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 Cindy O’Quinn!
Cindy O’Quinn is a four-time Bram Stoker Award®-nominated writer. Author of “Lydia”, from the Shirley Jackson Award – winning anthology, The Twisted Book of Shadows, “The Thing I Found Along a Dirt Patch Road”, “A Gathering on the Mountain”, and “One and Done”.
Her poetry has been nominated for the Elgin, Dwarf Star, and Rhysling Awards.
She is an Appalachian writer from the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. Cindy currently resides on the old Tessier Homestead in the woods of northern Maine, which is an ideal backdrop for writing scary stories and dark poetry.
Her work has been published in Crimson Bones, A Quaint and Curious Volume of Gothic Tales, The Bad Book, HWA Poetry Showcase Vol V, Under Her Skin, Weirdbook, Chiral Mad 5, as well as magazines, anthologies, and podcasts.
Follow Cindy for updates: Facebook @CindyOQuinnWrites, X @COQuinnWrites, Instagram cindy.oquinn, Threads cindy.oquinn threads.net, and Bluesky @cindyoquinn.bsky.social
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?
As a child, I much preferred staying within earshot of my elders as they told stories, rather than playing with cousins. Being shy, I developed a love of writing since I was old enough to do so. It seemed only natural to reach a point when I wanted to share my work with readers. At some point, writing became a need, not just something I enjoyed.
In the second grade, our class field trip was to the library in town. It was within walking distance of our little school. I got a library card and picked out my first small novel. It was, Where the Lilies Bloom, by Vera and Bill Cleaver. A novel about an Appalachian family. A perfect fit for me, having grown up in Greenbrier County, WV.
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?
It goes back to my childhood, and learning the art of storytelling firsthand. The most important way for me to learn the particulars of writing is to continuously read and not just in the category I write.
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?
The book industry is sort of like a complicated machine you must work your way around. The book community, on the other hand, is a smaller unit I find very supportive. I think that varies for each writer. If you are published by several small but well-known presses, you can gain a following of readers, who then seek out your work in whatever way it is published.
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
I would consider the majority of my work as Appalachian Folk Horror. I write straight out horror and dark poetry as well.I tend to steer clear of personal nonfiction. I made an exception after my husband became terminally ill from Covid 19 during the midst of the pandemic. It was true life horror. He subsequently passed away. I was moved to write about ourattention. I imagine you have already considered Linda D. Addison, Priya Sharma, and Anna Taborska. last day together. It was my final kiss goodbye to him. A difficult piece to write, but I received so much positive feedback, I don’t regret sharing it with the world. As far as fiction, I would have to say, “A Gathering on the Mountain”, My story was a Bram Stoker Awards nominated work in the short fiction category. The other four nominees were also women. It was a first in the history of the HWA Bram Stoker Awards for any category to be all female writers. I’m honoured to be among those five women.
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
My most recent work is a story called, “Black Cats and Bone Dust”, published by Scary Dairy Press, in the anthology, Vinyl Cuts. I have several other projects in the works, one of which I hope to announce in the very near future. Other than those, I will continue storytelling by way of the written word.
KANDISHA PRESS 