BOOK REVIEW: We’re Not Ourselves Today : 13 Tales of Pulp Horror by Lydia Prime & Jill Girardi

REVIEW: We’re Not Ourselves Today 13 Tales of Pulp Horror

Lydia Prime & Jill Girardi

Prime and Girardi craft thirteen spine-tingling short stories certain to terrify and disturb. From garbage demons and werewolves to curses and delicious revenge, each tale weaves memorable monsters with high tension and horrific stakes. Some readers may gravitate a tad more toward Girardi’s haunting writing style while others may lean into Prime’s stomach-churning scenes, but overall, Prime and Girardi shine equally, sharing the spotlight with expert prose that invokes nightmares long after the final page.

Each story features a monster – whether human or otherwise. Familiar creatures such as werewolves are featured in multiple stories but with clever and refreshing twists to keep readers salivating. Other times, original monsters are born from the wickedly twisted imaginations of Prime and Girardi. Creativity oozes from the pages as does a decent about of blood and guts; however, inserted into the terror are occasion moments of absurdist levity such as in the opening story “The Letter” by Prime, who takes a gruesome premise of an expectant mother receiving a mysterious letter and pivots in a campy unexpected way. The creature in “The Roiling” by Jill Girardi also has a campy vibe undertone and would make an incredible onscreen villain, if ever adapted for television. In this piece, Frog People have taken over and Sherman Tan, a rather cowardly human protagonist, must figure out how to survive the new landscape.

The overall anthology feels like stepping into a wickedly intense 80s fright night marathon. Some of the content may be shocking for readers (child death, domestic abuse) as neither Prime nor Girardi hold back, but for those open to extreme horror with splashes of gore and tons of uniquely crafted monsters, this is a must read! Perfect for horror fans looking for creature features, women written horror, and nightmare fuel!

BOOK CONTRACT SIGNED!

OPEN HOUSE COMING JUNE 2023

My haunted house horror novella entitled Open House will be published June 2023 by PsychToxin Press!

Caleb is a Realtor on his way to becoming a self-made millionaire. He has worked hard to leave his troubled youth in the rearview mirror. Enter a mysterious woman with her own wicked agenda. She shows up at his open house asking all the right questions, but something feels off. Before Caleb can pinpoint what it is, he finds himself locked in the home and at her mercy. To be set free, he must battle his inner demons, but Caleb isn't as innocent as he looks. The deadly truth will come out and someone is going to pay.

Necessary Evils by Serena Jayne Book Review

Necessary Evils by Serena Jayne Book Review

Jayne weaves a deliciously frightful collection of eighteen short stories guaranteed to disturb. Stories range from short and wicked to longer tales of depravity and terror. Stalkers, slighted lovers, evil men, and venomous women lurk on the pages, ready to strike and fulfill their darkest whims. Whether set in Sin City, a grocery store during the Apocalypse, or darkened bedrooms, danger is never far. Readers beware! Sometimes, evil is necessary.

Speckled throughout the collection are short flash pieces that break up the intensity of the longer tales and allow readers a much appreciated chance to catch their breath. "Unlikeable" takes a quick stab at social media culture while "Banana Bread" delivers a peak into the world of an abusive husband whose days are numbered. Longer stories such as "Chet-Shaped Lure" stick with readers well after the final word, encompassing a world of torture and heartbreak, and "Darkside Effect" mixes science fiction and violence with horror and female empowerment. Additionally, readers will enjoy the unique format of "Best Friend Forever" where the plot is unraveled through personal correspondences between a lawyer and perpetrator. Overall, each story is well developed with memorable characters that will certainly remain firmly implanted into readers’ minds.

Jayne bravely doesn't hold back with disturbing and raw context. Themes of betrayal, abuse and retribution, heartache, lust, and greed are regularly featured. While some may find the violence against women excessive, others will recognize and revel the characters' resilience and determination to survive. The stories fly by as each does a fantastic job of digging deep into the reader’s brain and not letting go. Horror fans looking for twisted plots and wicked characters will enjoy this quick paced collection.

Format

186 pages, Paperback

Published

February 20, 2022 by Unnerving

ISBN

9781989206850 (ISBN10: 1989206859)

BUY IT HERE!

Interview with Horror Author Red Lagoe

Interview with Horror Author Red Lagoe

1.       First, a HUGE CONGRATS on your anthology Nightmare Sky making the Stoker Preliminary Ballot! As a fan of yours (I absolutely loved your Lucid Screams short story collection), I was THRILLED to see your name on that list! We’re going to talk more about that, but first, let’s step back in time. When did you first develop a love of writing?

Thank you, Nico! I was thrilled, too!

Even though I wrote a short story when I was eleven years old (and it was a horror story), I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer. I’m not one of those people who can say, “I’ve always wanted to be a writer.” That wasn’t me. I was the outdoorsy kid. The one playing sports and adventuring alone into the woods behind my house. But I have always had an active imagination. I spent a lot of time as a kid playing make-believe alone in my head. However, I’d play the same scenario over and over for days, changing the scenes, and upping the stakes for the hero. I was creating stories in my head and never writing them down. These imagined scenarios and stories matured with me into my teens and into adulthood, and I locked them away as my little secrets. It wasn’t until my 30s—maybe about a decade ago—that I realized I should start sharing those stories through writing. I fell in love with it as soon as I started.

2.       What sparked your interest in the horror genre?

I grew up on 80’s slashers and Alfred Hitchcock, Tales from the Crypt, and Twilight Zone. When my mom was out, my brothers and I had full control of the VCR, and it was gore, gore, and more gore all night long. However, when I started writing, I didn’t gravitate straight to horror. I wrote and illustrated a children’s book first, and from there I tried writing in other genres, but everything I wrote ventured a little too far into the darkness. Once I realized I was writing horror stories, there was no turning back. Horror is in engrained in my psyche from those countless unsupervised hours in front of that big wooden box of a TV as blood splattered across the screen. It’s locked inside of me, brought on by life’s traumas that had been packed away and ignored for too many years. Writing horror is a release valve on all those feelings and the creativity that’s been bottled up.

3.       Do you have a favorite author and if so, who and why?

The first author that comes to mind is Paul Tremblay. I’ve loved every book of his that I’ve read. The prose, the intensity, the pacing, and all those ambiguous endings make for a storytelling cocktail that I really enjoy reading.

Author Red Lagoe

But there are so many other authors whom I adore, and who inspire me. Sara Tantlinger’s prose is lyrical and dark. V. Castro has a voice that is so real and visceral. Josh Malerman takes creativity to another level. There’s a lot of great authors out there right now and I’m excited that I get to say I know them!

 4.       Okay, let’s focus on your anthology Nightmare Sky. For readers who have yet to experience this beautiful collection, can you tell everyone what this anthology is about and what your inspiration was?

Well… (cracks knuckles)… Astronomy was my first love. Long before writing, long before I loved any human, I loved the sky—I was fascinated by it. I won’t write twelve paragraphs about why, but I am the one always looking up the moment I step outside, about why I have a few telescopes for dabbling in amateur astronomy and sharing views of the sky through public outreach, or why it feels like I am tethered to the sky—it’s my constant in the ever-spinning-out-of-control world. People across the planet, since the dawn of humanity, have been looking to the sky for answers. We look to it for peace, for prayer, for science, for inspiration, for navigation and hope…and we look to it with wonder…and sometimes horror. That’s what I wanted Nightmare Sky to be. That connection we all have to the cosmos. What draws our eyes up? What terrible things lurk in the dark spaces between the pinpricks of light? What monsters creep through the shadows here on earth when we’re distracted by those lights? We are many different people with different stories living under one beautifully nightmarish sky, and I wanted the anthology to show that.

In its pages, there are a variety of subgenres of horror—psychological, apocalyptic, sci-fi…There are ghosts and witches and monsters. But all of the stories are deeply rooted in that human connection to the stars.

5.       What was your reaction to seeing your name on the Stoker Preliminary Ballot? How did you celebrate this awesome achievement?

I was stunned. I know people say things like “I wasn’t expecting it.” But I mean it! There’ve been years past when I opened that list thinking my book or story probably wouldn’t make it, but secretly I was hoping it would. However, this time, I truly 100% didn’t even feel that twinge of hope. I’d accepted it wouldn’t be on the ballot this year. Not because I don’t think it’s on par with those other anthologies—I believe it is—but rather, because it just released in November. The TOC isn’t packed with a lot of familiar names, so it doesn’t sell that well. And it simply hasn’t had the time to make a splash in the community. So, when I was scrolling through, I was looking for my friends’ names. Then I saw Nightmare Sky, and I froze. I read it a couple times, like maybe I’d read it wrong. I was literally shaking (but it was cold in my office, so it might’ve been that, too.)

I shared the news with a few people, made a couple posts, but I’m not celebrating yet. I’ll reserve celebration for the Final Ballot if it makes it that far. We’ll see what happens. There are some epic titles on that list, and I’m so proud to have mine among them. I will say that I was proud of this anthology before it made the list, and I’ll be proud of it still if this is as far as it goes.

6.       Out of the 256 submissions, you selected 28 for this collection. Can you tell us a little bit about the behind the scenes process of being an anthology editor and selecting which pieces got included?

It was a lot of work. I lost so many hours of writing time which were sacrificed to this project, but I’m okay with that because it helped me create something that I think is pretty darn special. Once submissions opened, I tried to keep up with them as they came in, reading several stories a day if I could. I kept three files: Yes, Maybe, Probably Not. After reading each story, I placed it in a file and moved on. But that wasn’t the final decision, because every file in the Maybe and Probably Not section got a second look—maybe not a full read-through, but at least a skim—to be sure I was making the right call. There’s actually one story (I won’t name it) that was originally in the file that would get a rejection, but after giving it a second look, it grew on me, and seeing how it would fit with some of the other stories that made it, it ended up in the acceptance folder. By the time I’d selected all the stories that needed to be in the anthology, I had about 60 stories—120,000 words! Which was far too much, so I had to cut out half of them. That was the hardest part. It was rough. In the end, I chose a variety of stories that touched on different themes, mood and tone. Each story title was written on an index card with the length, the underlying themes, the POV, the tone… and I put them in an order that flowed from one story to another without feeling abrupt. Each selected story had to feel like it stayed true to that central theme of our human connection to the stars. And I did have “Stoker eligible” guidelines in mind when creating this book—the length, the quality, the attention to detail—I wanted to set the bar high, and get as close as I could to that bar with what resources I had.

7.       Is this the first anthology you’ve edited and published? What have you learned from the experience that you wish you had known beforehand?

It is the first anthology I’ve ever edited! That’ so wild, and I’m even more humbled to have made the list because of that. I gained a lot of experience from doing this, and I have zero regrets putting in the work. The open call, the reading, the curating, and editing…that all felt like I had it under control. It was a lot of work, but I was expecting that. Most of what I experienced on the editing side, I think I was well prepared for, aside from thinking I’d have more time for my own writing.

The big surprises came from the publishing side of things, even though I’ve published books before. I made a call to release two months early because I was so ahead of schedule on everything. I figured the authors wouldn’t mind another publishing cred right at the end of 2022. I kicked myself for that because that’s when I ran into roadblocks with printing the paperback which made me fall way behind schedule, I couldn’t even get review copies out before the publication date. However, if I hadn’t pushed it to November, then it wouldn’t have made that preliminary ballot this year! So…I guess it worked out.

8.       Any plans to put out another anthology?

Another anthology is in the works now! I’m taking less of an editor role, and more of a publisher role on this one. It is a Virginia-themed charity anthology that’s kind of a collaboration of efforts between several Virginian authors. We’re just now finalizing the TOC, and announcements will come soon, but it will benefit the 501(c)3 organization, Scares That Care. Other than that, it might not be until 2024 that I’ll consider doing another anthology, just so I can fulfill other obligations.

9.       What else is in store for you? Do you have any writing projects you’re able to share with us?

I am dying to share!! But there’s a couple things I can’t share quite yet. I will say that I’ve got a novel contract signed and the announcement for that should be coming soon. I’ve also been contracted to write a novella (which I’m working on now) that will be part of a project with a couple other phenomenal writers! That news should also be coming soon.  My novella “In Excess of Dark” is currently being pitched. And I have a collection of 4 short stories that will appear in an anthology of collections with authors Sara Tantlinger, Jessica Ann York, and Cory Farrenkopf through Cemetery Gates Media releasing early this year.

10.   Where can readers find you to learn more?

My website www.RedLagoe.com is a good place to start and I can be found across social media platforms, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok as @RedLagoe.

11.   Finally, thank you so much for joining me! Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?

Thank you for inviting me! I’ll be at Authorcon in Williamsburg at the end of March 2023! So, if you’re there, and I look angry or unapproachable, please don’t be scared. That’s just what my face looks like; on the inside, I’m super nice and want people to come say ‘hello’.

Beyond the Creek: The First Review is in!

Beyond the Creek by Nico Bell First Book Review!

Thank you so much to Christina Pfeiffer @n_dhorrorbooks for this lovely review!

I’m sorry, but where have I been that I haven’t read any Nico Bell before last night?! Like, hello, rock I’ve been under, you have to go.

In her novella, BEYOND THE CREEK, Alex Foster is running from darkness, and his name is Robert (all Robert’s are butt farts, just saying). She needs money because she is pregnant and well, baby crap is not cheap. She takes a job as a caretaker for Peter Nox, a man who just had a stroke. The problem is, there is some shady shit going down in the Nox household and poor Alex is in the middle of it. You want suspense? This is for you. Spiders? Yep, this has them. Kick ass female (and one male) side characters? YUUUUUUP. I read this book in record freaking time.

I can’t remember the last time I speed read because I was not going to go to sleep without finishing it. This one is going to rock your socks off. I 100% promise that. D&T Publishing is hitting nothing but got dang homeruns in 2022 and it’s NOT EVEN FEBRUARY! Available on Godless 1/28/22 10/5 closeted family secrets

The importance of Women in Horror Month #WiHM FILM EDITION

It’s the tenth year of celebrating Women in Horror Month! But why does this month matter?

Let’s start with some women in film. I’ll do another post later this month about women in horror literature.

Here are the facts. Of the top 250 movies in 2017, a 2017 report from San Diego State University says that 88% had no women directors. The Atlantic reported in a 2018 article that 83% of the top 250 films had no female writers and 96% had no female cinemantographers. A study conducted by the Center of Study of Women in Television and Film states only 24% of the top 100 movies in 2017 had a sole female protagonist with only 34% having a speaking role.

Why should you care about this and what does it have to do with horror?

An article from

says it best:

Each year, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media publishes research that shows how gender imbalances in film affects women and girls.

For example, they’ve found that positive and prominent roles for women in movies “motivate women to be more ambitious” professionally and personally. But when there is a dearth of women being depicted in positive ways, it has an opposite, negative effect.

A recent study by Google and the Geena Davis Institute studied this phenomenon across genres. They developed something called “the GD-IQ” (Geena Davis Inclusion Quotient), which is facilitated by machine-learning technology. The goal was to recognize patterns in gender, screen time and speaking time that the casual movie viewer might overlook. The results of this study told a familiar story: In film, men are seen and heard twice as often as women.

This means that an entire group of human beings is being marginalized within a booming industry, creating a ripple effect within our society.

But let’s talk horror specifically. So often, horror depicts women as dimwits who scream more than they talk and often die first. Even in the most iconic of films, such as Halloween (1978) or Friday the 13th (1980), we see the gross stereotype perpetuated to make money from the mega horror industry. They are usually virgins who end up having sex, only to be hunted and killed because of it. Think of Cabin Fever (2002) or Sorority Row (2009) where those who have sex die first. Or it’s the opposite. The virgin girl is the only one to survive due to her purity, such as in Halloween. Even in the cult classic Carrie (1976), sex plays a pivotal role as the movie starts when she begins menstruating and her purity is called into question.

It seems women can’t win within the horror genre. We’re a tired, stereotypical, disgusting troupe.

And that’s why we need more women.

More women protagonists. More women directors, produces, writers, and cinematographers.

We need a new perspective.

And I think it’s becoming clear to Hollywood that women are done being the screaming sex-driven eye candy in films. We’re not settling for the same old misogynistic approach in our horror films. Here’s a look at some incredible women in horror for you to check out this month:

Julia Ducournau

Ducournau is the French writer and director of Raw (2016), a haunting and beautiful horror movie about a a teenager with an appetite for human flesh. The film won the FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographiqu) prize at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival

Sophia Takal

Takal is an actor and director whose film Always Shine (2016) highlights envy and destruction between two friends.

Mary Harron

Harron directed and co-wrote American Psycho (2000) with Guinevere Turner. Need I say more? Okay, I’ll say a little more. She also created a teenage Gothic horror, The Moth Diaries (2011) and created a horror film with Turner based on Charles Manson, which will hopefully be released later this year.

Ana Lily Amirpour

I’ve heard Amirpour’s first debut film A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014) notes as an Iranian Western vampire movie. She’s a UK director and also is credited with The Bad Batch (2016) , a cannible dystopian film.

Jennifer Kent

Kent is an actress and director who directed The Babadook (2014), which is a personal favorite of mine. A mother and son must battle a mysterious force intent to kill them.

Women In Horror Month : Who, What, Why

February 2018 is the 9th annual Women in Horror Month.  

Women love the horror industry, whether they're blazing the trail in publishing like Shirley Jackson, or on the big screen like Mary Harron who directed American Psycho, one thing is for sure - women contribute more to this genre then a screaming lady being chased by an hatchet wielding maniac.

So why is horror so appealing and how can we continue to encourage female contribution? “Horror reflects society,” Professor Barbara Creed, author of The Monstrous-Feminine, told The Guardian back in 2007. “What we probably need are more thoughtful horror films that speak directly to female experiences.”

Meaning, it's probably a good idea to put aside the outdated female stereotypical roles in the genre and encourage more authentic and empowering characters, plots, and premises.

One woman doing just that is Julia Ducournau, director of the horror film Raw, a movie about a teenage vegetarian who becomes a cannibal. "A young guy in a festival audience told me that it was nice to have women in the genre because it brought some 'softness,'" says Ducournau... "Softness? Have you seen my movie? When you make horror, it's the expression of a form of violence that you feel inside of you – and it's important we recognize that women feel violence and anger as well."

There's nothing wrong with a woman's "softness", but don't expect all female horror buffs to come at their projects from that angel. For some, it's all about guts and gore. Others, like Anne Rice, mix alluring gothic romance with vampire horror. Subtle horror, psychological horror, supernatural horror...I still say the scariest movie of all time is Halloween, and what I remember most has nothing to do with any of the killing scenes. It's the scenes in the daylight, when someone is walking down the street and the audience catches a glimpse of Michael Myers standing down the sidewalk. In the next flash, he's gone. Horror can really be whatever the creator wants as long as it gets under the audience's skin, so of course this will appeal to both men and women. And while there are traditional slasher movies, horror also explores the darkness in us all, the despair, the loneliness, the anger, the rage. Women aren't shying away from these topics, they aren't afraid to embrace their softness, nor are they afraid to shed it. Which is why we need female horror creatives. We need their voice, their stories, their characters, their gusto.

If you're looking for a way to support women in horror, consider reading Daphne Du Maurier, Joyce Carol Oats, Octavia Butler, and Mariko Koike. If you're looking to watch a female directed horror movie, check out Pet Cemetery, Jennifer's Body, A Girl Walks Home Alone, and The Babadook.

Enjoy