STORY SHOWCASE #13

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CARNIVOROUS SMILES

by Mariah L. Napier

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A little taster…

“Well, well, well, well, well – what a depressing little troupe of outcasts.” A small flock of people surround our table and I growl curses, quickly downing one of Izzy’s mystery shots. I have no patience for Robert and his Tuttle fanboy minions. A few wear costumes, some hold puppets, and it all feels antagonistically obnoxious. There is one man dressed as a Klingon, and I wonder if he even knows which convention he’s attending.

“You used too many ‘wells’ in that sentence for me to ever take you seriously, Bob.” Izzy flags down our waitress and orders more drinks. “Not that I would anyway.”

I casually lean back in the booth, unintimidated, though I note Jake’s quiet anxiety. I ignore Robert and instead address the couple standing directly behind him. “Nice costumes. The Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood?”

The man, surprised to be singled out, quickly recovers and sneers at me. He crosses his arms across his impressively large chest. “Van Helsing, asshole. And she’s a werewolf.”

His girlfriend sports a pair of fuzzy wolf ears and some skillfully applied costume makeup. Her skintight faux leather body suit leaves little to the imagination.

“Why would Van Helsing wear a red hooded cape? And isn’t that a wicker basket you’re carrying?”

He’s about to defend himself, but glances curiously at the basket, as if noticing it for the first time. He turns to his girlfriend. “I thought this was our lunch. You said we were Velkan and Van Helsing.”

His girl shrugs. “We look adorable.”

“Babe …” Red Riding Hood groans, closing his eyes.

About the author

Mariah L. Napier lives in the werewolf-infested forests of the Pacific North West, with her family and the repercussions of her dubious life choices. She is always down for a buddy read or a creature feature, preferably with someone who also makes questionable decisions.

We asked Mariah …

K&R: What was the spark or idea that led you to write this story?

MLN: I wanted to write a werewolf story, and I wanted it set in a single location to keep it really focused. I’d been reading a lot of puppet-themed horror at the time, and the idea that there are “puppet conventions” out there in the wild fascinated me (I love conventions). I ended up falling down a YouTube rabbit hole and then the idea hit me –  what if I set a couple of werewolves loose at one of these things? And what if I made it mildly 80s themed? That might be fun …

K&R: Do you have any other work do you have out there, for folks to dig into?

MLN: Nothing (yet!)

K&R: What’s next for you as a writer?

MLN: I’m currently working on more stories set in the same universe as “Carnivorous Smiles”, due to be published by Kilter & Rammel in 2027. 

K&R: What does “trashy fiction” mean to you, and what do you love about it?

MLN: For me, trash is pure enjoyment, like popping on a favorite show or a movie I’ve watched a hundred times. Something I could watch a hundred times more. Nothing that would ever be considered “highbrow” or literary but that makes me happy. I think Romantasy falls hard and fast into this category, and novelisations of movies and TV shows (which I absolutely love). Or series that have hundreds of instalments. And most werewolf fiction if we’re being entirely honest.

K&R: Hit us with your own favourite “trashy” fiction recommendations!

MLN: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Child of the Hunt” by Christopher Golden and Nancy Holder –  this one has the Wild Hunt and a renaissance faire in it; two of my favorite things.

“Gabriel Knight; The Beast Within” by Jane Jensen – a novelization of a popular 90s PC game. With werewolves …

“Thor” by Wayne Smith – I don’t know if this is actually considered trash, but it is a werewolf novel and I love it, so I’ll keep mentioning it at every opportunity.

“Everworld” by K.A. Applegate – this is YA before the sub-genre existed. Well, it existed but not like it is today. But this series has to count as trashy. lt feels like it belongs on this list. It’s very 90s.

K&R: If you’ve read the rest of the stories in Trash Tales, what’s your favourite and why?

MLN: I don’t think I can pick just one!

“Bloodemic” by Hokunani Sorci – I loved the post-apocalyptic setting and the monster element. I thought the choice the main character was faced with was brilliant. Really well done.

“The Covenant of the Furnace Keepers” by R. Dell Walker – I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the setting. There was a lot packed into this, and it worked for me.

“The Roma Project” by Vincent St. Claire – chimp horror. I’ve been saying for years there needs to be more chimp horror because chimpanzees are terrifying. This one absolutely delivered.

“Catch of the Day” by Marek Z. Turner – creature feature fun. It reminded me of a “Creep Show” episode or something in that vein.

“Unnatural Porn Killers” by R. Saint Claire – A.I. and robots going rogue is another obsession of mine. Loved it!

“Momma’s Good Silver” by Philip Mitchell – because … werewolves!

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