ISSUE #9 | An Interview with Hailey Piper
Hailey Piper is a regular visitor to Planet Scumm. Her short fiction also appears in Daily Science Fiction, The Arcanist, Flash Fiction Online, and Year's Best Hardcore Horror. She's a member of the HWA and the author of horror novellas “The Worm and His Kings,” “Benny Rose, the Cannibal King,” and “The Possession of Natalie Glasgow.” She lives with her wife in Maryland, but you can also find her at www.haileypiper.com or on Twitter via @HaileyPiperSays.
PLANET SCUMM: Whatcha reading?
HAILEY PIPER: Right now I'm reading The Road to Woop Woop, a short story collection by Eugen Bacon, Woman, a poetry collection by Ash Watson, and Mongrels, a horror novel by Stephen Graham Jones. They're all extremely interesting so far, and I recommend them!
PS: Do you look at "Brain Trust" differently now than when you first wrote it?
HP: Somewhat differently. When I wrote it, the city seemed like just an odd steampunk-ish place, but glancing back at it with time having passed, I don't think I realized how it's a pretty miserable place. And it doesn't get better through the story.
PS: What comes to mind when you think about "science fiction" and "winter?"
HP: The movie Starfish (2018). Winter surrounds every inch of the movie, a cold as inescapable as the unraveling dimensions. It's a fantastic science fiction film, a steady walk through horror and wonder and incredible concepts and presentation. Watch it on Shudder if you haven't seen it.
PS: What are you working on now?
HP: Right now I'm working with my editor at The Seventh Terrace to finish work on my 2021 short story collection, Unfortunate Elements of My Anatomy and getting ready for the imminent November 15, 2020 release of my cosmic horror novella “The Worm and His Kings,” published by Off Limits Press. I'm also steeling my brain for when I help edit an upcoming issue of Planet Scumm, which I'm super excited about! And since I've written two books this year, I'm enjoying a much-needed loving dip back into writing short stories.
