[Pride In Horror Month] - Interview with Steph Rabig

Pride is my favourite time of year next to Halloween, and I love supporting my fellow LGBTQ creators (all year round, of course, but especially now!) It was my pleasure and absolute delight to be able to "sit down" with Steph Rabig, author of " ", and be able to get to know her a little better! We chatted a bit about writing, about life, and what it means to be an LGBTQ creator in the writing community.

Ellen Avigliano: So, Steph, when did you realize you first wanted to become a writer? 
Steph Rabig: I don't remember when I actually made the decision to go for this as a "here's what I'll do for the rest of my life"; writing was just something I always loved doing. I did some original stories for school assignments, but mainly I started with fanfic-- Quantum Leap; The Lost Boys; Young Guns and its sequel; The Craft. Blessedly, none of it has ever seen the light of day because my teen years were pre-AO3.  ;)

EA: Since we're revisiting some childhood memories, tell me about the first book that ripped your heart out, really got you emotionally, and/or made you say "THIS is why I want to write!"
SR: First book that ripped my heart out was actually a short story called "The Cold Equations". I loathe it to this day.  Emotional hit/why I want to write: The Stand.  Epic worldbuilding, ensemble cast, high stakes, creepy villains...

EA: I can see that Horror is certainly one of your top genre choices for reading material as well as your writing. What is it about the Horror genre in particular that draws you in? What made you select this as your main genre of choice as an author?
SR: I love the variety of it, and the universality. Most everyone loves getting scared, whether it's reading gruesome splatterpunk or going through haunted houses or telling urban legends around the campfire. I can write flat-out horror, or just slip elements of it into other projects.

EA: I love when authors sprinkle a little bit of horror into other genres! Who doesn't love a little genre crossover! Do you write in other genres, or have plans to expand into them? Is there a genre you would never write?
SR: I've written some queer romance and fairytale adaptations, and right now I'm doing some writing for my best friend Angie's weird-western project, Hazeldine. And I've got two historical horror stories coming up: the third book in my Cryptids & Cauldrons series, which is set at a circus sideshow in the 1920s, and Mina, a Prohibition-era take on Dracula. As for never write...nonfiction business manuals?  ;)

EA: That all sounds incredible! And HAHA I can't imagine it would go over well if you tried to add genre Horror into nonfiction business manuals. Although it would be quite fun to see someone try it LOL! Speaking of, what do you like to do for funwhen you're not writing?
SR: I make tea blends at Adagio.com, and recently I've started making jewelry. I binge TV shows-- used to watch things like Criminal Minds, but it got way too dark for me, esp. considering everything that's going on in the news. Now I mainline things like Great British Bake Off and Good Omens to help settle my anxiety, though I'm also enjoying the hell out of Prodigal Son (crime drama? Yes, but enough comedic moments to keep me from doom-spiraling, and a mentally-ill protag who's treated with respect instead of mistrust and fear. I will hoard that like a dragon).I also have several things going on at my website-- I review horror novels, and a couple of weeks ago I started up a Queer Horror Database.  <3

EA: I know that not everyone is as into Horror as we are (which is ridiculous of course, but I digress LOL.) I'm wondering what your friends and family think of your love of the dark and scary stuff" so to speak. Do they read your work, and if so, what do they think? Do they support your career as a writer?
SR: No, and yes!  My mom goes for lighter fare, so a lot of what I write is off the table. And my dad prefers darker horror than what I write (he goes for Ramsey Campbell and Jack Ketchum; I write some kind of weird horror-mixed-with-Terry-Pratchett genre so...yeah). And my husband is dyslexic. But they're all supportive, and buy copies of my stuff even if it goes unread.  :)

EA: Love it!! A supportive family and friends circle is such a blessing for a creative soul. Our weird interests and quirks aren't always understood, but it's nice when people can get behind our passion and support it anyway! Oh! And speaking of weird quirks...Do you have any quirks/personal rituals in your writing process?  
SR: I usually listen to music while I write (and, at least assuming that no one else is in the house, sometimes (A) I will listen to one song on repeat for three hours and no one else needs that, and (B) I will sing along. Loudly. And no one needs that either).   ;)    Snacks are a plus, esp. toffee or dark chocolate.

EA: Yes!! Jamming out to some good tunes and downing some sugary snacks are both great fuel for us creatives to make things. Which brings me to my next question... As an artist I find I'm often a non-stop idea machine, but as a result I have a chronic unfinished WIP pile. Dare I ask ....How many WIPs/Unfinished works do you have in your writing pile?
SR: Ohhhhh god. Um. At least fifteen? I am getting better about sticking to a schedule and actually *completing* things, though.

EA: On the topic of actually completing things and a steady stream of WIPs, what do you think is your "kryptonite" as a writer?  And I know it is easier said than done, but how do you go about vanquishing that kryptonite?
SR: My brain. Or rather, the depression/anxiety cocktail it has cooked up. Medication helps, as does bouncy music. And spite: I have completed projects based on "SCREW YOU BRAIN I'M GETTING THIS DONE!"

EA: As the song says, we get by with a little help from our friends, and sometimes that can absolutely mean tools like music therapy or medication. Heck yes, girl!!!

Last but not least in my questions on the specifics of writing: What is your all-time favourite word?  Is there a word you avoid/hate using (for instance, a friend of mine despises the word "moist" haha and avoids using it at ALL COSTS)?
SR: I love the word chinchilla. Or tintinnabulation. Celestial. Nyctophilia. Amaranthine.  WORDS.     (but yes, keep the word 'moist' away from me ugh)

EA: In the immortal words of Kel in the classic Nickelodeon film "Good Burger": "I know some of these words!" Haha! I mean, know the word chinchilla well, having had one myself (RIP Penelope!) and I too adore the word Celestial, but you've got me on Tintinnabulation and Amaranthine. Love it! You learn something new every day, as they say. (Whoever "they" is!)

If you don't mind, I do have a few additional interview questions regarding our celebration of "Pride In Horror Month." First and foremost, I would love to hear your thoughts on what Pride means to you, personally?
SR: Being fully myself. I'd like to toss "oh yeah, I'm bi" into conversation as easily and thoughtlessly as I talk about my favorite TV shows. 

EA: Amen! There's nothing like being comfortable in your own skin! Power to you, friend. That is a blessing to be able to speak so freely. Not everyone is able to do so. Relatedly, as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, can you reflect on some of the changes that have been made for queer rights/equality during your lifetime?  How have these affected you moving through the world as a queer creator?
SR: I was born in 1981, so when I was a kid 'gay' meant AIDS. When I was in high school, Matthew Shepard. Then I discovered RENT, and though it dealt with some pretty rough topics, there was also optimism to it, and queer characters treated as people rather than cautionary tales (same thing for Adrian Mellon's scene in IT. Terrible, but at least *he* and his boyfriend were treated sympathetically). For a long time, there was no queer content without brutality to it-- looking at you, Brokeback Mountain-- and seeing that change has been amazing. We've got cartoons and romance and sci-fi and comics and coming-of-age and characters can just be queer and that's it! Some queer characters meet nasty ends in horror stories, of course, but that's because of the genre, not because queer = tragedy.

EA: What sort of representation do you wish you had seen in media/literature growing up?  Do you see more of that representation available to youth and other readers now?
SR: Us surviving would've been nice.   I am seeing so much more of it now-- I bought my kids And Tango Makes Three when they were little, and now I read Lumberjanes with them. They adore Brooklyn 99, and Captain Holt's relationship with Kevin is something they love, and Rosa being bi was a huge thing to both of them (same with Eleanor on The Good Place). 

EA: Things really have come a long way for solid Queer Rep since the days of our youth, and it's really nice to see it. Since you've already mentioned some Queer Rep in Films, TV and Children's Literature, what are some of your current favorite YA or Adult novels/stories (Horror, Dark Fantasy, Dark Scifi) that include Queer Rep?
SR: Right now I am in LOVE with Alma Katsu's The Deep, and I just started Mira Grant's Into the Drowning Deep. Similarity in titles is purely coincidence, I'm just on an Aquatic Horror kick right now.   Also, Sarah Gailey's American Hippo!  So much fun.

EA: Going back to the topic of music from earlier, do you have a personal Pride month anthem?
SR: I still play the RENT soundtrack with alarming regularity.  ;)   Two of my favorites are "Another Day" or "Will I?" depending on my mood.

EA: RENT! Who doesn't love RENT?! Ugh, I get chills every time I listen to the music or see it. It's timeless. It really covers so much about what it is to be a young creative person as well as LGBTQ issues. Larson's characters are very diverse and inclusive of so many sexualities and gender identities. Part of the reason it's also so successful is Larson's ability to create empathy between the audience and his characters. These people are so 3-dimensional and believable, and, AIDS/Queer issues aside, their lives and struggles are overall incredibly relatable even if you're not LGBTQ.

On that thought, do you have any advice for cis/hetero writers and creators crafting realistic, inclusive, and sensitive LGBTQ+ characters?
SR: Heck, I'm still learning myself. I would like to request avoiding the "the sole queer character in the book dies/is evil" trope, please.

EA: Thank you so much, Steph, for sharing a little insight on your creative process and interests, it was a delight to be able to get to know you better! Can't wait to read your upcoming publications.

Happy Pride!

By Ellen Avigliano (Interviewing Stephanie Rabig)
Twitter: @imaginariumcs
Instagram: @imaginariumarts @thejackalopes.warren
Website: www.imaginariumarts.com