Introducing our next author Kimberly Rei. She wowed us with her drabbles in "Forgotten Ones" and has done the same with her feature story "A Debt Owed" in "It Calls From the Forest: Volume Two".
When Kimberly Rei was five years old, her parents gifted her with a set of Children's Classics that she had no hope of reading. Yet. Sitting at the Christmas tree, surrounded by dozens of beautiful hardcovers, she was giddy with the potential of one day diving into the pages. That love of words and hunger for stories has never wavered.
Kimberly has been featured in more than a dozen anthologies. Her tales lean creepy and aim to leave you with an unsettling urge to look over your shoulder. She is, like most authors, working on a novel, but an addiction to micro-fiction is keeping her on her literary toes, chasing paper dragons.
Always seeking new ways to make words dance, she has taught workshops and edited novels for Authors You May Recognize.
Kimberly currently lives in Tampa Bay, Florida, with her bladesmith wife, a circle of creative friends, and an abundance of gorgeous beaches to explore. Life is good!
Have you always written, or was there a catalyst that prompted you to begin this journey?
I honestly don’t remember when I started setting words to paper. I remember creative writing in school and the huge kick I got out of it. I started getting serious in my teens. My family life wasn’t what one would call stable or happy, so I poured a lot out into words. A high school English teacher saw something in me and took me under her wing. She taught me how to do more than escape into stories. She taught me how to craft them and fly.
What is your favourite genre to read?
Depends entirely on my mood, but if I have to pick on, I’ll cheat and say speculative fiction - that covers sci-fi, fantasy, horror, urban versions of all of three.
Do you remember the first piece of writing shared publicly? What were people’s reactions, but more importantly how did you react getting it out there?
In middle school, we had to write stories based on a selection of titles offered. I strongly dislike speaking in public, but the dropped jaws when I finished reading mine out loud was a huge thrill. Not because of the attention, but because I’d caused a reaction. I made people feel something. I’ve never lost that.
What is your workspace like? What kind of atmosphere do you need to write?
Atmosphere isn’t much of a thing for me. I live in Florida. Gorgeous settings are everywhere. I am an absolute Leo diva when it comes to my tools, though. The keyboard has to be exactly right, the monitor at the right height. My journals and pens have to be precisely as I want them and that can vary - so I have a lot of both.
Horror occasionally veers into the paranormal or supernatural, that's what makes it fun in my opinion. Do you believe in the supernatural?
I do. I’ve seen too much, experienced too much to dismiss it. I don’t believe in everything supernatural. But yes, there is far more out there than our eyes can see. And perhaps fat more than we want to see.
Without giving too much away, tell us about the short story you have featured in “It calls to the Forest: Volume Two”. What inspired you?
“We think the world is ours for the taking. We think there is no price to pay. We honestly believe the earth's resources are free of cost, free of consequence. What if we're wrong?”
As for inspiration, this one sort of flowed from my fingertips without a lot of input from me. I honestly wasn’t sure where it was going until we got there. My love of all things witchy and nature-based had a strong influence!
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Follow Kimberly through all her writing journeys here:
Available in Paperback and Hardcover
They warned us not to enter, but we didn't listen. The call too strong to ignore. And now
there is no one left to save us.
Beware, these things within the forest will rip out your heart and devour your soul. You will tremble as they revel in your madness, taking everything from you and leaving you with nothing. Delve inside this anthology of what truly lurks within the shadows of the trees.
Eerie River Publishing brings you another round of exceptional horror by award-winning authors from around the globe.
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