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 Mocha Pennington! Mocha’s story “The Ballad of Fat Amy” is featured in PRETEND YOU DON’T SEE HER: THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (Kandisha Press 2025 Women of Horror Anthology.)
MOCHA PENNINGTON studied Journalism with a minor in Creative Writing in college. Her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies, including 2020’s The One That Got Away: Women of Horror Anthology Vol 3 and most recently, The Encyclopocalypse of Legends and Lore: Volume 1. When she isn’t writing, she is co-hosting Tea Time, a gossip channel on YouTube, which has accumulated over a million views.
The Ballad of Fat Amy pulls no punches, mixing a dreadful ghost story with disturbing real-life scenarios such as body-shaming, assault, and murder. I love that more than one of your stories addresses the issue of negative body image (Ref: Farewell II Flesh, appearing in the Dark Murmurs Anthology from Silent House Press.) What can the ordinary, every day “Invisible Woman” learn from these stories?
Our society is obsessed with beauty. A lot of us go to great lengths to achieve the current trend of “perfection”. For me, horror is the ideal genre to showcase just how extreme some people will go to be seen as desirable. What I would like for the every day, “Invisible Woman” to learn is to accept and love yourself. My teeth are far from straight but that hasn’t and will never stop me from smiling. I would also like to add that accepting and loving yourself isn’t condemning beauty products or cosmetic surgeries. It’s knowing you’re beautiful underneath the makeup, it’s getting a cosmetic procedure solely for yourself, not to please a significant other or feel pressured by what you see on social media.
The story features some scenes in a karaoke bar. Tell us your best (or worst) Karaoke moment.
To my knowledge, I’ve only done Karaoke once. This was in college on a night where a cup of beer was only fifty cents, “Thirsty Thursday” is what that night was called. After a decent amount of beer, me and this guy who I met that night and never saw again, decided to Karaoke to “…Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears. I can’t recall the full performance, but I know off-key notes were sung and hips were thrusted. Oh, to be young again.
What does your creative process look like when you’re writing? Do you have any special rituals or routines?
It varies from project to project, really. Sometimes I have a set routine, other times I write when I’m inspired. I’m pretty sure each time I answered this question, I’ve said something different. Each project has a different routine, but each time I start a new project, my creativity is sparked by a book I’m reading or a movie or documentary I watched. A few things that are consistent while I write are second-guessing, sighs and eye-rolls.
What else are you working on? Any projects you’re especially excited about?
I currently have a novella with an editor, which I’m hoping to find an agent for. I don’t want to disclose its title or too much about it, but I’m very happy with the story, characters and theme. And I will say if you’re a fan of small town horror with psychological twists and lore, then you’ll enjoy it very much.
KANDISHA PRESS 
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