Ryan Clark for Women in Horror Month
1. Introduce yourself. What do you want people to know about you and your work?
I’m Ryan Clark, also known as The Queen of Scream. I work as the Marketing Manager at Gibson’s Bookstore, where I’ve been a bookseller for 12 years.
In 2022, I created a Horror Section in Gibson’s, and it has since grown to 13 packed shelves right in the middle of the store!
When I’m not running Gibson’s social media or hand-selling books to customers, I’m reading horror novels, scheming up different events with horror authors for the store, and hanging out with my husband, daughters, and dog.
2. Who or what were your earliest horror influences?
I’ve always been spooky. I saw way too many horror movies way too early in life, and Halloween has been my favorite holiday since I could talk. I didn’t connect my love of spooky things to my reading however, until a few years into my bookselling career. A coworker handed me an Advanced Reader Copy of Bird Box by Josh Malerman and told me I needed to read it so that he could talk about it with someone, and in reading that, I realized that I had found my genre. My love for horror novels has only grown since then!
My earliest film Horror Influence was Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. I had a recurring nightmare as a very young child of being chased by bad guys, and Hannibal telling me to hide behind something while he “took care of them”. I didn’t even realize who he was until years later when watching Silence of the Lambs and recognizing the hero from my nightmare.
I was also an Addams Family kid, unconsciously transforming myself into Wednesday. My eldest daughter has followed in my footsteps here, and it delights me to no end.
3. You've been a major champion of horror writers and their work in New England—indie and traditionally published writers alike. I don't know a single horror writer who doesn't know who you are! What inspired you to begin running horror-exclusive events? What is it like to be friends with the writers you love to read?
It’s funny, I still have some imposter syndrome, because I’ve only been active in the Horror space for a few years, but my lack of chill when it comes to books that I love has served me so well. I don’t think it was even a conscious plan to start having so many horror events, it just sort of happened. Back when Twitter was less of a cesspool, it was where I went to scream into the void about my favorite new horror novels. Except it wasn’t a void, and the authors could scream their thanks right back at me. In this way, I began online friendships with some of my favorite authors, and then started scheming for them to come to my bookstore. And for some reason, they agreed!
I’m extremely lucky that Gibson’s Events Coordinator, Elisabeth, is willing to put up with my spooky shenanigans, and she indulges me when I come to her and say “Hey, can we do an event with this horror author? They’ve already agreed to it.” My boss, Michael, has also been extremely indulgent, allowing me to grow the horror section from a single display case into a massive genre section. I’ve got a lot of support behind me.
Still, I’m loud about the things that I love, and I think that translates well in this genre. The Horror Community is fairly tight knit, but extremely welcoming. I remember the first time I went to the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival and having authors and other attendees going out of their way to come say hi to me, and realizing that I’d stumbled into an extremely special position.
I take my tongue-in-cheek title of Queen of Scream very seriously, and I do my best to support all of the authors I love, and I try to come up with horror events that I think the customers of Gibson’s who take all of my horror recommendations will enjoy. Honestly, I couldn’t do any of this without my horror customers. Our Horror Events have a consistently large and enthusiastic audience, regardless of which authors are presenting, and the only reason we’re able to have such a big horror section is because the books sell really well. I think my passion for the genre opened up a door for everyone else to step through and share their passion as well, and that’s what makes this all work!
4. Take us through a day-in-the-life of Ryan Clark.
An average day starts with me dropping my eldest kiddo off at school, then driving nearly an hour to the bookstore. My commute is where I listen to my libro.fm audiobooks.
Once at the store, I set up either at a register or at one of the desks, depending on where I’m scheduled to be for the day. I spend my 10-hour shift creating graphics and scheduling posts for Gibson’s social media, taking photos of books, sometimes filming for TikTok, and in between all of my marketing manager duties, I help customers find what they’re looking for.
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t actually get to read much during the day.
I check my emails, make preorder cards for forthcoming books I’m excited for, help brainstorm displays with my coworkers, promote upcoming events and staff picks, and go through event grids to see if there are any events I think Gibson’s should pitch for.
Whenever I notice someone lingering in the Horror Section (which happens to be right next to the desk where I’m often sitting), I let them know that I’m available to give recommendations if they want them. About 99% of the time this turns into an extremely enthusiastic conversation about how great Horror is, and what my recent favorites are.
I’m usually reading somewhere between 3-5 books at a time: an audiobook, a book to read during my break, and a book to read at night, sometimes with some bonus digital ARCs that I can read on my laptop during downtime at the store (which is rare, but it does happen sometimes). Once I finish a book, I have to write a review for it immediately before I forget all of the relevant information. Every month or so I check up on my curated horror list on our website to see what I need to add (gibsonsbookstore.com/horror).
At the end of the day, I help close down the store and I head the hour back home, again listening to an audiobook (somewhere between 1.5x and 2x speed).
It’s a weird time to be a Marketing Manager, when all of social media feels like its own separate dystopia, but I love my job and wouldn’t change it for the world.
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 passionate about the genre?
I suspect that my experience as a female horror bookseller is different from the experiences of a female horror creator. I’ve been extremely lucky to have been welcomed into the fold almost immediately, because of the nature of my job and my passion. I’m the one putting the books into the hands of people who might not even realize they’re looking for them, and one of my favorite things to do is champion diverse voices and women in horror! Women experience daily horrors, and their personal stories alone could fill an entire bookstore, so we should be giving them every opportunity to pour their hearts and souls into their creative spaces.
Ryan Clark, a.k.a. Queen of Scream, is a bookseller at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, New Hampshire. Check out her staff picks, Bookstagram, and podcast.