SLAY! Interview with L. Marie Wood
SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire is an anthology of vampire stories from the African Diaspora. Mocha Memoirs Press is proud to present SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire — a revolutionary anthology celebrating vampires of the African Diaspora. SLAY is a groundbreaking unique collection and will be a must-have for vampire lovers all over the world. SLAY aims to be the first anthology of its kind. Few creatures in contemporary horror are as compelling as the vampire, who manages to captivate us in a simultaneous state of fear and desire. Drawing from a variety of cultural and mythological backgrounds, SLAY dares to imagine a world of horror and wonder where Black protagonists take center stage — as vampires, as hunters, as heroes. From immortal African deities to resistance fighters; matriarchal vampire broods to monster hunting fathers; coming of age stories to end of life stories, SLAY is a groundbreaking Afrocentric vampire anthology celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the African Diaspora.
L Marie Wood Biography
L. Marie Wood has had a love for writing horror and suspense tales since she was a child. A Rockland County, New York native, she attended Howard University in Washington DC and, after graduating with a Communications degree in 1995, began writing with a focus on publication. Initially, her approach was through poetry, where she succeeded in publishing over twenty pieces under the pen name elle wood. She went on to write four screenplays and a novella before settling down to write the horror novel that dwelled within her for years.
Her debut novel, Crescendo,received critical acclaim from such entities as Midwest Book Review and Buried.com. The novel was called “a highly complex work” by Book Publicity, LTD.
L Marie Wood Interview
Q. What inspired your story in SLAY: Tales of the Vampire Noire?
A. “The Dance” represents a different take on vampire work, at least coming from me. I set my vampires in a place I don’t normally use which changed the dynamic exponentially. In my quest to try something different and stretch myself, I came up with the tale and loved every minute of it.
Q. What do you think makes your story different than other vampire stories?
A. “The Dance” is written from a psychological horror standpoint. Since that is my bailiwick, I used the vampire antagonist in that space to see what would happen. The result is a tale that gets very introspective, but not in the ways you might think, and makes you challenge your senses. “The Dance” will definitely stick with you when you are done.
Q. Did you learn anything new about African Diaspora vampire stories while you were working on your story or coming up with ideas for SLAY?
A. No, not for this story. This piece is set in contemporary US and does not dive into the diaspora.
Q. Who is your favorite black vampire and/or what is your favorite African Diaspora vampire type and why?
A. I am partial to Queen Akasha from Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles series because of the strength she brings to the table. Her dominance brought everyone – from fledglings to centuries old vampires – to their knees.
Q. What is your favorite romantic vampire story?
A. Don’t have one!
Q. What is your favorite scary vampire story?
A. Dracula by Bram Stoker – I’m a bit of a traditionalist… sometimes.
Q. What is your favorite funny vampire story?
A. Not a book, but the original movie Fright Night, but I don’t think that one was designed to be as funny as it is to me! I love so much about that movie – I can quote lines from it… Roddy McDowell is amazing in this movie (sometimes I root for the vampire slayer and the vampire at the same time!)
Q. What other kinds of stories and books have you put out into the world already?
A. I am mostly a psychological horror author but my second novel, The Promise Keeper, is a vampire tale and it won the Golden Stake Award in 2019. My first novel, Crescendo, is a ghost tale, and my third novel coming out on October 29th of this year is a horror / sci-fi mashup.
Q. What are you working on that our readers might look forward to?
A. I am working on a few things – a horror romance mashup novel and a purely psychological horror piece among them. And definitely more vampires (started a short story tonight!).
If you want to learn more about me, please visit my website www.lmariewood.com or find me on Twitter: @LMarieWood1
Who is in Slay?
Featuring anchor stories by award winning authors Sheree Renee Thomas, Craig L. Gidney, Milton Davis, Jessica Cage, Michele Tracy Berger, Alicia McCalla, Jeff Carroll, and Steven Van Patten.
Additional Contributing Authors: Penelope Flynn, Lynette Hoag, Steve Van Samson, Ekpeki Oghenechovwe Donald, Balogun Ojetade, Valjeanne Jeffers, Samantha Bryant, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Miranda J. Riley, K.R.S. McEntire, Alledria Hurt, Kai Leakes, John Linwood Grant, Sumiko Saulson, Dicey Grenor, L. Marie Wood, LH Moore, Delizhia D. Jenkins, Colin Cloud Dance, and V.G. Harrison.
Sumiko Saulson 