MMI’S AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: BRIDGETT NELSON

Savannah braved the great white north of the Great Lakes and talked to multiple-award winning splatterpunk star Bridgett Nelson about her books and stories.

This week touched base with two time splatterpunk award winner, Bridgett Nelson! Her collection Embracing the Profane also just took home a Haunted Minds Award. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend checking out her latest novel Karma, a sequel to her short story “Jinx.” Trust me, if it doesn’t get nominated for a splatterpunk, we riot!

Q: What do you want readers to know about you as an author?

I write dark stories. I watch dark movies. I read dark novels. But my personality? Not dark. I’m a mom of two. I love to laugh and tend to gravitate toward people who can make that happen. If I could own fifty dogs, I would. I’m tender-hearted and can’t stand animal deaths in books or movies.

Though I grew up a tomboy in the hills of West Virginia, I’ve enjoyed exploring my feminine side as I’ve matured.

With my first publication, A Bouquet of Viscera, I was immediately branded a Splatterpunk. It surprised me. I didn’t consider my writing that extreme but decided to lean into it. It’s been fun. Recently, a reader/reviewer described my writing as ‘Splatterpunk with a heartbeat.’ It made me happy because I believe it’s true. Splatterpunk and extreme horror doesn’t have to be poorly written, gory for no reason, and plotless. If it’s done well, it can be an engrossing, visceral experience like no other. When people read my books, I hope that’s their takeaway.

Q: What inspired you to start writing? When did you start?

It wasn’t any one thing.

I’ve always been an avid reader. Books have been a huge part of my life since I started reading at age three. I read my first Stephen King novel (Pet Sematary) at age eight, fell in love with horror, flew through the rest of the King books our small, rural library carried, then moved on to Koontz from there. Much to my mother’s intense dismay, I’ve loved horror and thriller stories ever since.

As for writing, I’ve been doing it since I was a kid. Back then, I wrote goofy stories, songs, poems, speeches…whatever intrigued me from day to day. In high school, I was the feature editor of the school paper, in addition to writing a weekly column for the county journal. I genuinely thought I’d be a journalist one day. Unfortunately, my parents weren’t keen on a creative writing degree. My dad said, “I want you to have an actual job after you graduate.” So, I majored in sports medicine before switching to nursing.

Q: What works do you currently have available (solo and anthologies)?

Solo:
Karma (2025)
Deadgirl (2025)
Embracing the Profane (2025)

Red Inside (2024)

Poisoned Pink** (2024)

What the Fuck Was That? (2023)

Sweet, Sour, & Spicy (2023)

A Bouquet of Viscera (2022)

** Poisoned Pink is an omnibus of What the Fuck Was That? and Sweet, Sour, & Spicy.

Anthologies:
Tales from Ghostland (2025)

We’ll Always Be Here (2025)

GabaGhoul (2025)

Hotel Macabre – Volume 1 (2024)

Wish Upon a Dark Star by Richard Clive – foreword by me (2024)

The Rack (2024)

Erotic Horror for Horny Housewives (2024)

Evil Little Fucks (2024)

Thanks RJ (2024)
To Hell and Back (2024)

Y’all Ain’t Right (2024)

Splatterpunk’s Basement of Horror (2023)

Dark Disasters (2023)

Deathrealm Spirits (2023)

October Screams (2023)

The Never Dead (2023)

Razor Blades in the Fun-Size Candy (2023)

American Cannibal (2023)

Ooze: Little Bursts of Body Horror (foreword) (2023)

Dead & Bloated (2023)

A Woman Unbecoming (2022)

BoH Community Anthology Omnibus 1-3 (2022)

Counting Bodies Like Sheep (2022)

If I Die Before I Wake Omnibus: Volumes 4-6 (2021)

If I Die Before I Wake: Tales of the Dark Deep (2021)

A Pile of Bodies, A Pile of Heads: Let the Bodies Hit the Floor – Volume 2 (2021)

BoH Community Anthology – Volume 3, Part 2 (2021)

A Pile of Bodies, A Pile of Heads: Let the Bodies Hit the Floor – Volume 1 (2021)

If I Die Before I Wake: Tales of the Otherworldly and Undead (2021)

If I Die Before I Wake: Tales of Nightmare Creatures (2021)
If I Die Before I Wake Omnibus: Volumes 1-3 (2020)

Devil’s Gulch (2020)

If I Die Before I Wake: Tales of Deadly Women and Retribution (2020)

Q: What was your gateway into horror?

As I mentioned before, and as cliché as it may be, my answer is Stephen King. I grew up during the 80s, in the least populated county of one of the least populated states in the country. I didn’t have access to many of the lauded horror authors of the time: McCammon, Laymon, F. Paul Wilson, Ketchum. Though I gave Rice a try, her stories never really struck a chord with me. I’d never even heard the names Skipp & Spector until I was older.

Ultimately, I read whatever I could get my hands on, and that happened to be the more mainstream of the horror authors. Not that it was a bad thing. To this day, I’m still a King fan.

My dad (again, much to my mother’s dismay), allowed me to watch whatever horror movies I wanted growing up. I saw Re-Animator for the first time when I was ten or eleven. I can still hear him saying to my mom, “Jannie, she’s fine. She knows it isn’t real.”

One of the many advantages of being an only child.

Q: What are your favorite subgenres of horror?

Human monsters are the scariest. I’ll die on that hill. The supernatural, though sometimes intriguing, isn’t nearly as interesting to me. (Possibly because I’m one or two classes away from having a minor in psychology.) Though I will occasionally delve into that subgenre, for the most part, I prefer dark, twisty thrillers.

And body horror. Nothing gets to me like a well-written body horror story.

I bet my long-time readers can guess my sweet spot is…revenge horror. 

Q: If you didn’t write horror, what other genre do you think you’d be in?

Twisty, psychological thrillers, hands down. It’s what I most enjoy reading and writing. In fact, you may be seeing more of my writing heading in that direction. Karma, my latest novel, for instance, was structured as a thriller. I call it my ‘Splatterpunk Thriller.’

Q: What are some authors (traditional or indie) that have inspired you or helped you along your journey?

There are many female thriller writers I’ve been reading for years, who inspire me every single time I pick up one of their books: Jennifer Hillier, Alice Feeney, Karin Slaughter, Tess Gerritsen, Lisa Jewell, Robyn Harding, A.R. Torre, Samantha Downing, and Lisa Unger, to name just a few. I also love Riley Sager, Steve Cavanagh, John Marrs, and have recently started reading Freida McFadden.

As for Indie authors who write Splatterpunk and extreme, Kristopher Triana is probably my biggest inspiration, as I feel our writing styles are the most similar. Also included are Aron Beauregard and Wrath James White.

I have huge respect for Ben Young, Jay Bower, Justin Holley, Megan Stockton, Jonathan Butcher, Michelle von Eschen, and Leigh Kenny, all of whom have proven themselves to be superior writers and storytellers. Leigh’s Hush, My Darling was my favorite 2025 read, and Jonathan and Michelle’s Motel Styx was my favorite of 2024.

I must also mention Jeff Strand. Not only is he my best friend and partner, but he consistently writes fucking amazing novels. Some of his dark humor has rubbed off on me, and it shows in my writing.

Q: What’s on your TBR? Anything coming out soon that you’re looking forward to?

I’m currently reading Unseen Gods by Justin Holley, which is fantastic, and I’m editing an upcoming re-release of Wolf Hunt 3 for Jeff.
If I’m not mistaken, I believe a Motel Styx sequel is on its way, and I’m genuinely stoked about that.
The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter, Dead in the Water by John Marrs, Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding, and My Husband’s Wife by Alice Feeney.
Although I’ve already read it, I’d also like to mention Jeff Strand’s Fun Times at the Bloodbath, coming in 2026 from Dead Sky Publishing. It’s my favorite of his books, probably in the last five years, at least. I can’t wait for all of you to get your greedy little mitts on this book!

Q: What are you working on now?

My next novel, tentatively titled Unzipped, is coming in 2026. I also have three short stories I need to knock out for various anthology invites and a collaboration with Jeff Strand, too!

Q: Where can readers follow you and find your books?

My woefully out-of-date website is http://www.bridgettnelson.com. It will be getting a glow-up this year.  However, you can still find links to my socials and my on-line store there or contact me if you’d like to chat. 

Savannah R. Fischer is the permanently exhausted pigeon in charge of two well-loved chaos gremlins. When not with her family, she can usually be found in her cave, wrapped in an oversized blanket and dreaming of spinach puffs. She wants to show her gremlins that they can do hard things, even when it’s scary, like pulling the wrong lever and ending up in a pit of alligators. No llamas were harmed in the making of her works of horror.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.