An Interview With Lisa Vasquez

1) Tell us about your book

I’d love to tell you more about my book, DEVIANTS AND DECADENTS, which is releasing in October of this year. This is a private collection of my short stories with a high focus on fantastical creatures and some psychological thriller peppered in. It will also feature some of my poetry and short stories from authors Jae Mazer, Dicey Grenor, and Megan Stockton. I always love to feature authors whose writing I love, and celebrate their works whenever I can.  
It has been awhile since my last release, THE UNFLESHED: TALE OF THE AUTOPSIC BRIDE due to my workload with the pub house and magazine (retired) and one day I realised, what I missed most besides helping other people was creating my own worlds and characters. I’m excited to be back in the groove, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. 

2) Tell us something unusual about your main character

The main character in each story is a facet of my own personal demons. I won’t say what they are because it’s more fun to let people assume and interpret it their own way. It could be psychological, emotional, physical, or all of the above. The goal is to create characters my readers can make a connection with and therefore with me.

3) What’s next for you?

In March, I will be releasing an anthology I curated called VIXENS OF HORROR: VINTAGE EDITION which pays tribute to women, and those who identify as women, who have had their voices stolen but find vindication through whatever means necessary. These are strong feminine characters who take care of things in their own way. This anthology will be announcing added authors as we go. 

For next year, I will also have two more works releasing: THE UNHOWLING, and JARS. One is a story about werewolves, and the latter is a coming-of-age story about strange worms turning up everywhere in a small town. I’ve been working on them both for some time. Getting them published will be a huge accomplishment for me.

4) What genres do you write in and why?

I stick to dark fiction and bounce around between dark sci-fi, supernatural horror, and grimdark. I love diving into the human condition, exploring why people act the way they do under different scenarios, how those scenarios alter our everyday norm, and the juxtaposition of terror vs. beauty. 

5) Describe your writing style

I write in 3rd person. I know some people hate it. It’s interesting because readers who aren’t used to it call it “head hopping” but to be honest it’s almost impossible to head hop in that point of view. Most of that occurs in 1st person. Sorry! Publisher hat came on.

I enjoy 3rd person because it allows me to give the reader a panoramic view of the experience I’m pulling them into. I want them to see, hear, taste, and smell all the details. In doing so, the stories stick with them long after they finish reading. 

I tend to lean very dark, preferring to torment my characters and forgo happy endings because most of the time in life, we don’t get those. Finding hope against all odds is harder to do and gives my characters a more relatable depth. 

6) What inspires you to write?

I have so many personalities in my head. They talk all the time, tell me details of their lives and what they have been through. My mind is a literal support group for different characters and creatures of all kinds. I may have a female assassin sitting next to a misogynist were-octopus (I just made that up) across from a starving vampire, and all of them are wanting to be heard. They’ve woken me up from a sound sleep to jot down notes and details of stories they demand to be told. 
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So yeah, if I don’t write? I will go insane. 

7) Tell us something unusual about you

Have you not been listening (reading)? ;D

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