Writing as Damien Walters Grintalis, Damien Angelica Walters’ short fiction has appeared in magazines such as Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Strange Horizons, Interzone, Fireside, Lightspeed, and Daily Science Fiction, and her debut novel, Ink, was released in December 2012 by Samhain Horror. A collection of her short fiction will be released in spring 2014 from Apex Publications. She is also an Associate Editor of the Hugo Award-winning magazine, Electric Velocipede, and a staff writer with BooklifeNow. You can find her online at www.damienangelicawalters.com or follow her on Twitter @dwgrintalis. Her story “Girl, With Coin” appears in Issue #17.

Tell us how “Girl, With Coin” came about.
The first line of the story popped into my head when I was working on something else, but it was so compelling, I had to write more. I wrote two drafts of two very different stories before the wordmachine shook loose the exhibit descriptions; after that, the real story emerged.

How did you celebrate your first fiction sale?
With a long moment of stunned silence and then a happy dance too ridiculous to describe. These may or may not be my default actions with every sale. Very dignified, I know.

Tell us something about belly dancing. Is it connected to writing for  you? Can you tell a story through belly dancing?
When performing to classic Arabic music, my favorite to dance to, you have to take care to correctly portray the emotions of the song. I’ve seen a dancer unfamiliar with the lyrics dance happy-happy-joy-joy to a song of sorrow and it was off-putting, to say the least. I’ve retired from public performance but I often catch myself dancing in my office or the kitchen while mulling over sticky points in stories, so it’s connected in a disconnected sort of way. I lose myself in the dance now not to music, but to the emotions I’m trying to evoke in whatever project I’m working on.

What is currently in your cd player/iTunes/Spotify/8 Track?
“Came Back Haunted” by Nine Inch Nails, “Young and Beautiful” and “Blue Jeans” by Lana Del Rey, and “Secret Oktober” and “The Chauffeur” by Duran Duran.

What is your favorite Bradbury story/novel?
“There Will Come Soft Rains.” It’s a quietly creeping sort of horror tale. At first, something feels off, but not too off. As the story progresses, you realize what’s happened, and the imagery of the house going about its tasks when you know everyone is gone for good is chilling. And the dog returning to its home, seeking a comfort that will never come? Kills me every time.