Chloe Spencer (SHe/her)
Chloe Spencer is an award-winning author, game developer, and filmmaker whose work has been seen in publications such as Kotaku, GameLuster, TechRadar, and anthologies such as Black Rainbow Horror, Queer Sci-Fi’s Innovation, and Migration, and the upcoming Chlorophobia by Ghost Orchids Press and Nightmare Fuel by Cloaked Press. Her debut novel, Duality, recently received a finalist award in the Lesfic Bard competition. She specializes in horror, drama, and animation writing.
Describe your writing style in 3 words.
Comedic, heartfelt, and bizarre.
What’s a film/tv/game (anything) that you’ve watched that made you go “I should’ve written that” or that you’d like to write for (if it’s still on air)?
The original Spiderman film directed by Sam Raimi. I don’t think that I can quite encapsulate everything that was so mystifyingly wonderful and fun about that film, especially at the time it was released. I was a little kid, and Spiderman was one of my favorite heroes, and I remember leaving the theater with this hypercharged feeling, like anything was possible. I loved that feeling, and I’ve wanted to write things that give people those feelings ever since.
What’s the film/TV show that made you want to become a writer?
I would honestly love to write for Craig of the Creek. I think it’s a wonderful, well-written show with very complex and dynamic characters, and fun life lessons for kids. It’s one of my favorites.
What are your current career goals?
I have many career goals, but in the short term, I would love to get signed and get into a writers’ room. I also am working through ideas of my next short, which I think is going to be a comedy. In the long term, I would love to become a showrunner for an animated adult show in the vein of Inside Job or Invincible.
Why do you write?
I write because I want to connect with other people in ways that I think are too complex to express through speaking alone. That, and I write because I use it to work through things that I’ve gone through. Much of my work centers on the lived experiences of queer women, particularly those in their teens or around my age, and how they navigate the world and heal from trauma. That’s something that was largely absent from stories when I was a kid, and that made me feel alienated and has complicated a large part of my coming-out experience to this day. So I guess in a larger sense, I also write because I hope that others will feel less alone.
Are you a cat person or a dog person?
Oh my gosh, I could NEVER pick one or the other! I feel like to be my happiest self, I need both a dog and a cat, since that’s what I grew up with. Your cat is like your chill at home cuddle buddy, and your dog is your best pal that you take on adventures with.