WiHM 12: Quick Six Questions With Carmilla Voiez
I’m a <cough> 49 year-old mother of two daughters and life-long Goth who writes in various horror genres, from magic-filled dark-fantasy, and psychological through to slashers. I suspect what distinguishes my work most is that I write first and foremost about women, and I write sympathetic antagonists (or villains). I adore a complicated and compelling baddie. I grew up with Hammer Horror, and perhaps that’s what turned me towards the dark-side of film and fiction. It certainly encouraged me to think of horror and sexuality as being intrinsically linked.
I am certain that the secret to any writer’s success is exposure. There are elements in every community, and I don’t believe horror is any different, which are reactionary, hierarchical, and protect the privilege of those already at the top. Women have been traditionally told to shut up or remove themselves from public spaces, which is why things like Women in Horror Month matter.
The late, great Storm Constantine, whose fantasy was frequently driven by horror and vice versa. I’m also a fan of emerging voices like Kenzie Jennings and Eden Royce. And I’m amazed (although I probably shouldn’t be) and the diversity of female voices in horror. I believe I’ve been influenced more by male horror writers Like Clive Barker, but that’s probably because I encountered them earlier. What I do get from other female writers is a wonderful sense of community and shared struggle.
I wrote a huge amount in 2020, two novels (one of which was co-written with Faith Marlow), and countless short stories (some of which have yet to find homes). As someone who is naturally socially awkward, I found the isolation of 2020 actually benefited my mental health in some ways. 2021 feels harder. I want it to be over now.
A wonderful collection of short stories about female villains is being released by Mocha Memoirs Press on the 9th February. You can find it here – http://smarturl.it/slicegirls. I’m featuring a series of interviews with the writers who contributed to the collection on my own blog, which can be found on my website – www.carmillavoiez.com. In these interviews, we discuss their stories and talk about women in horror. Further into the year I plan to release the final book of the Starblood series and a third graphic novel. We’re also looking for a publisher for the co-written Gothic Horror novel. I’ve left my old publisher, so some of my books will be temporarily unavailable for ninety days. I’ll be celebrating the re-release of those and the release of the final book in May and June.
I’ll take this opportunity to “big myself up” a little. The best reason to read my stories is to engage with the ideas of people who are different from yourself, or to be terrified; I enjoy frightening readers. If you enjoy character-driven stories, my work is for you. If you’re frustrated by the limits the modern world puts upon us, my work is for you. If you enjoy sensory descriptions that draw you into a fictional world, then my work is for you.
Facebook – facebook.com/Author.Carmilla.
Twitter – @carmillavoiez
Instagram – @carmillavoiez
Website – www.carmillavoiez.com (includes my blog)
Starblood links (books 1 – 4)
Starblood – Temporarily unavailable in a single format.
Psychonaut – Temporarily unavailable in a single format.
Black Sun – Temporarily unavailable in a single format, but the trilogy is sold in paperback http://smarturl.it/
Pariah – in the final editing stage.
Starblood graphic novels (books 1 and 2)
Starblood graphic novel – http://smarturl.it/sgnebook
Psychonaut graphic novel – http://smarturl.it/psychonaut
The Ballerina and the Revolutionary – http://smarturl.it/Ballerina
Broken Mirror and Other Morbid Tales – http://smarturl.it/
The Erotic Tales of Carmilla Voiez – http://smarturl.it/
The Venus Virus – Temporarily unavailable, except as an audiobook. https://www.amazon.com/Venus-
Slice Girls – http://smarturl.it/slicegirls
- About the Author
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Selene MacLeod is a night operator and sometime writing hobbyist. She holds a BA in Communications from Wilfrid Laurier University and resides in Kitchener, Ontario. Her work has appeared in several horror and crime fiction anthologies, most recently Shotgun Honey, Drag Noir (Fox Spirit Books); and the upcoming Freakshow: Freakishly Fascinating Tales of Mystery and Suspense (Copper Pen Press), and Tragedy Queens (Clash Media).She’s most excited about editing a charity anthology for Nocturnicorn Books called Anthem: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen, due out late 2017.
