Today I sat down with Mia Dalia, a relative newcomer to the horror world, but after reading her novel SMILE SO RED and THE TRUNK you see that she definitely has a knack for weaving a dark and twisted tale. Now, on with the 5 Questions!

  1. Tell me a little about yourself.

    I live about an hour away from the ocean, which is still much too far, amid the sylvan suburban wilderness for the first time after decades of being a dedicated city dweller. The whiplash-inducing difference is good fiction fodder. Um...I play music, I like cookies and word games and learning new things. I'm funnier in person. I actually don't like talking about myself all that much. But feel free to glimpse bits and pieces of me sprinkled throughout my stories.

  2. Why write horror? What is it about writing terrifying scenes that excites you?

    I don't just write horror. I write literary, psychological, and dark speculative fiction across genres, including sci-fi, noir, crime, and even humor. But horror is one of the most honest things you can write or read. It speaks to the truth of human existence more so than just about anything else. Also, on a more personal note, I find it a handy way to process my nightmares.

  3. What’s the scariest book you’ve read? And why?

    That's a tough question. It changes. Right now, I'd say Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. It may not be considered traditional horror, but I find it absolutely terrifying.

  4. What are you working on now? Is it a standalone? Part of a series? Also if you had to describe your book to a Hollywood producer in their lingo “it’s X Meets Y” where X and Y are movies, what would that be?

    I'm currently finalizing the release of my debut novel, Estate Sale (coming April 29th, get excited, everyone!). And putting out a series of nightmare novelettes. And editing a few novellas for release later this year. And getting ready to start compiling a collection of short horror fiction for October 31st release. And looking for a home for two novels. Definitely keeping busy. The trickiest thing about setting off to write genuinely original stories (i.e. things I've not read before personally) is how difficult they are to describe in terms of existing/known/famous works. I think I would just have to tell the Hollywood producer that I'm the future of dark speculative fiction and see if they'll take me at my word :)

  5. Where can we find you?

    Find me. I'd love to hear from you.

    Official website: www.daliaverse.wixsite.com/author

    Twitter: @ Dalia_Verse

    Facebook: DaliaVerse

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