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 Katherine Silva!
Katherine Silva is an ace Maine horror author, a connoisseur of coffee, and victim of cat shenanigans. Her favorite flavors of the genre mix grief and existentialism which she combines with her love of the New England wilderness in her works. She is a two-time Maine Literary Award finalist for speculative fiction and a member of the Horror Writers of Maine, The Horror Writers Association, and New England Horror Writers Association. Katherine is also editor-in-chief of Strange Wilds Press and Dark Taiga Creative Writing Consultations. Her latest book, Undead Folk, comes out May 1st. You can find out all about her work at katherinesilvaauthor.com.
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 had always been fascinated by the power of storytelling when I was a kid. Before I could write, I’d draw picture books and watched lots and lots of Reading Rainbow. My earliest influences for horror were through Goosebumps books and Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ vampire books as a teen.
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 tap into characters’ heads almost immediately when I begin a project and typically, into their trauma and the ways they process it. My strengths are in showcasing the horror that these characters live with as they try to process that trauma. I think I honestly can and should improve in all aspects of the writing process. It’s a journey and a craft that improves with every book I read and write. That being said: learning to let go of some characters and projects is really hard for me. Being able to switch gears and move onto the next thing is an area I could work on for sure.
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?
If anything, I think it’s getting easier. Back when I first published in 2010, self-publishing was looked upon with a lot of negativity. In the years since, the number of indie presses and self-published professionals who are putting out phenomenal and professional books has exploded. Also: underrepresented voices are being read more and that speaks volumes of the growth in the book industry and in the community. There’s still work to do but it’s a vast improvement from before.
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
I’m a horror author from Maine who specializes in grief and existential fiction. I typically write about New England in my works. My most well-known books are The Wild Dark and the rest of the books in the same universe (The Wild Fall, Hallowed Oblivion, etc.). The story I’m most proud of is the one that I have coming out in May though. Undead Folk was a big leap for me in experimentation of form, storytelling, and character development. I had such a fun time with it and can’t wait for people to read it.
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
Undead Folk, set to come out May 1st, is a short, harrowing tale of sacrifice, loss, and damnation. Beyond the smoke-choked skies of an apocalyptic United States, a woman travels the desolate railroad tracks of a small town in search of revenge and a quiet place to settle. Her only companion is an undead fox: animated with backwoods herbal magic and the soul of a middle-aged father who died before the world fell into darkness.
I am also editing my first anthology through Strange Wilds Press called Boreal: An Anthology of Taiga Horror which is set to come out in the first quarter of 2025.
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