13: Volume 1

Lindley Valcarcel's new collection of stories leaves you sad, horrified and chuckling.

Prepare for tales where scares don't come from things that go bump:
- a search for dead children who only want you to play with them
- a diary you shouldn't read, especially in a house with homicidal tendencies
- an adopted child with a past buried by his ever-moving adopted parents
- wild animals finding a free buffet lunch during the alien invasion of Earth
- a late night convenience store visit with a missing relative

The stories in this anthology span the gamut of supernatural, science fiction, and horror.

"A plethora of stories, some that I can only describe as compassionate horror."
- A.B. Alvarez, editor of 13, and author of the Kidnapping Anna trilogy
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Q: When did you first want to be a writer?
A: I wish I could say that somehow I've always known I would be a writer but the truth is I don't think I really considered it until mid 2017. Someone at my Day Job asked what I wanted to do- because certainly the Day Job couldn't be the only plan- and without even thinking about it I said, "a writer". I think I surprised both of us but I knew that it was the truth.

Q: Are you a witch (don't you live near Salem, MA)?
A: I do in fact live near Salem, MA! However, I'm not white enough to be a witch. I can neither confirm nor deny my heritage as a bruja, as that would give away long held family secrets. I can say that I go to Salem regularly and really enjoy the vibe of that town.

Q: Have you ever seen a ghost?
A: I'm not sure I'm observant enough to notice if I've ever seen a ghost. See, I live with a dog currently and have lived with one or more birds for most of my life. Any weird noises or things that are out of place just get attributed to the animals. I'm sure if any ghost was trying to get me to notice they were trying to communicate would have given up on me.

Q: If you were a ghost who would you haunt? On Earth or in space?
A: Well, I guess that depends on where I die. Let's go with Earth as it's most likely. I like to think I'd be one of those really cool Avenging Ghosts that makes life miserable for terrible people and slowly drives them insane. But I think more realistically I'd be one of those ghosts that makes friends with little kids and everyone assumes the little kid has a super active imagination and an imaginary friend but in reality it's me, a ghost.

Q: If you could travel in time which time period would you choose and why?
A: I'd choose May 19, 1977. Preferably somewhere in LA. And, yes, I am completely using my potentially only time travel trip to go see A New Hope on its release date. I'm obsessed with the idea of being able to experience that movie fresh, as if for the first time, with other people who have never seen it and have zero idea the culture impact it will have on the world. Star Wars has been such a huge part of my life and my writing that I routinely imagine what it would be like to be able to see it at a time when it's the only Star Wars movie to exist and it's fresh to the world.