One of the cool things about running a bookstore is constantly being introduced to new genres. while i’m familar with the basics, there is a whole sub-genre to explore within each one.
i recently had the opportunity to chat with sirius, a local nc author who written over 25 books in this genre! they were kind enough to answer some of my questions and share their thoughts on the culture, characters, and premise behind writing horror in the south.
What is Southern Horror?
Southern Horror / Southern Gothic horror is a subgenre that is defined by its setting in the American South, and it uses that setting to explore themes of moral decay, systemic trauma, racism, poverty, intense religious fanaticism, social tension, and further. It is a very versatile subgenre that can house many of the classic, beloved hallmarks of horror such as haunted houses, supernatural entities, and occasionally grotesque violence. A lot of Southern Gothic Horror that I have read (or written) in my time deals with visuals of rural isolation, physical rot and decay that mimic what is growing underneath the surface (such as abandoned barns left to rot in fields, molding wallpaper peeling away around the family portraits, and so on). Family secrets and dynamics play a big role as well, because tight-knit families and small communities are such a big part of Southern culture.
What intrigued you about writing in this genre over thrillers or general horror books?
Part of my journey has been that I am Southern born and raised, but I spent a lot of my childhood really distancing myself from that identity because I was tired of being treated like I was uneducated and made fun of for the way that I spoke. After my grandfather died, part of staying close to him was getting to know more about my family history and accepting those parts of myself. Nowadays, it easily enrages me when people are quick to write off the South in its entirety, because we actually have a very high marginalized population of queer/trans people and of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. And writing off marginalized people is also writing off their lives, their art, and the things that they create and how much they have endured to get here. And people who write off these groups want the eerie Appalachian backdrop, or the Bayou, but not the culture or the marginalized population (and experiences) that comes with it all.
Another thing that really played a role in my love for the genre was religious deconstruction. I grew up largely Evaneglical with heavy Fundamentalist values and I never realized how in-the-soil that is down here. I have met so many people with similar experiences to myself, and I thought I was alone. I have been able to explore a lot of hurt, loneliness, and anxiety and talk about my experiences in the form of villains that take the form of a grim reaper faith healing pastor, or in the form of tent revivals that descend into madness. I have had other people come up to me with their stories, almost every time I speak or attend an event. So, that is part of the beauty of writing this genre—it connects people.
Tell us a little bit about your characters. What can we look forward to?
I think my characters are a little bit all over the place—the Dread South series is non-linear and they all take place in different pockets of the South. There are a few that build on the same storyline (for instance, Blackjack + Moonshine and House of Sinners, or The Devil Owns Primetime and On Air With the Devil), and they all share the same universe, but for the most part they are meant to be read as standalones. So, all the characters have very different experiences. Most of them are around my age or older, I think the youngest main character is probably Jessie, who is thirty in Blackjack + Moonshine. Jessie, as a person, is very blunt, very much the neurodivergent parts of me, very much has a hard time standing up for himself against people who try to control him. Dallas from Gospel of the Cuckoo is quieter, and more calculating in a lot of ways—he is dealing with a lot of grief, and he knows how to manipulate people to get what he wants. Ed Daylon from Company Man is far more naïve, he has a hard time understanding why people act differently from their words and doesn’t often register when someone is being cruel to him. All of them are very different from Josiah in The Devil Owns Primetime, who acts very selfishly and treats everyone around him like garbage, always prioritizing his own wants and needs above their well-being. Maybe this is a bad time to say that Josiah is one of my favorites, and that is mostly because he is such a fun character to write. He makes such terrible choices and he is always trying to get around the consequences. He’s funny, too, I hate to admit.
How AND why do you prioritize disability in your books?
I myself am disabled, I use mobility aids (primarily alternating between a crutch and my wheelchair, depending on the day and my pain levels). I’ve always had persistent physical pain, but it didn’t start really affecting my mobility until 2018 or 2019, and then things have only gotten worse since. In 2023, I had a bad fall, and that really messed up my back. I’m in pain all the time, so I deal with that by giving it to my characters, which I’m sure they appreciate. I think at this point, almost every main character in the Dread South is disabled in some way and to varying degrees. Jessie uses a cane, Dallas uses a wheelchair, Josiah uses a crutch—and the list goes on. It hits them at different points in their lives and comes about in different ways, but these narratives are important to me, and I know they have become important to other disabled people I have met or spoken to who have read some of these stories. The Dread South takes a character who is trans, disabled, and oppressed heavily by a religious family member or group in some way, shape, or form and makes them deal with ghosts, devils, and vampires. Often, in true Southern Gothic fashion, the worst monster is hiding within their own secrets or pride.
What books do you recommend for someone starting out in Southern Horror?
What are some examples of Southern Horror in other media?
There are countless films! Sinners just swept the Oscars, then you have films and TV shows like The Skeleton Key, Jessabelle and Interview with the Vampire, as well as Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte if you want to take a dive into Old Hollywood. And while not explicitly set in New Orleans, the musical Hadestown evokes a lot of that region’s depression-era Southern Gothic flavor with its costuming and music.
Where can we find your books?
You can get them through retailers such as Barnes and Noble and Amazon, request them at your local library or through independent bookstores, or the best place to find them is my personal website: www.LMHPUB.com . I always send them out signed and decoratively wrapped.
What’s next for you?
Well, there are nine more books planned for the Dread South series, in addition to a short story collection and a mini tabletop RPG. The Dread South also has a tabletop that is out right now called CROSSXROADS, and I am concurrently writing a dark fantasy series called The Draonir Saga that has its fourth book releasing in May (it also has two accompanying tabletop games, COURT OF TIDES and UNCROWNED: HEIRS OF GODS). I am working on the Wirekillers book series (book one being Birdeater, about a serial killer and his stalker) and a few other projects. My overarching goal is to make The Devil Owns Primetime into a film.
For anyone who is interested, I have a religious horror magazine called SMITTEN LAND and we accept submissions year-round through the LMHPUB website.
My Instagram, Threads, and Tik Tok are all @palestarsirius
I want to thank Sirius for taking time to chat with me. I hope you enjoyed our little intro interview. Please check out their work and other authors in their genre.
if you want to tell us more about your books and the genre you write, please reach out to us at authors@folkandfableco.com
check out our instagram for the graphic version of this interview.
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