Not Not Famous - 016 - Victoria Brooks
Embrace the Infamy
WHAT ARE YOU?
Such a good question. Still trying to work that out. Identity is such a limited box to squeeze inside. I’m a writer, parent, person, maybe human, greedy bisexual.
WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT?
Too many things. My twins. They’re two, so that’s what they do. My partner’s snoring. Plot holes. What if I die before I write enough—whatever ‘enough’ means. Did I lock the door? Did I pay the nanny? Shall I get another tattoo and where should I have it. Hot feet. Do ghosts exist and if so, is there one at the end of the bed about to lick my feet which are now outside of the duvet. Cringing at memories of doing something embarrassing. Anger. My brain—it can barely figure out how to work the coffee machine during the day, but when I should be sleeping it begins to contemplate what might exist in the 4th dimension and whether that could be heaven, or something.
WHAT WAS YOUR WORST REACTION TO A REJECTION?
Crying. Writing a sulky email to an editor (this was many years ago when I was inexplicably working in academia and trying to write what I write now LOL). But now I tend to think that rejections, especially when done well and kindly (which they should be), and although inevitably disappointing, they tend to be because something else is better for me. It’s part of being a writer and that’s cool—would be weird and kind of concerning to be accepted every single time, right?
WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF EXPOSING IN YOUR WORK?
My terribleness as a person! I have this awful fear, especially as I like to play at the edges of disgust/shock in my writing, that one day someone is going to sit me down and say, “Vic, I’ve read your most recent novel and actually, I think you should just get directly in the bin.” Or my ineptitude at writing.
WHAT WILL YOU DO IF YOU RUN OUT OF IDEAS?
Rest. Sleep. Watch trash TV. All the time. It’s kind of like asking what would I do if I stopped being a writer. Ultimately, it isn’t an option because it’s a drive—an often inconvenient and at times painful and unsuccessful one. But if that happened I guess I’d be released. Rest. Sleep. Retreat to the 4th dimension.
WHAT ARE YOU HERE TO PLUG?
My novel, Silicone God. It came out in the UK (MOIST Books) and being released in the US with House of Vlad on 14 February 2025 (ebook pre-order available now!) with an exclusive new intro from Jack Skelley and an afterword from Charlene Elsby. Awesome writers like Derek McCormack, Elle Nash, Jillian Luft, Alison Rumfitt, Stoya, and Samantha Allen have been kind enough to say nice things so hopefully you might also enjoy it.
Victoria Brooks (they/them) is a queer nonbinary author, and parent to an octopod (2 year old identical twins)—an identity-shifting experience they recently wrote about in W0rms. They have published two nonfiction books: Fucking Law (Zero, 2019) and Mistress Ethics (Bloomsbury, 2022). Their first queer sci-fi novel, Silicone God, was published by MOIST Books in the UK, December 2023, and is forthcoming in the US (House of Vlad Press) in Spring 2025. They have also published various essays on writing trauma and trauma-writing, time-travel and ethics, as well as short fiction (including erotica) usually relating to trans-dimensional and futuristic sexuality. They are currently working on their second novel. Their portfolio can be found here.