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 Iris M. Winter!
Iris M. Winter lives in the South East of England and writes creepy and twisted tales fuelled by insomnia. Her horror stories have previously been published in the Urban Fox Press ghost stories anthology, ‘Haunted’ (2005); the Wingless Dreamer ‘Halloween’ anthology (2023); Witch magazine (Summer, 2024); Witches magazine (Samhain, 2024); the Dragon Soul Press ‘Magick and Malice’ anthology (2024); and several Red Cape Publishing horror anthologies: ‘U is for the Unexplained’; ‘V is for Voodoo’; ‘W is for Witchcraft’, and ‘Z is for Zombies’. Most recently, Iris was shortlisted for the Kandisha Press ‘Women of Horror’ anthology in December, 2024.
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?
STRENGTHS: For fiction writing, I enjoy researching a setting or character detail to ensure any facts are accurate; this stems from having had several non-fiction books published.
WEAKNESSES: If I put a character in a situation, I always feel the need to describe why they make a particular decision. I have to stop myself doing this and just say that X happened!
What are your thoughts on the book industry today, or more importantly, about the book community?
I feel that because so many people are writing these days, and there is the ability to self-publish on the internet, many publishers have closed their doors to un-agented submissions. I know they’ve done this so they don’t get swamped with submissions, but in doing so, they must miss some great work from really talented writers.
The book community provides support and advice, and there are some great Indie publishers with a mission to help authors get started and get their work noticed.
Do you feel it is getting harder or easier to make it as an independent author these days?
As I mentioned above, most of the larger publishers will only accept work via an agent, rather than directly from the author. Having tried, I feel that getting an agent is harder than getting a publisher!
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
I have won a major book award for one of my nonfiction works, but that is published under a different name. In terms of my horror writing, I set out to try and make a portfolio for myself to present to publishers – it is hard to get published without having had something previously published, so a catch-22. After working hard to submit a number of stories, I have achieved a reasonable horror fiction portfolio.
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
I have written a paranormal horror novel and hope to get this published later this year. I plan to write more horror novels and short stories.
KANDISHA PRESS 
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