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 May Walker!
May Walker is a fiction writer residing in the Pittsburgh area.
She has a story in the upcoming anthology Don’t Ask, Ghosts Tell, and is hard at work on several short stories, and a novel.
She is an active member of the HWA, and you can find her on instagram @maywalkerwrites
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?
My strengths, or what I strive for anyway, are uniqueness in voice and premise. I also relish the challenge of an original metaphor, the articulation of a universal-experience, and a well-crafted sentence.
I’m a sentence girlie, known to swoon over a beautiful turn of phrase.
My characters also seem to resonate with people, which I couldn’t be more ecstatic about.
Last, I try to include a sprinkling of humor, and thankfully, it seems to translate. In real life, I’ve been told it’s difficult to know when I’m being serious (the answer is hardly ever), but thankfully the subtleties seem to come across on the page. I’ll always take a side of humor with my horror, in part because that’s how I process things. And there’s a lot to process these days.
I wrote in isolation for too long, and working with a critique group has made a huge difference in the quality of my writing. If there’s an area that needs improvement, my group won’t hesitate to point it out. Of course, working with a group comes with its own lessons, like when to trust my vison in the face of so many opinions.
That said, if there’s an area they feel needs improvement, I turn to craft books and my writing friends, but ultimately, I improve by sitting down and doing the work.
What are your thoughts on the book industry today, or more importantly, about the book community?
I’ve had my eyes glued to my computer screen for so long, I feel out of my depth answering anything about the industry at large, other than to say that I’m thrilled when I see women represented in horror, and I yearn to see more of it.
Community is something I can speak to. There’s been times in my life where books have been my friends, and now books are how I make them. The book community is so accepting, and the horror community is full of the kindest people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. Pittsburgh is blessed with some amazing horror writers, who have been so welcoming, particularly the enchanting Gwendolyn Kiste.
Do you feel it is getting harder or easier to make it as an independent author these days?
It seems to require a lot of self-promotion, which isn’t an area I excel in, especially when I have to, somewhat unsuccessfully, play dodge the billionaire with social media platforms. I’m also painfully shy, which is something I’m now working on at an accelerated pace as opportunities present themselves.
Community comes back into play here, as there are so many good people promoting and celebrating each other and extending said opportunities.
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of whatever story I’m currently working on!
I’ve been hyper-focused on writing various novels for far too long, interrupted by myriad health issues, which are now cropping up in my work in interesting ways. I’ve been delving into body horror through the lens of illness and disease and it’s oddly therapeutic.
While plugging away on revisions for my haunted house novel, I’ve also been churning out short stories. It’s feels good to get out some pent-up creativity and jump into the heads of new characters. I thrive in the creativity found in restriction, so writing to prompts for anthologies has been fun.
Through writing all these stories, I’ve enjoyed identifying the unconscious themes I keep returning to. Things I didn’t know I was working through, or feel are important for the times, but also things I love and never tire of writing about.
Bad relationships, taking control of your life, religious trauma, politics, bisexuality, acceptance, loneliness, resurrection, witches, flowers, poisonous plants, the moon. And while there are good men out there, I’ve been having a little too much fun combining some of the worst men I’ve encountered into an archetype of what to avoid. There are also a lot of lost teeth, and while it’s probably a deep-seated fear of mine, they’re also a barometer of health, so it can’t be helped!
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
My story ‘The Elixir,’ in the anthology Don’t Ask, Ghost Tell, will be out in the world in early 2025. I’m thrilled to have my name in a table of contents with so many amazing authors, including the esteemed Sara Tantlinger. Aside from that, I’m looking forward to getting more short stories out there and finishing up this novel so I can move onto other simmering ideas!
KANDISHA PRESS 
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