02/26/2026 BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Paula D. Ashe
- Candace Nola
- 7 hours 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!
From Eliza: Paula D. Ashe is a delight and will likely laugh in my face for saying that. Her Facebook feed is one of the best things on the internet, and I look forward to seeing it every day. I’m absolutely thrilled to have her write an interview, and of course, she never disappoints. Thank you, Paula, from the bottom of my heart, for taking the time to talk to me. And thank you to all the authors who took the time to talk to Candace and me this month. We’re grateful to each and every one of you for sharing your time and talent with us and our readers.
As always, thank you to Candace Nola for partnering with me on this interview series! She’s the best, and I’m so grateful! And now, onto Paula, with the best biography of all time.
Paula D. Ashe is an award-winning writer of dark fiction.
Today, we honor Paula D. Ashe!
What kind of horror do you write/publish, and what brought you to the horror genre in particular?
I write what I consider ‘dark fiction’, which is a nice catchall. My work is centered mainly in horror (psychological, cosmic, weird) but I also dabble with other genres from time to time. I like the term ‘dark fiction’ because I know whatever I write it will be dark, but it gives me room to experiment with other genres from time to time.
I’ve been interested in horror since I was very young but I think the part that interested me is the overlap between social problems and horror. As a Black lesbian ghosts and demons and shit don’t scare me. I have much more material horrors that I’ve had to deal with and I think that’s what’s interesting.
Who would you consider your influences and inspiration?
My big three are Toni Morrison, Clive Barker, and Elizabeth Massie
What piece of writing has meant the most to you, and why?
Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye really changed my approach to language. It gave me permission for something I didn’t know I was allowed to do.
What’s your writing/editing journey been like? What challenges have you faced?
My biggest op is myself. I’m working on that.
Who do you think everyone should be reading right now?
I just finished reading Rivers Solomon’s “Model Home” and everyone should read that book.
What’s it like being a Black horror writer/editor at this particular moment?
It’s wild. It’s always wild. It’s also a very fruitful and rich time as well. The success of Sinners for example has been really uplifting.
All horror is political. How do you think your politics informs your writing/editing?
They are indivisible.
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?
I do some nonfiction writing on occasion. I don’t enjoy doing it but I do it well, if that makes any sense. This is a piece I wrote about a mass shooting that occurred in my hometown in one of my favorite haunts during my wild and reckless youth.
Have you faced any unique challenges in your writing career?
People name dropping me for clout is weird. Like…why? I’m sure this question deserves more gravitas than I am capable of giving at the moment, but it’s happened A LOT and I am baffled every time.
What advice do you have for Black horror writers who are just getting started in the genre?
Read as much as you can and don’t wait for permission. I know it may be hard (at least, I found it hard) but just do the thing. Write the script, the novel, the collection, the chapbook, the comic script, the undefinable thing. Finish it, even if it’s terrible. Be your own biggest cheerleader, don’t internalize the bullshit. Approach your work with joy, even if it is about suffering or pain or whatever.
