R.E. Carr’s story Buttons is a ride! The author herself says the goal was to take the least frightening mushroom and corrupt it to a level where people will learn to fear it, and in my opinion she very much met that goal! Never again will I be able to order a dish with button mushrooms! Which alone is devastating because they are, by far, the most affordable and popular mushroom. No more looking at a pizza the same way, no more making spaghetti sauce with little fear, now I know the true horror of the button.
Creamy white dots sat upon plump stems—tiny buttons without a trace of brown gills to mar either the tableau or the cream sauce to come.
Buttons by R.E. Carr, 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 (R.E. Carr): I’m a neurodivergent contrarian, so naturally when I heard about a story involving the dark side of mushrooms, I immediately thought “what is the single least frightening mushroom on the planet and how can I mess up people with it?” Then I started making breakfast and looked down at my sweet little pile of common button mushrooms for my omelette. Then I thought of the blandly fascinating world of cooking shorts where you tend to only see hands rather than faces as they rapid fire cook a dish for you and lighting finally struck. Throw in some poorly hidden mommy issues and you have “Buttons.”
Q: Why do you write horror? What about the genre appeals to you as an author?
A: Full confession, I tend to stray more into the realm of fantasy and science-fiction in my everyday writing, but every once in a while something dark wants to bubble up from the pit of my stomach, something dreadful and dark and not really conducive to life as a happy little pacifist. When my inner demons come out to play, I dabble in horror. In America, it’s cheaper than therapy.
Q: There are a number of different flavors of horror. Where does your story fit, and what drew you to this particular category?
A: One of my writing heroes is Charlie Brooker, the creator of Black Mirror. I love the terrifyingly plausible horror that comes from technology and science rather than the gothic and supernatural. With “Buttons” I wanted to dip my toes in that well and make people think about the things that can scare you in everyday life. I also love to lace a bit a humor into everything I write.
Q: What do you love about mushrooms? What drew you to this anthology?
A: To be perfectly honest, mushrooms to me are delicious both in terms of flavor and in what they represent in our world. They are the entropic force that breaks down life as we know it, devouring the far more familiar animals and plants so that the cycle can begin again. Mushrooms stand for the comforting and the alien in equal measure and that dichotomy is a ripe breeding ground for horror.
Q: When you’re not writing, what might we find you doing? (Free time or for a day job?)
A: When I’m not writing I daylight as an auditor, which is probably more terrifying than anything I could put on the page. I also cook and bake a ridiculous amount, including making a mushroom tart in honor of my story. If I have any free time after that, I have four aquariums, three cats, two kids, and a cantankerous British husband to keep me occupied.
Q: What’s next in your writing journey?
A: Naturally I go from scaring people with fungus to writing sweet, cozy isekai involving a girl who bakes for everyone she meets, including the monsters… as you do.
About The Author
R.E. Carr is the award winning author of over 20 books, including the Kindle Scout Selected Rules Undying Series. When not chained to her desk, she chases after three adorable cats.
You can find her on her website and social media accounts.
Be sure to check out their story in Dark Spores
Crone Girls Press 