Author Interview with Candace Nola

1. Tell us about you and your writing, be it novels, screenplays, or non-fiction. Do you have a book coming out or already released?

I am a horror author of African American and Native American descent from Pennsylvania. I write all sub-genres of horror, as well as dark fiction, and poetry.

2. What is the first book that hit you emotionally?

The very first book that I can remember making me cry was “Where the Red Fern Grows” by Wilson Rawls.

3. What is your writing Kryptonite?

Being mentally fatigued or overwhelmed with other priorities.

4. Have you ever gotten reader’s block?

Not a block but I have grown weary of the same predictability and the same plotlines. When that happens, I switch genres for a while, then go back to horror and pick a fresh selection from my TBR pile.

5. Do you write under your real name or a pseudonym? What do you think are the benefits and disadvantages of using a pseudonym?

I actually am writing under both. I use my real name for 90% of my work but some of my more extreme horror is under a pen name due to my day job and any possible issues they may have with my writing.

6. What would it be if you could tell your younger writing self, anything?

Start now. You can do this.

7. What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

To date, attending my first Scares That Care Author Con in April of 2022. Happy to say that I’ll be attending my third one this April.

8. How do you maximize your writing time?

I schedule my time and focus on whatever project I am working on. I keep a very tight schedule so when I have time to write, I shut everything else out. If I reach a point where I am struggling with the primary story, I will switch to my second or third work in progress for a while as to not waste the time. I tend to keep a novel, a novella, and a short story in the works at all times.

9. What are three things you must have in your writing space to stay focused?

Something to snack on, usually a trail mix. Frozen coffee or something really cold to drink, background noise like a fan, white noise, instrumental music.

10. Do you normally think of the plot first or the characters first? Can you describe the process?

I normally get the concept first, then the main character. Once my main character feels real enough in my head, the story unfolds from there. I know I am really in the zone when the characters start telling their own story, rather than my writing it, if that makes sense.

11. How many hours a day do you write?

At least two hours a day during the week but on the weekends. I aim for at least four hours a day.

12. What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?

My day job. LOL. I’ve already given up most things. I rarely watch tv. My time away from my day job consists of my son, then editing, writing, publishing and running my review platform.

13. Do you believe in writer’s block? How do you deal with it?

I do not. Whenever I do struggle with a storyline, I often just switch gears for a while and work on a different story while I internally work through the issues with the first.

Bonus Q 1: Do you think writers should write books according to what readers want, or according to what they are passionate about?

Writers should write the stories they want to read, first and always. There will always be a reader for every story. Write the story that only YOU can tell, your way. There are no rules, we are all just making it up.

Bonus Q 2: What are the most common pitfalls for amateur writers? Or, what are some pitfalls you wish you could’ve avoided as a beginning writer?

Most common pitfalls that I see-not setting the story aside for a while before revising and editing or not even editing at all. Also, engaging with negative reviews, responding to such in any manner or spamming fellow authors with messages to buy their books. Other authors are your peers, but not your target market.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions.

Dark Tide 14 Book Link: https://geni.us/FUBB

Author Bio:

Candace Nola is a multiple award-winning author, editor, and publisher. She writes poetry, horror, dark fantasy, and extreme horror content. Books include Breach, Beyond the Breach, Hank Flynn, Bishop, Earth vs The Lava Spiders, The Unicorn Killer, Unmasked, The Vet, and Desperate Wishes. Her short stories can be found in The Baker’s Dozen anthology, Secondhand Creeps, American Cannibal, Just A Girl, The Horror Collection: Lost Edition, and Exactly the Wrong Things, with many more to come.

She is the creator of Uncomfortably Dark, which focuses primarily on promoting indie horror authors and small presses with weekly book reviews, interviews, and special features. Uncomfortably Dark Horror stands behind its mission to “bring you the best in horror, one uncomfortably dark page at a time.”

Find her on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook and the website, UncomfortablyDark.com. Sign up for her Patreon for exclusive content, free stories, and more.