Juno Books

Wasn’t going to say anything about this brouhaha over a book published by the British Fantasy society, a collection of interviews with writers called In Conversation: A Writer’s Perspective. Volume One: Horror. Sixteen writers are included. All were male.

And, since BFS chair Guy Adams apologized, saying he hoped the discussion had “made other editors and publishers realize that this kind of lazy sexism is unacceptable and to watch their own lists in future…”

Really. Had firmly resolved. Not. To. Say. Anything.

I got out of the horror trenches a long time ago. For a lot of reasons. Don’t keep up on it, really. But…

As the debate played out a bit, I did see some suggestions pop up as to women who might be suitable to include in such a book. But not many. So, I felt, well…maybe I should say something…

In Conversation: A Writer’s Perspective. Volume One: Horror is edited by James Cooper. The 16 interviews are with authors Ramsey Campbell, Tom Piccirilli, Greg F. Gifune, Conrad Williams, Joe R. Lansdale, Gary McMahon, Brian Keene, Stephen Gallagher, Jeffrey Thomas, Peter Crowther, Tim Lebbon, Ray Garton, Mark Morris, Gary Fry, Graham Joyce and Norman Partridge.

I know about half of these gentlemen personally. I’ve at least met a couple of the others. I’ve even edited a couple of them. Had to google a couple of the names.

As someone who used to interview people who wrote horror, I do understand that access—just getting the connections made and a willing interviewee—can be a problem. Could confine one.

And with a book conversing with “horror writers” you have another problem. I won’t go into the whys and wherefores, but there are good reasons authors do not wish to be called “horror writers” or even have their work dubbed as “horror”. (I might also have made the book about writers of “horror and dark fantasy”…never mind…)

But, knowing full well several of the women would not wish to be interviewed as “horror writers”, I’d say these were examples of female novelists who might be conversed with:

Joyce Carol Oates
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Anne Rice
Laurell K Hamilton
Caitlin Kiernan
Elizabeth Hand
Lisa Tuttle
Hilary Mantel
Elizabeth Kostova
Tananarive Due
Kelley Armstrong
Sarah Langan
Sarah Waters
Tanith Lee
Sherrilynn Kenyon
Alexandra Sokoloff
Sara Gran
Cherie Priest
Audrey Niffenegger

I’d also include these writers, but I don’t think they are currently active in the field of adult dark fiction
Kathe Koja
Poppy Z. Brite
Nancy Holder
Melanie Tem

I’d include these writers if I were allowed to interview authors who have made their mark with short fiction rather than novels
M. Rickert.
Kelly Link
Barbara Roden
Sarah Pinborough

But, as I said, I no longer keep up on horror. There may be women I’m forgetting or am too out of touch to know of. This is “top of my head stuff”.

It might also be interesting to note that these were among the fifty bestselling “Fiction Overall: Horror/Occult/Psychological” titles for the week ending 09/20/09 according to Bookscan:
1. Chosen to Die, Lisa Jackson
2. The Likeness, Tana French
3. Sweetheart, Chelsea Cain
7. Plain Truth, Jodi Picoult
8. Skin Trade, Laurell K Hamilton
10. The Doctor’s Wife, Elizabeth Brundage
10. Interview With the Vampire, Anne Rice
16. Perfect Match, Jodi Picoult
18. Somebody Else’s Daughter, Elizabeth Brundage
25. Nantucket Nights, Elin Hilderbrand
34. Edge Of Evil, J.A. Jance
39. The Year Of Fog, Richmond Michelle
44. The Vampire Chronicles Collection, Anne Rice
47. Beneath The Bleeding, Val McDermid

Of the remaining 35 places, Stephen King held six; Dean Koontz, Chuck Palahniuk and James Patterson each held three.

Understand this is NOT the “fantasy” list or the “romance” list. This is specifically “Horror/Occult/Psychological”.

* * *

Now, I don’t know why Mr Cooper and the British Fantasy Society decided to compile these “conversations” into a book. Maybe they were just horror writers Mr Cooper happened to have interviewed and he put them all into a book.

Again, although this list dates back about 14 years (I quit doing interviews in 2005 entirely), some are—I’m sure—not of re-publishable quality, and most would have to be updated a great deal…

But, in theory, if I took that approach and was putting together a book from past interviews I’ve done, this would likely be the list: Clive Barker, Poppy Z. Brite, Doug Clegg, Tananarive Due, Dennis Etchison, Neil Gaiman, Christopher Golden, Elizabeth Hand, Laurell K. Hamilton, Joe Hill, Nancy Holder, Graham Joyce, Caitlin Kiernan, Kathe Koja, Joe R. Lansdale, Brain Lumley, China Mieville, Kim Newman, Joyce Carol Oates, Norman Partridge, Tim Powers, David J. Schow, John Shirley, Michael Marshall Smith, Peter Staub, Steve Rasnic Tem & Melanie Tem, Andrew Vachss, and F. Paul Wilson. Still almost a third HAPPEN to be female.

[I was shocked to discover I’ve never interviewed Ramsey Campbell. If I had, he’d be there. But then again there are plenty of writers I’ve never interviewed.]

* * *

[Added later: Please read the Guardian article linked to below as “Attention pundits” — otherwise this will not make sense to you.]

Okay, one last thing I should not say: Attention pundits: There is a difference between “paranormal romance” and “urban fantasy.” Yes, there are books that cross over, but if you actually READ ENOUGH OF THE BOOKS you will see the difference.

Why am I so hung up on not calling all of these books “paranormal romance”? Because, as I mentioned in the preface to this blog entry, back in the summer of 2006 I wrote an introduction to an anthology and tried to make an argument that PERHAPS the term “paranormal romance” could POSSIBLY be broadened and be inclusive of a broad range of fiction. I WAS WRONG. It was already too late for such a repositioning. So now I try to inform.

If you want a “lump it all together” term, MAYBE “urban fantasy/paranormal” might do.

And yes, there are books with vampires in them that can’t be called “horror”.

* * *

I really, really, really am NOT going to saying anything else about something cropped up in some discusssion of the BFS volume [in the Guardian article and elsewhere]: urban fantasy and paranormal romance being a ghetto for women writers. Except this: Sweetie, it’s not a ghetto and no one is confined by it.

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