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 Meg Hafdahl!
Meg Hafdahl is an author and co-host of the Horror Rewind podcast. Her female driven horror fiction has been produced for audio by The Wicked Library. She is the author of three novels including Her Dark Inheritance as well as the short story series Twisted Reveries. She is the co-author of multiple books including The Science of Stephen King.
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 was a born bookworm, so when I realized as a little girl that it was someone’s job to bring stories to life, I knew I was in! It was a longer road, though, for me to realize I was a horror writer. In college, as a literature major, I was stuck on writing literary fare, not genre work. But forcing myself away from the spooky stuff didn’t work! I followed my heart, and I’m so glad I did!
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 believe I have a strength in finding the emotion of the character and scraping at it until they have to confront it along with the monster (literal or otherwise) they are dealing with. But as I get older and more experienced I’m able to see my shortcomings more clearly. Like, I’m not the greatest at physical descriptions! It’s like all my characters are naked! I’m a big believer in school. Whether it be a workshop, panel, a chat with a mentor. Or, for me, a more formal training. I just started at Oxford in the Creative Writing program this past fall. It’s mostly online but I get to be a big nerd there this summer, which I’m very excited for.
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?
Oh wow, this is a tough question because I think its so different for everyone. On one hand social media can make a big impact in a positive way by connecting authors with fans and fellow authors, but there is also this pressure to be on social media constantly attending to its needs. I know this is overwhelming for me, and I’m sure I’m not alone, as authors are often introverted! I think there are a lot of great opportunities out there, like selling events, and of course the ability to print your own books, that wasn’t there before, but there is also a lot more competition, so it’s so tough to say! I try not to think about it too much, and just focus on the art itself or I’ll probably go nuts.
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
My work spans non-fiction, prose, screenplays, and mostly sticks to female driven horror content. I want to tell stories about complicated women who struggle with all the real stuff we really do, and then have to deal with extra supernatural stuff on top of it in order to heal themselves. There are topics important to me, motherhood, mental health, feminism, that I think come through. I don’t know if I have a story that I’m most proud of, but I think what I’ve come to honor is when a story or character that mirrors my own trauma or my own struggle resonates with a reader. When that happens, and someone feels seen, and tells me that, that’s when I feel the most proud.
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
As I mentioned, I like to diversify! So, as I continue school (and raising two teen boys) I am writing novels, short stories, non-fiction books with my writing partner, and I’m dabbling in TV and film writing, and I’m also just dipping my toe into the possibility of film producing. So, lots of avenues to tell stories. Life is boring without stories.
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