Viggy Parr Hampton, MPH is an epidemiologist, host of the podcast “Horror Humor Hunger,” and the author of A Cold Night for Alligators, Much Too Vulgar, and The Rotting Room. She is a graduate of Georgetown University and Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.
Follow Viggy Parr Hampton
Website: http://www.viggyhampton.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/viggyparrhampton/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@viggyparrhampton
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/viggyparrhampton
Horror Humor Hunger Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2139349
QUESTIONS:
1. Tell our readers a little about yourself and your writing (including publications).
I’m Viggy Parr Hampton, and I have three (soon to be four) published horror novels: A Cold Night for Alligators, Much Too Vulgar, The Rotting Room, and A Veritable Household Pet (coming January 28, 2026). I also have many published short stories, several of which can be found in Kevin J. Kennedy’s excellent The Horror Collection anthologies. I’m drawn to stories that are unusual, unpredictable, and chilling, but most of all, I want to make my readers feel. I want them to feel not only fear, but also empathy for my characters, for their
situations, and for the things that they do and that are done to them. If I can give you nightmares, then I’ve done my job!
When I’m not writing, I’m either on a long walk with my German Shepherd/poodle mix, Tater Tot, baking, playing pickleball, or mom-ing my two kids.
2. What writing projects are you currently working on?
I’m currently prepping my fourth novel, A Veritable Household Pet, for publication on January 28, 2026. I’m also working on what will be my fifth novel, Ripped Up the Middle in Two, which will publish sometime next fall. A Veritable Household Pet is about a young girl named Darla Gregory who receives a transorbital lobotomy at the age of eleven. The novel follows her life after the surgery, but the story is also about her older sister, who acts as her caretaker and reluctant scribe. The book is told from two POVs simultaneously, and it is my favorite book I’ve written so far. Ripped Up the Middle in Two is a motherhood horror about a postpartum mom who is being terrorized by an evil entity in the woods—but she can’t figure out if the evil is truly external, or if it’s all in her head.
3. Are you a daytime writer, a mid-day writer, a nighttime writer, or just someone who writes when the mood hits you?
I’m definitely an early morning/daytime writer. I usually wake up around 4:30am, and I love writing before everyone else is awake and it’s dark and quiet. If that’s not possible, then I write in the mornings after I drop my kids off at school. The writing happens during the day, but most of my ideas come to me at night, especially when I’m trying to fall asleep.
4. Do you have a writing “Bucket List” (goals you want to accomplish as a writer)?
My bucket list is more of an idea list. There are so many stories I want to tell, and so many themes and situations that inspire me. For example, I’d love to write a horror western one day!
5. Who is your favorite author and why?
This is such a hard question, and the answer really depends on the day. For now, I’ll say Grady Hendrix. I think he is wildly creative, and he puts in the work to give his characters depth. He also has a humorous streak in his books, which balances so well with the horror. Plus, his live shows are absolutely incredible—hilarious, chilling, and so well-researched. I could listen to him talk about anything!
6. Who/what first inspired you to write?
My mom and I used to invent stories on our way to school. She would start it off with a few sentences, then it would be my turn, then hers again, and we’d go back and forth until the story was finished. She really inspired a love of creative and collaborative storytelling.
Fun fact: I’ve replicated that experiment in my segment for Purgatory Media called “Tag Team Tales of Terror,” where I challenge fellow horror authors to create a progressive story with me in 30-second increments based on a prompt I pull out of a hat!
7. What are your favorite book genres?
Horror, of course, along with nonfiction—especially hidden histories and memoirs. I’ll really read anything, as long as it’s well-written and engaging.
8. HORROR FANS: What was the first horror movie you ever saw? What is your favorite horror movie? What is the worst horror movie you have ever seen?
The first horror movie I can remember seeing is the original Night of the Living Dead (at age 4). I loved it!
My favorite horror movie is probably either The Substance, the original IT with Tim Curry, or The Shining.
The worst horror movie I ever saw was Zombeavers, but I also loved it because it was so campy and ridiculous. I mean, zombie beavers? Come on!
9. Do you have any “rules” when you write?
Nope, I don’t have any rules. If my character needs to get really dark, then we get really dark. I let the characters lead me!
10. Do you have any pets?
I have a German Shepherd/poodle mix (a shepadoodle) named Tater Tot!
11. When you are in a writing funk, how do you find your way out?
I put the story aside for awhile and go on a long walk. If that doesn’t fix it, I get a good night’s sleep and let my mind work on the problem in the background. Works every time!
12. What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer?
This sounds cliché, but all writing advice comes down to this: you have to just sit down and write. Pretend no one will ever see what you’re writing but you. Make mistakes, follow strange plot lines, craft weird characters, and let your mind wander freely. As with anything in life, practice makes perfect, so you just have to get started!
Eric Woods, Author 