WiHM 12: Quick Six Questions With Nancy Kilpatrick

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’ve been a full-time writer and editor for about 1/2 of my life and a dabbler before that. I started dabbling about the age of 7. Most of my work is in the horror and dark fantasy genres, but not all. Like many writers, I like to try my wordly skills at new types of writing or writing-related projects. To that end, over the years I have written: a graphic novel and a short story for a graphic antho; lots of non-fiction articles and reviews; a couple of radio plays; co-written a stage play; and even department store ad copy back in the day. I’ve also edited 15 anthologies. I’ve taught writing for a college and a university, many different courses over the years, but have now settled on one, Short Story Writing, which has two levels through George Brown College, Distance Ed.  I’ve had real jobs and if anyone reading this has time to kill, they can peruse my silly blog post about some of them: https://nancykilpatrickwriter.blogspot.com/2020/02/jobsworking-for-man-not-steve-noun.html?spref=bl

 

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 say, thank you for buying a book because of a good story. But, sadly, most men buy writing by men, and a lot of women buy writing by men, at least in the horror genre. There’s still a perception that women can’t write good horror. Back in the day, a lot of women who wrote horror used initials and their last name because of that bias. Now, I think, women horror writers are more ‘out’. But we still have to fight for a market share in horror.

 

Who are some Women In Horror (or other women) who have influenced your work, and why?

 

I never mention living authors. I know so many and people feel slighted at not being listed.  And personally, I detest those top-10/25/50 lists of writers. I find them offensive.

So, of the dead ones (lol): Shirley Jackson I love for her subtle creepiness; Mary Shelley for her innovation and bravery; Angela Carter for her lovely fantastical visions; Tanith Lee for her incredible, magical imaginative writing; Agatha Christie for her use of language and wonderful who-done-it plots. All of these women (but for Christie, unless you consider murder and kidnapping horror, which I do) have written horror as well as other types of fiction. Check them out.

2020 will probably be remembered as a TERRIBLE year for many of us; tell me something GOOD that happened in the past 12 months.

 

Hummm. How about this? I tackled something I wasn’t comfortable with doing–reading my own work. I think the last time I read in public was 20 years ago at an antho launch and I read one sentence and closed the book. I never believe that I can convey orally how I hear the story in my head. I’m a writer, not an actor.  

Despite my stubbornness, I’ve now recorded short 2 to 3 minute readings from 9 novels and 2 novellas, all available on my website. I’ve done a 5-minute reading of a short story “In the Fullness of the Moon”, and have also read chapter one from Anguish of the Sapiens Queen, book 5 in the Thrones of Blood series. Both are on YouTube. It has been a real challenge and I can tell you that even for the 2-3 minute bits, I read them aloud at least 20 times and then taped them another 20 until I hit the ‘Fuck it! That’s as good as it gets!’ But I now admit to breathing easier about doing this. Besides another short reading this month for WIHM (see below), I am planning 3 more readings for the spring.

 

What have you got planned for Women in Horror Month, and the coming months of 2021? 

 

WIHM: 

– My novella Vampyre Theatre is on sale on Amazon for $1.50 for the month of February (eBook).

– An interview I did for Don’s World of Horror and Exploitation has been switched to March, since there’s a (mild) controversy about WIHM being in February.

Crossroad Press has reprinted some of my backlist and they have Child of the Night from a previous novel series on sale for February. Here’s their sale page:

https://crossroadpress.com/2021/01/celebrating-women-in-horror-month/?fbclid=IwAR3esEoRaut71UBNcuM6-KrYZQSj–dY1ZP3e-975BkI9unc9j5LzqLaGKs

– I’m doing a live 5-minute reading of my story “Memories of el Dia de los Muertos” on February 16th @ 6 pm. It will be live on both my Facebook Fan page here: 

Nancy Kilpatrick, Writer and Editor 

and also on YouTube (where it will stay). Just type in Nancy Kilpatrick and the video will come up. Please come by to see and hear the Reluctant Reader.

WORK:

– Currently I’m revising an original story from the past for an anthology. 

– I am finally finishing up an SF/Horror novel I’ve been working on for 3 years. 

– I will be concluding the Thrones of Blood novel series this year with book 6, Imperilment of the Hybrids. It’s a big series with two big overarching plots. If I can’t tie it all up properly, there will be a book 7. My original plan was 7 novels. We shall see.

 

Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers? Thanks for participating in Women in Horror Month! 

 

Yes. I urge your readers to buy a book or two from a woman this month. Supporting a woman who writes horror is the way to elevate the entire horror field.

I’ll leave you with this:

“You must do the thing you cannot do.”

Eleanor Roosevelt (who was much more than a First Lady)

 

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Media Links:

Website: nancykilpatrick.com

Facebook: httpsnancy.kilpatrick.31

Twitter: nancykwriter

Instagram: nancykilpatrickauthor

Blog: nancykilpatrickwriter.blogspot.com

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Bio:

Nancy Kilpatrick is an award-winning author and editor. Her work includes these genres: horror, dark fantasy, mystery, urban fantasy, science fiction, literary, erotica.  She is an avid traveler, in search of the macabre. Check her website for info on print, eBook, audio and translations works.

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