An accomplished author focusing on a mix of dark fantasy and genre themes, Monique Snyman has brought a great showing to her career as she works with her distinctive style to leave plenty of impressive work in the genre. Now, with the release of her latest book, "The Easter Maidens," from Crystal Lake Publishing, I talk with her about her early interest in writing, her past projects, and the book itself.
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?
Monique Snyman: Hi! Thank you so much for allowing me to join you.
I was three years old when my love of horror began … One late night, when little girls were supposed to be asleep, I climbed out of bed and snuck into the living room where my mom and older cousin were watching none other than Child’s Play. I was hiding behind the sofa—one of those ugly, typical 1980s brown sofas—and fell in love with Chucky. As the years passed, I got more into the classic slashers (sometimes sneaking into the living room to watch from behind the sofa, still), and then branched out as I got older.
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?
MS: R.L. Stine really made me enjoy reading horror. Of course, I started with the Goosebumps series but quickly delved into the Fear Street series. From there, however, I tended to move into non-fiction ghost/paranormal/folkloric tales instead. They seemed scarier than fiction to me at that point.
Me: What was the starting point of becoming a writer? Were you always into writing growing up?
MS: I’ve always enjoyed writing. When I was a little kid, I was writing really bad song lyrics, worse poetry, and short tales that made no sense. The writing bug only bit when I was 19, though, when I had zero idea of what I wanted to do with my life.
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?
MS: I’m a horror writer, through and through. Have I dabbled in other genres? Sure. But I know what makes horror tick, so I tend to stick to it. My favorite type of style to write is usually first-person present tense, but most readers hate reading that.
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?
MS: I tend to use short stories to help me clear my mind in between bigger projects. I mean, when you’ve been writing a YA novel and then suddenly need to switch into an adult voice, it can be a bit jarring. Short stories help me to bridge the gap.
Me: What is the general process for getting involved in these projects?
MS: For me? I look for open calls if I even want to submit something somewhere. I’m pretty selfish with sharing my work nowadays …
Me: How did you settle on the plots for your writing? With your work involving both standalone and the ‘Night Weaver’ series of novels, what type of prep-work goes into making sure everything contains enough throughlines to the past entries in the series?
MS: They kind of came to me when I least expected them, and I simply wrote down a guideline for myself to keep me from straying off the main plot. The Night Weaver series did get a lot more plotting and prepping, but eventually those ideas get replaced as I write anyway (with bigger, better ideas, I hope).
Me: What is your writing process? How do you stay focused on writing?
MS: I sit down. I stare at the screen. Eventually, something interesting pops into my head. I write it down. Pray it isn’t crap. Voila. HAHAHA!
Me: Your most recent release, “The Easter Maidens,” offers a trip through a seemingly perfect world with a gradually exposed dark secret behind it. What went into the decision to go this dark with this format?
MS: Well, I wouldn’t call Purgatory perfect, and I honestly don’t think there’s a whole lot of light in that place to begin with. Eostre was just “perfect-looking” in comparison to the rest of my idea of Purgatory. And seeing as we’re all human, we’d easily be lured in.
Me: Was there anything about the characters that you were surprised by in telling their stories?
MS: Not really. I think once you wake up in Purgatory and realize you’re no longer “alive,” there’ll be very little that’ll surprise you. Don’t you?
Me: Once it was finally written, what was the process for having it published?
MS: Oh, I wrote The Easter Maidens in 2021 and have been trying to get it published since 2022. Nobody wanted it because “it’s too short” or “it won’t sell” or, or, or … I got a lot of vague reasons as to why it didn’t fit in with whatever publishing house. Luckily, Crystal Lake Publishing wanted to take a chance on it.
Me: What do you do to keep your creative energy flowing?
MS: I go outside often. What’s the use of living your life staring at a screen the whole time?
Me: Lastly, what else are you working on that you'd like to share with our readers?
MS: Right now? I’m taking a break. But who knows, I may surprise folks with something new when they least expect it.
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