Rob’s story is perfection in this anthology. It’s like they were made for each other, he is a master of sporror in this!
Fire races across the mycelium, each electrical charge stimulating my hyphae and this one eye becomes twenty thousand.
Cordyceps Angelus by Rob Grimoire, featured in Dark Spores by Crone Girls Press.
Q (Crone Girls Press): What inspired your story in this anthology? Tell us the “story behind the story.”
A (Rob Grimoire): When this was presented to me I really got to thinking about how to approach it. I had several ideas, but none really stood out to me and I realized it’s because planning, I put myself in a box and tied my own hands by thinking about how fungus affects us, but not how we affect it. How we often looks past it in all of its forms, and how when we think about it, its either food or a nuisance. The gifts they give are overlooked, and I wanted to explore what it means to “think” like one, new to a foreign world, and thankful for it.
Q: Why do you write horror? What about the genre appeals to you as an author?
A: Horror is a place where I can explore the human psyche and how fear plays a part in our lives in different time period, cultures and even across genres. Being able to lead someone into an uneasy state of mind opens them up to trail further down the rabbit hole.
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 my story is ummmm a futurist body horror? Lol. I’ve always been fascinated with practical effects in different horror films, and I’m a fan of Junji Ito the masterful Mangaka, so after I got my initial idea, I knew I wanted to dance a little in the realm of body horror.
Q: What do you love about mushrooms? What drew you to this anthology?
A: I love the way they taste cooked, lol. but seriously I love them as decomposers who help cleanse the earth of its rot. Its beautiful, and what drew me to this anthology. This gave me the ability to express the beauty in their nature.
Q: When you’re not writing, what might we find you doing? (Free time or for a day job?)
A: I’m a nurse by trade, but I work PRN for a non-profit with kids and teens in state custody with the Department of Family and Children Services. I also write as much as I possibly can.
Q: What’s next in your writing journey?
A: Learning. I want to learn as much as I can to become a better writer. I can only hope my next work is better than my last. Learning and writing.
About The Author
Rob Gilmore (writing as Rob Grimoire) is a father, husband, nurse, musician, a sci-fi, anime/manga and horror fan and storyteller. He has prose published with Manawaker Flash Fiction Podcast(Regalia), a story in Dark Spores, a horror anthology with Crone Girls Press, and a short story featured in MVmedia’s Funk anthology series Spacefunk!, February of 2025.
Be sure to check out their story in Dark Spores
Crone Girls Press 