Scribe's Hollow Author Interviews

BOTM Interview: Queen of the Cream-It Eats

This interview was conducted on February 11th, 2024 with the author QueenoftheCream for the August 2023 Book of the Month contest. Congratulations to QueenoftheCream and their book: It Eats.

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Scribe's Hollow: When did you first start writing and what inspired you to start?

Queen of the Cream, Author: I've been writing since I was a kid, mostly investigative novellas that never had a conclusive end or weird murder stories - again with no true end. I grew up reading Nancy Drew, though I can't particularly say the novels *inspired* me to start writing, they definitely inspired my first topics. I think I was probably inspired to write by the desire to put my imaginative world on paper. I was an escapist - leaving wherever I was presently to live in an imaginary place and I wanted other people to see it the way I do. It's the same way I started doing art.

SH: Who are some authors that inspire you?

Q: When it came to "It Eats," I was inspired most by a collection of short stories called "Fungi." Most notably the very first story "Hyphae" by John Langan which tells of a man returning home for the first time to find his father being absorbed by a fungus in their basement.

SH: What is your favorite childhood book?

Q: "Cassie Binegar" by Patricia MacLachlan which spoke to me as a kid coming from a very dysfunctional family that tried really really hard to not look so dysfunctional all the time.

SH: What is your book about?

Q: "It Eats" is about a woman who succumbs to her own desires. If you couldn't tell already, there is some ~moldy~ business but I won't give all the details. From the very beginning you know that everything is destined to fall apart, you're just waiting to see it happen. Stories like that are only successful if the author can wrap you up in the safety of the current moment and I hope I was successful in that. Let me know how I did!

SH: What motivated you to write your current book?

Q: Okay. So it's kind of dumb. I work at a paint studio - took over for the previous manager who is old enough to be my mother and, during my training. she would constantly change the heat to cool and the cool to heat then turn to me and say "I've just got these hot flashes yknow?" I'd just shrug it off and say whatever. But when she left and I was on my own to manage the business, I started feeling sick. Especially in this one hallway that's like kind of weird and turns this way and that. It's not super long but it does this weird thing and it can be a little disorienting if you've never been there before. Now, I'm severely allergic to mold, so I'm super conscious of it. But when I started getting like dizzy in this hallway for no apparent reason, I started getting suspicious and started taking paintings down. A BUNCH of them had mold on them!! I had to throw them away! Oh but don't worry, they weren't like original art, millions of dollars artwork - this is like art you cheaply recreate, it's a whole thing. Anyways, so once I got rid of the art, I was fine. My fiance figured out the ac unit was set to draw air in from the outside *all the time* and I live in a super humid area so that was bad.

Oh but the point of this is to say that during that time I was feeling dizzy and getting suspicious that it might be mold, I was thinking to myself "what if mold could become sentient and like take over the world? But not in a The Last of Us way?" Cause I know y'all are probably thinking of that already. I was thinking like mold shapeshifters and mold ghosts.

SH: What themes do you want to convey with your book?

Q: Great question. I don't think I had any themes really. Maybe the dangers of immediate trust? There's almost some indication of domestic violence and emotional abuse in the relationship between Isla and the mold but it certainly wasn't intentional.

SH: Do you have a favorite character in your book?

Q: ... the mold. Is that crazy? Like at first, I really wanted Elliot to be my favorite because he's the most relatable in my opinion. But as I was writing, I just started finding myself really *enjoying* writing the mold's perspective and attitude.

SH: What is your go-to snack/drink when writing?

Q: I do not have one. People always ask me "what do you eat or drink?" "What music do you listen to?" Okay, that I do have an answer to: Peaceful rain on the hill calm your anxiety, relaxing music chill lofi from Spring Lofi - Aesthetic Lofi lol or if it's horror scenes I have a Playlist of classical music that makes you feel like a villain.

But food and drink? Nah not really. I go with the vibes and chow down on whatever is closest. Sometimes it's lunch to be honest.

SH: What do you consider the hardest part of writing?

Q: Getting started. On the other side of that same coin, finishing. Technically "It Eats" is not done. A friend gave me suggestions of edits I could do to really oomph the story up and I am afraid to start that process because that means finishing. Simultaneously, everytime I do try to begin that process, I feel frustrated with myself because I feel it is done already and doesn't need anything else - even if her edit suggestions make sense.

SH: What do you consider the best part of writing?

Q: ...getting started and finishing. Starting a project is magic. You are wild and unadulterated. There is nothing to stop your story from where it is going. And on the other side of that, finishing a story is just as magical because you can go back and read where you've come from. You can know the work you've put into it.

SH: What is a book you think is underrated?

Q: I just finished reading "The Good House" by Tananarive Due. It's a horror novel in which her grandmother's house is haunted as hell and she has to fix it. It's hella depressing, hella good, and so worth the read.

SH: How many books do you currently have in progress?

Q: Oh boy.

SH: How do you overcome writer's block?

Q: I don't. Honestly, if I have writer's block it's because I'm tired and need a break. So I give myself a break. I'm actually in a slump with my webcomic right now so instead of forcing myself to continue to work on my timeline, I've started drawing out the first chapter. It's okay to say you need a break, your work isn't going anywhere that you aren't.

SH: Thank you for your time! Do you have anything else you'd like to say?

Q: One of these days I'll actually post progress of my webcomic to my Instagram so if you want to keep up with that you can follow me there, otherwise, I'll be around! @sometimes_a_dong