Alyssa Alessi for Women in Horror Month
1. Introduce yourself. What do you want people to know about you and your work?
My name is Alyssa Alessi and I’m from Boston, MA. My stories range from Kidlit-Adult and will usually have themes rooted in feminism accompanied by unsettling New England vibes.
2. Who or what were your earliest horror influences?
I was a child of the 90’s and was heavily influenced by the Goosebumps series, Are You Afraid Of The Dark, Eerie Indiana and then of course Buffy, Charmed and Roswell! Throw in Wes Craven movies and V.C Andrews books and that sums up my childhood. I very much see these influences in my own creations today.
3. You're not just the author of Izzy Hoffman Is Not a Witch. You're also the organizer of the Spooktastic Book Fair. In its second year, it became the most successful event in the history of the Framingham Public Library in Massachusetts, with over 1500 visitors in the span of 5 hours, and 50 horror authors tabling. What were the origins of the Spooktastic Book Fair? Why was it important to you to bring so many local and indie authors in?
The Spooktastic Book Fair originally acted as a book fair style book launch for my middle grade book Izzy Hoffman Is Not A Witch. The twenty or so authors that celebrated with me offered such kind words and enthusiasm for the event that I decided to go bigger the following year.
These types of events often lacked the diversity that I was craving, and if there is something you want but can’t find then why not create it yourself? When I say diverse, I mean in terms of age range for offered books, indie vs. best sellers, and diversity within the authors themselves.
It will always be a priority to uplift marginalized voices at Spooktastic and we will continue to invite overlooked authors to the event. It’s important to include our local and indie authors/publishers because if you are putting in the work, you should have a seat at the table without a gatekeeper deciding where you sit.
4. Take us through a day-in-the-life of Alyssa Alessi.
The good and bad times come in waves, but I am extremely grateful for the simplicity of my daily life at this very moment. I am able to create full time, and of course plan literary events in my community! When I’m not creating my own stories or screaming about someone else’s, I’m doing my best to raise strong girls!
5. Imagine you're standing in front of a crowd of every horror creative—authors, filmmakers, podcasters, journalists, etc. What would you want them to know about your experience as a woman in the genre?
As millennial women, we grew up with men telling us how we should look, how we should feel, and how we should show up for them. Subliminal messages seeping through all the stories told by cis white men making us almost believe it was the only narrative.
But we’ve grown up to realize that the possibilities are endless for us. BIPOC women, LGBTQ+ women are going to tell whatever stories we want, however we want. We don’t need an invitation or approval so be prepared for some of the best damn horror in years moving forward.
Alyssa Alessi is the author of Izzy Hoffman is Not a Witch and organizer of the Spooktastic Book Fair.