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Exclusive Interview: “Killer Creatures Down Under” Editor Deborah Sheldon

 

Oftentimes, when there’s a collection of short horror stories about animals killing people, said animals are of the fictional variety. But in assembling the anthology Killer Creatures Down Under: Horror Stories With Bite (paperback, Kindle), editor Deborah Sheldon decided that all of these tales had to feature real-life animals that live in Australia, including (but not limited to) the Quoll, the Goanna, the Blue Ringed Octopus, and the Rainbow Lorikeet. All of whom are pictured below in what I assume are photos found on the corpses of brave nature photographers. In the following email interview, Sheldon discusses what inspired this anthology, including why she went for real-life monsters instead of fictional ones.

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Exclusive Interview: “Multiverses” Editor Preston Grassmann

 

Though the idea of a multiverse has existed for years — remember evil Spock with the goatee? — the concept is, as the kids say, “having a moment.” Or multiple moments as the case may be. And now they’re having another with the new science fiction short story anthology Multiverses: An Anthology Of Alternate Realities (paperback, Kindle). In the following email interview, Multiverses editor Preston Grassmann discusses what went into assembling this sci-fi collection.

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Exclusive Interview: “They Hide” Author Francesca Maria

 

There’s no reason to be afraid of the dark.

There’s no reason to be afraid of the dark.

There’s no reason to be afraid of the dark.

And if I keep telling myself that, maybe one day I’ll believe it.

Of course, it doesn’t help that writer Francesca Maria has just released a collection of horror stories called They Hide: Short Stories To Tell In The Dark (Kindle). Or that I asked her all about it in the following email interview. No, that won’t help at all.

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Exclusive Interview: “The Scarlet Circus” Author Jane Yolen

 

With The Scarlet Circus (paperback, Kindle), fantasy writer Jane Yolen is releasing the third in a series of short story collections that started with 2017’s The Emerald Circus, and continued in 2020 with The Midnight Circus. In the following email interview, Yolen discusses what kind of stories she included in Scarlet, and why it may be the end of this series.

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Exclusive Interview: “Bioluminescent” Editor Justine Norton-Kertson

 

Sometimes it can be difficult to keep literary subgenres straight, especially where science fiction, fantasy, and horror are concerned. Dieselpunk, grimdark, silkpunk — you practically need a dictionary to keep them all straight. Or, barring that, a really good genre-specific anthology. Which brings me to the follow email interview with Justine Norton-Kertson, the editor of Bioluminescent: A Lunarpunk Anthology (paperback, eBook), in which they not only explains what “lunarpunk” means, and how it relates to “solarpunk,” but also what went into this collection of short stories and poetry.

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Exclusive Interview: “Apex Magazine 2021” Co-Editor Lesley Conner

 

Six years ago, the staff of Apex Magazine chronicled their finest fictional moments in the anthology The Best of Apex Magazine: Volume 1. But in the new book, Apex Magazine 2021 (paperback, Kindle), they’ve taken a different approach by collecting all of the original sci-fi, fantasy, and horror stories they published in the titular year. In the following email interview, 2021 co-editor Lesley Conner discusses the decisions that went into making this anthology.

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Exclusive Interview: “It Was All A Dream: An Anthology Of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right” Editor Brandon Applegate

 

When it comes to horror stories, we all have tropes we hate. But with the new short story anthology It Was All A Dream: An Anthology Of Bad Horror Tropes Done Right (hardcover, paperback, Kindle), editor Brandon Applegate gave writers the opportunity to explore and redeem their least favorite, and in creative ways. In the following email interview, Applegate discusses how this collection came together, as well as how some of the contributors turned some well-worn ideas into fresh horrors.

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Exclusive Interview: “You Fed Us To The Roses” Author Carlie St. George

 

In the following email interview, writer Carlie St. George explains what went into — and was kept out of — her first collection of short stories, You Fed Us To The Roses (paperback, Kindle).

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Exclusive Interview: “Concerning Those Who Have Fallen Asleep” Author Adam Soto

 

When you subtitle your short story collection “Ghost Stories,” you’re setting expectations for what those stories are about, and like. But in the following email interview with Adam Soto, author of the short story collection Concerning Those Who Have Fallen Asleep: Ghost Stories (paperback, Kindle, audiobook), he reveals some of these tales may not be as horrifying as you’re expecting.