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 Marisca Pichette!
Marisca Pichette is a queer author based in Massachusetts. Her work has appeared in Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld, Vastarien, Fantasy Magazine, Asimov’s, Nightmare Magazine, and others. Her poetry collection, Rivers in Your Skin, Sirens in Your Hair, was a finalist for the Bram Stoker and Elgin Awards. Her eco-horror novella, Every Dark Cloud, is forthcoming in March 2025 from Ghost Orchid Press.
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?
Since I am project-driven, I tend to have an easier time getting down initial drafts, not stopping until the general structure is there. That said, I almost never know what the main arc or meaning behind a piece will be at the outset. Something I consistently have to do is go through the piece in revision to add in character and plot development.
One thing I would say to anyone struggling with particular aspects of writing: rather than trying to change your writing style to fit what you think you should be doing, play to your strengths and find workarounds to achieve your goals in your own way.
What are your thoughts on the book industry today, or more importantly, about the book community?
Community is everything! I’m very fortunate to be able to attend conferences to meet other authors and stay in touch in between. This is a business forged through mutual interests and passion over payoff. The best thing you can do for yourself is find people who write similar things or publish in similar channels. As you construct your career, be available to others for reviews and critique as well as blurbs and tandem promotion. It really goes both ways.
Do you feel it is getting harder or easier to make it as an independent author these days?
There is a lot out there. I think it’s easier in some ways (many venues and means of publishing) but harder in others (saturated market and AI-generated trash). One thing I will say is that the market isn’t as rigid as it once was. There’s more flexibility to experiment with genre and publish across mediums. With greater diversity, the entire industry fairs better.
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
Oh, that’s a tough one. Keeping to the women of horror theme, I’d like to give a shoutout to an excellent anthology published earlier this year by Strange Wilds Press: BOREAL: An Anthology of Taiga Horror. This anthology includes my cozy grief horror, “Soft Fire.” You can order it here: https://www.katherinesilvaauthor.com/shop/boreal-an-anthology-of-taiga-horror-paperback
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
My eco-horror novella, Every Dark Cloud, came out in March 2025, so I’m celebrating that! One story I’m particularly looking forward to is a dark sci-fi piece, “For I Never Was So Small,” forthcoming in the Dark Matter INK anthology Little Red Flags this fall. You can read more about the anthology here: https://darkmattermagazine.shop/products/little-red-flags-stories-of-cults-cons-and-control
KANDISHA PRESS 
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