I’m so honoured to get to have a talk with Mara Malins, the opener of the anthology BREAKING BIZARRO by Death’s Head Press.
Thank you for having me.
Who is Mara Malins?
A lover of wine? Crazy cat lady? Yoga obsessive (yes, I’m one of those…)? Take your pick.
Which is the book that has impacted you most deeply?
Carrie by Stephen King. No doubt about it. My dad had an old paperback copy with a bloodied Carrie on the cover and he’d leave it around the house. That cover half-terrified, half-fascinated me.
I was about ten or eleven when I finally built up the courage to read it (no books were off limits in my house. Dad didn’t encourage me to read it, but he didn’t ban it either…)
At that age, I didn’t understand the majority of what the story was about, but it held my attention until the very last page. It definitely made a lasting impression.
If you could choose a moment from your childhood, what would it be?
Playing lazer-tag with my family. We had a home set-up and dad (a big kid himself) climbed on our shed and shot at us undetected as we chased each other around the garden. We couldn’t understand how we kept “dying”…
Which moment has been the happiest one in your career as an author?
The release of my INKarnate series to positive reviews. Nothing is nicer than people telling you they enjoyed your work.
Do you have any projects going on?
I have a few irons in the fire. My INKarnate series is going to be re-released next year under a new cover, and I’m working on a Bizarro Fiction novella that should be ready just after Christmas.
What are your inspirations?
I love raiding YouTube for videos on authors at every level talking about their work. There’s something about listening to people discuss their own processes that lights a fire under my arse to get writing.
How is your writing process, and which part is your favourite?
I don’t really have a process. I don’t have a ‘muse,’ and I don’t have a special place. I just do it. I sit down at the laptop when I feel like it and I type. Sometimes it comes, sometimes it doesn’t. When it does, nothing compares to that feeling.
When you write a story, do you have it all structured before you start typing, or do you let it flow as it comes?
I’m a “lets see what’s going to happen today” kind of gal, which is probably why I don’t stick to one genre. Sometimes it’s a horror, sometimes a comedy. I’ve had the most success with romance, but none of it is really plotted or structured. I have a vague idea of where it might go, but nothing concrete.
Why horror?
Why not?
I like you.
What is horror for you?
The human response to the unexplained and the unexplained itself. I want to walk away from a story still thinking about it and wondering what I would do in that situation. I don’t get that long lasting impact from gore and blood.
[bctt tweet=”What is horror for you? The human response to the unexplained and the unexplained itself. I want to walk away from a story still thinking about it and wondering what I would do in that situation @MaraMalins @deathsheadpress” username=”theboldmom”]
What are your influences? Do you write winks to traditional horror?
Lovecraft, Bradbury, and King (less The Shining, more The Moving Finger or Uncle Otto’s Truck). I haven’t written winks yet, I don’t think, but I wouldn’t rule it out either.
Do you write any other genre?
Yes, under several pseudonyms. My day job makes writing under my own name difficult. I’m new to the horror scene, but I can see myself setting up home here.
Where can readers find you and your work?
You can find me on Twitter on @MaraMalins or at my website www.maramalins.com.
The best movie ever?
I can’t just list one! Shortlist is probably The Fly, Dawn of the Dead, and Aliens.
The Conjuring or Slenderman?
Neither!
Coffee or wine?
Ah, sweet, sweet wine…
Are you a daytime or night-time writer?
Both. I tend to slump in the afternoon though.
Do you listen to music? Can you recommend some of your faves?
I listen to a lot of music because I don’t watch a lot of the goggle-box. Faves this month include Moby, M83, Massive Attack, Gunship, Radiohead, and Dylan. Last month I was all about soundtracks so I was listening to Ramin Djawadi, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, and Gustavo Santaolalla.
How do you relax?
Wine. Next!
What is your experience with presses?
I’m lucky enough to have worked with quite a few presses so far, all relatively small, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The one-on-one time means I’ve learned so much in a short space of time, and I’ve been able to really experiment with my writing (and learn what works for me) far more than I could have done working with the larger, more rigid presses, I imagine.
What is your passion?
Wine.
Have I mentioned how much I like wine?
Haha! you have a friend in me.
When did you realise you wanted to become an author?
I don’t think there was a moment of realisation. I’ve always dabbled in writing in one form another—from a stint of journalism work experience to a creative writing degree—it’s always been there. Even now, it’s not that I want to become an author and more that I like to write. If nobody wants to publish me ever again, I’d still do it for the shits and giggles.
Do you like werewolves stories? Or are you more a psychological horror kind of gal?
Psychological horror all the way. If you see the boogeyman then it’s not scary for me.
Best book ever?
How can a person even answer that?!
[bctt tweet=”Best book ever? How can a person even answer that?! Interview with @MaraMalins @deathsheadpress” username=”theboldmom”]
I love challenges.
I guess I always return to The Stand and Dune. I like everything GRRM’s has written; his short stories are just mesmerising, particularly A Song for Lya. Big fan of Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything for my non-fiction needs. But if I had to absolutely name one, it would probably be the understated Dolores Claiborne by King. That book has a tone that I just fucking love.
Do you like art? Do you have a favourite artist?
I’m not really an art lover, however, I do own a few prints of Josh Kirby’s cover art for the Discworld series. Those covers are the epitome of that world. He couldn’t have got it more right.
Do you ever handwrite your manuscripts?
Never. Why would I write when I can type so much faster? I occasionally doodle some notes but that’s about it.
Which kind of horror reader would you recommend your work?
I don’t have a big enough portfolio of horror fiction to recommend myself to anyone yet. Come back to me in a year.
Took note.
A quote you love and why
“You can have your own opinions but you can’t have your own facts.” No idea who coined it though. These days people conflate opinion and anecdotal evidence with true, scientific fact and it drives me up the fucking wall.
Define in two lines your writing style.
That’s a toughie. I’d say, “still developing” and “probably not descriptive enough.”
Could you tell new authors any advice you’ve learnt from your experience?
Everybody has a different experience in the industry and nobody knows everything. Keep that in mind when people offer you advice. You have to do your own thing…
Amen! Thank you so much!
Thank you!
[bctt tweet=”EXCLUSIVE interview with Mara Malins – Opening BREAKING BIZARRO by Death’s Head Press!! @MaraMalins @deathsheadpress #horror #horrorfamily #horrorauthor #horrorcommunity #book” username=”theboldmom”]
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