An accomplished writer with several strong releases to her name, K.A. Schultz has created a series of impressive works to her name as she gets her career going on a strong note. Now, in honor of Women in Horror Month, I talk with her about her early interest in writing, her stories in the collection "Pôëtíque: Dark Poems & Lyric Poetry," and upcoming projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
K.A. Schultz: Looking back, it’s easy to realize the fascination was always there, as were my independent choices in books, TV, and film – everything pretty much pointed to a love of the dark, the mysterious, the spooky, the weird. When home alone (this show was forbidden!), I watched (of course) Dark Shadows, the original vampire soap opera. And I still have the paperbacks I read as a kid, which I saved and read in turn to my kids. My faves, still saved, include: The Witch Family, Little Witch, and The Wednesday Witch (note the thematic consistency). There was also Nightbirds on Nantucket, Jane-Emily (Caldecott Award-winning kids’ novel – a great scary read!) The Wicked Wicked Ladies of the Haunted House; and there were dark-leaning adventure stories, i.e., The Velvet Room, The Headless Cupid, Mystery by Moonlight, and so on.
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?
KAS: The Exorcist, William Peter Blatty, I read in 6th grade. So superbly written, so terrifying, it launched my awareness of literary eloquence + creep effect as being a terrific blend. In high school, I was reading the classics, i.e., Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and I loved Daphne du Maurier. Jane Eyre was a pivotal Gothic read. And Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire shook the whole genre up – brought ancient beasts into the modern era and then some – as a teenager, I was basically imprinted with it. I was also a fan of her pen-named Beauty series, which remains a masterpiece of eloquent subversion.
Me: What was the starting point of becoming a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?
KAS: I’ve been writing since very young. Got a Tiffany blue Smith-Corona typewriter for my 11th birthday from my parents – still have it. Gifts to me were paper, pens, stuff like that. Pop songs, say about 6th grade, opened my mind to lyrical writing iow poetic works, poetry. Alan Parsons Project's first concept album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, which showcases works by Edgar Allan Poe, catapulted my creative drive and sparked my lit-appreciative mind. It made crystal clear the potential in creative outpourings, which can tap multiple senses and result in multi-layered responses.
Me: Is there any specific genre you prefer to write? Is there a style or format that you find easier to get into, even if you don't have a preference?
KAS: I have always said these two things: that I write with pictures and draw with words. To me, these are interchangeable. As regards horror/speculative work, I like to say that I love to write horrible things in the most beautiful way possible. Imo, it’s all about the contrast, and looking eyes wide open into the shadows to see ALL that’s there, and then not being “afraid” to write about that.
Me: Having contributed to various anthologies early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future projects?
KAS: Writing, reading, writing some more, and reading some more hone the skill, quicken/broaden the mind, and help with flow, tone, and the development of a recognizable style. Brevity and knowing what to NOT write – letting any reader engage by filling in myriad, tiny blanks as they go along – is also part of the learning curve. My years as a Huffington Post independent blogger helped with that awareness and the utility of narrative. Imo Kurt Vonnegut is the pre-eminent distiller of verbiage.
Me: What is the general process for getting involved in these projects?
KAS: Browsing and scoping out the various social media platforms and interest groups that are so wonderfully accessible to pretty much everyone these days.
Me: That brings us to your latest project, "Pôëtíque: Dark Poems & Lyric Poetry." What can you tell us about the collection?
KAS: Pôëtíque is my 2025 publication, my eyes-wide-open deep dive into the shadows. The first 100 pages or so are new material I composed specifically for this book. Pôëtíque is also a personal anthology, if you will, as it includes poems from my three previous horror short story collections, as well as selections from my 2013 poetry collection, which was a compendium of works gathered over a couple of decades. Everything was tweaked and (hopefully) improved for this book, which was a super fun project for me as a writer. Pôëtíque is most definitely a soul-baring work of the heart. Lots of love – lots of dark love too – lives in this book.
Me: How did you settle on the plots for your writing? With the variety of styles in the collection, what type of prep-work goes into making sure they fit together in the collection?
KAS: Most stories write themselves as I progress. I have been surprised and entertained by both stories and poems when they went off in directions I wasn’t planning. I am absolutely channeling something, or watching movies in my head, and open to all interpretations of how particles of the universe coagulate in my awareness, to manifest on the page as they then do.
On a more technical note, I have oodles of idea files, which I will jot down, text, or narrate to myself, as any concept presents itself. Some of my most meaningful works will have percolated in my subconscious for long periods of time. I have dug into the creative process and wrote a blogpost on it years ago. It’s published at Huffington Post and findable by the two terms I expounded upon: endocepts and exocepts. These were conceptualized and published by Silvano Arieti back in the 1970s. He called it The Magic Synthesis, which I think is a wonderfully illustrative term.
Me: Is there anything while writing the characters that you were surprised by in telling their stories?
KAS: LOL – my previous reply is on this fun occurrence. My husband jokes with (mostly non-horror-minded) friends that, yep, he “gets to sleep with me at night...” I would say most fun is when tiny nuggets of my life, my reality, manage to work their way into my stories so that, in the end, the autobiographical undercurrent is right up there (or down, as it were!) with the most horrific and extreme machinations I can craft.
Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?
KAS: I can write on a dime, anywhere, anytime, when opportunity presents itself. The realities of employment, parenting, life in general, have kept me always wanting that proverbial “peace and quiet” by which to write, write, write. Ironically, in the best way, I think it has likewise helped me never feel burdened with creative blockage. I am literally thankful when household, kids (back then; they’re out of the house now), chores, partner, you-name-it, can be set aside for some deep-diving into my head, with its requisite hammering onto the laptop keyboard. I LOVE being immersed in the creative thrall, when it’s all I can do to keep up with the typing, as “stuff” plays out in my head.
Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process for having it published?
KAS: I self-publish and love doing that. I so enjoy crafting the book itself, and then, I enjoy the challenges of getting my “stuff” out there via social media, and most especially the market shows I am a vendor at. I truly love meeting fellow fans of the genre/sub-genres.
Me: What do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?
KAS: Reading great literature is perhaps the most inspiring thing. Reading great horror inspires horror, but that terrific trigger is certainly not limited to horror. I have a compulsion to see/seek out flip sides, off-sides, inversions, and subversions in the everyday.
Me: What else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
KAS: I am working on a couple of short stories for callouts, and my 2026 big project will be to render my works to audio formats, namely Audible.
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!
KAS: Understand that when we put ourselves out there, it can be tough. Hearts on sleeves is almost a tangible reality. So, look deep inside to find ways to relish the challenge and to learn as you go, being that most “issues” are lessons and ultimately the means by which to step up, out, and forward. And have fun. Poke fun, make fun, laugh about it, especially at yourself, with yourself. Humor, applied whenever, wherever, is good medicine, even in the gloriously gruesome world of horror!
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