WiHM 9 Presents - Delia Rai

1) As a female horror writer what do you bring to the table in terms of what you write?

A sense of mystery, a touch of uneasiness, a pinch of suspicion, the sensation that something’s off, although it’s not clear what at first. I want the reader to be intrigued, to want to go deeper into the story and find out what’s really going on. Is the famous writer really a killer? Is the woman a vampire? Is the great old house haunted? I’m fascinated by emotions and how people deal with them, and also by the way our society seems to have “evolved” by destroying the environment. As human beings we are capable of love and destruction – I find that intriguing and worth exploring in writing.

2) Do you think female authors are underrepresented in the horror genre?

Quite frankly, yes. I can tell you from the top of my head five male horror writers but when it comes to their female counterparts, I’d have to think for a while. Sure, there are writers who incorporate horror elements in their work, but pure horror? A female Stephen King? Only Anne Rice comes to mind right away, and that’s because of The Vampire Chronicles. This probably means I need to read more female horror writers but to be honest I don’t care much about who writes the story if the story makes me want to keep turning the page.

3) Tell us about your book(s)

In October 2017 my short story, The Door, has appeared in Descent into Darkness, a horror anthology, available on Amazon. It contains 20 short stories by 20 indie writers, and they range from the mild to the disturbing. Right now I’m working on a collection of short stories to be published this year. I’ve been writing and collecting them for years and I’m very excited to release them into the world and see what happens. I also have a fantasy novel that needs major rewrites. For years I couldn’t figure out what to do to make it work but I think I’m finally on the right track. One thing is certain, I find short stories a lot easier to write.

4) Why is horror writing important to you?

When I started writing I didn’t intend to write horror but that’s what came out on the page. It could have been romance, or a Western, or literary fiction, but it wasn’t. Many times I’ve stared at a story and thought, huh, so this is the way you want to go… The fear, the details, the atmosphere, the tragedy, all of them appeal to me. I love horror. I blame Stephen King for that. If I hadn’t picked up Needful Things all those years ago, who knows what might have happened.

5) Is the future of horror female?

Only the future knows

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