Marla Meyers Interview Published on: 18, Jan 2019
Where did grow up? Do you think your background has colored your writing in any way?
I grew up in a small town in southern Indiana, in a place where everyone knows each other. I didn’t grow up right on the river, but it was a hop, skip, and a jump to get there. As a child, I wanted to have a home right on the water, so when I married my husband, Jack, we bought a cabin right on the East Fork of the White River. The cabin, which has a history, inspired my desire to write ghost stories. Yes, it’s haunted, but with friendly inhabitants. We coexist and make it work, lol.
What college did you attend and what degree did you pursue? If you could do it again, would you take a different academic path, or are you satisfied with the route you chose?I didn’t go to college. Right out of high school, I stumbled upon an opportunity to freelance for several publications. I made a decent living, and it kept me near the river. Looking back, a different academic path might have led me in a totally different direction. I love my life and where I’m at right now, so no regrets.
Following too many bumps in the night, what made you decide to abandon your career as a journalist? What inspired you to begin writing ghost stories?I was writing news releases, covering sporting events, and mostly features for various newspapers and magazines. I longed to make things up, lol. And the world of Indie Publishing made opening that door quite easy. I decided to throw something out there to see if it would stick. And it did.
Why did you choose to write Supernatural Suspense and Horror stories? What scares you?Writing about the supernatural came easily for me since I saw my first ghost when I was a little girl. No one believed me, of course. I did my best to tune out any ghostly encounters. But, as an adult, I seemed to become even more aware of the spiritual presences around me. It was unsettling for a while because I am deathly afraid of the dark.
How did you get started on your book, "Twisted?" What were some challenges you faced while writing your first book?I worked a lot in the evenings before I decided to write Twisted. Our bedroom was semi-dark, with my husband lying in bed beside me, reading. Some evenings it was challenging to write a ghost story in near darkness. I’d hear the sounds of the wind and river outside, coyotes howling, and shadows out of the corners of my eyes. I knew I would need to infuse a little humor into my stories so I didn’t scare myself silly. Charles, the British ghost, in Twisted fit the bill.
If you happen to meet Stella in real life, where would you take her for dinner and why?I would let Stella choose where she wanted to eat. Her daughter tries hard to restrict her diet since she believes Stella to be gluten intolerant. But, we never see Stella getting sick from breaking the ‘no gluten’ rule. I’d give her the opportunity to select what she wanted to eat.
What would you say characterizes your writing? In what ways do you try and stand out from the ever-growing community of horror writers?I suppose it would be what I mentioned above, that I try to infuse some humor into my stories. I think I can still be true to the genre and also give readers the chill up their spine that horror books are expected to offer.
What are some of the things that you always try to keep in mind when starting to write a new story? Do you have some helpful advice for any novice writers out there?I try to keep in mind who that every paragraph, every scene, and every chapter must drive the story forward. My advice for new novelists would be to study the craft of writing. And read A LOT, especially books in the genre you are writing in.
What kind of research did you have to do for your book "Snatched "? What's the strangest thing you have ever had to research online for your book?I think it’s obvious that I believe in ghosts, but I definitely don’t buy into any realism about vampires. But one of my characters in Snatched is writing about vampires, so on his behalf, I had to do some research about vampires. I learned a lot.
What do you think makes a really good horror novel? And how do you find the delicate balance between horror and supernatural suspense?I think my books fall more into the supernatural suspense arena. When I think ‘horror’, I tend to associate blood and gore. You won’t find much of that in my books. Each story is suspenseful and has a supernatural twist at the end.
When you are asked if your house is really haunted, you say, “Ask the ghosts.” What makes you say this? Has there ever been a situation where you felt that your house is haunted?Not everyone who visits our home has ghostly encounter. But, those who are in tune to the spirit world usually have an experience. It’s never anything terrible. A door might close on its own. Sometimes, lights go on and off for no reason. And, twice, when a high school friend came to visit, the TV turned on by itself. Jack and I are used to these occurrences, but it has rattled some of our overnight guests.
How do you create links between different books in the series? What is the most difficult thing about writing series?The common thread in the Lights Out series is that ghosts Charles and Evelyn move forward into the next book in the series. For example, Snatched begins with Evelyn being very upset that Charles has chosen a house for them that is out in the country. When Evelyn was alive, she was a city girl, so she is disgruntled about this—until she learns that there might be a baby involved, the one thing Charles couldn’t give her when they were alive.
How do you promote your books? What are you currently working on?I’m not a fan of Facebook, so I don’t have an account. I know, I am one of the last holdouts to join that popular social media site, but I was told by a publicist friend to choose social media platforms that I enjoy. For me, those are Instagram and Twitter. Right now, I am wrapping up a full-length stand-alone novel titled The Chosen One. This is a very different story than Twisted and Snatched. It is supernatural in nature, but the type of ghostly encounters are nothing like those in the Lights Out series. This reads more like women’s fiction with a supernatural subplot. I’m very excited about this book. It’s going through the editing process, but is up for presale on Amazon.
