EDEN ROYCE: Self-doubt can be an enormous burden. As writers, many of us live in our own heads and negative self-talk can keep even the best creatives from producing work.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been lucky enough to work with some wonderful people in publishing, though. Everyone at Fiyah Lit Mag<\/em> (past and present) is fantastically supportive and encouraging \u2013 they deserve all the kudos for the stunning work they do. Sandra O\u2019Dell at the Drabblecast<\/em> is a phenomenal editor as are Vajra Chandrasekera at Strange Horizons<\/em> and Kerrie C. Byrne at Augur Mag<\/em>. Last but not least, my editor Jordan Brown at HarperCollins loved my novel Root Magic<\/em> from the start and his input helped make it shine.<\/p>\n My journey through kid lit was difficult, though it started out easy. I got my agent as soon as I finished my first novel, and he sold my manuscripts to HarperCollins in two 2-book deals right out of the gate. Everyone thought I had it made. But then, the industry changed, I was asked to write more Latina heroine books, which I did, but they didn\u2019t sell, so I tried going back to paranormal horror, but I was advised against it, because the \u201ctrend was dying.\u201d I got lost. Really lost. But I finally decided I\u2019m going to write whatever the hell I want. I\u2019ve slowly been making my way back to my heart, mostly on my own, but I can definitely thank a few people. My agent, Deborah Warren, who\u2019s been \u201cnew\u201d for about 8 years now, Jonathan Maberry, who couldn\u2019t understand why my books weren\u2019t more widely read and has been instrumental in lifting my voice higher, Michelle Zink, who went indie and guided me through the process with such a generous heart. Too many people to name, but they\u2019ve all been such an inspiration to me.<\/p>\n LINDA D. ADDISON: The obstacles now are very different from the beginning of my writing career. Now that I\u2019m retired from day job you would think I have nothing but time to write, however, I\u2019m also involved in projects with other creative folks, so it\u2019s a constant learning process to balance my time.<\/p>\n I could fill pages with publications, editors, or other writers who have been invaluable in my career (including family and friends), a few highlights are: There are many small press magazines (Pirate Writings<\/em>, Epitaph<\/em>, Lore<\/em>, etc.) and anthologies (Dark Voices<\/em>, Rough Beasts<\/em>, GSHW In A Fearful Way<\/em>, Dead Cats Bouncing<\/em>, etc) that published me early on. Asimov\u2019s SF Magazine<\/em> (after getting published in 1997 after years of rejections); Space & Time Books editor Gordon Linzner (whose editing\/advice\/friendship has meant everything to me & published my first three books, two received HWA Bram Stoker awards), CITH (Circles in the Hair) workshop from NYC, which came together in 1990 and have had so much to do with the evolution of my writing. Meeting Tananarive Due in 1997 at a World Horror in NYC when she was on the final ballot for a Stoker in Novels was completely inspiring.<\/p>\n Game changers like having a story published in Sheree Ren\u00e9e Thomas\u2019 Dark Matter<\/em> anthology; workshops with Terry Bisson, Nancy Kress and others, who became supporters and friends. There are so many I met at conferences like NECON, WHC, and groups like HWA who became my mentors\/friends.<\/p>\n There are people who are no longer with us, who believed in me before anyone else knew of my work: Tom Piccirilli, Jack Ketchum, Charlee Jacob, Stephen M. Wilson, Rick Hautala.<\/p>\n V. CASTRO: The biggest obstacles are time management with home life and protecting my mental health with the chaos in the world.<\/p>\n Unnerving headed by Eddie Generous has always been great with publishing women. Flame Tree Press has bought two of my books that are very much inspired by my culture.<\/p>\n All the women in horror have made this journey truly special and amazing. I love how we support each other through the good and the bad. By us continuing to do this, I truly believe we can all achieve what we want on our individual writing journeys. We are stronger together.<\/p>\n As for those in the writing field who\u2019ve made my publishing journey a positive one\u2014there are so, so, so many people. I think the ones who\u2019ve impacted me the most are the teachers\u2014they\u2019ve given me a huge gift by teaching me what they know. Most of them write in genres outside of horror, but I feel that\u2019s what makes my work richer. Some of those teachers are Alexander Weinstein, Amelia Martens, Sequoia Nagamatsu, Matthew Gavin Frank, Christopher Citro, and Francine J. Harris. Without them, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d have as many tools as I do to write, and I\u2019d probably be floundering a lot more.<\/p>\n R.J. JOSEPH: Being a Black, female horror writer is the biggest obstacle for me, by far. I\u2019ve been writing in this genre for years, albeit, doing so undercover for much of that time. I grew up in the 70s and 80s, so my first readings in horror were by Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and John Saul. I didn\u2019t see work being published by other Black women in the genre. Even the inimitable Toni Morrison\u2019s Beloved wasn\u2019t immediately embraced as horror when it was first published. When I finally found Tananarive Due and Octavia Butler in the 90s, they never got the fanfare I felt they deserved. Even now, I ask myself, \u201cIf those queens with their masterful and passionate wordplay couldn\u2019t get a huge break, who are you to think you can do this?\u201d I\u2019ve seen how long Due has been at this. She\u2019s incredible and humble. My all time favorite writer. But I haven\u2019t seen her works in movies, as they all should be. Granted, things are moving for her now, but she should be held up as a standard in horror.<\/p>\n I have to give a lot of credit to the faculty, mentors, and fellow students in the Seton Hill University\u2019s Writing Popular Fiction program. They were the first people, besides my mother, who made me believe I could write horror. They accepted me as I was and the horror writing pod embraced me as one of theirs. Elsa Carruthers and Stephanie Wytovich are a part of this awesome family. I walked in a duality there, writing a romance thesis but workshopping horror short stories. The faculty and mentors gently prodded me along towards the things they knew I could do that I didn\u2019t think were possible, especially in academia. I also have to give a lot of kudos to so many newer horror family members I\u2019ve met more recently, like Linda Addison who is simply exquisite. She\u2019s not only a brilliant writer, but she always makes opportunities to bring the rest of us along with her. Cina Pelayo, John Edward Lawson, V. Castro, Gabino Iglesias, Nicholas Diak, the Ladies of Horror Fiction\u2026just about all the horror peeps I engage with regularly on Twitter are people I look up to and folks who\u2019re fighting the good fight. They all make this thing worthwhile.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been lucky to work with really good editors and publishers. Evelyn Duffy, who edits my novels and short story collections, has been a blessing. She\u2019s given me so much helpful advice as well as encouragement. She\u2019s also a hell of an editor: all of my work has improved with her edits.<\/p>\n Sirens Call Publications has an amazing team behind them. I frequently submit stories to The Sirens Call, a free online eZine; and they always take good care of my work. They were even kind enough to feature me last summer! I also had an amazing experience with Camden Park Press, which published Quoth the Raven<\/em>. It was my first time being published by a third party, and I couldn\u2019t have asked for a better experience.<\/p>\n What books from female horror authors are you most excited to read this year? Which female horror authors do you feel more people should be reading?<\/strong><\/p>\n EDEN ROYCE: I\u2019m so behind on my reading. This year has been \u2026 interesting. I\u2019m looking forward to reading The Deathless Divide<\/em> by Justina Ireland, Mexican Gothic<\/em> by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Out of Water<\/em> by Sarah Read as well in indulging in rereads of Fledgling<\/em> by Octavia Butler, White is for Witching<\/em> by Helen Oyeyemi, All the Fabulous Beasts<\/em> by Priya Sharma, and New Music for Old Rituals<\/em> by Tracy Fahey.<\/p>\n GABY TRIANA: BONESET & FEATHERS, baby! Anything by you, Christa Carmen, Ania Ahlborn, Sonora Taylor, Catherine Cavendish\u2019s THE MALEN WITCH, Sara Tantlinger, Briana Morgan, Stephanie Wytovich, Alethea Kontis, Sarah Read, Kiersten White\u2026there\u2019s so many!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.gwendolynkiste.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Gaby-Triana.jpeg\")
<\/a>GABY TRIANA: My biggest obstacle has always been branding. Because I cover a lot of ground, I can\u2019t for sure say I\u2019m a \u201chorror writer\u201d or a \u201cYA writer.\u201d I write stories about people<\/u>. The one theme all my stories have is self-discovery, learning about the powers buried deep inside oneself, because this is how I\u2019ve felt all my life, like I\u2019ve slowly been uncovering supersecret hidden powers. But there\u2019s no \u201cSupersecret Hidden Powers\u201d shelf in the bookstores, so I end up all over the place.<\/p>\n<\/a>G.G. SILVERMAN: My biggest obstacles, currently, are the unfolding horrors of the political landscape. I do believe that writing is an act of resistance and reclaiming one\u2019s voice is ever more important as the days progress, but I sometimes wonder if I should be doing something else\u2014as in, are the lives of Americans in clear and present danger? I\u2019m constantly evaluating our emergency supplies, making sure we have enough food, medicine, for the humans and the dog. And though I\u2019m checking on the mental health and wellbeing of friends and family when I can, I\u2019m always wondering if it\u2019s enough, if there’s someone I\u2019ve missed.<\/p>\n<\/a>SONORA TAYLOR: I have a hard time writing down a bad first draft. I want each sentence well-written and each plot point fleshed out as soon as I write it. As such, I don\u2019t write when I feel like I can\u2019t do that, and I have to force myself to open the document and just start writing. It can be especially hard when I\u2019m stressed. But, I always feel better having written, even when I know I need to revise.<\/p>\n