcomb/
My latest micro in @CleaverMagazine, "Northwest Stalker," seems to have struck a chord. https://www.cleavermagazine.com/northwest-stalker-by-jan-stinchcomb/
Read more about Jan and her work at her website. And keep following this thread for more reader spotlights and fun reading promos!
http://www.janstinchcomb.com
http://www.janstinchcomb.com
Our next reader spotlight for Saturday's Halloween creepfest is the incredible @quintanagothic!
Monique Quintana is a contributor at Luna Luna Magazine, and her novella, Cenote City, was released from Clash Books in 2019. Her short works have been nominated for Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and the Pushcart Prize.
Here's what Monique had to say in response to our questions about writing and spooky inspirations:
What's your favorite spooky story/book/movie/piece of art?
Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098253/
Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098253/
What can you tell us about the piece you're planning to read?
A group of women have been transformed into mermaids by a music executive/magician and made to perform in a tank at industry parties. They plot their escape.
A group of women have been transformed into mermaids by a music executive/magician and made to perform in a tank at industry parties. They plot their escape.
What's a favorite and/or new piece of yours that you'd like for us to share?
My flash fiction piece, "blonde skull, my jaguar tongue" from the Horror issue at @DrunkMonkeysWeb. This story is from my manuscript-in-progress. https://www.drunkmonkeys.us/2017-posts/2018/11/5/fiction-blonde-skull-my-jaguar-tongue-monique-quintana
My flash fiction piece, "blonde skull, my jaguar tongue" from the Horror issue at @DrunkMonkeysWeb. This story is from my manuscript-in-progress. https://www.drunkmonkeys.us/2017-posts/2018/11/5/fiction-blonde-skull-my-jaguar-tongue-monique-quintana
Read more of Monique's work at her website: https://www.moniquequintana.com/ . And stay tuned for more reader promos this week!
Our next reader spotlight for Saturday's Halloween creepfest is the fantastic @kyra_nicole_k!
Kyra Kondis is an MFA candidate in fiction at George Mason University, where she's at work on her thesis, a short story collection. Some of her recent flash can be found in @AtticusReview, @Cheap_Pop, @okaydonkeymag, and more.
Kyra writes a lot of stories about reality TV, the body, strange jobs, and--conveniently--ghosts!
Here's what she had to say in response to our questions:
Here's what she had to say in response to our questions:
What's your favorite spooky story/book/movie/piece of art?
My favorite spooky movie--and this may not "count" because it's more of a comedy, but because it's about vampires, I consider it spooky--is Taika Waititi's What We Do in the Shadows...
My favorite spooky movie--and this may not "count" because it's more of a comedy, but because it's about vampires, I consider it spooky--is Taika Waititi's What We Do in the Shadows...
...The spinoff show is also wonderful. Both are endearing and play cleverly with modernity alongside canonical vampire folklore!
What can you tell us about the piece you're planning to read?
The piece I'm planning on reading..is called "When You Become a Ghost," and was featured in @Wigleaf...
The piece I'm planning on reading..is called "When You Become a Ghost," and was featured in @Wigleaf...
...I have a soft spot for this one because it's my way of answering all the questions I used to ask about ghosts as a kid: as the title may already give away, it's about what happens when you unwittingly become a ghost.
What's a favorite and/or new piece of yours that you'd like for us to share?
It's called--mega long title--"Places In My Neighborhood I Take John Cheever To That Happen to Have Food At Them." It can be found in Necessary Fiction!
http://necessaryfiction.com/stories/KyraKondisPlacesinMyNeighborhood
It's called--mega long title--"Places In My Neighborhood I Take John Cheever To That Happen to Have Food At Them." It can be found in Necessary Fiction!
http://necessaryfiction.com/stories/KyraKondisPlacesinMyNeighborhood
More reader promos coming tomorrow! And hey, if you haven't see our weird-ass, over-the-top reading trailer yet, check it out!
https://www.tiktok.com/@megpillow/video/6885555161721359622?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6885727749793678854&is_from_webapp=1
https://www.tiktok.com/@megpillow/video/6885555161721359622?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6885727749793678854&is_from_webapp=1
Today's Halloween creepfest reader spotlight: the wonderful @rosshowalter!
Ross Showalter’s stories and essays have appeared in @strangehorizons, @BlackWarriorRev, @alienlitmag, and elsewhere. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his family.
Here's what Ross said in response to our questions:
What's your favorite spooky story/book/movie/piece of art?
My favorite spooky movie is Jeff Nichols’s TAKE SHELTER. There’s a dread in that movie that builds until it’s almost suffocating, and both Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain are incredible.
My favorite spooky movie is Jeff Nichols’s TAKE SHELTER. There’s a dread in that movie that builds until it’s almost suffocating, and both Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain are incredible.
What can you tell us about the piece you're planning to read?
The story I’m going to read is a dark surreal story about love in the Deaf community, and what one will do for love.
The story I’m going to read is a dark surreal story about love in the Deaf community, and what one will do for love.
What's a favorite and/or new piece of yours that you'd like for us to share?
I’m really proud of “Night Moves”, which was published last month in @BlackWarriorRev's SECRET BOYFRIEND issue:
https://bwr.ua.edu/night-moves-ross-showalter/
I’m really proud of “Night Moves”, which was published last month in @BlackWarriorRev's SECRET BOYFRIEND issue:
https://bwr.ua.edu/night-moves-ross-showalter/
Make sure you check out https://www.rossshowalter.com/ for more of Ross's work. And check this thread tomorrow for another promo!
