Women in Horror Month Interview with Author Lou Yardley

As you may know, February is “Women in Horror” month. To celebrate, PromoteHorror.com asked women from different professions if they would like to answer some questions about being a “Woman in Horror,” and more. One of those women, who was kind enough to answer our questions, was author Lou Yardley. Lets see what she said about being a “Woman in Horror”…

-PH: When did you first become a horror fan?

-Lou: I’m not sure exactly how old I was, but I must have been under 11 as I was still at primary school. Almost every Sunday, my mum, my sister and I used to go to my grandparents’ house for a roast dinner. On one occasion, we arrived a little early and I went to sit with my Grandad in the living room. He was in the middle of watching a film, so I just sat back and watched it with him. It was “The Gate” and it scared the absolute bejesus out of me. But, being a kid, I decided to play it cool and pretend that it hadn’t bothered me at all. I think I had about a week’s worth of nightmares! Haha! Looking back now, “The Gate” isn’t scary at all, but to it was the scariest thing that young me had ever seen at that point.

But, despite the nightmares… I found that I kinda liked it. There’s just something about being scared that’s a little bit addictive. Since then I’ve always been on the look out for weird/dark/scary stuff.

-PH: Was there a specific moment when you realized that you wanted to go from being a fan of horror to a woman who contributes to the genre, or did it just kind of happen naturally?

-Lou: It happened totally naturally. I decided to write a novel and horror came out! I think it’s just how my mind works… it’s a little bit twisted. It’s wonderful!

-PH: What does having a “Women in Horror” month mean to you?

-Lou: I think it’s a great way to celebrate what women are doing in the genre (whether it’s writing, acting, directing, creating art, etc). It’s also a really good way to find out about stuff that may have passed you by otherwise.

-PH: Is there a woman in horror who you consider a role model?

-Lou: Umm, I’m not sure. I know it sounds soppy, but my main role model is my mum. She’s not a horror person, but she’s pretty awesome. There are a lot of women in horror who I admire though. In terms of acting in movies, I’d have to pick Jamie Lee Curtis, but I guess she’s a rather obvious choice. There are LOADS of female writers who are publishing great things at the moment, but I’d like to give a quick shout out to Ania Ahlborn. I read “The Shuddering” last year and thought it was fantastic. Art-wise, I’d like to recommend an artist who goes by the name of Sludgework. She created my ‘Dagrimm Reader’ author logo and she’s worked on some other pieces for me.

-PH: What do you think the future holds for women in horror?

-Lou: I would love for us to get to the point where women in horror is the norm rather than the exception. I mean, it’s great that we have WiHM, but wouldn’t it be even more amazing if female filmmakers, writers and artists in the horror world were receiving the same amount of press as the guys? We’re just as scary as the dudes. You should see me at 6 o’clock in the morning… TERRIFYING! I think we’re getting closer now though, so it won’t be long until this is a reality.

-PH: If you could serve a role in horror that you’ve never done, what would it be?

-Lou: I would LOVE to be a zombie in a movie or a TV show. I’d like to be a really gross one… one that’s been rotting for a while. The more gore the better! Even if I’m just on camera for half a second.

-PH: Being that this is PromoteHorror.com, please feel free to plug your current/next horror project.

-Lou: I’m currently working on my OTT, B-Movie-esque horrific dinosaur-fueled extravaganza! It’s called “Rise of the Carnivores” and it has been so much fun to write. I’m in the editing process at the moment, so I’m hoping to publish in the next couple of months. I hope people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

In the meantime, you can catch up with me at the following places:
Web: http://louyardley.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/LouciferSpeaks
Facebook: http://facebook.com/louyardley
Instagram: http://instagram.com/louciferspeaks
Shop: http://louyardley.bigcartel.com

Amazon links:
Hellhound: http://geni.us/HellhoundKindle
When the Sun Sets: http://geni.us/WhenTheSunSets

We would like to thank Lou Yardley for taking the time to answer our questions, but more importantly for her contribution to horror!

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