GREETINGS, BOOKWORMS! I’m Aisha Kandisha, Head Librarian at Kandisha Press. Join me in the dusty stacks of the library I will never leave again as I chat with some of my favorite Women in Horror. Today we feature author Vivian Kasley!
Vivian Kasley hails from the land of the strange and unusual, Florida! She’s a writer of short stories and poetry. Her words haunt places such as Cemetery Gates Media, Brigids Gate Press, Vastarien, Ghost Orchid Press, Death’s Head Press, October Nights Press, The Denver Horror Collective, and poetry in Black Spot Books inaugural women in horror poetry showcase: Under Her Skin and Under Her Eye. She definitely has more in the works, including her first collection
coming in October 2025. When not writing or subbing at the local middle school, she spends time reading in bubble baths, snuggling her rescue animals, going on adventures with her partner, and searching for seashells and treasure along the beach.
https://www.facebook.com/bizarrebabewhowrites/
amazon.com/author/viviankasley
https://twitter.com/VKasley
What made you want to become an author? Did you have an “Aha!” moment when you knew you were born to write? Or perhaps a beloved book inspired you?
I think a lot of authors are born writers, and we figure it out as we learn to walk, talk, touch, taste, and smell. We take in all new things with fervor, we file them away instinctually, and then the Aha! moment comes where after reading countless books, wrapping ourselves around those books like dragons with treasure, we realize we were born to tell stories too. At least that’s how it was for me. And oddly enough? Shel Silverstein’s, “A Light in the Attic,” really got me into writing my first poems which led to writing my first stories.
What do you believe are your strengths in writing? And when you feel you need to improve on a particular writing skill, how do you go about it?
I feel my strengths are knowing how to write people well and create good dialogue. I’m intuitive, I listen well, and I have a damn good memory. And all of that makes for great characterization and snappy dialogue, in my opinion. If I’m stuck on how to do something, I might read a few novels or short stories to get a feel on how they did it, or I might re-read Stephen King’s, “On Writing,” ‘cause that book is like the Holy Grail as far as I’m concerned.
What are your thoughts on the book industry today, or more importantly, about the book community? Do you feel it is getting harder or easier to make it as an independent author these days?
This is a loaded baked potato of a question. I’m grateful to the book community for many things, especially for creating a space to meet new people in the industry and learn about writing opportunities that I wouldn’t have known about otherwise, but as with everything, it can have a few sour notes. It is what you make of it. I choose to enjoy the parts of it that I do, and ignore the rest as best I can. And yes, I do think it’s becoming harder to make it as an independent author, however, there is always hope. So many people want to do the same thing you are, and when you stop to think about that it can overwhelm you, but you have to remember, you are you and they are them, and there’s room for everyone. Focus on your goals and help anyone else you can if you can. Oh, and also? Fuck AI in art.
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
I write dark fiction, mostly an array of horror with a sprinkle of science fiction, fantasy, and thriller mixed in. I’ve been published in various venues alongside some pretty rad writers, and that’s nothing to sneeze at! I am proud of every story I have ever written, from the shitty ones to the good ones because all have helped me along the way. But I am most proud of myself for getting my first collection picked up for publication. I thought it would never happen, and well, it did.
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
Upcoming works include a story of mine titled, “The Craving,” for an upcoming anthology called, “Horror That Represents You,” by Brigids Gates Press, which they haven’t quite announced yet, but the cat has been out of the bag for the most part. There is also, “All’s Well That Ends Well”, which will be my first collection, also being published by Brigids Gate Press coming in 2025. I have other stories on submission, including my first novelette, and I am also working on another collection. Keep it moving, even when I’m not moving. Or something like that.
KANDISHA PRESS 