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 authors Michelle Garza and Melissa Lasson, aka The Sisters of Slaughter!
What made you want to become authors? Did you have an “Aha!” moment when you knew you were born to write? Or perhaps a beloved book inspired you?
We started writing when we were little kids just to entertain ourselves. Our big brother used to read us the Goosebumps books and we loved them and they inspired us to write but also our father used to tell scary stories to us and that really made us want to also become storytellers.
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?
We love blending genres and just really trying to make settings that are almost like characters. If we feel there are improvements we need to make, we listen to criticism, and read a lot. Reading is the best way to absorb how to improve your own 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?
We have always felt the writing community is great. Of course there are always assholes but that’s like anything else in life. They usually out themselves and you just ignore them completely, cut them out of your life, and stick to the good people around you. “Making it” has always been a winding road and it’s different for everyone but we feel if you want to do something you just have to get out there and give it your best shot. If you don’t try, if you don’t write and learn from your mistakes along the way then you will never be published.
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
We write mostly horror, some dark fantasy and sci-fi. Our stories usually dark and brutal, that’s why we were nicknamed The Sisters of Slaughter. We’ve had the pleasure to work with a lot of fantastic publishers, like Thunderstorm Books and Dead Sky Publishing, and Kandisha Press ;). Our debut novel, Mayan Blue, was nominated for a Bram Stoker award. We don’t have a favorite story. They’re all like our kids because they are special in different ways.
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
Michelle has a Splatter western comic coming out through Dead Sky Publishing January 24, and also a graphic novel set to be released by them soon. We also have a Splatter western novel coming out through Dead Sky this year and a collection of shorts and novellas, Slaughter City, coming out through Thunderstorm Books this year and also many of our older books were recently re-published through Crossroad press which we would love readers to check out. Our plan is to just keep writing and publishing, both as a team and separately, to spread our tales across the lands.
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