
I believe there is merit to the power of stereotypes. Just as people judge books by their covers, many also judge authors by outward appearance. I think far too many women’s works are going overlooked, never even given a chance, because of judgments made without so much as a glance at the actual text. As far as we’ve come in civilized society, women are still plagued by expectations that are both unfair and harmful. We are sex symbols, nurturers, homemakers, mothers—existing in a man’s world, our purpose in many cases being to exist for men.
Granted, feminism has helped to fracture these stereotypes, but it has not destroyed them. Are potential horror readers going to choose a book written by a knock-out blonde, a sweet grandmother, or a quiet but pretty young woman over one written by a gruff-looking guy oozing testosterone? I know a good number of women write under male pseudonyms just to gain equal footing with their male counterparts. And guess what? Their books sell notably better than the books they publish under their actual names.

So, what do you say? Do you have it in you to help us to make Women in Horror Month obsolete? Think you might take a chance on my traditional Gothic horror, Finding Poe, or my mixed-genre dark fiction collection, Jane, Volume 1: Revival?
I’d sure appreciate it.
As always, thank you for your readership and support!