Interview with Stephanie Rabig
By Yvonne Miller
First of all, welcome Stephanie and thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. It is a pleasure to host this interview and talk all things horror today.
Yvonne Miller: Your writing and personal brand of horror is certainly unique. What would you say is the most difficult part of your artistic process?
Stephanie Rabig: Trying to stay focused on one project. I have at least five books going at any given time, so learning how to buckle down and get one finished before continuing on with the next has been a process (especially as a self-published writer with self-imposed deadlines).
YM: Your stories are not for the weak of heart. What do you think has been the best way to market your books
SR: Honestly, I’m still figuring that out! My main social media presence is on Twitter, and it’s a constant struggle to tamp down the feeling that if I talk about my books then I’m spamming my followers. Word of mouth is always amazing, but there’s never a guarantee from one project to the next that’ll be there: at this point I just put out the best book I can, look through *tons* of cover art to find something that fits the tone, make some Tweets and cross my fingers.
YM: You are organising an anthology where the proceeds go to the very worthy cause, The Haitian Bridge Alliance. Can you tell us a little bit about it?
SR: Absolutely! I love charity anthologies and think they’re a great way to help support a cause when you’re on a tight budget. The HBA is full of organizers from the community, and that’s so important when looking for who to support: people who have been involved for years and know where to best allocate resources. I haven’t tried something on this scale before, so it’s an experiment that I hope works out.
KR: For more information on the anthology please visit https://stephanierabig.weebly.com/
YM: Keeping to the same topic. Have you always wanted to write horror or do you think life experiences can push you in that direction? What challenges have you faced when writing a dark story?
SR: I’ve always loved horror as a genre, but didn’t always feel confident in writing it myself until I went through some things. I have depression, so while writing is my lifeline, it can also kick my ass when I’m already in a bad headspace and start writing a grim scene. A lot of the horror I write has a dark-comedy feel to it (Playing Possum; the upcoming Luxury Superyacht Massacre: Eat the Rich), or revolves around a found family (the Cryptids & Cauldrons series) which helps keep me from going *too* far down into the pit.
YM: what horror authors are an inspiration? What is it about their brand of storytelling that you enjoy so much?
SR: No one is going to be surprised when I say Stephen King. He was my introduction to the genre, along with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I wasn’t too much older when I discovered Clive Barker, and WOW, was that an eye-opener. Now, being in the horror community on Twitter, it’s such a joy to keep discovering how much variety there is in this genre: Tananarive Due’s work has nestled into my heart, and any time I get a new Kealan Patrick Burke short story collection I’ll chase down family members to read to them. Alma Katsu’s historical horror is amazing and heartbreaking, and Seanan McGuire’s mermaids will make you reconsider ever going near an ocean. You can find everything from quiet atmospheric slow-burn to splatterpunk; the entire horror genre is really just us cutting our hearts open and showing people the results: this is what deeply affects me, this is what *scares* me. I love that.
YM: Some fun question to round it off. What is your favourite quote, from any source?
SR: Gotta be a Terry Pratchett. There are so (SO) many amazing ones, but Tiffany Aching’s interior monologue in The Wee Free Men is everything to me.
“All witches are selfish, the Queen had said. But Tiffany’s Third Thoughts said: Then turn selfishness into a weapon! Make all things yours! Make other lives and dreams and hopes yours! Protect them! Save them! Bring them into the sheepfold! Walk the gale for them! Keep away the wolf! My dreams! My brother! My family! My land! My world! How dare you try to take these things, because they are mine!
I have a duty!”
YM: If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
SR: Enthusiastic, weird, indecisive.
YM: What do you like to do when you’re not reading books?
SR: Spend time with my family; write; shop for Halloween decor; watch TV (I’m joining a Midnight Mass recovery support group); bake; doomscroll on Twitter
The Witch
Fresh off an exhausting personal case, and mourning the life-threatening injury of a friend, Charlene Romero is ready for a break from her job at the ASPCA (A Society for the Prosecution of Cryptids and Assorteds).
But then her best friend’s daughter, Mia, comes to her for help when her trans boyfriend is sent to conversion therapy, and Charlie knows it might take all of her powers, plus the expertise of her coworkers, to save him and the other teenagers.
Because the owner of the camp is a witch whose talents rival even hers…
You can buy The Witch from Amazon UK & Amazon US
Stephanie Rabig
Stephanie Rabig is the author of Playing Possum, Pale Moon, and the upcoming Cryptids & Cauldrons series. She also has three collections of queer romance stories available.
She’s working with frequent co-conspirator Angie Bee on a weird-west project called Hazeldine, and other projects include Blasphemers in the Garden of Eden (apocalyptic romance) and Mina (Prohibition-era take on Dracula).
Once in a while, she sleeps.
You can find out more about Stephanie via her official website www.stephanierabig.weebly.com
You can follow Stephanie on Twitter @stephrabig
Yvonne Miller
Well, what can I say about myself? I’m a 33-year-old married woman and mum to 3 crazy boys, aged 13,6 and 4. My eldest has a genetic condition that causes a visual impairment so as you can imagine life can be very chaotic and provides many challenges along the way but I would 100% never change any of them. They fulfil my life beyond measure.
I adore books – I adore shouting about books! I’m a reviewer of mainly horror and dark fantasy. Whether that’s featuring werewolves, evil creatures or the depravity of humanity, I will read them all.
You can follow Yvonne on Twitter: @coycaterpillar
Please visit Yvonne’s Official Website: www.thecoycaterpillarreads.blog
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