WHAT'S AT THE SHARP END OF THE RAINBOW? IT'S MADELEINE SWANN!

27/4/2022

Could you tell the readers a little bit about yourself?

I’m a fairly quiet person who lives with their husband Bill in a flat in Southend and enjoys listening to the conversations of people in the street below. I used to do too much partying and crying but yesterday I helped repot some chilli plants. I’m also running a subtle and increasingly surreal campaign to convince Bill he wants a cat.

Which one of your characters would you least like to meet in real life?

The book I’m currently writing, which isn’t yet finished, contains a man who’s abusive to his girlfriend and I definitely don’t want to meet him, unless it’s from behind reinforced glass so I can call him a bell end.

Other than the horror genre, what else has been a major influence on your writing?

Definitely surrealism and weird fiction. Alice in Wonderland was the first time I realized you could basically do what you wanted and make your story as weird as you liked, and I still remember the excitement I felt. Following that I’ve gotten into Leonora Carrington, Amos Tutuola and Thomas Ligotti and really appreciate the way they told stories that they wanted to tell, the way they wanted to tell it.

The term horror, especially when applied to fiction always carries such heavy connotations. What’s your feeling on the term “horror” and what do you think we can do to break past these assumptions?

Horror is a genre I’ve loved since I can remember so I can’t imagine it being negative, but I do think a lot of people have a slim view of what it’s about. I’d suggest checking out the wide variety of authors out today who use it in a myriad of ways, from horror infused weird fiction, horrific naturalistic storytelling, violent and in-your-face to subtle and gothic. So many people from all different backgrounds are exploring their own methods with more freedom than ever before.

A lot of good horror movements have arisen as a direct result of the socio/political climate, considering the current state of the world where do you see horror going in the next few years?

My own writing has become more apocalyptic recently and I’m sure I’m not the only one. You write to purge yourself of fear so I imagine there’ll be a lot of politically charged and pandemic focused stories. But, again, people cope in different ways, and the huge variety of writers out there will mean a huge variety of responses. Some might retreat into pure fantastical fun which is good too. It may seem fractured at first, but there’s something for whatever you’re into and you’ll find it.

Given the dark, violent and at times grotesque nature of the horror genre why do you think so many people enjoy reading it?

I think we like to have our worries confirmed, for one thing, to know that someone else thinks the way we do about the world. Also, it can be a good escape. You may be behind on your rent but at least your legs aren’t being eaten by a shuddering moon beast.

What, if anything, is currently missing from the horror genre?

Probably an easy index to find all these new great authors and genres

What new and upcoming authors do you think we should take notice off?

Zin E Rocklyn, Hayley Piper and Luke Kondor

Are there any reviews of your work, positive or negative that have stayed with you?

Someone pointed out a grammar mistake I was making a lot in my old stories and now I definitely avoid doing that. It was upsetting but really helpful.

What aspects of writing to do you find the most difficult?

Probably the planning out. It’s great when you get going but the structure part is boring and I’m glad when it’s over

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author?

I don’t think it’s healthy to say I’d never do something, I’ll just have to see how the mood takes me

Writing, is not a static process, how have you developed as a writer over the years?

I’ve learned to take time over stories, to let them unfold in their own time. I’m a lot less concerned with being amusing and I’m trying harder to tap into my fears

What is the best piece of advice you ever received with regards to your writing?

Trust yourself more

Which of your characters is your favourite?

I have a soft spot for the girl that loses it in the short story Seed Man, from my books Fortune Box and Sharp End of the Rainbow. Although we definitely wouldn’t be friends, her prolonged meltdown was the most fun I’ve had writing in ages.

Which of your books best represents you?

The Sharp End of the Rainbow, or the one I’m currently writing. I really feel like I’m starting to get it, you know.

Do you have a favorite line or passage from your work, and would you like to share it with us?

“We get extra money from advertisers if one of the spirits sings their jingle for five minutes, just ignore it.” – Invite Ghosts and Earn Pounds, The Sharp End of the Rainbow

Can you tell us about your last book, and can you tell us about what you are working on next?

My last book is a collection of short stories I’ve written over the years, a lot previously published and some new. It shows a progression and I’m pleased to see how I’ve improved.

My current book is the one I’m pouring my entire being into and I think it’ll represent who I am, how far I’ve come and what makes a person who’s been through a lot tick, though it’s definitely fictional and still very weird. It’s full of quite serious subject matters but I also want to fill it with joy, hope and a bit of silly.

If you could erase one horror cliché what would be your choice?

The idea that people are doing it wrong if they don’t follow a certain path

What was the last great book you read, and what was the last book that disappointed you?

I’m currently reading The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin and, believe me, my head just falls right off and melts after a few pages. I normally couldn’t cope reading something so intensely scientific but the story just keeps you sucked in.

I can’t even remember the name of the book that disappointed me, I just know it was from a major publisher. Some literary works are brilliant, of course, but some are just so flat, promising so much and delivering just blandness. It was one of those.

What's the one question you wish you would get asked but never do? And what would be the answer?

Shall we get a cat? Yes!

THE SHARP END OF THE RAINBOW
BY MADELEINE SWANN

The stories you'll find at The Sharp End of the Rainbow will transport you to a dystopian wonderland full of bizarre characters who engage in even more bizarre antics. These stories will make you laugh, cry, and gag-but more importantly, they show humanity in the face of the truly absurd, and act as a mirror to the world around us.

Praise:
"Madeleine Swann writes the kinds of stories that expose the grotesqueries behind all the cute and cuddly Disneyfied facades. Punchy. Dark. Hilarious. Sharp End of the Rainbow will cut you like a scalpel. You'll bleed out while reading this and thank her for it in the end."
- Danger Slater, author of Puppet Skin

"The Sharp End of the Rainbow goes hard out of the gate and dives deep into nightmare territory. Swann's writing is flensing and wrathful--which is to say it perfectly suits the times."
- Laird Barron, author of Blood Standard

"A dazzling storm of bizarre daydreams and nightmares. Swann is an expert surrealist, and she yanks just the right cryptic nerves to check if they'll flinch. Sometimes playful, other times shocking, these are stories of worlds and people twisted in their odd logic, much like our own, much like us."
- Hailey Piper, author of The Worm and His Kings

"Wild and weird, these tales are a rollercoaster acid trip from the heights of absurd hilarity to the depths of surreal horror and you never know, from one moment to the next, whether you're on the ascent or the descent. Madeleine Swann gives you just the barest, most tantalizing glimpse of other worlds - worlds where our comforting laws of reality warp and fray but always populated with characters who are disturbing not in their strangeness but in their familiarity."
- Bitter Karella, creator of Midnight Pals

MADELEINE SWANN

My new collection, The Sharp End of the Rainbow, was released recently by Heads Dance Press. My novella, The Vine That Ate The Starlet, was published by Filthy Loot. My collection, Fortune Box (Eraserhead Press), was nominated for a Wonderland Award. My short stories have appeared in various anthologies and podcasts including Splatterpunk Award nominated The New Flesh: A David Cronenberg Tribute.

WEBSITE LINKS

Website: http://madeleineswann.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadeleineSwann
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6wDXC7R4gDR9ZGDX5De3Ew