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 Alyson Faye!
Aly lives in the UK, with her family and rescue-Lab, Roxy. She is a tutor, editor, mum, dog-walker, wild water swimmer and avid film buff.
Her fiction has been published widely – in Space and Time #141, Brigids Gate Press’ Were-Tales, Musings and Daughter of Sarpedon, Perpetual Motion’s Night Frights 2, on ‘The Casket of Fictional Delights’ (and as audio downloads), Coffin Bell, various Sirens Call e-zines, World of Myth, Unsettling Press’ Still of Night and Fairy Tale Magazine.
Her Gothic horror story, Night of the Rider, co-produced by Dissonance Media and ‘The Other Stories’ is available to listen to at:- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/night-of-the-rider.
Her work has been read out on BBC Radio, local radio and won or placed in several competitions.
Alyson Faye’s Amazon Author’s Page :- https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Alyson-Faye/author/B01NBYSLRT
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 loved reading and writing stories as a kid, one I remember had a stone gryphon in an underwater cave in (aged 10 I wrote that) and being terrible at Maths and Chemistry I knew I wasn’t going to be a scientist either! I remember loving books by Alan Garner, Penelope Lively, and Susan Cooper growing up, and wanting to write like them. I am still aspiring to that!
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 think I am very good now at writing Victorian/Edwardian set Gothic ghost stories, at creating the atmosphere with the language and tiny details. It is a genre I enjoy reading widely in. I can also tell a story in 100 words (aka drabble) as I’ve practised and practised cutting down the word count. I never stop reading, and I’ve been on numerous creative writing workshops over the years, picking up tips.
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?
Hmm, quite a big question there to tackle. I read both mainstream thrillers and historical mysteries and indie publications. So I dip my toe in both waters. In the ten years or more I’ve been seriously at this writing gig I do think it’s got harder to make it as an indie, you’ve got to be your own agent/marketeer/accountant/social media whizz/best own editor and networker, and very savvy. That’s a lot of hats to wear.
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
There are a few stories of mine I am proud of, but one, ‘The Glass House’ was published in issue 141 of ‘Space and Time’ magazine, which is a very competitive market to get into, and it’s Victorian Gothic in style, of course.
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
I am more of a ‘panster’ than ‘planner’. I have certain stories for certain markets I am aiming to write for, a YA novel on the back burner and I like to keep scribbling poetry in my notebook.
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