Q: Welcome! First off, if you could tell a little bit about yourself and what types of stories you enjoy writing as well as which genre(s) you write in?

A: Thank you for having me! I am Elaine Pascale and I write horror stories. I would categorize them as a sort of feminist horror or bizarro horror. I write short stories, some flash fiction, and I have a few longer novellas and novels.

Q: I’d love to share a bit about your most recent work, if you could let our readers know about it?

A: My most recent publication was the story “Milk Time” which was published in New England Horror Writer’s Anthology Wicked Women. It is a great collection with diverse horror offerings. https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Women-Anthology-England-Writers-ebook/dp/B08P54MDVF/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Wicked+Women+New+England+Horror+Writers&qid=1624126294&sr=8-1

I also participate in a monthly flash fiction photo prompt group that can be viewed on https://spreadingthewritersword.com/ and contribute fiction to Pen of the Damned: https://penofthedamned.com/

I have a novel, The Thin Contract, coming out in 2022. For updates, you can follow my social media or my webpage www.elainepascale.com

Q: Are there any characters that you’ve written in the past who you would love to revisit? 

A: I had a character from a project I worked in on college, so decades ago, that tickles my brain from time to time and I may just reacquaint myself with him. I imagine that he has evolved as much as I have in the time we have been apart and it would be interesting to see how he would fit into the contemporary world. He existed in a technological void and had some strange and disturbing religious beliefs. He would maybe be able to rally converts and like-minded comrades with social media at his fingertips.

Q: I love that you’ve been so supportive of Women in Horror Month in the past, what are your thoughts on the future of the event with the original organizers having scaled back?

A: I am going to reserve an opinion until we see how everything plays out, but I am a bit disappointed as having a specific month reserved helped us to focus our efforts. I greatly looked forward to the month and I planned events and it helped to remind me to champion the creative women around me. Without that impetus, I am worried some of the momentum may be lost. But we will have to wait and see.

Q: You’re also a member of the Horror Writers Association, can you tell me a bit about how the HWA?

A: HWA is a premier organization and I am learning that I need to utilize it more. They have great resources and networking options that I don’t tap into like I should. The top of my bucket list is to be nominated, dare I dream “awarded”, a Stoker award, lol.

Q: Where were you born (and/or are you from) and how has that affected your work?

A: I was born in Pennsylvania and grew up in rural parts of the state. For most of my young life, I lived in a valley and there were many myths and legends about the woods/mountains around the valley. I often sneak and tweak those myths into my writing as they had a lasting impression on me.

I then moved to Boston and later to Cape Cod. The Cape is the setting for my novella, The Blood Lights, and for The Thin Contract. Cape Cod is a beautiful place, but it becomes very isolated during the winters and that lends itself to some creepiness.

I now live in Florida. I don’t think I need to say much more than that—there is plenty of material to write about in this state!

Q: My take on the classic chicken or the egg question, which comes first in your writing, the story, or the characters?

A: The story. Or, actually, a snippet of the story. Stories come to me usually as an image I see in a dream, or a brief comment I hear someone say. That is the foundation and I build from there. For instance, if I have an image that sticks with me when I wake up, I might wonder who would be there and what would they be doing, and the characters appear that way.

Q: What was the first story that you published (and if it was a short story, where?)

A: The first story I published was “Boys Will be Boys” and it appeared in Dark Fire magazine. It can be read in my collection, If Nothing Else, Eve, We’ve Enjoyed the Fruit.

Q: Who are your go-to women authors? (I may or may not be asking this to expand my bookshelf!)

A: Wow, there are so many! James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Bradley Sheldon) is a favorite of mine. She was more of a science fiction author. She has this great, tight prose that is Hemingway-esque. For years, “James Tiptree” was invited to science fiction conventions and award ceremonies but was always a no show. Someone suggested that perhaps James was a woman and was hiding that fact. That suggestion spurred some commentary by “experts” who said there was no way that a woman could create that type of prose. People should check her out just for that statement alone. Flannery O’Connor is another favorite and she really influenced a lot of my earlier writing. For more contemporary writers, I admire Mercedes Murdock Yardley, Betty Rocksteady, Kristi Petersen Schoonover, Theresa Derwin, Lydia Prime, Jill Girardi, and I recommend checking out the anthologies offered by Kandisha Press (they are topnotch and filled with women authors).

Q: Thanks again, do you have any teases of what you’re working on next that you could hint at?

A: For years in interviews I have been lamenting my novel that I have been chipping away at. I have turned a corner and believe that it may actually come to completion. The problem is, as I near the end, I can see it having a sequel. Then again, that will give me a new WIP to complain about.

Finally, if there is anything else you would love to share with our readers, please do so here!

I know people get tired of hearing this, but I always want give a little nudge about reviews. If you read something you like, please take a minute to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads or wherever else the author has the book listed. It means a lot!

You can follow Elaine at her homepage: elainepascale.com, Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Elaine-Pascale/e/B003MRXUCS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0, Twitter: https://twitter.com/doclaney, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elaine.pascale or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/doclaney !