Disability Pride Month Interviews: Meet Mallory McCartney

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you contribute to the horror genre.

Hey!! Thank you so much for the opportunity! My name is Mal and  I’m a 34 year old author currently living in Southwestern Ontario. I’m passionate about animals, music, tattoos and my family. I’ve been writing professionally since 2017. My first published work of horror is The Exchange & Other Calamities through Anuci Press. The novel is interconnected short stories and I poured navigating the healthcare system as a young woman trying to know why I was sick, getting diagnosed and the isolation, grief, anger and the constant fear of living with different chronic illnesses. Horror was my creative outlet when I was at my rock bottom. 

What drew you to the horror genre?

I fell in love with horror when I first fell ill in 2018. I was being treated for chronic lyme disease, and had mono and all I wanted to do was watch horror movies. It brought me comfort not shying away from things that had once scared me, especially during a time when my world was turned upside down. Then years later my naivety about how the healthcare system and some professionals navigate diagnosing and managing symptoms of chronic illness made me feel I needed to share my story. Millions of people have similar stories to my own and I wasn’t seeing it talked about much in fiction. I think its important to not douse toxic positivity when it comes to living with chronic illnesses, so I penned a novel that is raw, vulnerable and doesn’t shy away from the harder emotions that come with living with chronic pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety and a myriad of other symptoms. 

If you could recommend one creation of horror that everyone should consume that features either disabled creators or characters, whether that be a book, podcast, movie, art, etc., what would you recommend?

I love the movie Hush by Mike Flannagan. The main character Maddie Young, is deaf and lost her ability to speak due to bacterial meningitis at age thirteen. The movie follows Maddie in her adult life, working on her next novel when a killer targets her in her home. If you haven’t watched it- GO NOW lol! Its fantastic and Maddie is my favorite final girl, and is so badass.

What do you find scary within the horror genre?

Personally, I find paranormal horror scares to me the most! Think Paranormal Activity, The Conjuring or in books Incidents around the House by Josh Malerman, Last Days by Adam Nevill. 

What advice would you give to the next generation of disabled horror content creators coming into the horror genre?

I would say to remember to be authentically you, and never be afraid to be honest about your experiences. No one else can write your story, and it’s so important to continue to share and lift disabled creators. Stigmas and ableism unfortunately are still prevalent today but I hope in the future they will continue to be less.

Where can folks find you these days?

I am active on Instagram, Facebook and threads at @authormalmccartney

Bio:

Mallory McCartney currently lives in Sarnia, Ontario with her husband, their dachshunds Link, and Leonard and their sphynx cats Luna, Legolas, Ivy and Lily. When she isn’t working on her next novel or reading, she can be found day dreaming about fantasy worlds or bingeing her favorite horror movies.
Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/authormalmccartney
Instagram Link: https://www.instagram.com/authormalmccartney/?hl=en​