About The Story/Author
CM Harris’ A Woman Unbecoming was so amazing it became the namesake of our anthology. It’s a powerful piece that embodied everything I wanted for this anthology.
Q (Crone Girls Press): What drove your story for this anthology? Tell us the “story behind the story.”
A (CM Harris): I was harassed by two male cyclists much like Alice was. It kept me up at night until I wrote it all down with a wicked twist. After that I slept quite well. The fact that it has entertained so many readers is the cherry on the cake.
Q: What does it mean to read and write horror when you’re competing with news headlines (for example, this anthology came about in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V Wade)? How has it changed (or not!) your approach to the genre as a writer or as a fan?
A: As women, it sometimes feels all the power we have is our words. Fiction manages chaos very well. As crazy as it gets, it’s always crafted, so you know what you’re in for. The real world is much more uncertain. We can explore frightening themes through reading and writing and find a measure of escape and peace when we close the cover. I will admit though, that I have had to shelve a few plots because of the fast-changing news cycle. It’s driven me into more “futuristic” and “historical” settings.
Q: There are a number of different flavors of horror. Where does your story fit, and what drew you to this particular category?
A: I love weird monster tales. Alien, The Thing, IT, Stranger Things’s Mindflayer, Old Gods, etc. So I hope my story fits there. As women, we experience all sorts of transformations in our bodies, and a lack of autonomy sometimes, so I’ve been exploring that in a more abstract way.
Q: Why do you write horror? What about the genre appeals to you as an author?
A: Even though I’ve always read and watched a lot of horror I stumbled into writing it. My first three novels were literary fiction but each had a hint of the supernatural in them, so I think it was just a matter of time. When I started my fourth (She Never Left), I just ripped the horror bandaid off and honestly, it was the most fun to write.
Q: What’s next in your writing journey?
A: HarperCollinsUK is taking on the second edition of my historical saga, ‘The Children of Mother Glory’ so we’re editing that, which will release in Spring 2023. I am also working on the follow-up to my SciFi thriller ‘She Never Left,’ which will include ‘A Woman Unbecoming’ as one of its chapters. The working title on that is ‘SUM (of our parts)’ It’s going to be big and weird and over the top! And then I have a romance novel after that. I’d like to dip my toe back into the regular world again if we can manage to make it a place worth writing about again.
About the Author
CM Harris is the author of novels SHE NEVER LEFT, MAIDEN LEAP, THE CHILDREN OF MOTHER GLORY, and ENTER OBLIVION.
Her short stories and essays appear in Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine, Escape Artists’ Pseudopod podcast, COPPICE & BRAKE Dark Fiction Anthology, Meniscus Literary Journal, SALiT Magazine, Harrington Literary Quarterly, and the anthology QUEER VOICES: Poetry, Prose, and Pride. Her screenplay The Cost of Glory received a Gold award for Best Concept Script and a Silver award for Best Feature Script from the Queen Palm Film Festival. She is the editor of Seven Years of Mountain Climbing: A Flatlanders Journey to the Summit.
CM Harris attended The School of Art Institute of Chicago and The Loft Literary Center of Minneapolis. She lives in Minneapolis with her wife and their twins and is the lead singer of the indie band Hothouse Weeds.
Find her online at her website: https://authorcmharris.com
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