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Monday, February 1, 2016

Women in Horror Month #1: Ursula K. Raphael, Reviewer and Blogger

Welcome, fiends, to the kick-off of the Manuscripts Burn Women in Horror Month Interview Series!  2016 is already the 7th WiHM, so I guess I'm a bit of a slow adopter, but judging by the positive reaction I've already received, I think we'll be doing more WiHM events in the future.

The goal of WiHM is to "learn about and showcase the underrepresented work of women in the horror industries."  Today's guest is a perfect person to kick us off.  Ursula K. Raphael (aka Astradaemon) is a reviewer and blogger who has read more horror than most of the rest of us combined.  In perfect keeping with the goal of WiHM in her interview she points us to over half a dozen other women in horror (some of whom might just be showing up here on the blog later this month, hint hint.)

Alright, enough preamble.  Let's meet the blogger and then dive right in!


About Ursula K. Raphael:



I am a Top Reviewer and Vine Voice at Amazon. I used to write for Zombiephiles.com: reviews & interviews. I am working on my own blog, so I can review more genres (fiction & nonfiction) and discuss some of my other interests.

I wrote one short horror story, one short fantasy story & I'm working on an anthology, as well as several other projects, but I prefer to stay behind the scenes. My goal is to introduce readers to as many talented authors as possible. :)

You can find her on Amazon, her blog, Twitter, and Facebook.

Interview:


SK:  What are your horror bona fides?

UKR:  I wrote for Zombiephiles.com for a few years before I broke away to start my own blog last year. During the time I wrote for the zombie website I started working with a lot of horror authors doing interviews, doing beta reading and of course book reviews. I wrote a few introductions, as well as writing my own short story, "The Survivor."


SK:  Who or what terrifies you?

UKR:  Real monsters. The ones you see on the news. People. People scare me more than zombies or werewolves or vampires or anything else horror authors can think up. Especially the people who appear completely normal and then they do something completely heinous and you never see it coming.


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

UKR:  I think authors like Rhiannon Frater, Tonia Brown, Suzanne Robb, Rachel Aukes, just to name a few, have made gender irrelevant...they can be just as sick, twisted, creative and original as the guys. I also think that authors like Crystal Connor and Lori Titus are helping to break down the door for black female authors in the horror genre.



SK:  Who are your favorite female horror icons?

UKR:  When I think of icons, I think of film, but I think it has been harder for women to make a name for themselves as directors, special effects artists,etc., than female writers. Perhaps the books written by women will pave the way for women in the horror film community.


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

UKR:  I'm always looking for new authors in the horror genre and writing reviews to help get their names out. Even if I don't like a story I still feel that all authors should have a chance to show people what they're capable of writing. Just because I don't like something doesn't mean that other people won't like it either. The horror genre has become so much more than monsters and violence.

That said, I have a new blog Astradaemon's Lair so I can review books in all the different sub genres and not just the zombie genre.

I am also working on my own anthology of short stories but it's been a long time coming and I don't know when I will ever get it done. :)

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