WiHM 12: Quick Six Questions With L. Marie Wood

L. Marie Wood is an award-winning psychological horror author and screenwriter.  She won the Golden Stake Award for The Promise Keeper.  Wood’s short fiction has been published widely, most recently in  Slay: Stories of the Vampire Noire and Bram Stoker Award Finalist anthology, Sycorax’s Daughters.  Learn more at www.lmariewood.com.

Welcome to The Horror Tree, and thank you for participating in Women In Horror Month. First, tell us a bit about yourself and your interest in horror.

I have been a fan of psychological horror since I was very young and began writing when I was around 5 years old. Three of my novels have been published with more to come, three short story collections as well, and a few novellas that will be released in the near future. I am also a screenwriter and have been lucky enough to have won a few awards in the past few years. When I am not writing novels or screenplays or short stories, I am teaching people to do so (I am an English Professor and mentor).

Why is Women In Horror Month important, and what do you say to someone who says ‘Oh, I don’t care if it’s by a man, a woman, etc., as long as it’s a good story’?”
I actually tend to agree that I don’t care who wrote the story – as long as it is good, I am interested. The problem is the world doesn’t work that way. Women’s voices are often marginalized in the genre space, making it difficult for female practitioners to gain readership and/or be respected by their peers. For that reason I think it is important that Women in Horror Month exist – its presence calls attention to the fact that we are here and we are writing amazing things.

Who are some Women In Horror (or other women) who have influenced your work, and why?
There are many – some that I know personally, some that I don’t. Names that come to mind are Tananarive Due (a beacon), Anne Rice (I mean, do I need to say anything more than Lestat?), Ann Radcliffe (paved the way), but there is one person who embodies the writing chops, the dedication, and the giving spirit that I aspire to. Linda Addison is an amazing example of eloquence and perseverance. She is a pioneer in the genre and a person that I am lucky to call friend. On top of her dedication to helping others have their voices heard in the genre, she is immensely talented – the woman is an absolute powerhouse.

2020 will probably be remembered as a TERRIBLE year for many of us; tell me something GOOD that happened in the past 12 months.
My third novel, The Realm, came out in 2020 (a fast-paced story about the afterlife that keeps you on your toes); I earned several screenplay nods in 2020 as well. An unexpected positive of the year was the amount of opportunities I had to either speak on video panels and talk about the things I love or watch other people doing the same. The amount of content available to creatives in the genre last year was unparallelled. I hope many people took advantage of that.

What have you got planned for Women in Horror Month, and the coming months of 2021?
I have big plans this year! 🙂 My second novel, The Promise Keeper, which won the Golden Stake award, is being re-released with a brand-spanking-new cover in April. I have a novella about the impact of isolation coming out in May (Telecommuting) and two new novels scheduled for release toward the end of the year – one of them is Cacophony – The Realm, Book Two (coming in October). For Women in Horror Month, I am working on edits for the second novel in a new series set to debut in 2022 and I am writing a psychological horror screenplay as well.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers? Thanks for participating in Women in Horror Month!
Trying out new writers is a lot like making new friends. Come hang out with me – I bet we’ll get along fine. 🙂 Thanks for having me!!!