More From This Author
Story Art Sneak Peek
Amazing Artwork By Daniela Rivera
"What Lies Under the Candlelight"
Anthology: The Devil Who Loves Me
Release Date: June 23rd, 2023
Preorders: Paperback | Kindle
About the Author: Mia is a fantasy writer from Huntersville, North Carolina. She has previously been featured in Metaphorosis Magazine, and has stories forthcoming in Penumbric Magazine and Dragon Gems short fiction program.
Release Date: June 23rd, 2023
Preorders: Paperback | Kindle
About the Author: Mia is a fantasy writer from Huntersville, North Carolina. She has previously been featured in Metaphorosis Magazine, and has stories forthcoming in Penumbric Magazine and Dragon Gems short fiction program.
Q & A
How does it feel to have this story published for the first time?
It's incredibly exciting to see "What Lies Under the Candlelight" in print. As much as I enjoy the process of writing a story, seeing it go out into the world and entertain readers is the most fulfilling part of writing and storytelling. I hope that readers will enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
What inspired the idea for your story?
I'm a big fan of fairytales and myths, my favorite of which are "Beauty and the Beast" and "Eros and Psyche". When I decided to do my own take on these classic tales, I wanted to play around with a darker style, something that explored the more shadowy elements of the classic fairytale's themes. I love writing horror, so blending the horror and fairytale genres into one story was a challenging yet exciting process.
We know that writing can be a tumultuous journey with a lot of obstacles, what is your kryptonite as a writer?
Endings always give me the most trouble as a writer. I truly feel that an ending will make or break a story. Endings take me the longest amount of time to write, and I have to put a great deal of extra effort, attention, and fine-tuning into endings to ensure that they bring the story together.
Clearly, you’ve succeeded at writing a captivating story for GrendelPress, but we all start somewhere. What advice would you give yourself as a young writer?
The advice I would give to myself as a young writer would be to have persistence. Persistence in writing and in putting one's writing out into the world, in spite of potential failures or rejections.
We’d like to argue that every good story makes both the author and the readers feel something. What perspectives or beliefs have you challenged with your story?
With this story, I sought to subvert traditional depictions of relationship dynamics as seen in well-known fairytales.
What do you love most about your story’s genre?
I love the way it allows me to take an idea to it's extreme. I like that it allows me to explore and interrogate ideas or elements that I may not be able to in a different type of story.
Tell us about your favorite author. What about their book(s) call to you and how do they inspire your own writing?
My favorite author is Catherynne M. Valente, the author of "Deathless", "In the Night Garden", and numerous other fantastic works. Valente's stories blend together whimsical and dark elements with a seamlessness that I strive for in my own work.
What are some other genres you’d like to break into and why?
I'd very much like to break into science-fiction. I've been reading science-fiction since I was a little girl and I love speculating about potential futures.
If you had to pick another story of yours to share with your readers, what would it be?
I have a very short story called "True Names" about a girl who trains with a witch. By learning a secret language and the secret "true" names of the things, creatures, and people around her, she is able to exert control over them, and grows increasingly power-hungry.
