At Gothic Bite Magazine we love welcoming new patients to become part of our asylum. We question them and learn about them. It doesn’t matter what creative field they are part of because they’re our patient now. This week, we welcome Clara Winter

Patient Name: Clara Winter

I’m Clara Winter, and I grew up in the publishing world and attended acting/art school. I grew up in a small northern French town in Québec, Canada. Determined to make it into the big leagues. I learned English independently. I had Stephen King, Oliver Bowden, Charlaine Harris, Jeaniene Frost, Katie Aiken Ritter and Bernard Cornwell as my ‘literary teachers in writing.

Odd to most people, I became a bookworm and developed an antisocial personality disorder my whole life. I fought many stereotypes and misconceptions from the outside world her entire life. After all, horror is hard to defend to other parents when your daughter is only six-year-old.

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I preferred daydreaming over any other activity. I tested ahead of my classmates in IQ at a young age, allowing me to pursue my studies in a special school. However, avoiding other people was still what I did the most.

Years later, despite my clinically introverted personality, I made one of her dreams come true. I built a gothic magazine that would become a platform for the indie community. I named it Gothic Bite Magazine. My primary inspirations were Gothic Beauty Magazine, Fangoria, and The Vampire Book Club—doesn’t exist anymore.

Following the launch of my webzine, I published my very first novel, Mrs. Blackwood, under the art pen name I once used: Alexa Wayne. It proved to me that making one dream come true was possible. My passion for what lurks in the dark or legends was no obstacle for me, who wrote the Lord Impaler Series. My studies also aided my more logical approach to either subject.

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What I favoured over social events that I despised as a misanthrope and as a socially awkward personality was drawing. I became a great fan of DC Comics‘ Batman and Buffy The Vampire Slayer at a young age. I even pursued some of my studies in art at an online school and was a contender for DC Comics’ Art Workshop in 2017.

But I will never forget who gave me the first shot at writing professionally, the CEO and my first editor, Tara M. Clapper of The Geek Initiative.

The Gothic Certifications Of Clara Winter

Viking History | Celt History | Mediaeval History.
Cryptozoology | Vampirology | Demonology.
Wicca | Runes | Oracle | Tarot | Fairy Magic | Occult | Demonolatry.
Horror Writing | Fantasy Writing | Mystery Writing | Sci-Fi Writing | Romance Writing.

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Creative Writing | Novel Writing | Script Writing | Comic Book Writing | Proofreading | Editing | Blogging.
Digital Painting | Digital Portrait | Concept Art | Inking & Rendering | Sequential Art.
Graphic Design | Web Design | Illustrator.
French | English | Norwegian.
Classical Ballet | Singing | Modelling | Acting | Theatre | Narration | Objective Voice (anchors, hosts.)

The Questioning

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: Why did you decide to write for Gothic Bite Magazine?

CLARA WINTER: As the creator of Gothic Bite Magazine, what I wanted to share was my love for the unknown yet widely spread legends and folklore revolving around creatures, monsters, and hauntings, including demons and possessions.

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I also wanted to create GBM to become a platform for the indie community to share their artwork. It was important to me to create a place for lesser-known artists and companies to have the spotlight on them instead of the big, overly, praised names.

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: What do you like the most about Gothic Bite Magazine?

CLARA WINTER: I am so proud that Gothic Bite Magazine receives emails from various artists and companies to appear on our website. People reach out to us to have their names shared with us. 

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This is what I love the most because it proves that there was a need for such a platform to exist. It makes GBM unique and a name circulating among indie artists and the community.

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: What does the word “Gothic” mean to you?

CLARA WINTER: The word Gothic despite its meaning in the Middle Ages referring to the architecture of window shapes and arches, became a term defining an entire style outside of its mediaeval architectural design.

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Gothic, to me, refers to the uniqueness of the mediaeval period. It refers to a time when people established borders, laws, and structures and grew in architecture.

It is wrong to believe that the Dark Ages was stagnant, a silent growth outside of wars. Gothic is often linked to dark romance with images of cemeteries and darker creatures like vampires and werewolves. But to me, it’s all about mediaeval times and their unique bravery and courage.

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: What do you think people and society need to know about gothic people?

CLARA WINTER: People need to know that Gothic people are a much more significant part of society than they think. But first, stereotypes must stop. Gothic people aren’t depressed, sad, masochistic, or dark beyond return. 

I’m thirty-eight and goth, but what do I know? We are different, but that is because society decided that Gothic people wore white pasty foundation makeup with black eyeliner and Halloween clothing, which was dangerous. Our society also said it was a ‘phase‘ in some teenagers’ lives.

Gothic people come in all styles and forms. Not all of us are into or look like Marilyn Manson. There are ‘pastel’ goths, cyberpunk goths, perky goths, and so on. What makes us who we are is simple, our love for the macabre and morbid because we see it as beautiful. We see beauty where people see ugliness. 

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: When writing your articles, do you do research, and if so, how far do you go with your analysis?

CLARA WINTER: I like to call myself a researcher because I cannot stop learning. Researching is the key to bringing the most accurate information to our readers and followers. GBM prides itself on bringing the truth to our audience, and we cannot achieve it without research.

I’m mostly known as the ‘BBC Segment’ by people who know me. I love throwing in random facts when people talk about a subject they bring up. It’s an aspect of me I can’t help, and that is because I keep reading and researching topics that intrigue me. 

Sometimes certain people say I go too far in my research because I can go as far as taking certifications in subjects I believe I need more knowledge. My bookshelves are full of encyclopaedias, history books, biographies, etc. 

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: What is most important to you when writing your articles?

CLARA WINTER: My passion for the subject I’m writing about. I try to give as much freedom as possible to the writers of GBM because the more passionate you are about a topic, the better the result. 

It is essential to keep an objective view of the subjects I write about so that when researching if I’m disappointed, it doesn’t change the truth or goal of the article.

If I am passionate about what I write, my article will demonstrate wordings and depths I might not share with a subject I don’t resonate with. So, the importance is my level of passion mixed with my objectivity.

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: Which Gothic people influence you the most in your life?

CLARA WINTER: The Gothic people that influenced my life are found throughout history in the mediaeval period. Not many people think of historical figures when asked which Gothic people influenced them, but those are mine as a history nerd.

Queen Aethelflaed of Mercia: Warrior queen of her time and daughter of Alfred the Great. 
Vlad the Impaler: Hero of Romania and the Order of the Dragon against the Ottoman Empire.
Queen Joan I of Navarre: Wife to Philippe Le Bel of France and defender of her homeland.
Jacques de Molay: Last Grand Master of the Templars made a martyr under the reign of Philippe II of France.

Joan of Arc: Leader of the French in battle guided by her spirituality and later martyr by the Church.
Boudica Queen of the Iceni Britannia: Warrior queen of the Iceni people living in what later became the Kingdom of East Anglia in England. She died for her people and daughter.
Ragnar Lothbrok: There were many Ragnar in Viking history. One of them was a Dane, who became a king among Vikings and led campaigns against the Holy Roman Empire.
Eric Bloodaxe: Ruled as a king in Norway and twice in the northern English kingdom of Northumbria in the tenth century. He secured his place by slowly murdering his brothers over time, earning him the nickname of brother-slayer.
King Constantine II: Early king of Scotland Causantín mac Áeda was an early Gaelic king when Scotland was Alba. In history, King Constantine was one of Scotland’s greatest kings.
Mary ‘Bloody’ Tudor: Daughter of Henry VIII who rose against the protestants and persecuted them. She was the queen of England and Ireland.
Lagertha: Hero, shieldmaiden, and only known wife to Ragnar Lothbrok fought for the Vikings. 
Queen Mary Stuart of Scots: Sacrificed her life for the good of her people and died for them.

There are many more, but those people somehow found a way to shape the world into what we know it to be today. 

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: Which gothic entertainment genre is your favourite and why? I.e. movies, television series, literature, cosplay, conventions, events, music, concerts, etc.

CLARA WINTER: My favourite Gothic entertainment is reading about the Dark Ages, Viking Age, and anything mediaeval. I am also a great fan of History Hit TV, specifically Dr. Eleanor Janega, a medievalist. 

I enjoyed watching historical fiction such as The Last Kingdom and began my quest to become a medievalist enthusiast with Assassin’s Creed. 

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: Do you believe in the paranormal? By that, I mean in hauntings, there are creatures out in the wild we still don’t know the existence of?

CLARA WINTER: Despite having a more scientific and logical mind, I refuse to believe in nothing but the grey world. With that said one of my greatest goals would be to prove, at least to me, that the paranormal is real.

The ‘DNA memory’ depicted in Assassin’s Creed is a theory that captivates me. It is hard when having a scientific mind to believe in the paranormal.

However, it is not impossible to assume different periods in time sometimes collide and create puzzling phenomena. So, I guess my answer would be, ‘I want to believe.’

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: What was your reaction when you found out you’d be a regular writer for Gothic Bite Magazine

CLARA WINTER: I don’t know if that question applies to me since I am its creator. However, I can say that I am so proud of myself and how far I’ve come from the writer I was when this journey started in 2017 and the kind of writer I am now.

I write about subjects I never thought I would. Grateful is the least I can say I am for the respect I get from people in the same field. It drives me to thrive and always be better as a writer.

As the creator, I must lead by example, write regularly for GBM and be there for my writers when they need me. I love this feeling and how I made my dream come true with GBM.

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: What do you wish Gothic Bite Magazine could do to be more popular on the gothic scene? I.e., podcasting, vlogging, live ghost hauntings, etc.

CLARA WINTER: As the creator, my expectations for GBM are great and big. With an outstanding team of writers, I share my ideas to make GBM bigger and more accessible for everyone. 

One of the projects to come is a paranormal hunting web series along with live events, podcasts, and interviews. We wish to bring GBM to the next level and make it the biggest gothic platform for the indie community.

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: What can readers expect from Clara Winter in 2023?

CLARA WINTER: Readers can expect the remastered and revisited Lord Impaler and Liberty series to hit the shelves. Liberty concludes with its third and fourth novels, which will be released simultaneously. 

There are also new series founded in history that are coming and possibly another dream come true for me. Expect many new things to hit GBM as of mid-August!

GOTHIC BITE MAGAZINE: Where will Gothic Bite Magazine bring you in the coming years?

CLARA WINTER: Gothic Bite Magazine is here to stay and grow for everyone in the indie community. But I expect it to bring me and my incredible team of writers from red carpet events to the most fantastic horror conventions, visit the most haunted places globally and experience unique paranormal phenomena.

All I wish for is for Gothic Bite Magazine to be what the indie community hopes it could be. This webzine might be my creation, but it belongs to everyone who needs it.