Stephanie M. Wytovich's Blog, page 12

3 WITCHY STORES YOU NEED TO CHECK OUT

Hello Friends and Fiends,
Lately, I’ve had a lot of people ask me about my spiritual practices and my relationship with ritual, so I’ve decided to start blogging about all things witchy, sex-positive, and magical. As most of you know, for the past three years I’ve been moving towards a more natural relationship with prayer and spirituality, and honestly, I feel more connected to myself, my partner, and the earth than I ever have before. Also, I’ve found that I’ve been able to switch to a lot of herbal remedies rather than taking medicine for things like colds, migraines, insomnia, etc.
So first up in The Madhouse is a list of three of my favorite places to shop online for teas, salves, smudge sticks, etc. I find myself using a lot of these products in my day-to-day life, and I’ve also found that despite being a fire sign, that I’m my best self when working with water and earth, all of which these shops have helped me to do.
Take some time and sort through their websites and their products, and if you feel like sharing, I’d love to know what products you’ve decided to try out! With tea leaves and honey,Stephanie M. Wytovich

Hedgewitch Apothecary: I met these ladies at a pagan festival over the summer, and not only were they wonderfully helpful, but their products are some of the best I’ve come across. From their teas, to salves, oils, and loose herbs, you simply can’t go wrong, and beyond that, there’s a little something for everyone. Personally, I bought their Enter the Sandman tea and a mugwort stick to help me with insomnia/nightmares, and not only am I out cold 10-15 minutes after I drink the tea, but I also sleep deeply and peacefully, which is blessing in and of itself. The mugwort stick is also great to burn before bedtime as it relaxes and calms my nerves. They recently put out a Headless Horseman tea, and I’m really looking forward to trying that soon!


Witch Baby Soaps: There’s a lot to love about a company whose slogan is: “Get Naked. Do Witchcraft.” Their products are 100% vegan and cruelty free, and when it comes to bath rituals, these are some of my favorite products to use. Not sure where to start? Check out their Psychic Bath Bomb to open up your third eye, or their New Moon Bath Bomb to open yourself up to new beginnings.


Crimson Sage Apothecary: Formally known as C&C Apothecary, Crimson Sage is one of my all-time favorite places to order from. From their dragon’s blood clay mask, to their dream salve, to their herb dryers, I find myself browsing their shop constantly to see what I want to add to my cabinet next. If you’re a first-time buyer, I highly recommend their smudge wands. They are beautifully adorned with flowers and quartz, and they smell positively divine! I also purchased one of their smudging feathers, which I love and use with my smudge stick weekly.

There's Something Blood-Soaked in the Madhouse: An Author Interview with Christa Carmen

Good Morning, Friends and Fiends!
Today in the Madhouse, I have a very special treat for you. A couple months ago, Christa Carmen emailed Crystal Lake Publishing to sign up for their mentoring program, and we ended up working together for a month. In that time, I got to know a fantastic writer with a beautiful mind and read lots of creepishly wonderful stories, two of which are in the collection you'll read about below. 
Soon after that, we met at StokerCon in Providence, RI where we got to chat over coffee and get to know each other a little better, and now, here today, I'm not only happy to introduce to you a gorgeous talent, but a dear friend as well. Christa's writing is haunting and soaked in blood and bleach, a real tribute to horror and all things that go bump in the night. Below, is an interview I did with her about her upcoming collection, Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked, which is due out this August from Unnerving. 
Take a peek at the summary below, and then jump into the conversation with us. I hope you'll enjoy it, and even pre-order the book if you feel so inclined. After all, Halloween is less than 100 days away, and I hear Michael's has its Halloween decorations out already, so that means it's time (even though it's always time) for the screaming to begin.
With pig skin and chainsaws,Stephanie M. Wytovich
Book Summary:

A young woman's fears regarding the gruesome photos appearing on her cell phone prove justified in a ghastly and unexpected way. A chainsaw-wielding Evil Dead fan defends herself against a trio of undead intruders. A bride-to-be comes to wish that the door between the physical and spiritual worlds had stayed shut on All Hallows' Eve. A lone passenger on a midnight train finds that the engineer has rerouted them toward a past she'd prefer to forget. A mother abandons a life she no longer recognizes as her own to walk up a mysterious staircase in the woods.
In her debut collection, Christa Carmen combines horror, charm, humor, and social critique to shape thirteen haunting, harrowing narratives of women struggling with both otherworldly and real-world problems. From grief, substance abuse, and mental health disorders, to a post-apocalyptic exodus, a seemingly sinister babysitter with unusual motivations, and a group of pesky ex-boyfriends who won’t stay dead, Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked is a compelling exploration of horrors both supernatural and psychological, and an undeniable affirmation of Carmen’s flair for short fiction.

***Tell us about your book. What gave you the idea to create this collection, and in your opinion, what does it represent at its most literal and figurative heights?
The stories in Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soakedwere published in places like Fireside Fiction, DarkFuse Magazine (which unfortunately exists no more), Third Flatiron’s Strange Beasties anthology, Unnerving Magazine, Tales to Terrify, and Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 2 (which also featured your gorgeously macabre story, “On This Side of Bloodletting”), to name a few. The publisher asked upfront that a certain percentage of the stories in collection submissions be reprints, so once I’d filled that quota, I added two stories that had been published by markets no longer in circulation, changed one story that had appeared on a podcast to the novella version I’d been hoping for a chance to unveil, and chose three brand new stories to tie everything together.
Ultimately, I am very pleased with the balance that was achieved. I think readers can appreciate a collection that includes reprints, especially from magazines and anthologies they may have read previously, and hopefully enjoyed, as well as a handful of new tales that allows them to experience an author’s latest work.
As for what the collection represents at its most literal and figurative heights, I think the most literal way to read Something Borrowed is as a series of straightforward horror stories. For the no-nonsense horror lover, we have ghosts, apocalypse-inciting rains, witches, depraved serial killers, more ghosts, evil shadow creatures, zombies, haunted houses, long-preserved corpses, newly-opened mausoleums, sinister trains, and out-of-place staircases.
But those tried-and-true tropes are thinly veiled stand-ins for themes that run deeper. Without giving too much away, the babysitter in “Souls, Dark and Deep” might possess powers in the same vein as those of a witch, but she uses her powers not for evil, but to level the playing field against evil and injustice. The depraved serial killers in “Red Room” function less to scare à la Michael Myers, and more to warn of the perils men face when they disbelieve women. The ghost of Aunt Louise in the eponymous flash fiction piece is a hardcore, Gloria Steinem-quoting, take-no-nonsense-and-even-less-prisoners bad-bitch feminist. And the shadow wolf in “Flowers from Amaryllis” represents many, many things: the fear of eventually losing a companion animal, the fear of losing a parent, the fear of being alone, the fear of going mad, the fear of not being able to be true to who you are.  I would love to show you what’s behind the curtain obscuring the other stories in the collection, but then I’d have to lock you in a metal crate and sew hooves in place of your hands and feet so you can’t escape and, err, well, read Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked and my threats will make a lot more sense.
There’s a lot of nods to hauntings and urban legends here (ghosts, brides, Halloween lore, etc.), so I’m curious what your favorite urban legend is, and if you’ve based any of these tales off stories you heard growing up?
It’s funny, because one of the short story collections I’ve enjoyed the most in recent years is Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Body and Other Parties, and Machado has talked about how what is probably the most popular story—“The Husband Stitch”— was heavily influenced by legends like the ones from Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books. My favorites are actually the ones referred to in “The Husband Stitch”: “The Green Satin Ribbon,” “The Girl Who Stood on a Grave,” “The White Satin Evening Gown,” and “The Wolf Girl.”
A definite goal of mine in putting together Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked was to stitch together a wide variety of horror stories inspired by lots of different legends and tropes. If you were able to detect that pattern, if you felt that there was indeed connective tissue binding these stories together, like my very own ink-and-paper Frankenstein, then I’ve succeeded. I’d say I could taper my awe of Machado just a bit, but she’s truly the High Priestess of the current Coven of Literary Witches, so there’s really no comparison.
I actually have such an affinity for ghost stories, Halloween lore, and urban legends that I took a course through the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic on Legends, taught by Sara Cleto and Brittany Worman. Each week of a ten-week period was spent on a different subsection of legends, such as cryptozoology, vampires, sea legends, and internet legends, and each lesson plan was more intriguing than the one preceding it.
I thought that the discussion on internet legends, of which Slender Man is one of the more famous, would be the least interesting, but it was this topic that led me to the inspiration for my story, “Wolves at the Door and Bears in the Forest,” via the ‘Stairs in the Woods’ legend. Please, google ‘Stairs in the Woods Reddit,’ and enjoy your fall down that particularly eerie rabbit hole... I’ll wait.
Creeped out? Thought so. At the time, I’d already been tossing around the idea of writing a story inspired by some of the women on the methadone clinic at which I was a clinician from 2010 to 2013, and when I thought more about the image of a staircase in the forest, and the type of person who might find the idea of walking up that mysterious staircase to an unknown destination appealing, the story unfurled from there.  
“Thirsty Creatures” was probably my favorite story in the bunch because of the gorgeous, macabre imagery you used throughout the story. Even the start of the piece alone is breathtakingly beautiful: “The trees were fire and the sky was panicked birds and the horse was made of bone.”  Are you inspired by poetry at all? Have you ever written poetry before? If so, can you talk a little bit about how this influences you?
I don’t write much poetry but I’ve jotted down poems here and there, and I find that when I sit down to write a story, the first draft usually presents itself as either coming from a more straightforward place, where the goal of getting down the narrative is key, as opposed to being driven by the language, and the imagery that language is evoking.
“Thirsty Creatures” was definitely one of those language-driven pieces, and I can tell you exactly why that was the case. A little over a year ago, there was a post going around on Facebook that featured the work of Polish painter Zdzisław Beksiński, who had specialized in ‘dystopian surrealism’ during his lifetime. A writer friend of mine tagged me in the post, and challenged me to pick my favorite image and write a story about it. There were dozens of images that appealed to me, but I chose the one that spoke to me most directly, and “Thirsty Creatures” was the result. 
I do want to experiment more with poetry, and come September, will be taking an online course that my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, offers through the Kelly Writers House, in Modern & Contemporary American Poetry (“ModPo”), with an emphasis on experimental verse, from Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman to the present. I’m excited to build a stronger foundation in poetry, and hope it will inform both additional dabbling (and beyond), and my future fiction endeavors.
The story “The Girl Who Loved Bruce Campbell” was a riot, and as a girl who loves Bruce Campbell, I enjoyed the homage to horror’s favorite chainsaw wielding protagonist. However, I have to ask (and I promise not to judge!): do you prefer the original Evil Dead or the remake?
Ahhh, ha, the dreaded question. While I of course love Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness, the Evil Dead remake is one of my favorite horror films of all time. I love that film because it introduces fans to a completely badass and unequivocally awesome protagonist in Jane Levy’s Mia. When we arrive at the notorious cabin in the woods, we discover that Mia was brought to this remote location by her brother and friends in order to overcome her addiction to heroin. That a Bruce Campbell-worthy Evil Dead heroine travels to the cabin in the woods to detox, and that everything she endures after her arrival is borne while simultaneously going through cold turkey withdrawal, propels this film into territory that far surpasses simple supernatural horror films heavy on the gore.
The film is like a perfectly constructed and utterly decadent chocolate layer cake. The death scenes are memorable, the horror is palpable, and yet, there is an entire sub-plot in which a very real and well-constructed character is struggling to overcome a very real and highly formidable affliction. At a panel at Readercon 29 on Mental Illness in Horror, the amazing Nadia Bulkin brought up the Evil Dead remake, and discussed the commendable choice on the part of writer/director Fede Álvarez to have Mia’s struggles with substance abuse and mental health disorders provide the foundation for her strength in fighting off the evil in the woods, the evil that possesses first her, and then her friends.
I’ve always found the final scene to strike such an intensely visceral emotional chord; as the blood-rain pours down, Mia’s evil doppelgänger prophesizes, “You’re gonna die here, you pathetic junkie.” To which Mia responds, like an addict who has hit rock bottom with a resounding thud and is on the verge of change, “I’ve had enough of this shit.”
Another favorite for me was “Lady of the Flies.” Without giving anything away, the mask rocked my horror-driven world, and I appreciated the reference to Saw and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. What influenced you to write this one specifically, and did the above films play a part in that process at all?
I love horror, I love Halloween, and so it goes without saying that I love October. This past October, my dear friend, Jessica Wick, and I decided to initiate ‘October planning,’ in which we would map out the month of October to include as many fall-themed and haunted excursions as we could pack into the thirty-one days. Oh, and we carried out ‘October planning’ in the cemetery, on a gorgeous fall day, sharing the space with a noisy flock of crows who kept taking off into the sky and subsequently alighting onto a nearby collection of tombstones. Needless to say, ‘October planning’ will be a yearly event.
One of the haunted activities we scheduled was a trip to Scary Acres in Hope, Rhode Island. Now, there wasn’t anything particularly notable about this attraction, except perhaps for the fact that it incorporates both a haunted wagon ride and a walk through a spooky corn maze, but after emerging from the maze, I saw this mesmerizing figure looming out of the grass that skirted the cornfield. It was meant to scare and entertain those maze-goers still waiting for their friends to emerge from the stalks, and as I did just that, I witnessed a few of the uncostumed employees regarding this masked specter on stilts, giggling and gossiping amongst themselves. It occurred to me to wonder about the dynamics of working at a haunted house, the logistics of being thrust together with other employees for thirty-one days with the intent of terrifying as many people as possible just to get a paycheck.
I’ve done the seasonal work thing before—I waitressed at a hotel on the beach for countless summers throughout high school and college—so I know there’s a special bond that can develop among individuals thrown together for a predetermined duration of time, and also, that not everyone is always going to get along. Priscila Teasdale sprung from the resulting ‘what if?’ question: ‘what if a haunted house worker’s life had been a series of unfortunate events, and she is dealt one last, devastating blow? And what if that individual leaned a bit too heavily on her haunted house persona in order to cope with that blow? Why, she’d become the Lady of the Flies, of course.
I will say this… Priscila took on a life of her own over the course of writing this story. The original concept saw her very much as a Leatherface-esque character: yes, she’d likely had a rough go of it, but her actions were meant to terrify and even alienate readers. When Priscila came onto the scene, I wanted it to be the equivalent of a chainsaw revving too close for comfort. Yet she became something so much more than that, a real flesh-and-blood person whom I felt had no other options but to reclaim her sense of self by lashing out at those who strove to strip this from her.
That doesn’t mean that I don’t take an absolutely devilish delight in reading the last scene of “Lady of the Flies” aloud (you can see me doing just that at a group reading at Readercon 29, entitled The New American Bizarrerie, here: https://youtu.be/36ZuqIB-hdo). Priscila may have had her reasons for doing what she did, but in the end, I think that chainsaw’s revving up, regardless...
How did you come to writing and who are some of your influences?
You know, I’ve answered one variation or another of this question for several other authors and reviewers, and I tell the same old story of always knowing I was a writer, of reading Stephen King’s On Writing, and being inspired to write more seriously, but I think the story is different than that. I think the story is that I survive by writing, and I think I have always survived by writing. I have a basket of notebooks on the top shelf of a bookcase in my home office, and I took it down the other day to flip through some of the journals I kept while in treatment for opiate addiction. I’m convinced I would not have made it through that experience had I not kept those journals. They are almost too heavy—metaphorically speaking—to sift through, the anguish I was experiencing screaming out from every line. Right after I overdosed the first time, I wrote about what had happened, my handwriting the mad, slanted scrawl of some hunted, tortured soul I barely recognize now.
The writing I do today may not be as autobiographical as those journals of years past, but my reasons for writing are the same: to make sense of the world, of my day-to-day environment, and my place within it. I’m so grateful that it works for me, especially when I see someone like Demi Lovato, someone whom I thought was also succeeding in exorcising her demons through her art, slip and fall. I so hope she’s able to reclaim that balance again, as I hope all artists, and every other brand of person in recovery, are able to succeed.
The list of authors who first influenced my writing includes Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Dean Koontz, Frank M. Robinson, Agatha Christie, Mary Shelley, Margaret Mitchell, Sarah Waters, Sidney Sheldon, R.L. Stine, Jennifer McMahon, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Harper Lee, J.K. Rowling, Cormac McCarthy, Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen Dobyns, Michael McDowell, Dan Simmons, and Jack Ketchum.
The list of authors who continue to influence me on a day-to-day basis is long, imperfect, and ever-growing, and includes Carmen Maria Machado, Gwendolyn Kiste, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Jessica McHugh, Nadia Bulkin, Ania Ahlborn, Jac Jemc, Alma Katsu, Christina Sng, Elizabeth Hand, Joyce Carol Oates, Claire C. Holland, Erin Sweet Al-Mehairi, Renee Miller, Theresa Braun, Seanan McGuire, Kelly Link, Damien Angelica Walters, Lauren Groff, Roxane Gay, Annie Hartnett, Caroline Kepnes, Ruth Ware, Sarah Pinborough, Gillian Flynn, B.A. Paris, Joe Hill, John Palisano, John Langan, Nicholas Kauffman, Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Dean Kuhta, and Calvin Demmer.
Can you give us an insight into your writing process? Any habits when you sit down to write?
I try to write Monday through Friday from 5 am to 7 am, and then at whatever other odd hours I can scrape together beyond that. On the weekends, if I have nothing else going on, it’s not unusual for me to write from nine to five, with breaks for lunch and to walk the dog or go for a run.
As for writing habits, I only write with one of two different brands and types of pens—a black or blue Bic Cristal 1.6 mm or a medium point Paper Mate Flair of pretty much any color—and though they each provide a completely different writing experience, I’m equally indiscriminate and happy with either. I do third draft edits on the computer, but all first drafts and second draft rewrites have to be done by hand, or the words don’t flow adequately. I can pretty much write anywhere, anytime, although the ideal time and place would be early morning in my home office, or curled up somewhere comfortable in my house.
I find horror film soundtracks to be good background music while writing, if I’m in the right mood for it. And I really do have to be in the right mood, since I have a strange relationship with background noise. If I’m in a crowded coffee shop, I have no problem tuning everything else out but the voices in my head that are instructing my writing. However, if I have something streaming directly into my ears via headphones or even computer speakers, I sometimes find myself getting too distracted. I find that when I’m home writing in my office or on my sun porch, the sound of my fish tank filter humming or the birds outside chirping is background noise enough.
What takeaway do you hope your readers leave your book with?
The biggest takeaway I hope readers leave Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked with would be that nothing in your past, however dark—not substance abuse or mental health issues, not your secrets or your mistakes, not your failures or your fears —make you monstrous.
Locking someone in a metal crate and sewing hooves in place of their hands and feet so they can’t escape miiiiiiiiiight make you monstrous , but a dark and disordered past...? Definitely not...
What books are sitting in your TBR pile?
My Goodreads ‘To-Read’ list is currently hovering at the 2,635 mark, but in the actual pile of books stacked on my nightstand at present are Black Feathers: Dark Avian Tales, edited by Ellen Datlow. My spirit animal is a crow—always inquisitive, sometimes mischievous, and occasionally hostile—and I love horror stories like Gwendolyn Kiste’s “Something Borrowed, Something Blue,” from her Bram Stoker nominated collection, And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe (if any of your readers haven’t experienced this story, originally published in Three-Lobed Burning Eye, about a woman who gives birth to live birds that come tearing through her stomach with no regard for the barriers of flesh, the conventions of society, or the limitations of pain, I highly recommend it), so I’m really looking forward to this one.
Also edited by Ellen Datlow, The Best Horror of the Year Volume Ten, and finally, an anthology notedited by Ellen Datlow, Where Nightmares Come From: The Art of Storytelling in the Horror Genre, edited by Joe Mynhardt & Eugene Johnson. Oh, and also, a hauntingly gorgeous coffee table book that was a birthday gift from a friend who always gets me the BEST birthday gifts: 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die. OHH, and in another, separate pile, perched perilously atop my alarm clock teapot, Maplecroft and Chapelwood (The Borden Dispatches, #1 & 2), which I need to read before the end of October, since my in-laws gifted me a night at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast in Fall River (also for my birthday... I guess I’m spoiled with friends and family getting me a lot of the BEST birthday gifts!) to be redeemed before my husband’s and my second wedding anniversary on Halloween!
I picked up a copy of Parasite Life, by Victoria Dalpe at NECON 38, and I’m hoping to get through what she described as her ‘YA rife on Carmilla’ before I attend the Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Film Festival August 17th-19th to see her do a reading, hopefully from Parasite Life, or else from Tragedy Queens:Stories Inspired by Lana Del Rey & Sylvia Plath , which in addition to Victoria’s contribution, “The Wife,” includes your fabulous story, “Because of Their Different Deaths.”
I might as well list my whole NECON swag pile, since I met all of the authors there, and am excited to get into their books, all of which were published by Chizine (I’ll admit, I got a little carried away at the Chizine table!): Only the Devil is Here, by Stephen Michell, The Hair Wreath and Other Stories, by Halli Villegas, Hair Side, Flesh Side, by NECON Guest of Honor Helen Marshall, and It’s Not the End and Other Lies, by Matt Moore
What is next in store for your readers?
I attended the Borderlands Press Writers Boot Camp in January, where I workshopped a horror/crime thriller called Coming Down Fast, about a female Charles Manson type and her ‘followers,’ the crime they commit, and the first female police chief in Westerly, Rhode Island’s three-hundred fifty year history who pursues them, and I’ve been saying I’m close to finishing the novel for far too long. As soon as the official release date of Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked comes to pass, Coming Down Fast is my one and only priority.
Last August, I met author and artist Dean Kuhta in Providence at NecronomiCon, and I just finished a short story called “The Rest Will Be in Pieces” for Issue #3 of Outpost 28, a Lovecraft-inspired dark fiction magazine to which Dean has invited me to be a regulator contributor. 50% of all proceeds of Outpost 28 go to helping the homeless in Richmond, VA, which is a very nice thing to be a part of. I have additional work forthcoming from the sci-fi ezine, Space Squid, as well as from Lycan Valley Press Publications' all-female horror anthology, Dark Voices.
I have one other short story that’s close to being in shape for submission, “Echoes of a Former You” (oooh, and another story of which I’ve got the rough draft written, but no! NO! My novel is my one and only priority, and ooh, look, the writing equivalent of a squirrel, and OOH, look, an actual squirrel!), and I’m also going to be participating in a second collaboration with author David Emery, whom I met while judging a short story contest through The Write Practice and Short Fiction Break literary magazine.
What advice do you have for writers working in horror?
My best advice would have to be not to lose focus on the actual, daily activity of pumping out new work. Lately, I’ve been satisfied as long as I’ve put effort into some type of my writing, whether that’s editing a work-in-progress short story, jotting down a new novel idea, or tightening up a guest post for a reviewer’s website, but since I want to get Coming Down Fastto a place where I can send it out to a few publishers that have expressed interest, I’m getting back to hitting a certain page minimum or word count each day (four pages of handwritten work or 2,000 words of rewrites/edits).
All in all, I try to stay focused, and not to worry about writing better than anyone but the writer I was when working on my last story, or my last novel chapter. This usually isn’t all that difficult, since I love writing, and because putting my all into being a storyteller speaks to my very soul. And with regards to speaking to my soul, thank you, Stephanie, so very much, for putting together these lovely, engaging, insightful interview questions. You have been a role model of mine for quite some time, so to have the opportunity to be interviewed by you is an honor.
Author Bio:
Christa Carmen’s work has been featured in myriad anthologies, ezines, and podcasts, including Unnerving Magazine, Fireside Fiction, Year’s Best Hardcore Horror Volume 2,  Outpost 28 Issues 2 & 3, Tales to Terrify, Lycan Valley Press Publications' Dark Voices, Third Flatiron’s Strange Beasties, and Alban Lake's Only the Lonely. Her debut collection, Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked, is available August 2018 from Unnerving.
Christa lives in Westerly, Rhode Island with her husband and their bluetick beagle, Maya. She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in English and psychology, and a master's degree from Boston College in counseling psychology. She is currently pursuing a Master of Liberal Arts in Creative Writing & Literature from Harvard Extension School. On Halloween 2016, Christa was married at the historic and haunted Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado (yes, the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining!). When she's not writing, she is volunteering with one of several organizations that aim to maximize public awareness and seek solutions to the ever-growing opioid crisis in southern Rhode Island and southeastern Connecticut.
Author Website: www.christacarmen.com Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15179583.Christa_CarmenAmazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/christacarmenFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/christaquaTwitter: https://twitter.com/christaquaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/christaqua/ 
Praise for Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked:
"This beautifully macabre collection of urban legends and ghastly encounters is a cold whisper, a dripping axe, a shattered camera lens. Walk carefully into Carmen's night. But if you hear flies, run." -- Stephanie M. Wytovich, Bram Stoker award-winning author of Brothel  "Christa Carmen is undoubtedly one of horror's most exciting and distinctive new voices, and her debut collection absolutely proves why. From hardcore to heart-wrenching, these tales run the gamut, with each one of them taking hold of you and not letting go. Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked is one incredibly wild ride. Hold on tight." -- Gwendolyn Kiste, author of AndHer Smile Will Untether the Universe and Pretty Marys All in a Row   
Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soakedis like a wild and thrilling roller coaster. At the end, you won’t want to get off the ride but keep on going, over and over." -- Christina Sng, Bram Stoker award-winning author of ACollection of Nightmares
Christa Carmen isn't interested in silence, and her collection Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked isn't looking to lead you calmly down the aisle. Your path is littered with temptations that test the strength of your mind, heart, and stomach, and over thirteen tales of death and dependency, Christa Carmen has you questioning whether love is real or just another addiction. -- Jessica McHugh, author of The Green Kangaroos and TheMaiden Voyage and Other Departures 



Books for Sale: 
Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked: https://www.amazon.com/Something-Borrowed-Blood-Soaked-Christa-Carmen-ebook/dp/B07DK2YJV3/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531331264&sr=8-1&keywords=something+borrowed+something+blood-soaked  Outpost 28 Issues 2 & 3: http://www.deankuhta.com/outpost28.php  Black Ice Magazine, Vol. 2: http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/1454863?__r=707890Unnerving Magazine Issue #5: https://www.amazon.com/Unnerving-Magazine-Stephen-S-Power-ebook/dp/B07961SCLM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1521678309&sr=1-1&keywords=unnerving+magazine+issue+5  Only the Lonely: http://store.albanlake.com/product/only-the-lonely/Year's Best Hardcore Horror Volume 2: https://www.amazon.com/Years-Best-Hardcore-Horror-2/dp/1936964627Strange Beasties: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074YGJ7MS

HWA POETRY SHOWCASE VOL. 5, TOC ANNOUNCED

Hi Everyone:

This year marks the fifth installment of the HWA Poetry Showcase, and I could not be more thrilled to be editing this volume. Over the years, it's been wonderful watching poetry gain momentum, and it's a breath of fresh [graveyard] air to see both new and seasoned writers submitting to the showcase. It has been a true honor to read all of the work submitted, and the judges (Mercedes M. Yardley and Michael A. Arnzen) and I had a blast going through everyone's poetry and discussing the work.
As such, it is my pleasure to share with you this year's lineup.

Ready?



Table of ContentsMother of Monsters by Trisha J. WooldridgeAttack of the Panic by Timothy P FlynnA Log Book Discovered on an Alien World by Terrie Leigh RelfHer Name by Susan SnyderCreature, Monster by Steve DillonMy Death by Simone VolponiAmalgamation by Sara TantlingerAlice Escapes the Machinery of the Cosmos By Swallowing the Tongue of Her Unspoken Dream by Saba Syed RazviStill Life by Robert PerezIt’s Coming by Rob E. BoleyThese Dreams by Randy D. RubinSo She Burns It All Down by R. J. JosephBeginding by Querus Abuttu (Dr. Q)Psalm by Peter Adam SalomonCall Me Mary by Naching T. KassaScreaming Skulls by Michael H. HansonThe Ghost of Whitechapel by Marge SimonAngels of Death by Lori R. LopezIf I Only by Lisa LepovetskyRevenants of the Antipodes by Kyla Lee WardHe Said by Kerri-Leigh GradyThe Tired Old Life by Kenneth W. CainMy Garden by Kathryn PtacekA Face in the Rain by John PalisanoSafety Labels on Hospice Beds by Joanna NeliusSaint Mark’s Eve by Janice LeachMulch by James Frederick LeachOn the Verge of Sleep, At the Edge of a Shadow by James EbersoleThe Witch Hunt by Jacopo Della QuerciaThe Demon at the Foot of Her Bed by G.O. ClarkSome Velvet Mourning by Frazer LeeTwenty Hours by Elizabeth MassieThe Church Service by Edward AhernCharmed by E. F. SchraederDolls by Donna LynchBroad Daylight by Denise DumarsSins of the Father by David E. CowenI Am by Cynthia PelayoSavor by Colleen AndersonGathered Words by Cindy O’QuinnThe Joy of Sewing by Christina SngWe Built This City (on Tired Bones) by Chad StroupReturn to the Prehistoric Garden by Chad HensleyBlood Work by Carina BissettThe Temptation of the Moon to Shadow by C.R. LangilleThirst by Annie NeugebauerThe Dead in Spring By Ann K. SchwaderMoloch Dreams by Angela Yuriko SmithLibri Haruspicy by Amanda HardIn This House by Allan Rozinski
A heartfelt congratulations to everyone above!
I'll post more information about pre-orders, etc. once I have them, but in the meantime, I encourage everyone to continue writing and to continue submitting your work out there! Furthermore, applications are still being accepted for the Dark Poetry Scholarship via the HWA, and mentoring is available via Crystal Lake Publishing and the HWA for those interested in working with someone one-on-one.

More soon!
With spilled ink and burnt parchment, Stephanie M. Wytovich 

Opening Up to Death: Using Ritual as a Coping Mechanism

All my life, people have assumed that I’m obsessed with death, and while to some extent that may be true, the more accurate answer is that I’m terrified of mortality and therefore so consumed with the concept of death that I’ve truly fallen madly in love with life. As such, I tend to live life passionately, and because of that excitement, I’m often always planning and multitasking too many projects and trips to keep up with, not to mention how careful I am about honoring my relationships with friends and family, never leaving without a giant hug and never hesitant to tell those I love how much they mean to me.
But as a woman raised in the Catholic faith, I’ve struggled to find my identity because I knew that the religion wasn’t something I completely agreed with, nor followed in my heart of hearts. While I think some of the practices are beautiful, and while I continue to maintain my beliefs (on my terms) to a certain degree, my journey exploring other faiths and practices has been a true blessing, not to mention one of the most enlightening spiritual paths I’ve had the opportunity to take.
Witchcraft was always something that sat in the back of my mind, but as a little girl who was taught “a man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads

Because of this, I’ve spent the past few years exploring the craft with a special focus on ritual as a coping mechanism for death, as well as looking at it through the lens of a guiding point in an effort to build a healthier relationship with mortality. As the past two years have brought with it the death of two of my grandparents, and the suicide of one of my aunts, I’ve been searching for a way to both honor death and celebrate life, forever looking for the balance between the light and the dark.
Now I have a rich history of depression swimming in my genetic makeup. I’ve battled chronic depression, insomnia, panic attacks, and severe anxiety for most of my life, and I’ve found that ritual has helped me not only to assuage some of my anxiety, but to express my grief and trauma through a way that promotes self-care while still acknowledging the great forces around me, thus grounding me emotionally and spiritually.
As such, here are some of the practices and rituals I’ve kept and stayed true to over the years. I hope they help bring you peace and comfort in trying times.
Remembrance Altars
When my aunt died, it was unexpected, and it was the first time anyone close to me had passed. When my grandfather and grandmother passed, and in such a short time after, the agony that followed was suffocating. To honor their memory and help keep their spirit alive, I made remembrance altars so I had/have a place to go in order to talk to them, pray, etc. as I worked through the stages of grief. For me, this aids with the grieving process because 1) it’s an honest reflection of death and one’s mortality, 2) it lessens the feeling of loneliness while still being true to the finality of the experience, and 3) it allows me to mediate and remember them through moments of joy, love, and peace, thereby showing the beauty of life rather than focusing on the sorrows of death. Some of what I use/d on my altar(s) include: White pillar candles (sometimes dressed with essential oils/herbs depending on the connection I’m looking for, i.e. love, advice, memory, etc.)Personal items of the deceased (for example, on one, I use my grandmother's beads and the prayer card from her funeral)Quartz crystals (white)Dried flowers (again, depending on the connection I’m looking for)My rose-infused rosary from Rome, Italy.

Funeral Rituals
My grandmother and I were very close, so at her wake, and then later at her funeral, I wanted to make sure she was buried with a farewell that suited her grace, especially because one night, she held my hand and apologized for me having to watch her die. To me, the western tradition of not handling our dead is a true loss because I think there’s something very beautiful and healthy about personally preparing our loved ones for their next journey. While emotionally, and at times physically painful--as grief can manifest in a variety of ways--I found every moment I spent with her prior to her death, and after, a true blessing. It is a great gift to be able to reassure and love someone during what makes for the scariest, and sometimes most painful, moment of their life, and as I told her then, there was nothing she ever needed to apologize for. She took care of me as a child, and now it was my turn to hold her hand and take care of her. 
I think, to some degree, my mom would agree as well. 


 As you can imagine, my grandmother's death was traumatic for me, in a lot of ways--Alzheimer’s is a cruel, horrid disease—and I grieved hard while sorting through home videos, photographs, letters, and old birthday cards.  At the funeral, my mother and her siblings put her purse (which in the later stages of the disease, she consistently lost and asked about) in the casket, and inside her purse, I put a long letter that I wrote to her (which can be read here). The following day, I carried a rose to her grave, and read a poem I wrote in her memory for everyone, including her, to hear. It was a beautiful moment of connection and closure, and I feel very much at peace knowing that I said goodbye in a way that was more than be standing in a random funeral home for four hours.


Grounding
Before I visit one of my altars, a grave, or if I even just sit down to meditate, I like to ground myself. Usually I picture myself sitting in the woods, surrounded my trees and a subtle light. As an avid listener of Mantras for Precarious Times by Deva Premal, I usually take my beads and do the chant for the removing of obstacles, i.e. Om Gum Ganapatayei  Namaha. I envision roots moving through my feet and into the earth, grounding me to the world and the energy around me. This has especially helped me during the acceptance stage of grieving as it lessons my anxiety about death and helps me to see it as a cyclic part of life, something that is neither a blessing nor a curse, but rather another step in our journey. 
Insomnia/Sleep rituals
Sleep has never been my friend, and during times of grief, it becomes particularly difficult for me to sleep as I’ve struggled with nightmares and insomnia for as long as I can remember. In fact, it’s taken me most of my life to get matters under control. I have one tea ritual that I like to use, as well as another recipe (along with some products) that I’ve found to greatly help me achieve a state of peace and serenity during the night.


Hedgewitch Apothecary’s Tea, Enter the SandmanC&C Apothecary’s Dream SalveBurning (or chewing) mugwortA sachet of lavender and balsam fir inside your pillowMy Dream Milk Recipe
1 cup warm milk (heated either on the stove or via the microwave depending on your preference)A dash of cinnamon (sometimes, I like to stick an entire cinnamon stick in there if I have one) A splash of vanilla Honey, to taste 
Grief Cleansing
Last but not least, I have two water rituals that I like to do in times of trauma and grief, but also as a means of self-care. Each of these, to some degree, is reminiscent of baptism, but something that always bothered me growing up is that baptism wasn’t a repetitive act. I love the idea of using water and prayer to cleanse us of our pain and suffering, thereby allowing us to start anew. As such, I like to charge a small bowl of water under the new moon/full moon as a way to heighten my experience with starting fresh/understanding the cycle of life.
(1) Bath Ritual
For this, I usually run a bath and fill it with Epsom salts and essential oils (usually lemon). If I have some dried roses, I’ll throw some in the tub, too, along with some rosemary. I’ll line the tub with rose quartz (love and spiritual nourishment), selenite (guardian angels) and amethyst (spiritual connection and protection) and in between the crystals, I’ll put seashells that I've collected at the beach. Usually I light white candles during this as well, and then as I’m soaking in the tub, I’ll concentrate of waves of light washing over me, helping to lessen the trauma and grief with each metaphorical wave that crashes against my body. Even focusing on the in and out of waves at sea is a great calmer, and again, it reinforces the idea--in a gentle way--that what comes in to the life, must also be taken back.
(2) Crystal Cleanse/Meditation
If I’m feeling particularly tense, I like to wind down in the evening with a couple rounds of moon salutations, followed by a light shavasana(or corpse pose) to help me relax and sort through my emotions. For me, this is useful at any stage of the grieving process, but especially during times of denial, anger, and blame. In those cases, I usually cast a circle and work within it, sometimes even lining my body (third eye, throat, and heart chakra) with quartz crystals during shavasana. 

POISON APPLES, BIRD FEATHERS, AND SISTERHOOD: AN AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH GWENDOLYN KISTE

Good Morning, Everyone:
Today in the Madhouse, I'm featuring author Gwendolyn Kiste where we'll talk reversed fairy tales, female empowerment, and chat about her short story collection, And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe. I have to say that I absolutely loved and was taken with this collection, and I found myself connecting with the stories inside it on a very real, emotional level. For those of you who know me, you know that I have a soft spot for the beautiful grotesque and that I think horror is one of the best genres in writing for learning coping methods and survival skills. Kiste's work incorporates all of that, but with the softness of a first kiss and the subtlety of a sharpened dagger. 

I'm beyond excited to have her here with me today, but for those of you who are new to her work, let me give you a proper introduction.Gwendolyn Kiste is the author of And Her Smile Will Untether the Universe, her debut fiction collection available now from JournalStone, as well as the dark fantasy novella, Pretty Marys All in a Row, from Broken Eye Books. Her short fiction has appeared in Nightmare Magazine, Shimmer, Black Static, Daily Science Fiction, Interzone, LampLight, and Three-Lobed Burning Eye as well as Flame Tree Publishing's Chilling Horror Short Stories anthology, among others. She currently resides on an abandoned horse farm outside of Pittsburgh with her husband, two cats, and not nearly enough ghosts.  
So stay away from the spinning wheel, try not to the eat the apple, and get ready to dive into a world of birds, towers, and women who like to break the rules.
With seashells and owl feathers,Stephanie M. Wytovich 

Tell us about your book. What gave you the idea to create this collection, and in your opinion, what does it represent at its most literal and figurative heights?
To be honest, I was inspired to put together the collection when my now-editor, Jess Landry, at JournalStone reached out to me and asked me to submit a book to her. I knew I had more than enough stories for a collection, but I’d wanted to wait until the right opportunity came along. I already admired Jess and all the work she’d done as an author, and I was so thrilled to be able to get on board with her as an editor, so I was sure that this was exactly the opportunity I’d hoped for. So I went through my work and really pored over which pieces went together. Once I’d winnowed everything down to nine previously published stories, I finished up a handful of new tales for the table of contents that were along a similar vein, and suddenly I realized I had a book! It felt a little like magic when it all came together.
To me, the collection is all about outsiders. It explores stories of people who have been pushed out of life, and bullied or entirely ostracized because of societal expectations. The horror mainly comes from that everyday dread of figuring out how to live in a world that’s so often hostile to anyone who’s different. In particular, it was important to me to have a collection that focused a lot on female characters and the relationships between them. Growing up, I always yearned for more female-centric stories, and once I had the chance, I knew that’s what I wanted to write.    
There were so many beautiful stories in this collection that it’s hard for me to pick a favorite. However, I was particularly taken with the first story, “Something Borrowed, Something Blue.” The imagery of birds juxtaposed with femininity and birth is written with such care and fragility, that I’m curious, what inspired it?
The simple answer for this one is that I just really love birds. Owls, crows, vultures, even pigeons—I’m a pretty big fan of all of them. Somehow, I also manage to spend a lot of time with birds too. I’ve held baby owls, been followed by murders of crows across town, and observed (from a safe distance) as mother and father birds taught their babies to fly.
Part of what draws me to birds, beyond how beautiful and fascinating they are, is that they’re tied to this idea of freedom. Flight can be such a metaphor for independence, and for letting go of the past and moving into the future or even the unknown. That mystery of birds definitely gives them a tinge of horror too, a certain kind of uncertainty or strangeness.
On the other hand, childbirth is one of the most terrifying things in the world to me. It’s so violent and yet treated so casually in society, like women should just be able to “bounce back” within minutes, despite how many changes, physically and emotionally, it puts new mothers through. As I was doing some free association in a drafting process, I imagined a connection between the freedom and mystery of birds and the terror of childbirth, especially in circumstances where the new mother is disregarded by those who should care most about her. It was certainly a painful story to write at points, but I like to think the ending is ultimately an optimistic, if not a little bit creepy, one.
“The Tower Princesses” reads like a reverse fairy tale, much like “All the Red Apples Have Withered to Gray.” I love that you’re empowering women through your retellings of these stories and tropes that we’re all familiar with, most of us even, from childhood. What effect are you hoping these stories have on how women are portrayed in the horror industry, both the writers and their characters?
I very much hope that these stories expand upon women’s roles, especially in horror, and give us a chance to reclaim our own narratives and make us into something more than victims. To be fair, horror has always included more strong female characters than many other genres, but in particular when looking at fairy tales, women are too often relegated to waiting for the prince to come and save them. With both “All the Red Apples Have Withered to Gray” and “The Tower Princesses,” I wanted to subvert that trope and allow the female characters to fight for and discover their own paths. It can be so easy to internalize the stories we’re told from childhood, and for me, as a writer, I like to take the tales that might have quietly built up one narrative for readers and look at that same story from a different and hopefully more challenging perspective. We can still love the things we grew up with, while at the same time realizing that some of the “lessons” we learned were dated and even at times damaging.      
“The Clawfoot Requiem” was another favorite of mine, and to me, it’s a perfect example of the beautiful grotesque. For readers who are unfamiliar with the terminology, how would you describe the beautiful grotesque, and to add on to that, how do you like to tackle it in your writing?
For me, the beautiful grotesque is all about finding the lyrical and the elegant in images and themes that are commonly seen as unnerving or even outright disgusting. In my writing, I might take an image—the bathtub of blood in “The Clawfoot Requiem” or the gory childbirth in “Something Borrowed, Something Blue”—and depict it in a way that isn’t there solely to “gross-out.” Instead, the focus is on what’s quietly lovely and hopefully emotionally resonant in the creepy moment.
One of my favorite things about the beautiful grotesque is that it can be a strange kind of coping mechanism. Horror in general helps readers (and writers) to deal with the more terrifying aspects of life. By taking that one step further and not just dealing with the things that terrify us but also making those things beautiful, it can simultaneously enhance the horror while also adding an odd level of comfort. Because if something’s beautiful, it can’t just be horrifying, right? There’s certainly cognitive dissonance in the beautiful grotesque, and personally, I think that makes it even more appealing to me, how the juxtaposition challenges expectations.
To me, the collection read like a whimsical, haunted fairy tale, so I have to ask. What’s your favorite fairy tale and why?
It’s obviously so hard to pick, but I’ll have to go with Baba Yaga. She’s such a fascinating and still underappreciated character. I love her capricious nature, how she’s as likely to assist the protagonist as she is to antagonize them. Plus, who wouldn’t want to live in a house with chicken legs, and ride around in a mortar and pestle every night? She’s definitely quite the gal!
However, in terms of my favorite fairy tale retelling, that would be “The Company of Wolves.” It was the first Angela Carter story I ever read, and it was a complete revelation for me. Ever since discovering it in an undergrad literature class, I can very honestly say I haven’t been the same.
What takeaway do you hope your readers leave your collection with?
It’s interesting, because I don’t necessarily have a specific takeaway for the collection. I’m happy with whatever the readers discover for themselves while reading these stories. That being said, if I had to choose, I hope that those who feel like the outsider or the Other come away feeling at least a little less alone in the world. And for anyone who doesn’t necessarily feel like the outsider, then maybe they’ll have more understanding and compassion for those who don’t belong. I can be a bit too optimistic about the future, but I still like to believe that one day, we’ll have a world where we don’t deliberately lock people out of opportunity and out of life and happiness. I think literature can provide one way for us to move toward a more inclusive society, and I would very much like for my work to be part of that.

How did you come to writing and who are some of your influences?
Like so many of us, I’ve been writing pretty much since I could pick up a pencil. I put together my first little books of stories when I was around six years old, complete with really terrible illustrations. (I’m definitely not a visual artist!) I’ve always loved horror and the darker side of fairy tales, so as a voracious reader as a child, it seemed like the most wonderful possibility for me that eventually, I could be a writer too.
My biggest influences are definitely Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson, and Angela Carter. Their fiction never ceases to surprise me, no matter how many times I read and reread their stories. As for authors writing today, Brooke Warra, Farah Rose Smith, Eden Royce, Christa Carmen, Calvin Demmer, and Christina Sng are just a few who consistently inspire me with their work. It’s a wonderful time to be a horror and dark fantasy writer, for sure.     
Can you give us an insight into your writing process? Any habits or rituals when you sit down to write?
I’ve found over the past year or so that I actually write best when I don’t have a typical pattern but instead switch up where I write and when. I have a dedicated writing desk at home, but I love to get out of the house when I can. To coffee shops, diners, any place that has Wi-Fi and sometimes even places that don’t. My biggest challenge is to make sure nothing about the process of writing feels too rote. I can’t get into that creative headspace if that happens.
I will say, though, that a cup of coffee is always a great motivator. It’s the one ritual that never fails for me!  
What books are sitting in your TBR pile?
Too many to count, honestly! In the next month or so, I’m looking very forward to reading Larissa Glasser’s F4, Chthonic: Weird Tales of Inner Earth from Martian Migraine Press, Craig Laurance Gidney’s The Nectar of Nightmares, and an advance copy of Christa Carmen’s debut collection, Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked. I’ll probably also reread a couple books in there too, including Carol J. Clover’s Men, Women, and Chainsaws as well as Literary Witches by Taisia Kitaiskaia and illustrated by Katy Horan. So many incredible books, and so little time!
What is next in store for your readers?
My debut novel, The Rust Maidens, is coming very soon! Based primarily in the year 1980, it’s about a group of girls in a Cleveland neighborhood who are slowly turning into the rust and rot that surrounds them. It includes some of my favorite themes such as body horror and coming of age, and it also has some elements of a very weird, gothic fairy tale too. That will be released through Trepidatio Publishing, an imprint of JournalStone, and should be coming out in September.
While the novel is my big project for the year, I also have a number of short stories that will be making their way into the world soon as well. In particular, my horror story, “An Elegy for Childhood Monsters,” will appear in Suspended in Dusk 2 from Grey Matter Press, and my cosmic horror tale, “A Lost Student’s Guide to Surviving the Abyss,” will be part of the Welcome to Miskatonic University anthology from Broken Eye Books.  I have a couple other pieces that I can’t announce yet, but hopefully, there will be several more things to come in 2018.   
What advice do you have for writers working in the horror genre?
It might seem obvious, but write what scares you. It doesn’t matter if it’s not the usual things that are deemed “frightening.” In fact, sometimes, the most unusual fears create the best and more distinctive stories. If it unnerves you, then it’s worth exploring. Especially when writing horror, it’s often easier and less painful to take the easy way out, to look away from the things that truly bother us, but when you dig deep into the recesses of who you are and what truly terrifies you, that’s when I think a writer is going to find that vein of truth in their work. And that’s what’s more likely to resonate with readers.

Book Description & Blurbs

A murdered movie star reaches out to an unlikely fan. An orchard is bewitched with poison apples and would-be princesses. A pair of outcasts fail a questionnaire that measures who in their neighborhood will vanish next. Two sisters keep a grotesque secret hidden in a Victorian bathtub. A dearly departed best friend carries a grudge from beyond the grave.

In her debut collection, Gwendolyn Kiste delves into the gathering darkness where beauty embraces the monstrous, and where even the most tranquil worlds are not to be trusted. From fairy tale kingdoms and desolate carnivals, to wedding ceremonies and summer camps that aren't as joyful as they seem, these fourteen tales of horror and dark fantasy explore death, rebirth, and illusion all through the eyes of those on the outside---the forgotten, the forsaken, the Other, none of whom will stay in the dark any longer.

"Ravishingly beautiful and profoundly haunting." -- Maria Haskins, author of Dark Flash

"These stories come from the shadows under the merry-go-round, and they're eager to drag you back there with them." -- Sarah Read, author and editor at Pantheon Magazine
"A lyrical journey of blood, loss, and secrets, Kiste's debut collection takes you from a cursed orchard to a world that looks all too familiar. Dark and beautiful, And Her Smile is not to be missed." -- Jacob Haddon, editor of LampLight

Promotional Links http://www.gwendolynkiste.comhttp://facebook.com/gwendolynkiste
http://twitter.com/gwendolynkiste  

THERE ARE BOOKS FOR YOU IN HELL: Dark Regions Press to Raffle off 10 copes of The Eighth

Exciting news! I'm currently in the author spotlight (AH! IT BURNS) over at Dark Regions Press. We'll be doing some fun stuff over the next couple of weeks and right now, Dark Regions Press is giving away 10 copies of my debut novel, The Eighth over on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to like their page and head over to join the fun.  Book Summary :After Paimon, Lucifer’s top soul collector, falls in love with a mortal girl whose soul he is supposed to claim, he desperately tries everything in his power to save her from the Devil’s grasp. But what happens when a demon has to confront his demons, when he has to turn to something darker, something more sinister for help? Can Paimon survive the consequences of working with the Seven Deadly Sins-sins who have their own agenda with the Devil—or will he fall into a deeper, darker kind of hell? What They're Saying :


"The Eighth is a stellar horror debut from Stephanie Wytovich. An intimate, painful map of personal and literal hells that would make Clive Barker proud." - Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author “The Eighth is an intense tale of love, betrayal, damnation and regret. Paimon's story draws you in with lyrical language and lush imagery that is both beautiful and disturbing. This story is definitely not safe for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach, immersing you in a world of pain and darkness.”-Angela Crawford, Horror Maiden Book Reviews
“Stephanie Wytovich’s The Eighth is a savage tale of betrayal, regret, and the dark side of love in its many forms. The poetic imagery she sprinkles throughout balances the brutality with beauty.”  Chris Marrs, author of Wildwoman and Everything Leads Back to Alice
“A fierce and emotionally intense debut.”- Craig DiLouie, author of Suffer the Children“A brilliant debut from a major new talent, full of darkness, fire, and devilry. Indeed, the sins in this novel are so well realized that I fear just a little for Ms. Wytovich’s soul.”- Rio Youers, author of Westlake Soul and Point Hollow “Loosely based on the Hades of Dante’s Inferno, Wytovich’s depiction of the underworld is truly terrifying and it’s likely that it would scare the hell out of Alighieri himself.”-Shane Douglas Keen, This is Horror UK“…a raw, bloody and intriguing portrait of obsession and pain.”-Unnerving Magazine
“Stephanie Wytovich is by nature a poet. THE EIGHTH is both pure poetry, and purely poetic. From the first lines I floated in imagery and lyricism, in sensuality in its strictest sense, a feast of the senses. A hedonist would revel! [Both Aleister Crowley and Oscar Wilde come to mind in this regard.]”- The Haunted Reading Room

WITCHCRAFT, OFFERINGS, HISTORY, AND HORROR: THE MERRIMACK VALLEY HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL

This year, I'm going to be attending/vending at the Merrimack Valley Halloween Festival in Haverhill, MA. I'll have copies of my poetry collections (Hysteria: A Collection of Madness, Mourning Jewelry, An Exorcism of Angels, Brothel, and Sheet Music to My Acoustic Nightmare), and my novel (The Eighth). The Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival 2018 will feature at least more than SIXTY authors, artists, and filmmakers. Panel discussions. Brand new book debuts. And, of course, Trick or Treat candy.
Event Details:Saturday, October 13th, 2018, from 10am to 4:30pm.
Haverhill Public Library
Haverhill, MA
I'm really excited for this event, not just because it will give me the chance to meet more readers, but also because I'll be getting to see my writing family again, some of who I only see maybe once a year (or maybe every other year at that). I'm also planning on taking some time to explore Massachusetts, and in additional to Haverhill, I'll be hanging out in Boston, Amherst, and Salem. I plan on leaving offerings at Emily Dickinson's and Anne Sexton's grave, visiting the Dickinson museum, and spending lots of time photographing and researching Salem for a literature class I'm designing.
This opportunity is perfectly timed because this past semester, I taught Dickinson, Sexton, and Hawthorne. Beyond the confessional poets obviously having a huge influence on my work, I'm also using their work for a larger non-fiction project that's been in the making, so having the chance to honor them at their resting place will be a beautiful moment for me. It's kind of like when Patti Smith talks about visiting Plath's grave in her memoir, M Train (which if you haven't read that book, I highly recommend doing so). As for Hawthorne, I plan on doing some more work to prepare for my visit to Salem. I teach a lot of his short stories, which I'm madly in love with, and I've of course read The Scarlet Letter more times than I care to count, but I also want to read The House of the Seven Gables, as well as some other witchcraft inspired books (not necessarily by him), such as The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike. All in all, I think it will be a refreshing trip both mentally and emotionally, and I'm very much looking forward to spending time in a new place with people I've grown to love.   

PITTSBURGH FILMMAKERS HELP GIRLS REMAKE HORROR

Hello Friends and Fiends!


I'm writing to you today with an exciting announcement, one that I'm simply just over the moon about. This summer, I'm partnering up with Pittsburgh Filmmakers to work with them, and a bunch of talented young ladies, on a summer camp titled: Girls Remake Horror . The instructors and I will be focusing on all aspects of filmmaking, and I personally will be focusing on the history of the horror genre and writing for horror, both on and off screen (with some fun exercises to boot!). For those of you who are local to the area and might have children (or know friends who have children who might be interested), below are the camp details, all of which promise a bloody good time. Link included above.
But wait! I forgot the best part!
The final product that the students will be working on--a short film--will be presented as part of Pittsburgh's Celebration of George Romero and Night of the Living Dead this October.

THEY'RE COMING TO GET YOU BARBARA....
Camp Description:


Traditionally, horror films are written and directed by and for men. In 2018, the 50th anniversary of “Night of the Living Dead”, this two-week intensive camp invites high schoolers who identify as female to re-imagine the genre. Students will receive instruction in the history of horror cinema and in basic filmmaking techniques. Then, instructors who also work in the field as professional filmmakers and horror writers will guide students through the process of writing, shooting and editing a short horror film. The final product will be presented as part of Pittsburgh’s celebration of “Night of the Living Dead” and George Romero in October.
Camp Details:
Camp Dates: July 23 through August 3.Days/Times: Monday through Friday 9:00am to 4pmLocation: Pittsburgh Filmmakers, 477 Melwood Avenue in North Oakland. Cost per student: $725/$750 Instructors will include professional filmmakers and film historians from the Pittsburgh Filmmakers faculty. All equipment will be provided. Each student will receive a copy of the finished film after its premiere in October.


Learning Outcomes:
Effective horror writingDirecting actorsCamera work/shot choice for horror moodLighting for horror moodSFX makeupSound recording and mixingEditing with PremiereExposure to strong female role models in the film and media industriesIncreased self-confidence, personally and professionallyDiverse representation in the mediaAbility to give and receive constructive criticism about creative workSpeaking and presentation skillsNetworking techniques

FINAL GIRLS IN THE MADHOUSE: AN INTERVIEW WITH CLAIRE C. HOLLAND

Hello Everyone:

Today in the Madhouse, I'm hosting Claire C. Holland. Holland is a poet and writer from Philadelphia, currently living in Los Angeles. She has been a freelance writer for more than ten years, and her first book of poetry,  I Am Not Your Final Girl , is available now. When she's not writing, Claire can usually be found reading or binge-watching horror movies with her husband, Corey, and Wheaten Terrier, Chief Brody. She is also a feminist, a tattoo collector, and interested in all forms of art strange and subversive.

I had heard about Holland's work at StokerCon this year when I was presenting a feminist lecture on Scream Queens: The Role of Women in Slasher Films. Several people asked me if I had read her work yet, so needless to say, I was so excited that I immediately downloaded in on my Kindle and read it on the flight home. I became a quick fan of Holland's work, because not only is she a fantastic poet, but her work is also empowering and it tackles a lot issues that we're all facing today, both emotionally and politically.

I'm beyond excited to have her here in the Madhouse with me, and I hope you'll all give her a warm welcome, check out her work, and enjoy the interview that we did below.

With razors and screams,Stephanie M. Wytovich

Tell us about your book. What gave you the idea to create this collection, and in your opinion, what does it represent at its most literal and figurative heights?
I think I started writing the book about a week after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election. I was feeling incredibly depressed, hopeless, and scared - but also so angry. Angry that we had, in my opinion, failed one another as fellow citizens. I was angry at myself for not doing more before the election, and for assuming that the rest of the country would “obviously” not vote for a misogynist, racist reality TV show star. I needed to channel those feelings, and I deal with intense emotions by writing about them. I was already working on a YA novel in verse at the time, and originally, each section opened with a poem from the perspective of a final girl from horror film (the girl who survives until the end). I ended up simply expanding on that idea and running with it, and the poems practically burst out of me.
The book is about the interior thoughts of these fictional women, who I used to channel my own frustrations and fears about today’s world. It’s also about finding your inner strength, or even your inner monster - that extra bit of fight that I think every woman has inside her, that a lot of us are just discovering. I hope it resonates in that way for other people, too.
The collection is broken down by movies and then given female names as titles. How did you decide to organize the collection this way? Did you have the movies already picked out, or did you write to different movies as you worked through the book?
As I said above, I had already written three “final girl” poems for a different project I was working on, and that’s what gave me the idea. I’m obsessed with horror movies, so I already had a huge knowledge base and I immediately had a lot of characters in mind. Carrie White, Laurie Strode, Sally Hardesty - they’re staples of the horror genre and classic examples of the strong, smart final girl trope. As I kept writing, though, I had to mine a ton of movies for inspiration to finish the book. A scene or moment would eventually spark a line or an idea. I named each poem after the character because I wanted to feel like I was giving these women a renewed voice.
What is your favorite slasher film and how do you personally define Final Girl?
When Carol J. Clover coined the term, it just meant “the woman who survives until the end.” She was generally girl-next-door-ish, likable, bookish. Brunette. I think the term has broadened in recent years, at least in terms of what a final girl looks and acts like. In my book, there are several characters who don’t match the traditional description; I even have a few villains in there. I didn’t want to constrict myself to a completely classic view of the final girl, because I think our society is finally beginning to recognize that women can be antiheroes, too, and we’re allowed to root for them. I’ve sometimes been most inspired by “monstrous” female characters, because they’re really just smart and ambitious.
Asking me to name my favorite horror film is like asking me to name a favorite puppy… but my answer for the last few years has been Evil Dead - the 2013 reboot. I hope I don’t lose all my horror cred for naming a remake, but I love it. Green Room might be a close second at the moment.
You work is so empowering when it comes to slashing the tropes and stereotypes that women are usually cast in. I’m curious, what would you like to see change in the industry in regard to the roles women play both in horror fiction and film?
Thank you! I actually think horror is one of the most progressive, satisfying genres for a woman to be interested in right now. We have incredible new horror films coming out every other month, and so many of them are being created by women, from a woman’s perspective, dealing with women’s issues. Karyn Kusama, Julia Ducournau, Ana Lily Amirpour, Jennifer Kent - they’re all making movies about motherhood, grief, assault, growing up female. But they’re doing it through a very universal lens, which is what I love about horror. Anyone can identify with fear. So I think we are seeing a big change in the way women are being portrayed in the genre, because women are writing those characters. But I think race is an area that hasn’t been addressed nearly as well by the genre as a whole, so I’m excited to see a movie like “Get Out” getting so much attention. I hope we see more of that.
As for horror fiction, I’m going to have to out myself as a huge wimp right now and say that I read almost no horror, aside from young adult or poetry. I don’t know why, but a scary book is leagues more frightening to me than a scary movie.
What takeaway do you hope your readers leave your collection with?
At the very least, I hope it helps some women feel less alone. We’re all struggling through this scary time, and experiencing many of the same feelings. We’ve all been through things and made it out alive. I hope it empowers women to embrace their own strength.
How did you come to poetry and who are some of your influences?
I’ve written poetry for as long as I can remember. My mom read a ton of books to me as a child, including plenty of poetry, and I just loved the detail in it. You can write a whole poem about the beauty of someone’s fingernail, if you’re good enough. My biggest influence when I was younger was Francesca Lia Block - she writes the most gorgeous prose, it’s like poetry. I had a college professor, Jehanne Dubrow, who writes beautiful poetry and I feel like she taught me so much. Beth Bachmann is a poet I aspire to be more like; her poems cut straight to the bone.
Can you give us an insight into your writing process? Any habits or rituals when you sit down to write?
Well for this book, if an idea wasn’t already brimming right at the surface, I would usually put on a horror movie and watch it in the dark for a while to get in the right mood. Other than that, though, I wouldn’t say I have much of a routine. I just like to be quiet and alone when I write. I wish I wrote in a leather-bound journal or something cool like that, but I always write straight on my laptop when I can so I can see what the poem will look like on the page.
What books are sitting in your TBR pile?
Janet Fitch is a favorite author of mine, and her newest book, The Revolution of Marina M., is actually about a poet, so I’ll be checking that out. Nova Ren Suma has a new book coming out soon that I’m excited about, A Room Away From the Wolves. I just read After the Witch Hunt by Megan Falley and really enjoyed it.
What is next in store for your readers?
I’m not sure, to be honest. I’m encouraged by all the positive feedback I’ve gotten so far, and I do have an idea for another poetry collection kicking around in my head. I’m just going to keep writing and see where it leads me. If Trump is president for much longer, I may end up writing a trilogy!
What advice do you have for poets working in the horror genre?
I think participating in an online community of like-minded people can really help, both in connecting to an audience and getting the word out about what you’re making. It may sound strange, because Twitter is often known for being a toxic environment, but I got so much support from other horror film fans on Twitter while I was writing this book. Many of them preordered it or bought it the day it was released, it and then posted about it on social media themselves. It was amazing. I think it’s difficult to find your audience as a poet, because the majority of people still tend to think of poetry as an old-fashioned kind of writing that isn’t relevant today. But I think if you can connect to an audience on multiple levels, it shows people that poetry can be just as accessible and relevant as any other art form.
Book blurb:From Claire C. Holland, a timely collection of poetry that follows the final girl of slasher cinema - the girl who survives until the end - on a journey of retribution and reclamation. From the white picket fences of 1970s Haddonfield to the apocalyptic end of the world, Holland confronts the role of women in relation to subjects including feminism, violence, motherhood, sexuality, and assault in the world of Trump and the MeToo movement. Each poem centers on a fictional character from horror cinema, and explores the many ways in which women find empowerment through their own perceived monstrousness.

MATT BETTS BROUGHT THE BOOGEYMAN'S INTERN INTO THE MADHOUSE

Hi Everyone!
Today in the Madhouse, I'm happy to participate in the cover reveal for my dear friend Matt Betts and his new book The Boogeyman's Intern. This delicious tale is scheduled for a release date of June 1st 2018.
Back of the Book Summary:
Not everyone lands their dream job.
Take Abe: He’s bottomed out as an Imaginary Friend and has to find a new job before his bosses assign him a truly crappy one. Just as he’s about to resign himself to a life of making toys in a workshop, he’s given a reprieve—of sorts.
Now he has the opportunity to be the first policeman on the Hill and solve an impossible murder. For assistance he ropes in his career counselor, a Bigfoot, and his best friend, a Boogeyman. The job requires him to talk to Tooth Fairies, Leprechauns, Yetis and everything else humanity has dreamt up over the years. None of them offer any clues, but since Abe’s supervisors are Mother Nature, Father Time and Death, he can’t just give up and walk away.
Dream job? Dream on.
Some More Explanation:
The Boogeyman’s Intern takes a light-hearted look at things that go bump in the night. These days it’s a mashup world and Betts is spot on as a culture DJ of sorts. He’s quite at home mixing old legends and new for the delight of modern readers. Add in a mystery and lots of quirky characters and you have a tasty recipe for offbeat fun.
Betts envisions a place for all our mythological characters to return to once they’ve fulfilled their part in the human realm. The Hill is home to all sorts of Imaginaries and usually they get along quite well. In fact, Imaginaries don’t die, and they’ve never even needed police, until now. The discovery of a murder has turned The Hill on its head. The Boogeyman’s Intern is a bit like Monsters Inc. for adults. Fans of Christopher Moore and Terry Pratchett will especially enjoy a visit to The Hill.
Some Early Praise for the Book:
“What starts out as a quirky tale about a burnt-out Imaginary Friend turns into a locked room murder mystery for a creature that cannot die. An entertaining mash-up of Monsters Inc. and Chinatownin a world populated by Bigfoot, Tooth Fairies, and Boogeymen. Perhaps, the start of its own genre: Imagin-noire.” —Josef Matulich, author of Camp Arcanum
“Betts injects equal shots of wit and humor into a genre that often takes itself too seriously, all while never jeopardizing what makes it unique. With deft prose and sharp dialogue, this book is a refreshing take on the fantastical.” —Tim McWhorter, author of Bone White and Blackened
“Written with his characteristic humor and heart, Matt Betts illuminates the characters who appear in both our dreams and our darkest nightmares. Quite simply, he’s done it again.” —Mercedes M. Yardley, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Nameless: The Darkness Comes