Ravyn’s story, The Gift, is a wicked tale about the dangers of treating people like monsters that truly reminds of the quote: “I wish they were the monster you think they are.”
She’d always heard that women were weaker, growing up. She’d been determined to prove them wrong; she’d believed that if she showed the world she was strong, that she was equal, eventually they’d treat her that way. But instead… They don’t want you the way you are. You aren’t worthy in their twisted vision. You’re not the same as them, you’re a lesser being…inhuman. She snarled, an animalistic noise she’d never made before.
–The Gift By Ravyn Crescent. Featured in A Woman Unbecoming
Q (Crone Girls Press): Author Interview Question 1: What drove your story for this anthology? Tell us the “story behind the story.”
A (Ravyn Crescent): I’m a mixed race asexual woman, I’ve had so many curses thrown my way. I found out very quickly in life that men could get away with things easier. My biological father was very abusive, and even when I finally had the courage at thirteen to bring his brutality to light, people sided with him. The same people who yelled at my mother about how she could ever think of leaving her husband any time she went to them for help suddenly shamed her for not leaving sooner, not doing a better job protecting her kids, not being good enough. My own principle refused to let me walk in graduation, or even attend it, because she said I should have kept quiet about what my father did and just handle it in private. Even well meaning people would tell me how broken I was, and how sorry they were that I was “used” and “broken” even had a few tell me that the abuse had turned me into an “abomination.” In this story, I thought about how many people must have heard these same things and what would happen if, instead of being shut down, we rose up. What if it was a gift, not a curse?
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: There is so much tragedy and horror going on in the world, and I believe many people are going through crisis fatigue… I feel the role in horror is often to acknowledge that fear and to tell the reader it is okay to feel it. It’s okay to be scared, it’s okay to be angry, it’s okay to not just be happy all the time. Horror media can teach us how to survive fear by showing us time and time again that we can face it and live. I am a person who suffers from anxiety, and can honestly say I spent most of my life just afraid. What’s helped the most was consuming horror media, learning to write it, learning to face the terror head on. I hope it helps others in the same way.
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’d say mine fits into a few. Paranormal, apocalyptic, as well as psychological. The cause of the story is the mental exhaustion and trauma Eliza has faced her whole life coming to a boil and spilling over. It’s the straw that broke the camel’s back, which would link to the psychological genre, but given what the break caused… That brings in the apocalyptic and paranormal aspects.
Q: Why do you write horror? What about the genre appeals to you as an author?
A: I write horror because the world terrifies me. That sounds so odd to say, but I’ve always been so afraid. Darkness, monsters, people, judgment, pain—the list is never-ending. For as long as I can remember, I have been afraid, but I’ve also found comfort in things others fear. I was a bit of an outcast in the family because of my love for the paranormal. My bio-dad and his side of the family told me I was damning myself because my favorite color was black. They kept me from fictional horror, thinking it would just create more fears in my life. The exact opposite was true. I found power in it. I was terrified of serial killers; mention the BTK killer and I’d shut down. Until I started writing about murderers. I used documentaries as research and turned terrifying facts into entertaining fiction. Writing horror, monsters, chilling tales let me take control of my fears and have them become a part of my world rather than me being forced into theirs.
Q: What’s next in your writing journey?
A: I’m currently trying to turn a short story I wrote into a full-length novel called Wicked Hearts. The short version, Saddie’s Choices, can be found in The Devil’s Due: Nothing Is Ever As It Seems: Horror dark spec fiction anthology by Valhalla Books and edited by Adam Messer. Besides that, I am considering publishing an anthology of paranormal horror on the high seas! So any author who has some interest in that, please let me know!
About The Author
Ravyn Crescent is a speculative fiction author. Her short stories can be found in multiple anthologies, including As Wicked as They Come, The Devil’s Due, and A Woman Unbecoming. Her novella, Answer It, can be found for sale on Amazon and BN.com. She spends her free time playing with her dog, feeding the local stray cats, studying serial killers and mass murderers, ghost hunting, visiting haunted locations around her hometown in Mesa, Arizona, and is a longtime member of the AZ Haunters.
You can find her online on Facebook and Instagram.
Be sure to check out their story in A Woman Unbecoming
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