An accomplished author with work published in numerous anthologies and collections in addition to working on her own solo work, Cassandra O'Sullivan Sachar has built her career by working with numerous publications for her writing. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in writing, her process for writing, and her recently published work.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general?
Cassandra Sachar: I started reading horror before writing or watching it. I remember the Tales from the Midnight Hour series that I purchased from a book order as a kid. I loved reading them, but they scared me so much that I’d place them downstairs before going to bed, worried something spooky might creep out from between the pages and grab me in my sleep.
Me: Were you into genre films growing up? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
CS: Absolutely! I’d stay up on summer nights after my younger siblings went to bed and watch whatever I could find: Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Even though some of these ‘80s horror movies are pretty cheesy, something spoke to me. I was drawn to horror; it’s my chosen genre.
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?
CS: In high school, I read Stephen King and a few others, not knowing the wide array of horror writers out there. I must have read The Stand at least four times. In college, I turned to some more classic horror writers: Poe, Shelley, and Stoker. Poe, especially, has stuck with me over the years, and his voice is one I hear whispering in my ears at times when my characters make poor choices with devastating consequences. I enjoy more modern writers like Caroline Kepnes and Paul Tremblay, as well, appreciating how they build characters and scenes to elicit terror.
Me: What was the starting point of becoming a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?
CS: I’ve always been a storyteller. Even before I gained the power of literacy, my mother would transcribe my words next to illustrations drawn by my chubby, three-and-half-year-old fingers. Dog-eared and yellowed, the earliest saved artifact of my pre-literate writing remains in a trunk in my basement. “Cat’s Halloween,” where the title character scares everyone until learning that it’s not nice to be a bully, is actually pretty entertaining! From there, I began writing My Little Pony and E.T. fanfiction, and I branched out to more original tales.
Me: What is your writing process? How do you settle on the plots and directions of your stories?
CS: I always start with a seed; sometimes it grows, and other times it becomes stunted. In my short story “Hungry Christmas,” published in Black Hare Press’s Eerie Christmas 2, I knew that two guys going home from college would be hit with a terrible snowstorm, but I only learned the dark direction it would take later on. Maybe it’s the influence of iconic horror movies like Final Destination, but the way my brain works is that I imagine the most awful outcome. When that becomes interesting, a horror story is born. In my story “Under the Apple Tree,” published by Corvus Review, I knew that an innocent child had to die and that a kind, simple man would be blamed. I felt terrible for what needed to happen to poor Edgar, but the story demanded it. I know that I’ve accomplished something when I have to walk away from my computer due to disturbing myself. I care about what happens to my characters, but I can’t stop their fate from coming.
Me: How do you stay focused on writing? What are some tricks and tasks you’ve developed to stay on theme with your latest project?
CS: My job as an English professor is very demanding, so I plan time for writing days. I can’t grade essays for six hours and then slip into my creative mind; I need space and separation. I don’t wait until inspiration strikes me if I’m working on a project, though–I sit down at my laptop and command myself to write something, anything, even if I end up scrapping most of it in revision later on. For me, writing always starts with discipline, but I love when the words begin flowing from my mind and down through my fingertips onto the page.
Me: Having contributed to various anthologies, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future projects?
CS: Currently, as part of my MFA, I’m studying what makes horror writing transcend the tropes. Horror demands certain genre conventions, but writing that simply follows an established formula does little to entice the reader. In horror, I’ve learned that the reader needs to be lulled into a suspension of disbelief through strong characterization and a carefully-constructed plot. I’d like to believe that my own writing accomplishes this. If the writer doesn’t create a compelling character or provide a satisfying thrill or reveal, the reader won’t really care what happens. I’ve read a lot of anti-climactic horror fiction, so I try to keep my own needs as a reader in mind as I’m writing.
Me: What is the general process for getting involved in these projects?
CS: I’m a member of the Horror Writers Association and follow various calls for submissions on social media to find outlets for my work. However, I’ve almost never written a story in response to a call for submission–I write what I want and only later look for a fitting place to publish.
Me: With topics and themes in your work featuring cursed objects, road trips gone wrong, people with unnatural abilities, and meetings with vicious creatures, how does this variety of styles challenge your writing skills?
CS: What I love about short stories is how, as both a reader and writer, one can get in and get out. In 2,000-4,000 words, I don’t have to explain the minutiae of a character’s job as a nurse, and I don’t need to spend six months in a country to understand living there–that’s just background. While I always conduct research to create realistic characters and settings, the brevity of short horror fiction allows me access to endless lives and even worlds. If I land on what I think is a good idea, I’ll go with it, even if it’s completely foreign from everything else I’ve written. I love variety.
Me: As well, you’re also working on a new novel, “Darkness There But Something More.” Where did the inspiration for this come from?
CS: This was the idea that wouldn’t die; the voice of my main character, Marissa, spoke to me until I listened. Prior to the pandemic, after three failed novels and only one creative publication from something I had written in high school, I had pretty much given up on my creative writing dreams and settled on publishing research studies and practitioner pieces. Like many, though, the pandemic jostled me up a bit, and I found myself losing interest in research. Somehow, this led me to rediscover my creative voice. Details of Marissa’s story assaulted me: images of a lost baby and a dark secret from the past. I remember walking to teach my first-year composition class in the spring of 2021 and realizing that it was time to go back to graduate school for an MFA in creative writing. To become successful as a published writer, I realized that I needed to improve my craft. I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received in my program at Wilkes University; I’ve seen my writing transform to its full potential.
Me: Was there any special significance to making the characters investigate a strange incident on a college campus?
CS: As a college professor and full-time graduate student, I’m pretty entrenched in college life! There’s a certain intrigue to academia–the Gothic buildings of the campus, the underbelly of illicit activity hiding behind higher education.
Me: Was there any part of your real self injected into the characters?
CS: Well, I am a college English professor who once pledged to a sorority, like my main character, but I’m happy to say that I’m not hiding the same deep, dark secret! My experiences have provided me with windows into both those aspects of college life, so I hope to offer verisimilitude to my readers.
Me: Introducing a dual timeline to the story, how did that introduction to the novel influence the writing?
CS: Marissa, my main character, has undergone such significant changes from her college years that I chose to shift the point of view. While the present-day chapters are written in first-person, I chose the third-person for the chapters from her past. She has purposely distanced herself from her secret, and the shift in POV allows the reader space, as well, as the plot works up to the big reveal.
Me: What else are you working on you’d like to share with our readers?
CS: I’m working on a collection of short horror fiction that includes previously published pieces as well as several new tales. I plan to finish by the end of the year and will look for a publisher in 2024.
Me: Lastly, being that this is our Women in Horror Movement, 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!
CS: For twenty-five years, I had no success as a creative writer, not with the three novels I wrote or any of the short fiction and creative nonfiction I submitted. Starting my MFA program enhanced my skills and gave me the confidence to put myself back out there. Though I’ve received hundreds of rejections, I now have more than thirty creative publications under my belt with more to come. I know that not everyone has access to programs like this, but I encourage anyone who loves to write to find opportunities to improve, whether by joining a writing group or taking workshops or classes. It’s never too late to achieve your goals!
This interview ran as part of our 2023 Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out the rest of our month-long celebrations including various reviews and interviews:
Comments
Post a Comment