doungjai gam is the author of glass slipper dreams, shattered (Apokrupha) a collection of flash fiction and prose poetry. Her short fiction and poetry has been published in LampLight, Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep, Wicked Haunted, and Lost Highways, among other places. Born in Thailand, she currently resides in southern Connecticut with author Ed Kurtz and their little black cat, Oona. she is a member of the New England Horror Writers. her next project, watch the whole goddamned thing burn, will be out in late spring from Nightscape Press, is a part of their Charitable Chapbooks series, with a portion of the proceeds going to Trans Lifeline.
1) what is horror?
to me, horror is so much more than things that go bump in the night. it’s the unknown–what lies beyond the darkness at the bottom of the stairs, or outside the doorway in broad daylight? is the house really haunted, or are you haunted by the ghosts you carry around in your head? horror is the otherworldly beast that lies in wait for the kill, but horror is also that “loved one” who slowly destroys your psyche, your pride, and eventually your body and soul.
2) why horror?
for me, it has partly to do with examining my fears and past traumas. I grew up in an environment where relatives watched and read horror, and I was fascinated by the paperback covers and the frightening movie scenes that I shouldn’t have been watching. there’s also the curiosity factor – what drives people to their madness? I think in general, people look to horror because maybe they like getting scared a bit and because they want to escape their lives for a while.
3) where do you see horror going?
I love that horror is becoming more diverse, with more different voices chiming in. it’s a sad state of affairs that being diverse is seen in certain circles as a bad thing…it’s like, to them, diversity is a horror in itself. I love hearing new and different voices that have their own unique stories to tell.
THINKING HORROR 