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Women in Horror Fiction: Yvonne Navarro

While we’ve moved on from February and Women in Horror Month, there is absolutely no reason to limit our celebration of women writers of horror to any particular time of year– so even though we interviewed Yvonne Navarro months ago, May is a perfect time to draw attention to an excellent writer of horror who also happens to be a woman.

Yvonne Navarro is a prolific horror author, having written such books as Afterage (2002 Overlook Connection Press), Final Impact (1997 Bantam), and Dead Times (2000 DarkTales Publications).  Her short stories have appeared in anthologies such as Deep Cuts: Mayhem, Menace, and Misery (2013 Evil Jester Press), Skull Full of Spurs (2000 Dark Highway Press), V-Wars (2013 IDW Publishing), and The Haunted Mansion Project: Year One (2012 Damnation Books).

 

1. Can you give our readers a brief introduction?

Hi, everyone.  I’m Yvonne Navarro, and I’ve been writing since way longer than I care to admit.  As of right now, I’ve gotten twenty-two novels published.  Seven were solo novels, and the rest were media-related.  I did seven novels in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Universe, five of which were originals, and won the Bram Stoker Award for YA writing for one of the Buffy tie-ins.  Some other awards and such—it’s always fun to have people appreciate your work.  I’ve also written a big bunch of short stories, somewhere over 100, but I have no idea of the final count because, well, I’m always going to get around to updating that bibliography document “later.”

 

2. Why do you write horror?  What draws you to the genre?

The first movie I remember watching was Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963).  I guess I’ve always thought there’s nothing better than a great, pulse-pounding, scary story.  Nowadays it’s a little harder to entertain me in that area, but when I was a kid Creature Features was a staple in our house every Friday night, and I hit the matinee at the local movie house every Saturday without fail.  My mom liked scary movies, so maybe she’s where I got it from, along with the desire to draw and write.  The first adult horror book I read was Scream and Scream Again by Peter Saxon (originally titled The Disoriented Man, 1968).  I saw the edge of it on top of the fridge where my Mom had hidden it.  I was hooked.

 

3. Can you describe your writing style or the tone you prefer to set for your stories?

That’s a hard question because normally I don’t think I have a specific style.  I write the way I like to read—total involvement in the characters and stories, so much so that I forget I actually am reading.  When I write I don’t think about writing.  I “see” the characters in their environment and it’s like I’m just putting down what they see and do in their own element.  I always have a little romance in a story because if a character can’t care about someone else, he or she probably isn’t memorable enough for the reader to care either.

 

4. Who are some of your influences?  Are there any women authors who have particularly inspired you to write?

My biggest influence was without a doubt Robert R. McCammon.  It was his book, They Thirst (1981 Avon Books), that made me want to try my hand at writing to begin with.  When I wrote and asked him questions, he responded positively even though I was an absolute green-behind-the-ears person who was about as much of a non-writer as I could be.  There are lots of good women writers out there.  I “grew up” with Elizabeth Massie, in particular; we met at the first World Horror Convention I attended and have been friends ever since.

 

5. What authors do you like to read?  Any Recommendations?

I still adore the work of Robert R. McCammon (who recently started writing again after taking quite awhile off), and I have an entire collection of Stephen King.  Right now I seem to be on a YA fantasy craze.  I’m reading Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments Series (Margaret K. McElderry Books) and Veronica Roth’s Divergent Series (Katherine Tegen Books).  I’m always looking for the next Barbara O’Neal novel, which isn’t horror but consistently has some small supernatural thing going on.  And I can’t wait for the final Laini Taylor novel in her Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers).
6. Where can readers find your work?

Most of my solo novels are out of print but I still have copies of lots of stuff (signed, too) available off my website at http://www.yvonnenavarro.com/offerings.htm.  I’m notoriously bad about updating the blog on my main website page (just like my bibliography), but I do keep up with Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/yvonne.navarro.001.  And I’m always trying to cook up something new.  I have big plans for this July, when I’ll be a Writer In Residence for two weeks at the Golden Apple Studio in Bangor, Maine.  I plan on world-building and cooking up a brand new series while I’m there.  I also write the Double X Chromosome column for Dark Discoveries magazine (http://www.darkdiscoveries.com).

 

Thanks, Yvonne, for your patience, and for participating in our Women in Horror project, even though it’s already May!

 

Posted on May 18, 2014 by , Reply

Booklist: Mother’s Day Reads

The new NBC miniseries for Rosemary’s Baby is premiering this weekend, just in time for Mother’s Day. Yes, it’s true, Mother’s Day is fast approaching! Motherhood can be tough and scary in so many ways, and mothers and mother-in-laws can be tough and scary, too, and that manifests itself in so many ways that I can’t even begin to list them. What I can do is give you a list of books in which mothers and their influences have played a significant part. Maybe you can relate (I hope not, but you never know) and maybe these will put things into perspective as everyone gears up for Mother’s Day.

 

 

   Rosemary’s Baby  by Ira Levin.

This classic work by Ira Levin tells the story of Rosemary Woodhouse. Rosemary and her husband, Guy, move into a very nice apartment that is suspiciously inexpensive,  in a building with an extremely disturbing history of witchcraft, cannibalism, and murder. Apparently the nosy elderly neighbors are covertly continuing that tradition, and have convinced Guy to take part as well. When Rosemary becomes pregnant, the residents of the building attempt to isolate her and take control of her pregnancy.

In spite of all the rosy depictions of pregnancy, it is a difficult experience emotionally and physically. and can be terrifying even when you have a fantastic support system, and sometimes it involves real tragedy. Rosemary’s Baby makes that frighteningly vivid. Roman Polanski’s movie is considered to be a faithful adaptation, and a classic work of horror as well.
Carrie  by Stephen King

The cruelty of the girls at school to Carrie is what I find most memorable about the book, but this story could not have existed in the same way without her mentally ill mother, Margaret White, whose violent, controlling, and isolating behavior is the source of many of Carrie’s problems. Even at the end of the story she calls out for her mother. While not Stephen King’s best writing, Carrie has clearly hit a mark with its tone and message. It was made into a movie of the same name, starring Sissy Spacek, in 1976, and again in 2013, with Julianne Moore stealing the show in the role of Margaret White.

Note:  Carrie also inspired a sequel (The Rage: Carrie 2), was made into a musical (1988), and was  made into a made-for-television movie for NBC (2002).
 Psycho: A Novel

Who doesn’t know of Norman Bates and the Bates Motel? In spite of  her unpleasantness and controlling behavior, Norman Bates loves his mother. Spoiler: she’s been dead for 20 years. Almost everyone knows the movie Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock; it is worth taking a short while (it is a short book) to check out the book. Bloch’s novel may have been influenced by the story of Ed Gein, a serial killer arrested near where he lived at the time.

      Beowulf  by Anonymous

I have reviewed the Michael Morpurgo version of Beowulf here, and if you are wondering why a children’s book is appearing on a list of very adult books,  rest assured that this adult thought it was amazing. The second book I’ve linked to is a graphic novel version by Gareth Hinds, which I discovered while surfing Amazon, and has some really great reviews. Beowulf is required reading for many middle or high school students (I think I read it in eighth grade) and it is not easy going. Morpurgo’s version is really engaging, though, and I am guessing that disengaged readers might get into it with this graphic novel version.

So why is this book on my list? If you have read Beowulf before, you know that a third of the story is devoted to the battle between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother.  Sure, Grendel was a ravening monster who ripped people apart before devouring them, but a mother’s thirst for violent and deadly revenge, in this case, truly knows no bounds.

 

 


The Dollanganger Saga: Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

The collection of messed-up mothers in V.C. Andrews’ Dollanganger Saga includes Olivia Foxworth, Corinne Dollanganger, and Cathy Dollanganger, all twisted up in various degrees of love, hate, and general twisted behavior. One thing you definitely see in these books is the tremendous influence a mother can have on her children, and how that can reverberate through multiple generations. The first book, Flowers in the Attic, has been made both into a movie of the same name and into a television miniseries that aired earlier this year, but the last one, Garden of Shadows, which is technically a prequel, packs a powerful punch as well.

 

Room by Emma Donoghue

Not a horror novel per se, Room is still pretty horrific.  The story is narrated by five year old Jack, who has never been outside the small room he inhabits with his mother. At night, Jack’s mother shuts him away to keep him from the notice of  their only visitor, Old Nick.  What’s actually occurring will be evident pretty quickly to the reader. Jack’s Ma shows her resourcefulness in keeping Jack entertained and occupied without revealing that something really wrong is going on, and protects him to the best of her ability. Their situation is awful, but her love for him is evident, and without the dysfunctional malevolence of some of the other mother-child relationships I’ve mentioned here.
Lakewood Memorial (Zombie Trilogy, Book 1) by Robert Best

A few years ago I did a project around Mother’s Day called Moms vs. Zombies. Just about the time that it was over, this book by Robert Best came my way. Zombies really aren’t my thing, but I was curious to find out how a mom did actually deal with zombies, and although it has more foul language than I like, and was also more gory than I like (zombies REALLY aren’t my thing) I read it cover to cover in short order. The characters are just great. In the hospital, you have Angie, a mom who works at the local hospital; one of her coworkers; a cranky old man and his relatives;  and Park, who appears to know how to use a gun, and is at the hospital to bring his recently bitten friend to the ER. On the other side of a bridge, Angie’s kids and their babysitter are under siege at her home. Both Angie and her kids are determined to reach each other, and boy, are they survivors. If I have to survive a zombie apocalypse, I just might be able to manage it with Angie and her kids on my side. I am afraid that I did not review it at the time, as I can’t really give zombie novels a fair shake, but some of Best’s characters have really stuck with me, particularly Angie, her kids, and the cranky guy in the wheelchair.

 

If you plan to watch the miniseries, enjoy Rosemary’s Baby, and if not, I hope you’ll take a moment to think of your mother, no matter how you feel about her. I hope you have a great Mother’s Day!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on May 1, 2014 by , Reply

Destination: Florida– A Spring Break Booklist

I don’t know about your state, but for the majority of residents in Indiana, spring break means Florida (or a staycation, in which you wish you were in Florida).  I’m pretty sure that if you live in a cold climate (which this winter has been all of us) Florida sounds pretty good right now. Whether you’re looking for reading material that takes place there, or just wish you were there yourself, here’s a list of books set in Florida that should get your blood pumping.

 


Duma Key by Stephen King

A terrible car accident that causes dramatic personality changes and leads to his divorce causes Edgar Freemantle to relocate to an isolated island in the Florida Keys, where he discovers that he possesses a remarkable artistic talent with supernatural aspects.

 

Hunger by Rodman Philbrick

 

Genetically engineered, human-eating sharks are loose in the Florida Keys. Doesn’t that summary make you want it for your next beach read?

If you prefer to stay inside while reading about malevolent, carnivorous, underwater predators, you could consider pairing this with the movie Deep Blue Sea. While I haven’t actually read this book, the plot sounds remarkably similar.

 


The Vision by Heather Graham

Treasure hunters, ghosts, and a serial killer haunt this romantic suspense thriller.

 


Fatal Treasure: Greed and Death, Emeralds and Gold, and the Obsessive Search for the Legendary Ghost Galleon Atocha by Jedwin Smith

 

Speaking of treasure hunters, here’s a real life story of treasure hunting filled with tragedy, obsessiveness, and, well, treasure. I can’t remember how old I was when the discovery and salvage of the Atocha became a big deal, but there was a massive exhibit at the Children’s Museum here, called The Search for the Golden Treasure, and I remember it well. The author of this book, Jedwin Smith, actually accompanied Mel Fisher and his company of treasure seekers on several dives.

 

Dead Tide  and Dead Tide Rising by Stephen A. North

These are fast paced zombie thrillers set in Pinellas County, Florida. Dead Tide Rising is the sequel to Dead Tide. Zombie lovers will find these to be good vacation reads, unless they happen to be vacationing in St. Petersburg.  Read our review of Dead Tide here and our review of Dead Tide Rising here.

 

Wolf Hunt by Jeff Strand

Jeff Strand is well known for his comic horror. Werewolf fans on their way to Florida are in for a treat with Wolf Hunt, which describes a road trip across Florida by two low-level thugs charged with delivering a man in a cage to a crime lord. Given the title, I don’t think it’s much of a spoiler to reveal that the man is, in reality, a ravenous werewolf. Strand doesn’t short his readers on the gore, though, so even with the comedy, it’s not for the weak of stomach. Read our review here.

 

Dying Days by Armand Rosamilia

Another fast paced zombie thriller that takes place in sunny Florida. Rosamilia has written several books and short stories set in this world. This one is available for 99 cents on Kindle, so it’s an inexpensive and easy choice that will help you to decide if you want to try more of his work. Read our review here.

 

Skeletons in the Swimmin’ Hole: Tales of Haunted Disney World by Kristi Petersen Schoonover

Six short horror stories for adults set at Disney World. The perfect antidote to Disney sweetness.

 

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow

He is not a horror writer, but I have read and loved most of Cory Doctorow’s work. I haven’t read this one, however. Reviews I have seen on it suggest that Doctorow was focused more on his setting (Disney World) and exploring ideas than on character development and plot. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom takes place in a future where scarcity is not a problem, wealth is based on reputation, and death is temporary, lasting only until your personality can be downloaded  into a clone. This doesn’t leave a lot of opportunity for meaningful conflict in a murder mystery. However, it sounds like Doctorow does put a lot of love into detailing the setting and the feelings of the people who really do live for Disney, which makes me wonder if he once wished he could live there himself. This was his debut novel, and his writing has become much more mature since then, but if I ever get back to Disney World (it’s pricey these days), I think I’d take this with me.

 

Shadows Over Florida by David Goudsward and Scott T. Goudsward

This nonfiction title is one horror movie fans can actually use to plan their vacations! Florida was the site of the filming of many grindhouse and exploitation movies in the 1960s and 1970s, and the Goudswards cover this in detail. They also document some of the influences Florida has had on prominent horror writers. Read our review here.

 

Not interested in Florida, and still want to warm up with a good book? Check out this booklist from earlier this year for more titles.

Whether you stay home, travel to sunny Florida, or choose some other vacation option, have a great spring break and enjoy some good reads!

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Posted on March 31, 2014 by , Reply
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