WELCOME:Welcome to the 12 Days of Creepfest; a celebration of Christmas spooks and horror and an opportunity to introduce you to some wonderful horror and Dark Fairytale writers. Firstly thanks to the wonderful Rebecca Treadway (@creepywalker) for organising this fun trip.
Today I am happy to welcome the brilliant Red Tash, Author of 'This Brilliant Darkness.'
BIO:Red Tash was born in a rain barrel behind the old aluminum barn on the back 40 of her parents’ Indiana homestead. After self-learnin’ herself to spell and type, riding side-saddle on a rusted-out, empty Silgas tank, she ran away from home to join the journalism circus, and began writing comic strips and 100% fabricated horoscopes for a network of local newspapers across These Here United States of America.
Eventually, Red tired of making up corny jokes and telling fortunes, so she retired from the newspaper biz to become a VJ on MTV. You might remember Red spinning out the hits between news reports from Kurt Loder, and the indecipherable jokes made by Downtown Julie Brown.
Then again, you might not.
Because some of the above was false.
The truth:
Red Tash knows that all you really care about is that she writes good stories. She does that. Red’s books make you think, make you wonder, make you laugh, and keep you turning pages. They’ve been known to keep hardened readers up at night, racing to the end of the book.
Presently, Red has one (count ‘em) one longform book available, entitled This Brilliant Darkness. It is the first in a series, and someday it hopes to be a graphic novel.
INTERVIEW:
In 140 characters, describe your private self.
Mother, fighter, kick-ass writer, newlywed and ex-rollergirl
In 140 characters, describe your writerly self.
Erudite, boastful, proud, ridiculously creative, generous, funny, dark.
Tell us more about your current work and projects?
Finishing a YA roller derby fantasy set in rural Indiana, starring a queer kid and a bunch of drug-addicted fairies and trolls. You know, popcorn stuff.
Which writers are your biggest influence?
Holly Black, Neil Gaiman, Jo Rowling, Stephen King, Melissa Marr.
What is your favourite book / story of all time?
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire. When I die, I'm going to the Yule Ball to dance forever.
How do you like to bring the 'dark side' into Christmas?
Christmas is an inherently dark time. I think the better question (for me) is "How do you bring the light, without making it corny?" In my personal life, I give myself over completely to the corniness. I sing Christmas Carols with the kids, I bake--but at the end of the day, I will weep along to O Holy Night, and I realize the reason I cry so hard is because of all those sad memories of Christmas. I know I'm not the only one who's had a real Severus Snape kind of childhood. It is what it is--there'll never be an appreciation for the goodness & light if one hasn't experienced the pain of what Christmas is supposed to be--and found oneself left out of that.
Describe your perfect fantasy Christmas day.
Having all my family with me on Christmas morning, a lovely fire, a huge tree, everyone is happy with their gifts, and I don't have to clean up the mess!
Which six famous figures (dead or alive) would you love to have sitting at your Christmas table?
Jesus (it's his party, right?), T.S. Eliot, Einstein, Dumbledore, & Leonardo da Vinci
What are your New Year wishes?
Beyond the standard Peace on Earth thing, I'd love for everyone I love to be healthy. I'd also love to make a living from my writing. I traded a freelance career for this experiment in fiction, and I'd love for that gamble to break even.
Just for fun: TRIVIA
Christmas pudding or Stilton Cheese?
No idea. I'll go with the cheese.
Bing Crosby or The Pogues?
The Pogues
The Queen's Speech or Taking out your own eyeballs?
I'm going to pass!
Turkey or Ham?
Beans & rice! Animal food grosses me out. I eat it, but I can't think about it too much.
Brussel Sprouts or Carrots?
Sprouts!
Jolliness or Bah Humbug?
Super corny Holy Jolly. ;)
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VISIT THE WEBSITE
Thanks for interviewing me, Katie. That is two tearful Christmas interviews in a row with the Creepfest. LOL What kind of mess am I, exactly? ;P
ReplyDeleteIt was an absolute pleasure to host you. Stop by anytime and ensure you keep us updated with all of your writing news. Wishing you a very happy Christmas x
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