Horror Author Sola Cordis #Interview
Sola Cordis Interview
1.Congratulations on the release of Anhedonia! What inspired this plot?
Thank you so much I'm very proud of all the work I put into this book. The idea came around because of that old mother goose thing, "Rub-a-dub-dub, Three men in a tub, And who do you think they be? The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, And all of them out to sea".
I was just thinking about those three people and sort of daydreaming. It also occurred to me that there are certain monsters you just don't see in many forms of media, so I wanted to find a way to use them and make them really dominant.
I also wanted to show different forms of villainy. People don't always choose to be evil. It's just the path they wind up going down, and it happens without realizing. Sometimes the nature of a thing is just that- its nature, you know? It;s only evil when you feel like the victim much of the time. The relationship between the two main characters was important too because I myself was in a relationship that I was beginning to realize was...troubled. So, I imagined what something good could be like. The relationship that you see reflects a lot of my own.
Many books and movies romanticize couples in rather violent or abusive relationships. I think it's weird how stalking someone is considered romantic. I just wanted a romance that included respect. I wanted to do so much. Honestly, a great deal of the small domestic scenes got scrapped because they didn't really move the story forward. I'm still unsure if I should have pulled them. They were things that, to me, seemed like those trivial things that make life worth living. The original draft was actually much longer, but I had to pull the parts that didn't move the plot.
2. Do you believe in writer’s block? If so, how do you combat it?
Writer's block is something that happens when you don't know what happens next. So about halfway through this book I decided to actually write out an outline of the story. That allowed me to smooth out a lot of kinks and helped me sort of steamroll forward. Yes, writer's block can happen but I guess at that point you can just look things over to make sure what you have so far is cohesive. Well, that's what works for me, and also a good playlist of course!
For this book, I listened to a vast list of tavern-style music and some of that old 'chant' music.
3. You’re a self-published author. What tip do you wish you knew ahead of time, before
entering into the self-publishing world?
Editing is way more expensive than I thought it would be. I wish I would have started saving money for a really good editor as soon as I started writing the book. A good editor is worth every penny. At this point, I did manage to find an editor that I could afford, but I didn't pay very much. As a result, a few things were missed, and that's my fault for not saving up ahead of time; however, it is a lesson I did learn well. Since I've started writing my second book, I've been putting some money aside and looking around for good editors. I want the next book to be more polished.
Even though I do intend to hire an editor, I still need to brush up on grammar and for myself. That and outlines. I spent six years 'pansting' one story that still isn't finished, so if I could go back and tell myself something it would be to stop being a brat and just outline my work.
That's really the biggest thing I've learned.
4. We all know that authors have, um, unusual search histories. If the FBI were to search
through your history, what would that find that is totally, complete for “research?”
I don't even know where to start with that one, especially right now. I mean how much research on cults can you do before they flag you? I was researching scarification and blood loss and you know for a writer it's all pretty tame stuff i suppose.
5. When did your love of all things creepy and eerie begin?
One day, I wanted to be a vet. Then, I wanted to do comic books, and I have absolutely no idea at what point I fell in love with beasties and all the lore that follows them. I guess it just crept up on me, but it is really wonderful. I love being able to explore fantasy and fairy tales in a different light. I love the concept of mermaids as maneaters. These things are meant to be ugly and repulsive. They're excuses for why bad things happened when people couldn't explain why tragedies happened. Monster and ghost stories are what many mothers would use as a warning for why children and people should behave because if you didn't you might change and become something else or something wicked might reach out to take you away. Some foolishness like that. So many monsters were and are like strange guardians of a sort. I love monsters. I love them most when they're not the villain or don't see themselves that way.
6. Do you have a favorite author?
Gerald Brom. He wrote the Child Thief and Krampus and few other books. He does such spectacular paintings to adorn his writing but honestly even without the art his worlds are visceral and substantial. He took Peter Pan and made him ominous for a very different reason than one might think. He wrote a first page so hurtful that I had to close the book and brace myself for the rest. The man is absolutely amazing
7. What book(s) are you reading right now? At the moment, I'm adjusting to a new work schedule so I mostly read my friend's fan fiction on the bus rides to and from work.I used to write a lot of fanfics myself too. It's kinda funny now.
8. What is next for you? Anything in the works?
I have one manuscript that's nearing a close. I'm almost finished writing the 1st draft, and I have another planned to start after that. For now, I'm trying to focus on the 1st draft of what I think might be more thriller than horror. The one I have lined up after that s definitely going be a fantasy type horror.
9. Where can people find you online?
I don't know anything about manning a website but boy am I trying. Check it out here. I'm also on twitter but it's under @aleushadrake because I have no idea how to change that handle.
10. Thank you so much! This is your chance to say anything that wasn’t asked. Closing thoughts?
I'm afraid i must get back to my writing now. This was an absolute pleasure. I hope one day to do it again!
