Molly Tanzer’s easy-to-love novel Vermilion has been a highlight of the literary year for many: first grabbing our attention thanks to a sumptuous cover illustration by Dalton Rose, but charming us further – the c-word is not incidental here – with its picaresque journey into an (alternate) Wild West, courtesy of young psychopomp Lou Merriwether. The debut
Tag: horror
Laird Barron: “My worlds are growing much larger and much more frightening than I’d imagined.” Illustration by Thom Cuschieri. We’re proud to cap off our run-up to Schlock’s Halloween issue by interviewing one of the luminaries of contemporary horror fiction. In an illuminating Schlock Talk, the award-winning novelist and short story writer Laird Barron speaks
As we continue to Get Grisly for the month of Halloween, Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone delves into the horrific-but-hilarious world of ‘splatstick’. Think Looney Tunes, with an extra topping of exposed viscera. * I’ve always felt there are very strong grounds for intersections between horror and comedy – both flirt with the ‘subversive’, both stretch
As part of our horror-friendly coverage for the month of Halloween, we present a publisher profile by Simon Marshall-Smith, who speaks to us about the spooky predilections of his own literary house of horrors: Spectral Press, who have just released the Spectral Book of Horror Stories, edited by fellow Schlock Talker Mark Morris. Spectral Press was
Swedish writer Karin Tidbeck – whose collection of weird and wonderful fiction, Jagannath, received considerable critical praise – speaks to us about writing in English as a second language, the dangers of treating a literary genre as the ‘redheaded stepchild’ and the benefits a writer could reap from Live Action Roleplaying… You delve into being a
Rage and bad life choices appear to have fuelled Nathan Ballingrud’s critically acclaimed short story collection North American Lake Monsters, but he assures us that he’s not all about horror and despair as he looks forward to experimenting with various genres now that he has emerged as writer to watch out for with the field
Greg Bossert. Photo: Francesca Myman. He may have won the World Fantasy Award for his short story The Telling late last year, but fiction writing is just the tip of the creative iceberg for Gregory Norman Bossert – an animation artist, sound designer and researcher currently employed in that vaunted castle of geekdom, Industrial Light and
One of the most decorated authors of contemporary fantasy fiction, Jeffrey Ford – whose latest anthology, Crackpot Palace, collects some his most memorable short stories – tells Schlock how it all started “around 125 stories ago”, the one theme that drives his writing and the one reason why anyone should write in the first place. How
Angela Slatter The ‘realistic’ core of fantasy and horror, the secret to successful collaboration and what it means to be an ‘Australian’ author (or rather, not). Award-winning author Angela Slatter chats to Schlock about all of this and more, in the wake of her latest ‘mosaic novel’ co-written with Lisa L. Hannett, Midnight and Moonshine.