One of the newest names on the scene, author and short-story narrator Natalie Brown has offered glimpses of her talent through her book release and appearances on several genre podcasts around the internet. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early writing period, her collection of short-stories Origins of Delusion and working on the Creepy Podcast.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general?
Natalie Brown: Thank you for your time as well! I was raised in a horror-loving family, not so much my father but more of the women in my family. I can remember being four years old snuggled in bed with my older sister and her daring me to watch a scary movie. I cautiously accepted, I had to let her think I was as cool and mature as she was. We watched Nightmare on Elm Street (2 I wanna say) and then watched Halloween IV. One of the most common fear tropes of humanity is the clown. Well to me, it will always be an unmasked little girl dressed up in a clown suit. It’s pretty safe to say that I’ve always been drawn to it.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
NB: I’ve always loved horror as well as dramatic films and thrillers. My early childhood was tumultuous at times and horror was a perfect escape.
Waxworks, Fright Night, Bride of Re-Animator and Return of the Living Dead Part 2, which was so silly really but I think that’s why my mother let me watch it at such a young age in the first place. My favorite Nightmare on Elm Street film V - The Dream Child.
Me: Who were some of your favorite writers growing up? Do you try to take influences from their style with your own voice in your work?
NB: I loved R.L. Stein’s Fear Street series as well as Stephen King but one of the largest influences in my own writing is another horror author who started out on the same Reddit forum that I did. Her name is CK Walker and you may know her from her Netflix work as one of the writers of Haunting of Hill House as well as The Haunting of Blythe Manor. She is a powerhouse in the world of women in horror and she has inspired me so much.
Me: What was the starting point to become a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?
NB: When I was in 9th grade, I had a nine-week Creative Writing class with Mr. Rick Ryan. I remember writing the darkest stories and my classmates and teacher loving them. One of my poems titled ‘Black’ was even featured in the school’s literary magazine. After that, I let writing go for a while to pursue other interests. I didn’t pick it up again until I was 32, and I honestly won’t ever look back. It’s not something that I see myself ever giving up.
Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?
NB: My writing process is persnickety at the moment. When I began writing in January of 2019, my youngest son was six months old so it was a lot easier to pump out content. I was able to at one point write one 2.5-3k story per day. With my writing style and craft evolving as well as my son’s challenging toddlerhood, these days I am beyond blessed to complete two stories per week.
I need to be fresh-minded, meaning if I wait until late at night when my kids are asleep and I’m beyond exhaustion, I’m likely not able to create. I normally have true crime YouTubers or various horror podcasts that I love playing on my phone or television as background noise when I sit down to write. I often find myself feeling rewarded but fatigued after completing a story, it feels like running a mental marathon and though my fingers are the only thing that moves, I often find myself out of breath, satisfied and needing a nap after.
As far as staying focused, writing is something that’s always on my mind. It is my heartbreak, my joy, my successes, my humility, my fear, my heart….. and my soul. I love finding the darkest inspiration in the lightest things and making people mentally double-take afterward with my words. I find it harder to stay focused on my day-to-day tasks, always mentally yearning for my laptop and WIP list.
Me: Having contributed to various anthologies early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future projects?
NB: I was able to take lessons I’ve learned from other anthologies and publishing houses to apply towards my own company. I took what I liked and didn’t like and formed practices based around that.
Me: What is the general process for getting involved in these projects?
NB: The horror writing online community is such a kind and tight-knit one. A lot of my friends share acceptances to calls that are still taking submissions and usually depending on the graphic, I may or may not submit as well. The acceptance graphics are true gifts to the authors but are also amazingly underrated marketing tools.
When I first started out and didn’t know too many people in the industry, I typed in keywords to my Facebook search bar. I used words such as publishing, press, horror writers, submissions, etc. Then once you like a few that appeal to you, pages and groups will gradually start being suggested to you as well through algorithms. Networking with other writers is very important.
Me: Having also edited several anthologies, is the process more difficult or challenging than writing it yourself?
NB: Not at all. Editing other’s works is so much easier for me than writing my own. There’s no pressure, no judgment, I’m simply helping their ideas and words look as enjoyable in print as possible for immersion.
When it comes to my own writing, I am so much in my own head that sometimes (albeit a rare occurrence) I forget the most common mistakes I find myself correcting in other people’s work. I am so critical of myself and explaining my ideas in a way that keeps the reader immersed and incites feeling.
Me: How did you settle on the stories for your first collection 'Origins of Delusion?'
NB: I included the stories that were closest to my heart and ones that I had the most fun writing. As we will address shortly, not every story I’ve written is included. I want people who read my work to be able to discover new pieces of mine online. It’s no fun to show all of your cards at once.
Me: Was there any special significance to leaving some of the stories out?
NB: Originally, I was going to include my 500 word and under flash fiction stories, but I ultimately decided to focus on longer pieces for my first collection release. I intend to lengthen and give some extra love to those pieces for release in a later collection.
Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process to having it published?
NB: I edited, formatted, chose the cover and released the book all myself! It made me feel amazing to be able to oversee all components of the anthology down to the very last detail. As you mentioned previously, I have had the honor of being included in several (over 50) multi-authored anthologies, but I’ve always been so scared to take the solo leap myself. With the new year and the blessings I’ve been asked to be a part of (thank you again!) with Women in Horror month coming up, I decided it was time.
Me: As well, you also work as a coordinator for the Creepy Podcast, how did that come about?
NB: Creator Jon Grilz had put a message out in the Creepy Podcast in a social media post asking for story scouts (people to seek permission to narrate stories and handle author relations, payment arrangements, etc.) At the time, I had been a moderator for Reddit’s NoSleep forum, so I was already actively checking stories for content every day. I was blessed enough to be one of the few that was chosen and that’s where it all started.
I help coordinate submissions but there are so many people on our team that do important work. The creator, producers, voice actors, authors and listeners are all so dear. I still feel so starstruck and it really is a blessing for me to be a part of that in any way that I can. The cliched phrase “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” is absolutely true in this case. And as an author, the relationships I make with authors is such a fun part of it. I’ve talked to so many authors that I never thought that I would get the chance to otherwise because of this job. Jon and the team are incredibly supportive and welcoming of me, treating me with as much care and respect as members of the team who have been there from the podcast’s infancy.
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
NB: I plan to continue to work with the same narrators who have brought breath to my words as well as hopefully form some relationships with new ones as well. I don’t want to jinx myself but I do plan (operative word plan- you know… the word that makes God giggle) to release 3 to 4 books this year. The one that I mentioned previously will also be an anthology-style release of my newest and darkest inner thoughts. Then I have a Christmas novella that I have been mentally planning for ages that I feel like will finally come to fruition this Holiday season. The other two will be novelettes of single ideas- one story that equals between 8k and 10k words.
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
NB: Delve into the genre as much as you can. Listen to podcasts- I recommend the Creepy Podcast (of course), the Nosleep Podcast, the Grey Rooms Podcast as well as the Chilling Tales for Dark Nights program, a lot of those authors started out just like you and I did. You can figure out a lot about what readers like, what you are interested in writing as well as what publishers and narrators are looking for. Also read and listen to Creepypastas, this will help achieve the same effect. Join online writing groups.
Everyone, especially male authors, has been very supportive and uplifting on my journey. I have had nothing but crown straighteners and soul lifters. However, this won’t always be the case for everyone. If anyone ever tells you that you write horror very well for a woman, do not take it as a compliment. Smile and thank them, but strive to defeat their words mentally.
You can be a housewife who sings Disney songs to her kids, reads them calming bedtimes stories, makes dinner every night while looking cute as hell, embodies everything that comes with being a woman- and TOTALLY be a kick-ass, twisted and talented writer.
To check out her work on the Creepy Podcast, look at the official site:
This interview ran as part of our Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out all of our reviews and interviews about the occasion:
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