AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Eric J. Guignard
The Fiends in the Furrows: An Anthology of Folk Horror
“The First Order of Whaleyville’s Divine Basilisk Handlers”
Autumn, for the cooling down after Summer, and Spring for the warming up after Winter.
What drew you to Folk Horror?
I love, love, love folk horror, mythology, and old superstitions—tales of our forebears and their darkest of traditions that have evolved or been reimagined into the world today.
What does Folk Horror mean to you? How would you describe it to someone?
To me, Folk Horror is fear of the supernatural around us, bridging superstitions with religions, conspiracies, and mythology. They’re often cautionary tales with religious overtones, most oft calling us to reaffirm belief or practice in some manner that brings us back closer to the natural world (spiritual and/or environmental), and punishes those who do not do so, or those who strayed away, most often by choosing urbanized preferences over rural fidelity.
What is the most Folk Horror thing you’ve seen/encountered in your community?
I live in Southern California, on the outlying desert regions from Los Angeles. There’s a vast amount of cultural influence from every nation and peoples in the world in this region. I feel like I’ve seen aspects of so many great Folk Horror ideologies, but I, unfortunately, don’t have anyone ‘formative’ encounter…although there was that one time at the Renaissance Faire—but I took the direst of oaths never to speak of that again! 😉
What writing projects do you have next?
I’ve created, and am publishing through Dark Moon Books, an ongoing series of primers exploring modern masters of literary dark short fiction, titled: Exploring Dark Short Fiction (Vol. 1: Steve Rasnic Tem; Vol. II: Kaaron Warren; Vol. III: Nisi Shawl; Vol. IV: Jeffrey Ford). I also have three anthologies coming out this year, which I’m editor of: The Five Senses of Horror; Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror; and A World of Horror, which is a showcase of international horror short fiction. Additionally, my first short story collection is being released later this year, That Which Grows Wild: 16 Tales of Dark Fiction, and (fingers crossed), I’ve got my first novel, Crossbuck ’Bo, floating around on publishers’ desks to find a loving home!
