An accomplished author with plenty of strong titles to her name, Mia Dalia has created a great legacy with both full books and short stories of horror, noir, science fiction, mystery, crime, humor, and more that have been featured in a variety of anthologies, magazines, literary journals, online, and adapted for narrative podcasts. Now, in honor of the release of her latest book, "Beautiful, Once," being released through Crystal Lake Publishing, I talk with her about her early interest in writing, the details of her book, and other projects.
Me: Hello and thank you for taking the time to do this. First off, when did you get into horror in general? What films specifically got you into watching horror movies?
Mia Dalia: Hello, and thank you for having me.
I’ve been into horror ever since I can remember, having grown up on all manner of grim and Grimm fairy tales. I’m not sure I can recall the specific horror movies that started the obsession, but the original Carrie, Twilight Zone (sorry, I know it’s TV), and Candyman certainly are some of the culprits.
I used to watch just about anything I could get my hands on at first, but as time went on, my preferences have gotten more discerning. These days, I have a strong preference for psychological horror and don’t much care for the guts-and-gore-for-the-sake-of-it kind. Fortunately, horror cinema has been excellent lately about catering to my tastes.
Me: Who were some of your favorite writers growing up? Do you try to take influences from their style with your own voice in your work?
MD: Growing up, I loved Brothers Grimm, Lewis Carroll, L. Frank Baum, Hans Christian Andersen, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie ... I can go on and on. One way or another, all of that has likely found its way into my writing. All our experiences, reading and otherwise, shape us as people and writers. It isn’t conscious for me, just a perfectly organic process. I write what I love to read: literary tales of dark fantasy, and gritty noir, nightmares and mysteries, adventures on and off this world.
Me: What was the starting point of becoming a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?
MD: In the summer of 2021, stories began coming to me. I heard them as clearly as audiobooks. My wife insisted I start writing them down. I did—it’s always a good idea to listen to my wife—and never stopped. Now, four and a half years later, my third novel is being released, with my fourth on the way and due out this Halloween from Earthling Publications. This is in addition to a collection of short fiction and five novellas already in print, plus dozens of short stories in various anthologies, magazines, audio podcasts, etc.
I may be a late bloomer, but I’m making up for it very, very diligently!
Me: Is there any specific genre you prefer to write? Is there a style or format that you find easier to get into, even if you don't have a preference?
MD: My favorite thing to write has always been short stories. I’m a minimalist by nature and love the idea of telling a story succinctly.
Genre-wise ...well, my specialty is the uncanny. Not quite a shelf you’ll find in the bookstore, but I like a challenge. That said, I genre-hop like a gleefully twisted bunny. To date, I’ve written horror, noir, bizarre, dark comedy, sci-fi, etc. I read diversely and write the same. It is always very rewarding when readers follow me across genres. The quality of writing remains the same, but when it comes to the rest, I like to offer something different and unique each time. DaliaVerse is a vast universe with a shadowy corner for everyone!
Me: Having contributed to various anthologies early in your career, what tools and skills do you acquire working on those that transferred to future projects?
MD: I’ve been publishing short fiction pretty steadily now, for years. When I first started, I was just happy to get my work in print. Then I got strategic about it. And selective.
Nowadays, I often write specifically for the anthologies or magazines I’m interested in. I pick the editors and presses I want to work with. And I make sure I get paid adequately for my work. So that was a roundabout way of saying that the main thing I’ve learned from submitting is writing to specific themes and respecting the quality of my work to ensure proper compensation.
Me: What is the general process for getting involved in these projects?
MD: I regularly browse open calls to find ones that spark my interest. Then I write stories for them. Short stories take me a day. Then I edit, submit, and wait.
Now that I’m a (very) slightly known name, I’ve also been receiving anthology invites. Those are my favorites.
Me: So, that brings us to your latest book, “Beautiful, Once.” What can you tell us about the book?
MD: I’ve never met a trope I didn’t want to subvert. So Beautiful, Once is my twist on the zombie trope. Because zombies have been done (forgive the pun) to death, I challenged myself to write a completely original take on them. And because that wasn’t enough of a challenge, I also threw in science fiction and thriller elements and some sociopolitical commentary.
It is my leanest, meanest novel. And, since my work is mostly referred to as “quiet” horror, I’d say this is my “loudest” novel to date.
Me: How did you settle on the plot for the novel? Was there any special significance to making the action take place on an island paradise?
MD: The plot just came to me, like most of my stories. Also, I like islands, both as geographical features and metaphors for isolation. It was interesting for me to take such a contained, strategically designed, very precise environment and bring such chaos to it.
Me: Was there anything while writing the characters that you were surprised by in telling the story?
MD: My characters constantly surprise me. I pretty much give them a free rein, and they tend to take full advantage of it. Even when I set off with a general idea of their trajectories, their dynamics just keep shifting. Ronan, for one, was completely unruly, as villains tend to be. It stands to mention that I’m a big fan of being surprised by my characters—it makes for a more collaborative writing experience.
Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?
MD: It’s pretty simple: I sit down and write. The story doesn’t let me go until it’s finished, but it doesn’t entirely take over my life either. I don’t outline: a pantser, not a plotter. The most unusual thing about my process is probably the speed. A novel tends to take me about a month. Focusing is definitely a challenge, because once you start getting somewhere with your writing, there are so many things associated with it that are not writing. The business of being an author takes a lot of time. There are contract negotiations, submissions, proofreading, interviews, signings, cover art discussions, endless promotions ... All good and all part of the gig, but it does pull focus. Fortunately, I’m good at prioritizing and planning my time. Also, I don’t sleep a lot.
Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process for having it published?
MD: I shopped the novel around for a little while, but fate intervened in the best possible way. I was discussing a different project with Joe (Mynhardt of Crystal Lake) when I got the bright idea to tell him I had a novel that would be perfect for CL. He agreed to take a look. I sent it in, and it was accepted two days later – Joe said it was one of their fastest acceptances ever.
From then on, it was smooth sailing. Unlike many smaller presses, Crystal Lake is the epitome of professional excellence. The contract, edits, cover art, communication, etc., have all been handled very smoothly.
The book is slated for a March 20th release, and I can't wait to share it with the world.
Me: What do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?
MD: Eat. Baked goods, preferably. I’m such a fan that I once wrote a murder mystery neo-noir with baked goods, titled Do You Know the Muffin Man? No joke. It’s available through Spaceboy Books and shows off a very different side of my writing.
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers? Thank you again for your time!
MD: I have a very busy 2026 lined up. In addition to Beautiful, Once, I have two special editions coming out from Earthling Publications: a novella titled A Song for the End of the World, due out early summer, and a novel set for Halloween. And a novella in a novella anthology, Witchcraft In Your Lips, by Lethe Press, slated for May 1st. Plus, at least one tentative project. And a veritable slew of short stories coming out across markets like MetaStellar, Dark Matter INK, PS Publishing, and more.
I’m already starting to work on 2027 releases. And I signed with a new agent last fall, so he’s shopping around some of my longer fiction. I have a huge back catalog I’d love to see in print.
To keep up with all this, please follow me on social media and subscribe to my newsletter. The relevant links can be found here:
Meanwhile, I promise to continue to entertain. And thank you so much for doing this interview and giving me the opportunity to talk about my work. And thank you to all the readers!
Cheers!
Comments
Post a Comment