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 Maggie Iribarne!
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 think my strength WAS (I’ve been a mess lately) working very steadily in small batches, 500 words a day, and making a story plan and just pushing out the stories and then relentlessly editing them, sending them out, editing them again, sending them out, etc. Lately, because of my mother’s death and recent events in US politics, I have struggled to be productive.
What are your thoughts on the book industry today, or more importantly, about the book community?
As a writer, I don’t have much to say about the book industry because I don’t really aspire to publish a book. For me, I need to write and I need to finish small things and I don’t want to get wrapped up in an endless pursuit or “holy grail” of A BOOK. My friends who have written and even published books don’t seem very happy so I’m not super keen. On the reader side, I love to read and I love books and bookstores and I believe that most of our societal problems stem from the lack of literacy and reading (real) books. I fully support the book industry as a reader! I love Goodreads and local bookstores and although I haven’t seen it, I like the idea of the Book Tok videos. We have a local bookstore in Syracuse that has all kinds of reading clubs and events, so I know there is very much a reading culture alive and well and that is exciting to me and I am glad it exists.
Do you feel it is getting harder or easier to make it as an independent author these days?
It’s definitely hard to “make it.” For everyone. It’s hard to get an agent and get paid a lot of or any amount of money. I feel like people who are not writers think we just write a book and become Stephen King overnight. They don’t understand that that is not the reality for most even very talented writers. But there are a lot of writing opportunities out there, endless opportunities for someone like me. I think if you want to write a book you need to realize you might never get the attention or acclaim you want but you will get the joy of writing and hammering away at something and being part of a writers’ group, things like that. And if you do actually write a book and get published and if you are willing to hustle and market yourself you might develop some level of readership. But it ain’t easy. So, compared to the old days, without the internet, there are probably more opportunities but it’s still just as hard to be successful and “make it” as you say, if not harder.
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
Oh boy, I love just having the time to write. I am not being fake humble when I say I am not very talented. I just love to write and I love the puzzle-making of it, the process. I know if I can hammer out a rough draft and if I keep editing it’s definitely going to get better. If I share it with a friend and get their input it will get even better. I love working on the story and then finding a publication place for every one. Sometimes it takes me years but I always find a place. I’m always most proud of whatever is most recent, but I was very excited when a journal called Stone’s Throw chose my story for their featured monthly story last year. I was also one of three runners up for a flash contest sponsered by this now defunct journal out of Hong Kong called Zizzle Lit. That was cool. Last year the story I wrote for Love Letters to Poe for their Telltale Heart issue was chosen. A print magazine called Birdy out of Colorado featured four of my stories in four different issues, too!!! That was very exciting!
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
I have to get going again. I’ve been really stuck. I am taking three online workshops with the flash guru Kathy Fish starting next weekend. I am hoping that helps me. I fancy myself a “genre hack” and want to continue to write speculative fiction. I’d love to learn how to write a mystery story. And I dream of maybe someday writing something a little longer, like a novella. But right now, since I’ve been stuck since about November, I just want to get going again. Thanks for interviewing me!!!
KANDISHA PRESS 
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