Briana Morgan for Women in Horror Month
1. Introduce yourself. What do you want people to know about you and your work?
Hi there! My name is Briana Morgan (she/her), and I’m a queer, disabled, neurodivergent horror author from Atlanta, GA. I write character-focused stories about ghosts, monsters, and complicated human relationships. Also, I have a husband and a cat, and they are the loves of my life.
2. Who or what were your earliest horror influences?
Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark? are the two that affected me most. I was a weird kid. I had night terrors, but that still didn’t keep me from absorbing all the creepy content I could find.
When I was old enough, I discovered Stephen King, like so many others before me. The rest is history.
3. You’ve gained an audience of over 20K on Instagram, which is no easy task for an indie writer. Did social media marketing come naturally to you? How connected do you feel to your readers, and are there any pitfalls when it comes to being a woman in the genre with a large following?
PHEW! One thing I want to make clear is that I’ve had my account for more than a decade—which certainly helps when it comes to gaining followers. Social media is fun for me. I love putting together content. I love connecting with readers. However, marketing is not my strong suit. It doesn’t come naturally to me, and it’s my least favorite part of the writing process.
The best part about social media is how it allows me to cultivate relationships with readers. I’ve made some lifelong fans and friends and have managed to sell books without creating (or even understanding) Amazon ads.
It’s so tough being a woman on the internet, let alone a woman in horror with a sizable following. I get some disgusting messages and comments that you’d never see on a male horror author’s page. I’ve done all I can to make my page feel “professional.” Still, the creeps persist.
4. Take us through a day-in-the-life of Briana Morgan.
For this one, let’s go with my IDEAL schedule. I wake up around six a.m., take my meds, make coffee, and open my laptop. Then, I write in 20-minute sprints for two hours before my day job. I work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., then work out, shower, eat, and play video games. I’m in bed before eleven most nights.
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?
Oh, I like this question! I want them to know how hard it is for women to succeed and make a name for themselves in horror—maybe more so than in any other genre. We bust our asses for an ounce of recognition. I’m just hoping one day all my hard work pays off.
Briana Morgan is an author and playwright known for The Reyes Incident, Mouth Full of Ashes, and The Tricker-Treater and Other Stories.