Interview with Tabitha Thompson, author of Decency Defiled
The Author
Tabitha Thompson
Tabitha Thompson is an African American horror writer from Florida. Her first short story Heading West, was picked up by Sirens Call Publications in 2013 for their online magazine issue #12 Dead And Dying. West Nile was released in 2014 also with Sirens Call Publications for their issue #16 Apocalyptic Fiction. She has released several horror short stories and flash fiction. Her latest release, Decency Defiled, a workplace based horror short story, was released through J Ellington Ashton Press as part of the anthology titled Rejected For Content 6: Workplace Relations.
Check out her blog at tabithathompson391.wordpress.com
The Book
Tabitha Thompson’s short story Decency Defiled is a part of Rejected for Content 6: Workplace Relations. Ever had that one job you absolutely hated? Where the thought of getting out of bed in the morning to go to work filled you with dread? Underpaid, underappreciated? Sick of seeing others advance while you stagnate? What about a job you absolutely loved, and couldn’t bear leaving? How about no job at all? No experience. No prospects. No future.
For volume six, Rejected for Content is heading off to work. When good jobs go bad. When bad jobs get worse. Bastard bosses. Disturbed co-workers. Places where the most unhinged of souls would never dream of working in their wildest nightmares. When workplace relations break down beyond fixing. Or strengthen, in ways that are just plain wrong.
Warning: Strong Violence, explicit sex, coarse language, blood and gore.
www.goodreads.com/book/show/36363687-rejected-for-content-6
The Interview
- How long have you been writing horror?
I’ve been writing horror for 10 years now and a published writer for 4 years.
2. What inspired you to write in the horror genre?
I became inspired to write the horror genre after reading works from authors Edward Lee, Stephen King, and Jack Ketchum, who all became such huge influences in my writing. However, it managed to fit right in when nothing else worked. Although my early writings were inspired by authors such as Sidney Sheldon and Danielle Steele, romance and drama didn’t quite work out for me so well, so I tried out horror just for fun, and it ended up being the greatest thing I’ve ever done.
3. You’ve written for Apocalyptic Fiction – was that sci-fi and have you written in that genre?
No, the story I wrote for Apocalyptic Fiction titled ‘West Nile’ wasn’t sci-fi, it was based on a real disease that becomes transmitted through mosquitoes, pre-Zika. I haven’t gotten the chance to write any form of sci-fi yet. I really do like and appreciate the genre, so chances are there might be a horror/sci-fi mashup from me sometime in the future.
4. How does being an African American woman inform your writing?
Being a black woman, I find that it just allows me to see my writing through a different lens. When I was younger, I always gravitated towards characters, people, and music that was different than the “norm”, so as I’ve gotten older and started writing more horror, I try to make my characters and come up with different stories in that similar fashion. Regardless of not using myself being a black female as a crutch for my writing, it’s always fun and empowering to break the mold and try something new.
5. How do you feel about being a part of 100 Black Women in Horror?
I’m honored, humbled, and excited to be a part of the 100 Black Women in Horror. When I first started getting work published, I was curious as to what other black women wrote such as horror, or at least had aspects of the genre and the book “60 Black Women in Horror” showed up! So, after reading the novel I felt even more inspired and overjoyed that there were women like me out here changing the game of horror. Being a part of it is very exciting, and I’m honored to be featured amongst some great black female writers.
6. What are you working on now?
Right now, I’m currently working on a story that’s taking place in an asylum titled “Memories of The Insane”, my novel called “Decency Defiled”, based on a short story that had just gotten published this past October in an anthology called Rejected For Content 6: Workplace Relations, and another that I’m still debating on the title. It would either be “Shadows” or “Black Veil”, whichever seems fitting for the words that I place on the page.
Decency Defiled is about a plastic surgeon named Eric Flynn who was raised by his parents to believe in always leaving a great impression and skin is the most beautiful when untouched due to body modifications. After seeing a traumatizing argument between his parents as a teenager, he decides to become a plastic surgeon and later opens his own office. He uses his clients’ needs to change their looks as a means to modify theirs as he saw fit. So after 10 years of “modifying” his patients’ bodies, his office suddenly gets shut down without explanation, and Eric is now unemployed. After many sent applications and only getting back rejections for a whole year, it is in that moment desperation sets in for Eric and he would do whatever it takes to reclaim the job that he had worked so hard to achieve, no matter what. Funny thing is, when I was coming up with the title, I had based it on a Cannibal Corpse song called “Decency Defied”, and figured that writing ‘Defiled’ instead would make for a more interesting plot and title.
The novel would add to the short story by continuing to be more in depth with Eric and the man he has become now that he’s an unemployed plastic surgeon and what he ends up doing to stay afloat along with further explanation about Eric and his family life.
Sumiko Saulson 
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