E.M. Markoff 8/12/19 E.M. Markoff 8/12/19

Scary Stories For A Good Cause: Roh Morgon On "Little Pink Flowers"

Tell us a little about your story, “Little Pink Flowers.”

This story originally appeared the 2014 World Horror Convention Souvenir Program. When I received the invite to contribute to the program, I was on vacation with family in Colorado. I had no idea what to write—but then, as I was snuggling down into my sleeping bag, images of these little, pink but deadly flowers sprouting out of cornstalks just popped into my head, along with the idea that they had arrived on a meteor …

By L.S. Johnson (https://traversingz.com/)

Roh Morgon dreams up her dark tales while driving through California’s Sierra Nevada foothills. But it’s her time spent in more remote locales—the soaring peaks of Colorado, the windswept plains of Wyoming, the mysterious Carpathian Mountains of Romania—that provides the settings for her stories.

Roh’s best known for her vampire series The Chosen (which includes the novels Watcher, Runner, and the upcoming Seeker: Book III of The Chosen), the related 1840s historical horror novella The Last Trace, and the corporate horror novella The Games Monsters Play. You can find Roh online at www.rohmorgon.com, https://www.facebook.com/RohMorgonWriter, and Amazon.

Tell us a little about your story, “Little Pink Flowers.”

The “Little Pink Flowers" in your story are described very carefully, with specific botanical features. Did you undertake any research for your story, or are the flowers purely invented?

In the story, the flowering structures are described as resembling pink clover flowers—at first glance. But the blue spines and clear stalks, along with its parasitism and aggressive behavior, are all quite fictional.

What is your relationship to California?

I grew up in a remote canyon in Southern California surrounded by chaparral-covered hills, then spent a number of years in the rural Central Coast. My current home is in the blue oak grasslands of the Sierra Nevada foothills in Central California. Living with the ever-present danger of wildfire for much of my life, I’m humbled to be a part of this fundraising project for the families who suffered horrific losses in the Camp Fire.

As writers, we constantly use our imaginations, sometimes in terrifying ways. But can you imagine a hopeful future for California? What might that future look like?

Unfortunately, as a horror writer and someone with a strong affinity for the natural environment, I have trouble envisioning a hopeful future for our state. Increasing development, fueled by an ever-expanding population, does not bode well for any areas but the most rugged mountains and scorching deserts. But if you were to ask me to imagine a post-apocalyptic California, I’d have no problem coming up with a dozen possible futures! 😀

Where can readers find more of your work?

Readers can visit my Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Roh-Morgon/e/B005APORC2. My current project, the dark fantasy series The Chosen, follows the journey of a young woman struggling to survive in her new life as a vampire while attempting to adhere to her human morals. The series includes the novels Watcher and Runner, along with two novellas. The third novel, Seeker, is underway. To learn more about The Chosen, readers can check out my website: http://www.rohmorgon.com.