02/01/2026 BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Rob Grimoire
- Candace Nola
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
As we do every year in the month of February, Uncomfortably Dark takes time out to honor Black authors and Black history from every era, past and present. If you already read widely and diversely or want to get started; please add these authors to your Must - Read lists and to those TBR piles! A massive thank you to fellow author Eliza Broadbent for this huge undertaking for this month, enabling Uncomfortably Dark to honor at least one author a day, or more!
Today, we honor ROB GRIMOIRE!
1. What kind of horror do you write/publish, and what brought you to the horror genre in particular?
That’s a tough question. Horror is amorphous to me, so I tend to be very experimental when I approach it.
2. Who would you consider your influences and inspiration?
Junji Ito, Mary Shelley, Toni Morrison, and so many others.
3. What piece of writing has meant the most to you, and why? This can be both your own and/or another author’s.
So, the writing in the 1957 Swedish film Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal.) It’s poetry in motion, the song The Beautiful Ones by The Artist, The People Who Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton.
4. What’s your writing/editing journey been like? What challenges have you faced? It’s been okay.
Hard, but okay. There is a lot of catharsis and a lot of digging into one’s own traumatic experiences with this. Writers know that writing can be tough and have a whole host of challenges. I do what I can when I can and try not to force the work.
5. Who do you think everyone should be reading right now?
Whoever they want. Not everything is for everyone, and that’s ok. If you're talking recommendations, horror-wise, I’m going to recommend Junji Ito, Kirk A. Johnson’s The Obanaax, L. Marie Wood, and too many to list.
6. What’s it like being a Black horror writer/editor at this particular moment?
Well, difficult at times for various, well-known reasons and rewarding at times for all the right reasons. I mean, I write in many genres, but I’m NOT beating the horror author allegations anytime soon. My Blackness isn’t difficult as it is, as it weaves its beautiful reds, yellows and browns into my skin. Society places its issues on my skin tone without provocation, leading to stories of true historical horror.
7. All horror is political. How do you think your politics informs your writing/editing?
My politics, lol. I use elements of politics for various reasons, like I use religion, but my personal political views only bleed through a little, while my moral values come through a lot more, and I think it’s important to differentiate the two. While my political and moral views align, there are massive differences as well. Horror IS political, but politics are horror. I mean, Jim Crow laws were actually a thing and felt like they came right out of a horror book.
8. Do you do any writing or editing that’s not fiction? If so, how did you come to that space, and where can we find it?
Nah, everything I write is fiction.
9. Have you faced any unique challenges in your writing career?
Not really, I’m broke just like most writers, and that shit is far from unique. Lol.
10. What advice do you have for Black horror writers who are just getting started in the genre?
Grab a copy of About Horror: The Study and Craft by L. Marie Wood. When you first start, dig into what scares you and unapologetically write about it. Use all of your words.
Write the damn thing and don’t try to write it “perfectly” write it all, edit after.
Published Works and Links:
Spacefunk, from MVmedia.: Quicksliver.
Dark Spores from Crone Girls Press: “Cordyceps Angelus” which is also featured on Nightlight: a Podcast that highlights Black authors.
A novelette with Undertaker books titled “The Pulse Remains” that’s a Pushcart prize nominated work.
A short stored published in audio format called “Regalia” with Manawaker Press.
A poem titled “Crash 0ut” in the anthology A Crack In The Code. From Mocha Memoirs Press.
Coming Soon
Rebels (coming soon from Inkd Publishing): “The Demon’s Genes”, I will be a featured author.
Noncorporeal IV: Phantom Dusk anthology from Inkd Publishing later this year with a story titled 7 A.M.
An upcoming charity anthology: The Loss and Found”
In 2027, I’ll have another featured story in Undertaker Books' Tattoo horror themed anthology titled “The Fold.”
Reviews of my work, links to purchase and all social media information can be found at this link:
