I had the privilege of interviewing Author Carmilla Voiez, here’s that interview.
Q1: How did you get into writing?
I always wanted to be a writer. As a teen I had some poetry published, then life somehow got in the way. I started again after studying Creative Writing with the Open University in 2009. I wrote the first draft of The Ballerina and the Revolutionary while doing that course and I just kept writing.
Q2: You write a mixture of Horror and Erotica, how has that been received?
I don’t have a big audience, but the people who love my work are extremely loyal and encourage me to write more. It’s impossible to know whether the audience is small because of the mix of horror and erotica turning some people off, or whether it’s because it’s very hard to be seen as an indie author. For me horror and sex are closely intertwined and I write for adults. I’m not the only one and I take inspiration from those who have made it like Anne Rice, Clive Barker and Barbie Wilde.
Q3: You suffer from mild Autism, how has that affected your work?
Having always been this way it’s difficult to imagine what the alternative might look like. One benefit in my work is that I am so hyper aware of sensory information that I can write descriptions that bring my readers into my worlds. I actually don’t think I suffer from my autism, not now I understand why I am different. I actually like the way my brain works more than I dislike the challenges I face being perceived as odd.
Q4: What inspires your your work?
People I meet and places I visit most of the time. I can correctly be accused of having a feminist agenda as well. I’m inspired most by the strong women I meet. Traumatic times in my life often seep their way into my stories as well. For example, while The Starblood Trilogy is very much about the Goth Scene in England. It is also about extreme changes in my own life – getting used to motherhood and the breakdown of a marriage, together with the feeling of being trapped and dealing with depression. However, it is a horror story, with demons and magic and different realities intermingling. It’s a tale of obsessive love and is sexually explicit and graphically violent. I felt inspired to write through my internal conflicts and external fears. I believe it makes the story very emotionally powerful and at the same time universal in its appeal.
Q5: What were your favourite horror books growing up?
I have always loved the surreal. Graham Masterton’s books “The Mirror” and “Family Portrait” were two of my favourites. I remember the profound effect Ramsey Campbell’s “To Wake the Dead” had on me to this day. What I didn’t realise until I started writing was how many of my favourite horror characters were male. I hope my own writing redresses some of that for other female horror fans.
Q6: Who are your favourite Horror authors?
Clive Barker, Graham Masterton, Brian Lumley and Barbie Wilde.
Q7: What is your view on the Horror scene nowadays?
Horror seems to move in popular waves. At the moment it seems to be zombies and a few years ago is was vampires. When I was growing up on horror it tended to be more ghosts and serial killers. I don’t mind the fashions, but at the same time I don’t strive to write to them. I write what is in my heart.
Q8: Have you got anything exciting lined up?
I’m working on two short story collections at the moment plus the scripts for two more graphic novels. I usually have more than one project on the go.
Q9: Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Don’t expect to earn a fortune. Embrace writing for love of the art and write what you want to read.
Q10: Do you have any last words for anyone reading this?
I hope you want to find out more. If you do a good place to start is my website www.carmillavoiez.com I’d also like to thank my loyal fans who give me the courage to keep going. Finally – embrace horror in your fiction and imagination, but embrace love and tolerance in your life.
Raz's Midnight Macabre 