At the Motor City Comic Con, I ran into prominent con goer, vlogger and now author Kasey Pierce aka Kosmic Kasey. Kasey’s new book Pieces of Madness was recently published. I decided to pick her brains about the book. Enjoy.
Joe Hubbard: Kasey, since you recently wrote a book, what is the name of the book?
Kasey Pierce: It’s called Pieces of Madness, which is a horror anthology. It’s five tales of the insane, cultist and paranormal. It is a paperback. Sort of Clive Barker meets Twilight Zone. Like a gore piece with a lot of depth.
JH: Without going into too much detail and giving away too many spoilers, would you care to elaborate on each story?
KP: It opens with Luke. The story opens with a question. A lot of my stories do. Could you invite other dimensional beings into your waking life? These two girls who are childhood friends are growing up. One is anticipating a brother and the other is very excited for her. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out for them but they still imagine that he is there and the idea becomes obsessive. It’s really an obsession story.
Bestia is the next story. It is my monster piece. It is also a cultist piece and that’s all I’m going to say about that.
The catalyst for His Majesty was my mother being diagnosed with brain cancer for the second time. The thought that I would lose her and I would do anything to keep her. I would not go to the extremes that are mentioned in the story. The diagnosis was definitely a catalyst for the story. I have a background in anatomy, if that gives you any idea what the story is about.
Dollface is a psychological piece. Are people who imagine horrific conditions or medical conditions really imagining them even though we can’t see it? Or is it really there?
The last story, Sins of the Father is an example of how people are so quick to justify their sins and will use any means to do that. One hand washes the other or I did this and that is okay because of XYZ mentality that doesn’t work out for them in the end. That sums up Pieces of Madness.
JH: While doing research, I saw that you had listed a soundtrack to the book. Each story was influenced by a song or two. How did the Sweet Dreams cover by Marilyn Manson influence the story Luke?
KP: It was a creepy video with children in it. The story wasn’t lyrically influenced. Some of the songs act as backdrops that help me paint a picture. For instance, part one of His Majesty is the story of obsession that was influenced by #1 Crush by Garbage. The second part of His Majesty featured an obsessive woman who is having these sick triumphant moments. So, I used the Shawshank Redemption soundtrack because there is a lot of peaks and valleys.
JH: Shirley Manson’s lyrics of “I would die for you” plays into the obsession part.
KP: Oh yeah. That definitely help me paint a picture.
JH: How did Head Like a Hole by Nine Inch Nails influence the story of Bestia?
KP: It is a cultist piece. I’m scared of crazy people in groups. So, Head Like a Hole’s lyrical line “Bow down before the one you serve”
JH: “You’re going to get what you deserve.”
KP: Yep. That hook definitely help me paint that picture of crazy people in groups and cults. Plus, I like Nine Inch Nails and there’s nothing wrong with that.
JH: There is certainly nothing wrong with that. How was Dollface influenced by Year Zero by Ghost? I ask, because lyrically Year Zero is welcoming back the birth of Satan.
KP: Right. There are demonic entities within the story. It’s a savage song and I wanted a savage story.
JH: How does Take Me to Church by Hozier influence Sins of the Father?
KP: I really liked his poetic delivery and it helped me paint a picture of a story of poetic lust. Something that feels so wrong but feels so right or the opposite.
JH: You once wrote that your stories are based on your biggest fears.
KP: Its based on most of my fears, such as losing people. It’s not really a phobia but it is a fear. We all have the insecurity of losing people that matter to us in our lives. Demonic entities is another fear, since I grew up Pentecostal. So, I grew up with that fire and brimstone and that supernatural element to Christianity. Once again, crazy people in groups are very dangerous. So stay away from them, kids.
JH: What is it about horror that appeals to you so much?
KP: Well, my roots are in sci-fi. Basically, you take out the science and you don’t make it better for the character. There you go, you have horror. It was a very easy transition. Everything comes out dark and savage and I can’t help it. I found a home in that.
JH: Speaking of horror, do you listen to bands that use horror themes for the basis of their music such as Lordi or Portal?
KP: No. I listen to a lot of stuff. For instance, there was a story that was omitted from the book called Cara Mia. Cara Mia is a song by Jay & the Americans from the 60s. That song help influenced that story. It needs more fine-tuning and it’s not quite ready but it might be in the next volume.
JH: Ooh. Is there going to be another volume? Sneak peek.
KP: There is. There is. Also, the mother in that story is based on another 60s song called Harper Valley PTA.
JH: What are you working on now?
KP: I am currently working on a piece for John Marroquin. It is sort of a Conan the Barbarian meet Aztec history. It is an action sci-fi, if you will. I just finished a story for Aaron Moore’s anthology about nightmares that should be coming out more towards Halloween. I also worked on that with John Marroquin who did the illustrations. He is from El Arto Press. I am working on the second volume and I’m hoping that the first volume will be a graphic novel by Spring 2016.
JH: If people wanted to meet you in person, what is your upcoming convention schedule?
KP: My next appearance will be in Taylor at the Michigan Comic Book Expo on September 26th. Tony Miello of Rocket Ink Studios, who is also my publisher, is the main promoter for that event. I am very excited for him.
JH: Kasey, if people are interested in purchasing your book, how would they go about doing that?
KP: They could find it on Amazon. You can find it on a rocketinkstudios.com. Of course, I will try to keep KosmicKasey.com updated on potential add-ons to my shows.
JH: Kasey, thank you for this interview. I appreciate it. What do you have to say to your fans before you go?
KP: I hope you enjoy the madness.