Strap in this convo with Bitter Karella (he/she/they), author of the trippy trans horror novel “Moonflow” is a fantastic and wild ride!

Bitter Karella is a genderfluid transvestite goblin, best known as the creator of the three time Hugo-nominated microfiction comedy account @Midnight_Pals which asks what if all your favorite horror writers were to gather around the campfire and tell scary stories like in the classic Nickelodeon series “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” @Midnight Pals has had three successfully crowdfunded collections and is currently being adapted as an audio podcast.

Karella writes gonzo psycho-sexual body horror with a grotesquely humorous edge. His short story “Low Tide Jenny,”originally published in Seize the Press magazine, was a winner of the Brave New Weird award for best new weird fiction of 2022 by Tenebrous Press. Her work has also appeared in Bag of Bones’ “Step into the Light,” Tenebrous Press’ “Your Body is Not Your Body,” Ghoulish Books’ “Bound in Flesh,” and From Beyond Press’ “This World Belongs to Us.” He’s the author and artist of three graphic novels, and co-host of the podcast “A Special Presentation, or Alf Will Not be Seen Tonight” about comic strips adapted into TV specials. His first novel, Moonflow, debuts from Orbit’s new horror imprint Run For It in September 2025.

Karella lives with their partner, two cats, and a tarantula. When not writing, she also dabbles in text game design.

Karella is represented by John Baker and Julie Gourinchas.