If you've been following our interview series, you've already seen today's guest's name crop up. That's because she is one of the undisputed greatest authors in the extreme horror genre. I'm very pleased to introduce you to today's guest, the legendary Monica J. O’Rourke!
Monica J. O’Rourke has published more than one hundred short stories in magazines and anthologies, such as CLICKERS FOREVER: A TRIBUTE TO J.F. GONZALEZ, POSTSCRIPTS, NASTY PIECE OF WORK, "Fangoria," and THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF THE KAMA SUTRA. She is the author of POISONING EROS, written with Wrath James White, SUFFER THE FLESH, WHAT HAPPENS IN THE DARKNESS, and the collection IN THE END, ONLY DARKNESS. Her books and stories have been published in Germany, Greece, Poland, and Russia. She is a freelance editor and book coach.
You can find her on Facebook, her editing page on Facebook, and Twitter.
You can find her on Facebook, her editing page on Facebook, and Twitter.
Interview:
SK: How are you involved in the world of horror?
MJO: I’m a horror writer but also an editor. I’ve edited books and stories by a number of our colleagues! Been doing this for about a decade but been a fan of horror since I was a kid. I remember snatching my grandmother’s paperbacks—JAWS, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, THE EXORCIST, ROSEMARY'S BABY, FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC—when I was 11 or 12.
SK: Who or what terrifies you?
MJO: Serial killers terrify me. Sexual sadists—men who enjoy sexually torturing their victims—terrify me. Seems like the worst way to die. There’s no reasoning with them because they have no empathy and get off inflicting pain. That just refuses to register in my brain. On the flipside, I have a fascination with/terror of sharks. Never wrote about them though (I have written about serial killers/sexual sadists).
SK: Are there unique challenges to being a woman in horror or do you feel like gender is irrelevant?
MJO: Ohhhhh … I can’t really answer this in a paragraph. Let’s just say that YES, being a woman in horror has its challenges … the least of which is the sexism and misogyny we face. (Don’t believe me? Grab twenty recent horror anthologies and see how many women are in the ToC.) I’m not saying it’s all sexism. As someone who’s read slush for various publication, women aren’t exactly beating down the door to submit to open calls. This all needs to be addressed. How do we get more women to submit their work? And how do we get men to read and accept this work?
SK: Who are your favorite female horror icons?
MJO: Interesting. Horror icons, and not horror writers? So do you mean women like Jamie Lee Curtis? Honestly, I don’t have favorites. I’m racking my brains and no one is coming to mind.
SK: What are you working on currently?
MJO: I’m working on a novel … but it’s slow going. I don’t write as much as I used to! (I was quite prolific back in the day …)
About WHAT HAPPENS IN THE DARKNESS:
Manhattan died, along with much of the country.
Twelve-year-old Janelle lost her family in one horrific night and managed to
escape into a no-longer-recognizable city. As she struggles for survival, she
comes across something much worse than the decimated landscape, much worse than
the enemy soldiers patrolling the streets night and day. Another force has been
unleashed, one hell-bent on destroying the invading enemy—but now that they’re
out, there’s no turning back.
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