Pride Month Interviews: Meet MJ Huntsgood

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

I'm MJ Huntsgood, I'm a speculative horror author specializing in work that takes one step into science fiction and feels like it could happen—maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and with dire consequences. My work is mostly deep POV, with complex, villain-leaning protagonists who refuse to die easily.

I've published over two dozen short fiction, hybrid, and poetic pieces in everything from anthologies with major publishers to very small zines about chickens. Some of my work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and the Best of the Net. My agent has my debut horror romance novel out on submission. I also run several writing communities, including a bi-weekly international open mic, and an international LGBT+ book club.

What drew you to the horror genre?

I'm drawn to hard answers and messy protagonists. I like it when a story makes you cringe and leaves you unsettled. Too often we're allowed in stories to feel like answers were simple enough. Which, don't get me wrong, I like a good escapist story as much as the next person, but I'd rather rip off the band-aid and see the world for what it really is.

That's what drew me into stories like The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror, and that's what I like to write. Protagonists who are willing to stretch the bounds of what they're truly capable of and what's possible within their reality, and shine a light on our real world.

If you could recommend one creation of horror that everyone should consume that is queer or queer coded, whether that be a book, podcast, movie, art, etc., what would you recommend?

The 13th episode of the podcast Welcome to Night Vale: “A Story About You.”

Although the episode itself is not queer coded, unless the listener is a woman, the podcast itself is, and the episode itself is one of the most brilliant pieces of audio writing I have ever heard in the history of audio programming and I often listen to it when I need to be reminded what good horror should sound like. No, it doesn't need to be gory. No it doesn't need big, flashy monsters. It needs atmosphere and fear. It needs a character, you, and a space where you are out of control. Motivation, time, and movement.

In the piece, you are listening to a local broadcast. And you are pleased, because you always wanted to hear about yourself on the radio. And things begin to go horribly wrong.

I do not think I have ever heard anything like it and I can't recommend it more.

What positive changes have you seen happening in the horror community regarding LGBTQIA+ creators and content and what are some areas the community can still improve?

In many ways, sapphic representation has improved dramatically within the horror community. I'm pleased to see sapphic authors at the Stokers, on major lists, and on lists for people's TBRs. At the same time, you don't often see the same with gay writers, or people writing less mainstream “lesbian” work (that's a whole other discussion!).

Although we do see LGBT+ writers, we do still see a lot of violence on our LGBT+ characters in various writings, often sexually. While it is LGBT+ writers doing these works, I'm loath to say that it's “okay” because these are the only works getting published and read and recognized, particularly by mainstream audiences. If women write rape scenes, is it okay if all of our books only have rape in them? 

I do write about sexual violence in my books, don't get me wrong, it's a part of some people's lives, including my own, but it's not the only thing I write about. And this may make me derisive, but I find some LGBT+ writers harp on it to the point that it pushes some LGBT+ readers away from the horror genre because they can't find books without that trigger warning. We are more than that violent trope done to us.

What are some areas of queer horror you think are under-explored?

Aspects of society on LGBT+ characters that are unrelated to sex. I think because many publishers only see sex, as I mentioned earlier, often societal impacts to LGBT+ characters are overlooked for the more shocking sexual violence, and we lack nuance or character exploration. Perhaps this is because it wouldn't be seen as a “hot” topic, but I think it's a grossly missed market. 

What would happen if a non-binary character was given the ability to shapeshift, but they suddenly had to live with every person they transformed into? What if a gay man realized his lover was a serial killer, even though he was a raging twink? There's so much more than just brutality out there.

What do you find scary within the horror genre?

How much real life mirrors the things we write.

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

You are better than anything a computer could ever write. 

Smarter. 

More creative. 

And definitely better looking.

Where can folks find you these days?

You can find me on Instagram talking about the dangers of AI and capitalism at @MJHuntsgood, on TikTok exploring the haunted areas of my home state Maryland at @MJHuntsgood, and occasionally espousing nonsense on Threads and Bluesky at @MJHuntsgood.

My writing, published works, and books can be found on my website at www.mjhuntsgood.com.