An upcoming genre author and creator of the Immortal Wars book series, Suzanne Madron is working on establishing herself in the scene with her work bringing her into greater success with each new release. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in writing, the process for her work and creating some of her novels.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general?
Suzanne Madron: I think I’ve always been into horror, from my favorite book in first grade, which featured Hollywood monsters (with Bela Lugosi as Dracula on the cover *swoon*) to sneak-reading Salem’s Lot in 2nd grade.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
SM: My mother was a big fan of Stephen King and horror in general, and it was the 80s, so horror was pretty omnipresent between fiction and reality.
Me: Who were some of your favorite writers growing up? Do you try to take influences from their style with your own voice in your work?
SM: I read a lot of what my mother read, so Stephen King’s books were everywhere. I also read James Herbert and still have a huge love of gothic classics such as Wuthering Heights (and anything by the Bronte sisters, really), Ann Radcliffe, Poe, Shelley, Walpole, etc.
Later on, I added Neil Gaiman, James Baldwin, Hitchcock, Dashiell Hammett, Christopher Moore, Anais Nin, and the fiction of Lovecraft to the mix.
Gothic horror and the creeping dread of Poe and Lovecraft have definitely influenced me but I love the gritty comedic aspects of hard-boiled noir, too, so my writing tends to encompass all of that.
Me: What was the starting point to become a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?
SM: I started by writing a diary after I read The Diary of Anne Frank and Harriet the Spy, but never really thought about writing professionally, much less writing a collection of books. My friends and I did the 90s equivalent of a newsletter throughout the day, collected in notes passed back and forth in the halls until we had an entire issue by the end of the day. We wrote stories in the notes, drew comics and pictures, all written from different perspectives as a coping mechanism for being hormonal teenagers who were anything but ‘normal’ in high school.
In my senior year, the AP English class got these giant ugly laptops to use and I hated it. The teacher attempted to get me to write a research paper on it and I had no interest. Finally, she told me to write one sentence, anything I wanted to write. So I wrote the first line of the first draft of what would become my first novel, Nemesis. I finished the first draft before I graduated and spent another 13 years rewriting and editing it and the others in the series. The rest is history, as the saying goes.
Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?
SM: I don’t force my writing. If I’m not inspired, I don’t try to write. I usually have several projects going on to switch to when I’m not writing, so it’s not like there’s ever downtime. When I’m inspired, the words flow fast and during those times, I’m laser-focused.
Me: How did you settle on the plot for your first novel 'Second-Hand Sarah?'
SM: Second-hand Sarah is a much later work from 2012 and began as me just messing around on a blog. I love the shows where they fix up old houses, and I love ghost stories, so as I was in the middle of renovating my own house, I imagined how cool it would be to find hidden passages in the cold cellar, etc. The Second-hand Sarah blog grew from there and I used pictures from my actual house renovations.
Me: Was there any special significance to collecting original stories from your blog at the time?
SM: Not really, no. My blog was just a fun place to hang out and write.
Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process to having it published?
SM: For Second-hand Sarah, it was just a matter of collecting the posts. The first version that went live on Amazon I released myself and the text included links to videos and images. When people started asking for the print version, I realized I would need to change it up, so I removed the images and references to the images and removed the live links.
Me: How much planning or preparations was there on your part when planning the Immortal War series?
SM: Nemesis was written over the course of nine months in high school with no planning other than my AP English teacher telling me to write more after that first sentence. The other books (Lamia, The Tower, Scylla, and A God in a House of Crosses) I wrote after re-reading the books before it to keep track of events and characters. Other than that, however, the characters basically tie me to the chair with just enough room to scribble in my notebooks or type.
Me: How did moving to you your second series, The Metatron Mysteries collection, challenge your writing skills?
SM: I wouldn’t say “challenge” as much as “freed.” My horror stories were always filled with comedic elements and snappy dialog but in Metatron, I could really let it all out. I could create an absurdly terrifying situation and make it funny. I loved it. After writing horror for so long, it was nice to stretch my legs a little.
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
SM: Currently, I’m working on the fifth book in the Metatron Mysteries as well as a story that will fit in with For Sale or Rent and The Water Shed. Stay tuned!
Me: Lastly, being that this is Women in Horror Month, what special message do you have for any women out there looking to join in the industry in any capacity as you are one yourself? Thank you again for your time!
SM: As far as we’ve come, we still have a lot of work to do. Don’t give up. Never give up. Networking is key, especially with other women in the industry.
This interview ran as part of our Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out all of our reviews and interviews about the occasion:
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