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 Nico Bell!
Nico Bell is the author of Beyond the Creek and Food Fright.
Nico started her writing career as a inspirational romance fiction writer under a different name. She was a semi-finalist in the American Christian Fiction Writer Genesis Contest (ACFW), a finalist in the Romance Writers of America (RWA) Music City Melody of Love Contest, a finalist in the Splickety and My Book Therapy Flash Fiction contest, and a finalist in the RWA Great Beginnings Contest.
Her love of dark characters, sinister plots, and delicious mayhem led Nico towards her true passion: horror. Her debut horror book Food Fright was released in 2020 and was a semi-finalist in the 2020 Bookish Jazz Awards, Adult Fiction Category for Horror. She has gone on to publish several other books including Beyond the Creek and Open House.
She is the editor and publisher of Shiver: A Chilling Horror Anthology and the co-editor of Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology and Mine: A Body Autonomy Horror Collection.
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?
In third grade, I knew I wanted to be an author. I wouldn’t say I had an “aha” moment, but I recognized that I loved escaping reality by diving into my imagination and pulling out new worlds. I was a bit of an odd child. I had imaginary friends, spent hours scribbling in spiral notebooks, and even set aside “daydreaming” time before I went to sleep at night, just to have personal time where I could create story worlds within my mind.
My family, while having the best of intentions, nudged me towards math and science with the expectation those subjects would secure financial independence, so I didn’t pursue my writing dream until well into adulthood. While I wish I had taken a different path, I’m grateful to have landed in the publishing world where I now get to live out my childhood dream career.
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 hope readers find my dialogue realistic and consider it a strength! I love giving characters voices and making them authentic, so hopefully, that translates to the page.
I’d love to become a bit more “lush” in my writing. I’m currently in a critique group with several literary writers, and they’re helping me expand my craft and explore the world of poetically styled prose. It’s been a bit of a challenge. There’s certainly a fine line between a lovely passage and purple prose, but having a supportive group of writers who already excel at this technique creates a great environment for me to explore and learn. Hopefully, readers will notice the changes in my later work.
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?
Publishing is a tough business. I’ve been in this field for over ten years, and it hasn’t gotten any easier.
When I started, self-publishing was still earning credibility, so the traditional path to publication remained largely the most acceptable means to getting a book into a reader’s hands. Luckily, readers are now finding self-published authors as enjoyable (if not more) as traditionally published writers. This opened so many doors and took pressure off authors, because now, they know there is a path to publication, even if they have to do it themselves.
But publishing a book and getting someone to read it are two completely different beasts. Social media certainly helps, but cracking those algorithms is a full-time job. The book community is fantastic at boosting indie voices, but there’s hundreds and hundreds of authors and there’s only so many authors whom reviewers, bloggers, or podcasters can promote. As an indie author, you have to hustle every single second of the day to get your story out there and that can thrilling yet completely exhausting.
Still, the indie horror book community is by far one of the most welcoming I’ve experienced. There’s a comradery that transcends the competitive nature of publishing, which is rare and should be protected. We’re all after similar goals, but we tend to recognize that there’s room for everyone, and if there isn’t, we make room. It’s a very special community.
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
I write horror about women for women. My stories are largely female casts and often have/alluded to a complicated mother-child relationship. I enjoy a mix of camp/80s horror and more serious and introspective terror, so readers tend to get a little of both in my stories. Oh, and I love a good creature, so be prepared to meet monsters!
As of date, Static Screams would be the story I hope resonates the most with readers. It’s coming out March 6, 2024 wherever you buy books online. Here’s the back cover:
Carmen Franco’s untethered mind twists reality into a nightmare filled with relentless hallucinations.
Her greatest desire is a peaceful life, but despite countless doctors and swallowing a pharmacy’s worth of pills, Carmen can’t escape her disturbing delusions brought forth from a past tragedy.
Enter Dr. Barbara MacDonald, a brilliant psychologist proposing an innovative and experimental treatment program. Barbara ignites a flicker of hope, but Carmen quickly realizes the doctor’s motives aren’t exactly pure. Carmen holds the key to the one thing Barbara covets most in the world, and the determined psychologist intends to obtain it by any means necessary.
Now, Carmen races against the clock to save herself as madness and deception converge. Will she unravel Barbara’s menacing motives before time runs out or will Carmen fall prey to the dark abyss pulling her in?
This was a very intense and vulnerable writing experience for me as I dove into my own grief in order to craft Carmen’s. I hope readers find a connection with their own stories within this book.
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
Static Screams comes out March 6, 2024 wherever you buy books online.
I’m re-releasing my 2022 horror book Beyond the Creek with a new cover! That will be happening in the spring.
I’m currently working on a horror love novel that will be hitting shelves in 2025, hopefully!
Readers can always learn more about my various projects by checking out my website www.nicobellfiction.com or following me on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, BlueSky, or Threads all under the same name @nicobellfiction
KANDISHA PRESS 