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.” One of the women, who was kind enough to answer our questions, was the wonderful author D.J. Doyle. Lets see what she said about being a “Woman in Horror”…
-PH: When did you first become a horror fan?
-D.J.:I used to watch the old Hammer Horror movies when I was 8 and 9 years old, I loved them. I saw An American Werewolf in London which frightened the hell outta me, then I became hooked. At 13, my brother handed me a Stephen King collection and that started my love for reading horror.
-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?
-D.J.: I loved writing stories and poems whilst at school and, during most of my adventurous 20s, I always had stories in my head thinking about the lives of others when I visited ancient heritage sites around Ireland. However, I was too busy socializing, and my creative side took a back seat. Once I settled down, I started writing my first novel and haven’t stopped writing since.
-PH: Since you’ve become a horror fan and woman in horror, have you always had the support of friends and family or did you have some explaining to do?
-D.J.: This is me, always has been. Although, the extreme horror is not easy to digest, so most friends and family wouldn’t read it.
-PH: What does having a “Women in Horror” month mean to you?
-D.J.: It gives women a much-needed platform to showcase their skills in the horror genre.
-PH: What do you think the future holds for women in horror?
-D.J.: If we compare to the past and how limited our influence was then ( all hail Mary Shelley), we see how much women have stabbed their way into the horror genre, knives dripping, over the past few decades. I believe it will grow and grow into a community where women won’t feel the need to use a pseudonym because they fear they will be judged as a woman in horror. I shouldn’t have reviews stating that I can write extreme horror just as good as the men, but I do. Horror has no gender, let’s remember that.
-PH: If you could serve a role in horror that you’ve never done, what would it be?
-D.J.: I would love to write scripts based on some of my stories and submit them to a production company.
-PH: Who is your favorite final girl, and favorite female villain?
-D.J.: My favourite final girl is Ellen Ripley. What a badass she turned out to be…fighting aliens, rescuing children, and sacrificing herself. A brilliant and deep character for all women in horror to see as a role model. Ripley is one of the most significant female protagonists in all of cinema and is a prominent figure in popular culture.
My favourite villain would have to be Cersei Lannister – she went to great lengths to protect her children even though it was in vain. She is a character people love to hate, which makes her the perfect villain. Also, who didn’t feel sorry for her during her time of ‘shame’? And wanted her to seek revenge… who knew it would be another reason to hate her.
-PH: Being that this is PromoteHorror.com, please feel free to plug your current/next horror project.
-D.J.: I have two in the pipeline. One is another extreme horror about a freak with a fascination for bugs. The other is my third Celtic Curse novel set around another ancient heritage site in Ireland and includes a mythical beast…that’s all I’m giving away for now.
Author.to/DJDOYLEBOOKS – amazon page
https://www.facebook.com/DJDoyleAuthor/– FB author page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/198428734085055/ – FB horror group
https://twitter.com/djdMar123
We would like to thank D.J. Doyle for taking the time to answer our questions, but more importantly for her contribution to horror!
