Welcome everyone, I’m The Li-Bury-An, and today we have a spotlight on Demi-Louise Blackburn
I first met Demi-Louise Blackburn when she submitted a story for Volume 2 of our Women of Horror Anthology series. The story, titled “Smash and Grab” immediately got my attention. It’s the story of a man down on his luck who turns to graverobbing in order to pay child support to his estranged wife, for the care of his beloved daughter. It would be difficult for many authors to top such an incredible story, but it wasn’t for Demi-Louise, as her latest story for Volume 3 is even more of a powerful epic of Quiet Horror. This time, as an artist’s marriage disintegrates, so does her sanity. Her art becomes increasingly disturbing. And something is calling to her from the sea…
“What is left is a shell of her work. Muted imaginings of crustacean corpses line the walls, broken by ever-reaching swathes of ocean, sand dunes rocketing into the horizon and off the page. Sea birds struck in the cold flight of death; wings glued in black-red tar. And crowned by the sill of the window is one more visage, a half-formed grimace in the clutch of the moon. A woman’s scaled features. Screaming. Perhaps singing.”
From “Call of the Tide” by Demi-Louise Blackburn
Today, Demi-Louise talks about how she came up with her story “Call Of The Tide” for THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY : Women of Horror Anthology Volume 3. Out now from Kandisha Press!
“When the call for The One That Got Away came up, I instantly knew I wanted to write about something connected to the ocean. I’ve been utterly enamoured with stories of sea dwellers and sirens for months, and this was the perfect opportunity to indulge in that concept again. At the time, I was also starting to get back into sketching and painting as a pastime, and it very clearly influenced my main character, Maya, who is a rather obsessive painter.
The rest of the story, as cliché as it sounds, felt like it wrote itself. It’s rare I have a project that comes together so smoothly! I had a few central images in my head regarding sinister artwork and the ocean calling to my character, which I used to fuel the story initially. But as I went along, I decided in order to push the narrative along I needed to give my character an additional challenge to contend with, which came in the form of Maya’s not-so-delightful husband, Cecil, and their crumbling marriage.
Suffice to say, this anthology theme in particular made coming up with a story blissfully easy.”
DEMI-LOUISE BLACKBURN is a horror and speculative fiction author from West Yorkshire, England.
Most of her childhood was spent reading. As such, she went on to study English Literature at college and wrote short horror pieces in her free time. After this, she applied for a Sociology degree at Leeds University. In her final year before graduating, Demi signed on for a Creative Writing module to improve her work, and it was then she began to see writing as more than a hobby.
With encouragement from friends and family, she began submitting her work for publication. Since then, some of her short stories have found homes with Kandisha Press and All Worlds Wayfarer.
When not wrapped up in her next writing venture, you can most likely find Demi settled down with a nature documentary, listening to true crime podcasts, or dabbling in a new art project. In the summer, she likes to attend music festivals and take trips out to the coast.
You can keep up to date with Demi’s work on the following platforms:
Website: demi-louise.com
Twitter: @DemiLWrites
Facebook: demilouisewrites
Instagram: demilouisewrites
KANDISHA PRESS 
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