I recently got the chance to put some questions to the wonderful author I.S. Belle. Please enjoy the full interview below:
Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?
I'm I.S. Belle! I work in a bookshop and I stop to pat dogs in the street. My debut novel, a LGBT found family Horror YA Zombabe, came out in late 2022. My relationship to the horror genre is complicated and picky, as it is with all genres. I could never sit down with any one genre and be happy, it had to be very, very specific subgenre. With horror, I find myself drawn to atmospheric stories where characters are deeply devoted to each other. Characters with genuine love and affection for their peers, whether that love is nourishing or destructive. I love horror where the characters are fighting tooth and nail to keep each other safe, and I'm partial to horror where they succeed.
What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?
Probably Goosebumps around age 9! I was actually a huge wimp when it came to anything scary, I didn't actually get into horror until my late teens, when I realized how wide the genre was. I still shy away from horror than genuinely terrifies me - I want horror that makes my face and heart twist with "oh god that's horrible," not horror that keeps me awake at night. Which is why I only listened to The Magnus Archives before 4pm and then watched/read happy, fluffy stuff so I'd be able to sleep.
Your new book Zombabe, and it's prequel novella Babylove, feature great things like found family, queer love, and buckets of zombie gore! Which are popular with lots of readers out there. What was your inspiration for these stories?
My most direct inspiration for the Zombabe 'verse was IT by Stephen King, as well as other works such as Pet Semetary. Also Jennifer's Body. I'm ALL about devotion and the horrible things people will do for the ones they love.
When you're writing, do you have a routine or pattern for your work?
When I'm working on a project I try to get 1k words a day! Usually I hit it. But I usually have gaps of weeks or months between projects.
Queer stories have been gaining more and more popularity over the last few years, especially in YA, and with the rise of the push-back against queer voices it is so important to have these stories available. Do you feel that bookstagram and online bookish communities helps as a tool to get these stories into the hands of those that need them the most?
I do! Online bookish communities do a great job of letting people know what's available out there, especially if you curate your experience.
What is your favourite horror trope?
Oh man. I think it's a toss-up between two: one, that moment where the gang gears up for the Final Battle. Everyone's bloody and freaked out and maybe they won't make it out, but for a second they're together and they're going to fight this thing. OR the inevitability trope - where the story hints the whole time that you've always been doomed, everything's locked in place from the start, and only on a rewatch/reread do you notice all the little details echoing through the story. This was always going to happen, this has already happened, this will happen again. There's something so scary about that kind of helplessness.
What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre?
I'm torn! I want more camp. I watched M3GAN recently and my favorite scene was where she's chasing that guy through the tech lab with that huge knife while pop music was playing. I felt like the movie should've leaned into that fun campy style instead of keeping one foot in outrageous camp (singing Bulletproof as a lullaby?? The DANCING??) and one foot in sincerity - but the emotional roots/sincerity kind of fell flat for me in this one. So: more camp! More big, fun drama where you're laughing AND freaked out!
I also want horror you can chew on. Stuff you can analyze until the cows come home. Re-reading and rewatching a bunch of times trying to notice all the little details. Themes, weird formatting, music choices. There's always another heartbreaking or horrifying thing to discover if only you dig a little deeper. i.e. the costume design in Crimson Peak, the overarching plot in The Magnus Archives, pretty much anything by Guillermo Del Toro.
Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?
Mike Flannagan! A great example of horror to chew on, where the characters love each other deeply and fight for each other to make it out safe. There's always more to analyse in his work, and it rewards a rewatch. Also Guillermo Del Toro and Jonothan Sims.
And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?
Yes! I'm working on the sequels to Zombabe and Babylove right now. They'll be out later this year. There's also a project coming in in 2024 that I'm VERY excited about. I should be allowed to talk about it in 6 weeks or so. Stay tuned...
Thank you again to I.S. Belle for the great interview. To find her books, just follow the links below:
