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 Lillian Csernica!
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?
Editors have told me I’m good at dialogue and imagery. I push myself for better twists and stronger endings. When I need writing guidance, I turn to Tanith Lee, Sir Terry Pratchett, Deborah J. Ross, Jack Bickham, and Dorothy Parker.
What are your thoughts on the book industry today, or more importantly, about the book community?
When I published my first novel, making it big with a New York house was the dream. It still is, in terms of distribution and serious money. The rise of indie presses has been a wonderful development. There are more avenues available for self-publishing. When it comes to “the book community,” it all depends on which part we’re talking about. Novelists know how hard it is to get all the way through completing a novel. Publishers know how hard it is to get people to read these days. And the people who love books and read all the time? God bless every single one of them. And then there are the librarians. Like so many writers, when I was growing up I pretty much lived at the library.
Do you feel it is getting harder or easier to make it as an independent author these days?
I think it’s harder. I live in the United States. There’s a trend toward anti-intellectualism that’s been actively encouraged since the 1970s. Public education seems to emphasize test results at the expense of learning and critical thinking skills. I could say a number of things about how much damage the Internet has done to literacy. Given those factors, there’s a smaller marketplace for speculative fiction. When a writer does begin to achieve some recognition, it’s all about “branding.” That tends to limit one’s range. Once you’re known for something, you have to keep churning out that same something. I’ve found my groove in historical fiction. Even so, I’ve published fantasy, horror, science fiction, steampunk, and romance.
Tell us about your work. What story are you most proud of?
That’s a tough question. It’s like asking me which of my two sons I love the most! “Music Lover” is one of my strongest stories. I poured a lot of my own emotional mileage into Paula, the heroine. “Saving Grace” is my one and only vampire story. Writing it brought together my fondness for history, my contempt for certain specific types of misogyny, and the hypocrisy at the core of theocracy. “Maeve” and “The Family Spirit” both appeared in Weird Tales, allowing me to join the literary tradition of Ray Bradbury, Seabury Quinn, and more of my favorite authors.
What are your upcoming works and plans for the future?
I’ve written four novels in what I call The Flower Maiden Saga. They tell the story of Yuriko, a British girl raised by a corrupt samurai in Japan at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. When she discovers how the samurai plans to use her as a bribe to gain power, she escapes. While running from her guards, Yuriko crosses paths with Tendo Kazuhiro, a disgraced samurai whose life was ruined by the same villain. Together Yuriko and Tendo devise a plan to cripple the evil samurai’s plans. Along the way, they discover the love that both of them have been denied.
KANDISHA PRESS 
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