Women in Horror Month #12: Trista M. Borgwardt, Reviewer and Author of THE TEMPIE ROSENTHAL SERIES

Welcome back, my friends, to the Manuscripts Burn Women in Horror Month Interview Series!

Trista M. Borgwardt is a prolific reviewer and a huge supporter of the indie horror community.  She's also an author of some truly macabre tales in her own right.  You can imagine my surprise this past Christmas morning when I woke up to a severed rabbit's foot in my stocking...along with copies of RABBIT'S FEET and POLARITY.  Ho ho ho to me!

But let's not waste any more time and jump right into the introduction and interview.

About Trista M. Borgwardt:

Trista is an avid writer who was born, raised and still resides in South Dakota with her family. She has two wonderful boys, a devoted significant other, 2 cats, and 2 dogs. In addition, she is passionate about helping others and currently works in the health care field as a registered nurse.  Trista currently writes supernatural horror novels, including RABBIT'S FEET and POLARITY, the first and second in THE TEMPIE ROSENTHAL SERIES.

You can follow her on her website, Twitter, and Facebook.  You can also now subscribe to her blog.

Interview:

SK:  What are your horror bona fides?

TMB:  My horror bona fides have to include Stephen King. That man’s creations are seriously sick and twisted in a very horrific way. I grew up reading his books and many of his characters are utterly terrifying. His imagination works in a way no others can and I have always been impressed.

SK:  Who or what terrifies you?

TMB:  Honestly, it’s not the made up monsters that scare me. It’s what human beings are capable of doing to each other and to animals. I’m a huge animal lover and all the animal abuse stories terrify me. How a human being could be capable of inflicting that level of torture and pain on innocent beings is scary.

Bridges….those also terrify me…especially the thought of driving on a ‘floating’ bridge.  

SK:  Are there unique challenges to being a woman in horror or do you feel like gender is irrelevant?

TMB:  I always thought gender was irrelevant until I started answering these questions and I realized, I have not read many women horror authors. I have decided that I need to rectify this situation ASAP. I think my list of women horror authors include Anne Rice and Laurell K. Hamilton. So, yes, after re-evaluating the situation, I do think that woman are not as well known in horror, but that’s not because they are not as gory, or horrific as men. They most certainly are just as terrifying as men, sometimes even more so.

SK:  Who are your favorite female horror icons?

TMB:  Unfortunately, I am sad to say that I don’t have any. This is also a problem that I will need to rectify.

SK:  What are you working on/promoting currently? Why should folks check it out?

TMB:  I’m working on the third book for my supernatural/horror series, THE TEMPIE ROSENTHAL SERIES. I’m also working on several short horror stories which I plan to put into an anthology.

I also love to read and review books, (especially supernatural and horror books). So, if you are an author that would like me to read and review your book, please submit it through my website.

About RABBIT'S FEET:

Tempie is an exceptional high school student with an amazing boyfriend and best friend; a life everyone dreams of having. Living carefree among the sands of Hawaii, she has a compassionate side to rival any other. After a gruesome personal loss, she flees to South Dakota in search of a safe haven.

However, Tempie’s new home is not as she expected. As she settles in, she is intrigued by an alluring stranger and terrorized by a dark and vile fiend. She must fight an emotional internal battle while fighting outwardly with a tenacious enemy.