Our next interview is with the Unsaintly Queen Lisa Vasquez. A talented author and artist and all-around Wonder Woman, she is one of my favorite people in the industry.
Learn more about this fantastic creative below!
Lisa Vasquez, (known by her readers and fans as the Unsaintly Queen) creates vivid, twisted horror with the precision of a scalpel, and cuts into the reader's psyche with fleshed out characters.
Her writing style has been compared to the works of Mary Shelley, Baz Luhrman, and the Grand Guignol (John Palisano, Bram Stoker-winning author of NERVES), and is hailed as, "A writer of nightmarish vision and a new, poetic voice in today's horror genre" (Peter Molnar, author of THE CLOCKWORK LAZARUS).
Besides creating vivid imagery with words, Vasquez is also an artist who uses various mediums to express her vision, a writing mentor, and the Co-Owner and Editor-in-Chief of Crystal Lake Presents: Memento Mori Ink Magazine.
A native Chicagoan who spent half her life on the city’s south side, she now lives in Houston, Texas, fighting mosquitos large enough to carry off small children, and avoiding direct sunlight. The Unsaintly Queen is rumored to only accept offerings of “sparklies.”
When did you first begin to draw and when did you start drawing horror pieces?
I always doodled here and there but I was not competent by any stretch of the imagination lol. During COVID I needed something to help the crazy anxiety I was having. I decided to see if it was true about if you practiced something every day, you’d get better at it. I was amazed at the results!
Did you always want to be an artist?
No, actually I never dreamed I’d be one.
Do you have formal art training?
Nope not at all!
What is your favorite thing about being an artist and what are your favorite mediums to work with?
My favorite thing is being able to express what I see in my mind for the first time. It’s still not quite there, yet. But at least now I have hope it will get there, eventually. I love to work with all mediums! I am in love with all arts and mediums but I’m starting to learn which ones I personally enjoy creating in.
Is this your full-time profession or do you have a day-job?
Oh, definitely have a day job. I wish I could do this full time along with my writing.
Do you do any illustrations for the book or movie industry currently?
I did most of the artwork for Deviants and Decadents, my collection. And I believe your anthology, Baker’s Dozen, was my first published art.
If you could work with any author, creator, or movie director, who would it be and what would be the project?
I wish I could’ve met and worked with Giger, or Savaldor Dahli. But I’d also love to get time with Tim Burton. The project would be apprentice. Because I’m still only a student.
What advice would you give to other artists?
It will never be perfect. Just enjoy it.
Where do you hope to see yourself in five years with regards to your artwork?
I just want to be better than I am today. I do art for myself and no one else. Seeing my own progress and using it to heal, or cope with anxiety, depression and PTSD, is the only thing I’m worried about when I sit at my art table.
What was your earliest experience with horror?
It’s always been a part of my life. Part of who I am. And what made me. I sound a little like Bane from Batman but, honestly, nothing has ever resonated me more than his speech about darkness.
What is your favorite thing about being in/a part of/or a fan ofthe Horror industry?
The deep friendships I’ve made and knowing others have also gone through similar experiences in life and see the world with similar eyes.
What are some of your pieces that you have done so far?
I’ve done a glow-in-the-dark Cheshire Cat painting that is one of my favorites. It sold immediately and I always miss seeing it in my art room. But I’ve done many art pieces ranging from paintings to sketches and book covers. I couldn’t even begin to list them here.
What current projects are in the works that you would like to mention?
A new anthology I’ve put together called Napalm Psalms is due out this fall and I’m working on art pieces to accompany the stories.
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