Interview with Author E.E.W. Christman
For Their Novella, "Waxing Off," About Werewolves Fighting TERFs
I had the pleasure of publishing E.E.W. Christman’s queer horror novella, Waxing Off, which is a cathartic story about werewolves fighting trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs). Christman put so much passion into this novella, and artist Nick Dunkenstein provided artwork for the book. Learn more about the novella below and enjoy an interview with the author!
Synopsis
“Waxing Off is a fresh, engaging new take on the werewolf mythos, expertly probing themes about gender and loneliness while still making sure the reader enjoys a satisfying, bloody romp. Fans of Gretchen Felker-Martin and Chuck Tingle will find a lot to love here. E.E.W Christman is an exciting new voice in the queer horror space whose future work I’m definitely looking forward to!”
-Liz Kerin, author of the Night’s Edge Duology and The Phantom Forest
Welcome to Cat’s Cove
A struggling Pacific Northwest fishing town teeming with transphobes and werewolves…
but not the ones you are thinking of.
Drew is a non-binary werewolf, but hardly by choice. Having made a home for themself working in a fish fry joint and trying to hide their secret, their heightened sense of smell leads them to Gab – a female werewolf who is about to change their life in more ways than one. Coming from a family that did nothing to make Drew feel comfortable in their own skin, their immediate connection with Gab is intimate and unexpected.
But a collective of TERFs lurks nearby, and an attack makes it clear that they would prefer it if Gab fell in line, and Drew simply ceased to exist. Little do they know what is coming for them.
Filled with ferocity, carnage, and the enduring power of queer love and acceptance, Waxing Off is a werewolf horror story with heart, and a testament to what it means to fight back, fight for yourself, and fight to exist.
The paperback features inside cover artwork by Nick Dunkenstein. The hardback has a black and white version of Nick’s artwork on the front page.
Waxing Off focuses heavily on werewolves in such an opportune setting! Have you always been a fan of werewolves in horror or werewolf lore in general?
I love monsters of just about all shapes and sizes! I grew up watching movies like The Howling and An American Werewolf in London. I have monster compendiums and bestiaries full of myths and lore from around the world. What I like about werewolves in particular is that, while monsters are so often a depiction of moral corruption/destruction of humanity, they are a release of the primal natures we hide within ourselves. Not to mention how they are so transmasc-coded.
Apart from its ferocity, Waxing Off is a novella largely filled with found family and love. Did you put any of your lived experience into this aspect of the novella?
Most definitely. I too came out west looking for a home and learning the hard lesson that it is not where you build your house but who you fill it with that matters. You can’t just move thousands of miles and suddenly feel at peace; you have to work and build and communicate.
Drew and Gab are such dynamic main characters, who are loveable and rough around the edges in all of the best ways. Do you connect with or relate more to Drew or Gab?
Like a lot of my characters, Drew and Gab have a lot of me poured into them. I grew up as the smalltown queer, both shunned and fetishized. Those experiences went into Gab. I’m a transmasc loser with out-of-control body hair. That’s Drew.
Highlighting TERFs (Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists) is something that is beyond needed right now - more than ever - and you did so in such an elegant (but visceral) way. What can you tell readers about TERFs who may have never heard of them?
TERFs are bigots who love to pretend to be champions (as well as gatekeepers) of womanhood who in reality only hate cis women slightly less than they hate trans people. TERFs build their entire personalities around hatred.
Queer horror is such a special niche, because it can and does highlight classic horror elements - such as werewolves - but also a lot of the atrocities that our queer community faces. However, it is a sub-genre notorious for showing characters fighting back against these true to life horrors, and that is why I am so passionate about it. Was writing Waxing Off cathartic for you in any way?
Oh yes. That’s why the first thing that happens is that a rapist shits himself and dies, and the last thing that happens is a TERF gets kicked off a mountain. I am personally exhausted by horror that is also hopeless. I want to dream of horrors that can be pushed back.
Do you have any plans for continuing Drew and Gab’s story?
Right now, I don’t have plans to write anything else about Gab and Drew. When I was working on Waxing Off, something that was really important to me was that they got a happy ending. I wanted the queers to get to ride off into the sunset together. I feel like writing more about them would mean robbing them of their happily ever after because the cornerstone of a good story is conflict. Gab and Drew are both embodiments of younger versions of myself; all I want for them is to be cherished.
About the Author
E.E.W. Christman is a queer nonbinary writer and editor living in the Pacific Northwest. Their previous publications include The NoSleep Podcast, Tales to Terrify, Riot Diet: A Fatterpunk Anthology, Cursed Cooking, Two Hour Transport, Dark Village, Listen: The Sound of Fear, Sledgehammer Lit, Lavender Bones, Limeoncello Magazine, Divergent Terror, Interstellar Flight Press, Exploits, PULP Magazine, The Bronzeville Bee, Unwinnable Magazine.