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The 7Q Interview: Karen Runge

AUTHOR BIO

Karen Runge is an author and visual artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her works have appeared in various anthologies and other publications around the world. Her first solo short story collection, ‘Seven Sins’ was published by Concord Free Press in 2016, and her first novel ‘Seeing Double’ made its debut in 2017, from Grey Matter Press. Never shy of darker themes in horror fiction, she has been dubbed 'The Queen of Extreme' and 'Princess of Pain' by various bloggers and book reviewers. Jack Ketchum once said in response to one of her stories: “Karen, you scare me.”

QUESTIONS

#1. Looking back, what’s one fiction book that you feel truly made an impact on your writing? Do you still gravitate towards that author?

#1. ‘A Handmaid’s Tale’ by Margaret Atwood, hands down, a thousand times over. That was one of the first books I read that deals with brutal themes and handles each angle with the most gorgeous visual style. It’s damn-near lyrical in its descriptive intensity, and yet what it covers is about as vicious as it gets. It’s a powerful work of art. I’ve been reading all kinds of horror since I was a kid, but when I first read that book as a young teen it was like a light went on: It’s possible to talk about terrible things in a way that is actually… beautiful! I still adore Margaret Atwood. Even if a book of hers is about something that doesn’t interest me much, I’ll happily read it just to marvel at how she weaves her words together. I was actually gifted a signed copy of ‘A Handmaid’s Tale’ by my first major editor, the great Stona Fitch, and it’s one of my most prized possessions.

#2. How do you feel about the use of sub-genres in the industry? How do you describe your work overall?

#2. Sub-genres are pretty key, particularly in horror. I mean, how the heck do you even define ‘horror’? The easy answer is ‘anything that horrifies’. But that’s helluva broad. With horror in particular, sub-genres are essential to guiding fans and creators alike towards the types of stories they want to experience/capture. Zombies are horror. So is domestic violence. It’s all about how it’s handled. I’d say step one is to figure out if you’re talking about horror with supernatural or speculative fiction elements, or seeking out the grit and brutality of realism. Sub-genres are bedrock here. While I’ve written a few stories with spec-fic elements, my own work tends to be rooted more in the real world. I prefer to describe what I do as ‘psychological horror’, or psych. I enjoy all the sub-genres—they each bring something special to the table—but in my own writing I don’t much feel the need to create a new kind of monster. People can be fucking terrifying enough. Those are the horror stories that are around us every day, and because they’re real it’s important to talk about them. Horror offers a safe setting to do just that, and to do it honestly without shying away. This is very much what I strive to achieve in my own stories.

#3. What about your writing process do you think is unique or quirky? What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?

#3. I remember talking to an editor of mine once, telling him about a project I was so terrified of messing up that I couldn’t get myself to sit down and write. I thought that was pretty screwball, really—why run from something so exciting, that was otherwise going so well? What the hell was wrong with me? And then he said something like, ‘Karen, every writer feels the need to clean out their basement before they sit down to work’. Aha. So, I don’t think there’s anything unique or quirky about my process. The more I talk to editors and writers, the more ‘normal’ my completely batshit process starts to sound. As far as bad advice goes, one of my father’s ex-girlfriends once gave me an hour-long lecture about how if I wanted to be a writer, I needed to be a journalist first. I was only eleven or twelve at the time, but I knew in my soul what she was saying was wrong for me. Don’t ever tell someone you know what they want better than they do. Sure there are some great journalists-turned-authors out there, but the journalistic style is very different and I knew even then what I wanted to shoot for—and it wasn’t playing Lois Lane. The best kind of advice? Know what you want. Do that. Ignore everyone else. Even if it fails, the learning curve it’ll put you on remains the most valuable thing you could hope to gain.

#4. How does music and media factor into your writing? Do you feel it plays as much an inspirational role as literature?

#4. Music is amazing for this! I’ve written so many poems and shorts inspired by a song alone. Lyrics are poetry, really. My latest short ‘Angeline’ (out now in ‘Suspended in Dusk II’ with Grey Matter Press) was inspired by the PJ Harvey song of the same name. I think if you’re an artist, you’re always taking inspiration from the art you find around you. Aside from books themselves, music and movies are the big players. But whether it’s books or poems or even a clever-clever painting or photograph, artists generally live by looking deeper, always taking things in and turning them inside out. We’re moved, and then we move each other. I love that we’re all quietly interconnecting like that.

#5. As an author, how much do you engage in social media? Do you feel it is more for your own entertainment, or for marketing and networking?

#5. I’ve had a weird relationship with social media. It took me ages to get onto Twitter, and even longer to join Facebook. I’m a pretty private person, and I don’t like the idea that any stranger out there can look me up and gain access to the more intimate (or even banal) details of my life. That said, as an artist you have to allow that these days, to some degree at least. I’ve had a few editors over the years talk to me quite seriously about the importance of being visible. You need to be accessible. You need to be able to engage. It’s been tricky for me, because when you’re creating stuff and putting it out there: that’s already an act that makes you very vulnerable. You’re showing the world the deeper recesses of your mind. As a writer I’m happy to share my thoughts behind the wall of fiction, but I’m not going to take to Facebook or Twitter to bare my soul or bitch about my day or show everyone what I made for dinner. There’s nothing wrong with doing those things, but personally I would feel way too exposed if I used social media in that way. It’s taken me a while, but I think I’ve found a balance to it now. Whatever I share needs to be relevant to what I’m doing/where I am as an artist. I’ve chosen to see social media as a tool to keep up to speed, plug my own work, and to promote the works of other artists I like. Social media is pretty brilliant—but I do still think it’s important to be careful with it. Every post and every tweet is essentially a loud announcement to a very crowded room. Be sure you know what you’re saying.

#6. Where do you see the future of horror fiction heading? In turn, what changes would you love to see, either socially or technologically?

#6. I’ve definitely noticed a shift away from ‘fluffier’ horror—predictable tropes we’ve been saturated with for years are finally getting a bit too tired to hold the interest of horror fans. If one more PG-13 zombie film or sparkly vampire makes the rounds, some folks might want to just give up on horror entirely. Horror is a genre that hates being defined or corralled along predictable plot lines—and there’s been way too much of that going around lately. I’d love to see a spike in interest in indie publishers and film makers. I think that’s already happening—but it could use a bit more momentum. Really the only change I’d love to see is a return to edgy ideas, daring approaches, emotional honesty. I don’t bother much with Hollywood’s version of horror these days for example. I just need to watch the trailer and I know exactly where it’s all going, so I’d rather dig up a lower budget indie film that might actually surprise me (and they usually do). It’s not like there aren’t fantastic horror creators out there—there definitely are. Unfortunately they (largely) don’t really hold the power or the money reins. Yet!

#7. What can you tell us about any forthcoming projects? What titles would you like to promote now?

#7. My latest short story ‘Angeline’ is out now in ‘Suspended in Dusk II’, edited by Simon Dewar and published by Grey Matter Press. It’s a fantastic collection with some great contributing names. I’m also currently collaborating with Simon on a top secret anthology project…. I’d give you details now, but he’d kill me. My second novel ‘Doll Crimes’ is well in the works, with one very awesome publisher already expressing interest. If that works out, it’ll see a 2019 release. I just need to finish the damn thing. Thank God I don’t have a basement.

AUTHOR PIC

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