The 7Q Interview: Sarah Read
AUTHOR BIO
Sarah Read is a dark fiction writer in the frozen north of Wisconsin. Her short stories can be found in Gamut, Black Static, and other places, and in various anthologies including Suspended in Dusk, BEHOLD! Oddities Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders, and The Best Horror of the Year vol 10. Her novel The Bone Weaver’s Orchard is now out from Trepidatio Publishing, and her debut collection Out of Waterwill follow in late 2019. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Pantheon Magazine and of their associated anthologies, including Gorgon: Stories of Emergence. She is an active member of the Horror Writers Association. When she’s not staring into the abyss, she knits.
Follow her on
Instagram @Inkwellmonster
Website www.inkwellmonster.wordpress.com,
Support her on Patreon.
QUESTIONS
#1. Looking back, what’s one fiction book that you feel truly made an impact on your writing? Do you still gravitate towards that author?
#1. It’s really difficult to pick one! I’ll go with Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice. I read it when I was ten and I spent the next ten years completely obsessed with her books. I suspect it played a big part in my love for putting contemporary horror into historical settings. She often speaks of her love for research, which is my favorite part of the process, and her way of bringing settings to life has always enchanted me. I do still love her work, though the older books remain my favorites. The Witching Hour is my favorite of them all. You get such a generous helping of history with your witchiness there. But I’ve always been the sort of reader who cherishes the 100+ page rabbit trails into historical context that you find in such books.
#2. How do you feel about the use of sub-genres in the industry? How do you describe your work overall?
#2. Gosh, I have two opposite answers for this one. On the one hand, I find genre difficult to define and labels somewhat arbitrary. But in my library work, I spend a lot of time labeling things, deciding where they go, and filing them where I think readers are most likely to look for and find them—so labels can be practical. The issue became very real when I went to catalog my own book—I wrote it specifically to exist between two age groups (teen and adult) and I took a classic gothic historical thriller and filled it up with horror. I actually debated for a while where to shelve it. In the end, we went with adult mystery. But it could just as easily have gone in general fiction with a horror sticker (alas, we have no separate horror section), or even in the YA section. What we picked, in the end, had less to do with what I felt about the book and more to do with what readers are looking for. That being said, quite a few of my favorite books fall in an undefinable nebulous space between genres. Story grows quite well in that environment.
#3. What about your writing process do you think is unique or quirky? What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?
#3. Probably the most quirky thing is that I hand-write all of my manuscripts with fountain pens in pretty journals. Everything from blog posts to novels. I don’t think well at a keyboard, and I like the portable nature of ink and paper—and the fact that it never runs out of battery power. I do not enjoy typing up the manuscripts afterward, though. That step slows me down a lot, and unless I love the piece, I never even bother. I have many, many volumes of stories I never typed. Sometimes I go back and harvest things from them.
I am, fortunately, pretty good at ignoring writing advice. And most advisors are clear about the subjective nature of advice. I have, however, taken a few writing classes with authors that were more "learn to write in my style just like me” sort of lessons. I ignored those, too. I also sometimes hear that my writing is too descriptive and that I should aim for the more modern minimalism, but that’s nonsense and I won’t do it.
#4. How does music and media factor into your writing? Do you feel it plays as much an inspirational role as literature?
#4. I get really wrapped up in music when I listen to it—which isn’t often, because I don’t usually have time to let myself get wrapped up. Music, for some reason, takes up my whole brain, so I can’t listen to it while I’m writing. Rather often, though, a favorite song will inspire a story or three.
As for shows and movies, what I get from those more than anything is mood. They’re a great resource for learning how to generate tension, and how to work story into a structure that’s effective for what you’re trying to create.
Books are still my number one, when it comes to influence and inspiration.
#5. As an author, how much do you engage in social media? Do you feel it is more for your own entertainment, or for marketing and networking?
#5. I use social media fairly moderately. I’m not on every day. Sometimes a week or two will go by and I’ll realize I haven’t posted anything—which, in the social media world, means I’ve ceased to exist. So I’ll poke my head in the room and wave every so often. Or post a picture of my cat.
I do like social media, though. I’m just not a terribly social person. I love to see what my friends are up to and cheer on their successes, offer hugs when needed. I suppose in that sense it’s more networking, though “networking” isn’t my intent.
And it’s definitely a useful tool to let people know when there’s a new story or book out. I’m certain that the majority of books I’ve sold were sold through social media links. So there’s no denying its marketing power, but I think throwing a link out into the universe isn’t much use unless you’re already pretty engaged on a personal level.
#6. Where do you see the future of horror fiction heading? In turn, what changes would you love to see, either socially or technologically?
#6. I love all of the exciting development I see in the horror genre right now. There are so many good things to read—it’s overwhelming in the best way. I love that I can still be surprised, shocked, and struck speechless by the talented authors working in the genre right now.
Changes I would love to see socially—more diversity, of course. I see improvement, but it can be better. I’m still not buying any anthologies that are 50% or more straight white dudes, and I’m still saving way too much money on books.
Technologically, I want more audiobooks. And audio dramas! I have some vision issues, so reading for long periods can be a challenge. The quality of audiobooks has been going up a lot. It would be great if more small press publishers looked into creating audiobooks of their titles.
#7. What can you tell us about any forthcoming projects? What titles would you like to promote now?
#7. Of course I’d like to promote my debut novel, THE BONE WEAVER’S ORCHARD, which is out now from Trepidatio Publishing.
I’d also love to see more people experiencing the wonderfulness of GORGON: STORIES OF EMERGENCE, an anthology of flash fiction myths I edited for Pantheon Magazine. So many talented writers contributed work to the book. It was a complete privilege to put it together.
My debut collection will also be out this year from Trepidatio—it’s called OUT OF WATER and will be out on November first. It has 14 of my favorite reprints and a handful of new pieces, including a novelette.
While I launch and promote those fun things, I’m working on the edits for my second novel, THE ATROPINE TREE, which will hopefully be ready for submission this summer. I’m working on the rough draft of another novel, too—and I’ve started writing a prequel to Bone Weaver. I’m also doing a bit of ghostwriting. So, staying busy, I guess. Someday I’ll sleep.
AUTHOR PIC
