For every issue, Jerome and the Flock pick an exceptional author out of the ones roosting with us and pick their brains about writing, publishing, and tasty bugs. For the Sunrise issue, we had the honor of corresponding with a phenomenal author, Ashley Mina, writer of “What Do You See When You Look at the Sky?” Read on for a look into her writing process.
Jerome: First, we want to thank you again for agreeing to this interview. “What Do You See When You Look at the Sky?” answers our thematic call for an exploration of sunrise beautifully. Nightmarishly, even. We have so many questions about the piece itself, but first, we’d like to get to know you a little more. Could you tell our readers a little more about yourself and how you got started writing speculative fiction?
AM: I have always loved speculative fiction and the freedom, escapism, that it offers. I feel like it’s important to know that I grew up watching an unhealthy mix of horror movies, cooking TV shows, and my aunt’s preferred blend of soap operas instead of cartoons. I think the media I consumed at a young age really set the tone for the media I’m creating now: spooky and hungry, with endings that are more open ended than neatly tied.
Jerome: Our editors would classify “What Do You See When You Look at the Sky?” as a healthy mix of cosmic, Lovecraftian, and weird horror. Do you plan to write more in these subgenres? What other speculative subgenres are you interested in exploring?
AM: I love cosmic and weird horror and playing around with the fear of the unknown. I definitely have a few ideas that I’m working on within those subgenres, but I’ve also been waiting for Nocturnal Impression to open their subs so that I can have an excuse to stretch into the lunarpunk genre. It’s something I’ve always wanted to try but haven’t really had the inspiration for yet. Here’s hoping a deadline helps.
Jerome: “What Do You See When You Look at the Sky?” whispers cosmic unreality in a voice that made us recall H. P. Lovecraft. Would we be correct in assuming he might be a literary influence of yours? Who are your major literary influences?
AM: Lovecraft and Chambers and Blackwood are mostly considered the founding figures in cosmic horror so I feel like it’s kinda hard to write within the genre and not be influenced in some way shape or form by their writing. Maybe best read through a death of the author lens, but still undoubtedly influential.
Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, who are the co-founders of Weird Fiction Review, are definitely inspirations of mine both from a writing and editing standpoint. I originally found them through the movie adaptation of “Annihilation”. While it wasn’t entirely faithful to Jeff’s source material, it was what initially had me deep-diving into the idea of how eco-horror and cosmic horror might be two sides of the same planet. How knowing something about the unknown makes it all the more clear that there is so much left unknown. We know so little about the universe, about our own oceans, and every detail revealed, seemingly, leads to more questions not less. I’m craving answers, even if I have to make some of them up along the way. If that makes sense?
Jerome: What inspired you to write “What Do You See When You Look at the Sky?” The final line of the piece makes us think that it may have been inspired, at least in part, by the abundant eclipse safety viewing advice we saw this past year.
AM: Funny enough, that is exactly what happened. I wrote the rough draft of this story in June 2023 and only stumbled into a satisfying ending when I was watching the Nasa livestream of the eclipse. I hope everyone has since started practicing eye safety for future eclipses, cosmic horrors, and blank word documents on their computer screens.
Jerome: The idea of the arrogance of looking directly at God (or something god-like) is a major idea in your story. Of course, elements of your story call on our insignificance in the face of such a being, but at the same time, the dissolution of Jack’s body gives us a sense of interconnectedness. Of being one and the same with the very being that ignites our insanity and fear. Are these themes you find yourself returning to often in your writing? What themes follow you from story to story? What draws you to them?
AM: Now that you mention it, I do write a lot about characters being eaten and absorbed, interconnected, into another creature. I didn’t really intend for “What Do You See When You Look at the Sky?” to be arrogant, but hearing this question I can definitely see it. I think sometimes people can be indulgent, like eating a spoonful of the best food in the world and going back for seconds, thirds, then somehow they become a regular attending their bi-weekly visits. I wanted to write cosmic horror like it was a guilty pleasure, an addiction for oblivion. I feel like that’s kinda what writing is for me. I get to disappear for a little bit while my characters get to live.
Jerome: Style and voice can be tricky to pinpoint in a piece, but we felt both were strong in “What Do You See When You Look at the Sky?” Your use of short, choppy sentences to convey Jack’s fractured state of mind and ruptured sense of self sang beautifully in this piece, and we felt that your sense as a writer shined throughout. What do you see as your style? How does this piece reflect your style?
AM: I feel like long sentences can sometimes give off the idea that characters have a long thought process and I wanted this story to feel compulsive. Maybe that is my style: compulsive and Interconnected? I think style, even as a creator, can be hard to pin down until someone else points it out to you. Thank you for giving me “interconnectedness” by the way, that’s something I’m going to have to journal about now. In a productive way, promise.
Jerome: Again, we want to thank you for submitting this piece to us. As writers ourselves, we understand how daunting the process of submitting to magazines can feel. What advice do you have for other aspiring writers for getting their work out there? What are your recommendations for responding to a call for submissions with a piece the team might be looking for?
AM: Thank you for giving my piece a home! My best advice to other writers, aspiring or otherwise, is to turn your rejections into a sort of game. I challenge myself every year to get a certain amount of rejections so that even when I get a rejection letter it counts towards something positive. Is that weird?
For matching pieces with open calls, It’s all about the vibes, to be honest. If I see a call that immediately has me itching to submit I try to look at what the magazine has already published, or I try to scope out their socials to get a grasp on what styles they think are cool or what the team themselves write in. If it fits, I submit, and hope for the best. Mostly it’s lots of rejections and rewriting though.
Jerome: What other published pieces do you have? Could you give us a sneak peek into the story you’re currently working on?
AM: Most recently I was published in Forget-Me-Not Press’ duo-issue, but I’m forthcoming in Dusk Magazine and Abducted Cow Magazine too. Right now I’m working on a short story called “House Haunters” in which I’m attempting to turn the classic cabin in the woods trope into something cozy. Or at least, something where the tension is much more emotional than physical.
Jerome: Thank you again for sitting down to do this interview with us. We feel fed. Jerome’s belly is full, but he’ll be hungry again here soon. While he waits for our next round of submissions, what tasty-looking bug would you recommend to him? AM:Steelblue ladybirds look like those little pearl-shaped sprinkles you would decorate a cake with. If Jerome is cool with a little crunch in his dessert, I would highly recommend adding them onto his flavour of choice.