WiHM 12: Quick Six Questions With Pippa Bailey

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. 

 

My name is Pippa Pilgrim, although I still write under my maiden name Bailey. I’m from England originally (born in Oxford), but I was a Royal Air Force brat, so we moved around a lot. I’ve been living in the Scottish Highlands for the last three years, with my fellow author and husband, Myk Pilgrim. 

I love the idea of inserting something weird into our daily lives, and tend to write a lot of speculative fiction, and supernatural horror. Whether that be origami that folds space and time in “The Un-making of Jennifer Hawkins” (Released in 13 Wicked Tales by the Wicked Library) or a book that allows you to make a wish, based on what you draw within it (yet to be titled but due for release in the next year)

Most my work has been released through my co-owned publishing company Pugnacious Press, or through the amazing Wicked Library podcast (which you should most definitely check out, with my latest story release, and the season 10 finally being, “Close your Mouths and Clench Eyes Tight” a Haitian bogey man story – here’s a free link to the audio adaptation by Guy Fortt.) https://thewickedlibrary.com/1020/

 

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 can understand why, on face value considering stories, some people may think that way.

The way I put it is, imagine filling a bag full of candy, you could say, I just want a bag of candy, because all candy is tasty. Fine, I hear you.

But wouldn’t it be boring if I just filled that bag with 100 pieces of strawberry candy? 

Wouldn’t you want to know that you had a bit of variety? I mean, yeah, it’s all good candy, but why not throw some watermelon in there, or some banana, cola, and add some bubblegum? Don’t forget lime and lemon.

Wouldn’t it be great if every time you bought a bag of candy, you didn’t even have to ask for it to have a mix, it came with a mix, and you have an opportunity to sample a bit of everything and discover new flavours for yourself?

And this is even more important if, your whole life people had been telling you strawberry flavour was the best flavour, the only flavour, and any other flavour wouldn’t be as good as strawberry, because they know better than you.

Life is so dull with only one flavour, and life would be pretty dull if every book you read had only male authors, only straight, or only white authors. It’s absolutely critical that we take a stand to make our books more inclusive, and to seek out different voices.

 

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

 

Firstly, Lisa Lee Tone, she is my editor, and she’s bloody wonderful, I feel utterly blessed to have had the opportunity to work with her over the last three years, and I look forward to working with her for man more years to come. I love Kelly White, a fellow nerd and author, she’s brilliant, funny, and definitely a name to look out for. I’ve been influenced by authors such as Shirley Jackson, Mary Shelly, Charlotte Bronte, and so many more. Women who have pushed the boundaries of acceptance, imagination, and belief in the importance of horror. I’ve also been inspired by actresses such as Tilda Swinton, people who strive to do things differently. I would tell people to go watch films like “Only Lovers Left Alive” or “Suspiria” to see her at work (yes those are films by men, but hey ho) 

 

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

 

In 2020 I got married three days before lock down happened, in a socially distanced wedding, of me, Myk, and our witnesses, who are a married couple who own an amazing café (we took the pandemic super seriously). We took the year to look after ourselves, we studied, watched movies, and played games together. We learned how to make our own alcohol, and bake bread, and generally become better adults, although, that point is a positive and a negative. We published a fantastic book of terrible advice by the amazing Veronica Abbott, called “The Little Book of Harm” which you can get here, https://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Harm-Harmful-Terrifying-ebook/dp/B0888T3QDX on amazon. It’s a brilliant little book for horrible people and seemed like the perfect way to enter a lockdown. Vee likes disliking people, and Wild Turkey bourbon.

 

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

 

This month I have a story being released for Women in Horror. It’s going to be appearing on the Wicked Library podcast, and it is called “On a Cold Basement Floor” it’s a nasty little story about a woman filing papers away in a court building, when something goes terribly wrong. You’ll have to keep an eye out for its release. 

I’m also working on a much longer piece for the Wicked Library and on several projects of my own. Including a series of erotic horror, which is yet to be announced. 

 

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

 

Write your stories, tell your tales, and don’t forget to leave reviews, tell people you love their words, and don’t always choose strawberry.

 

Website www.pugnaciouspress.com 

Face Book www.facebook.com/pippabaileyauthor  

Twitter www.twitter.com/thepippabailey 

The Wicked Library https://thewickedlibrary.com/pippa-bailey/

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pippa-Bailey/e/B071W8DLDH