I love the variety of guests I’ve managed to get on 3Q’s. It’s been fun seeing how everyone develops their stories and creates their characters. It’s also been fun seeing their answers for the ‘fun’ questions, because let’s face it – a lot of interviews remain dead serious. I’m not a journalist, not a serious person and love making people laugh!

Which brings us to today’s awesome guest – Lindy Ryan. Lindy has her hands in a lot of different things going on at the moment – HWA stuff, movie stuff, book stuff and anthology stuff. Yesterday, a new anthology she’s curated arrived – Into the Forest – which boasts a stunning TOC.

Please welcome Lindy!

Steve: What does your writing time look like? Do you try and write at the same time each day? Do you have a word count you attempt to hit?
Lindy: I think the only consistent writing habit I have is total inconsistency. I do tend to do my best writing late at night or first thing in the morning, when there are few distractions and I can really get my head in the game. Oddly enough, I find that I do my best writing (and self-editing) usually sitting square in the middle of my bed or on a large stretch of open carpet and as offline as possible. I consider 1,000 words/day is a decent baseline, though I strive for a good 3k before I feel totally good about leaving my desk.

Steve: You decide to host a writer’s retreat. One weekend in a luxury house on an island. What three other authors do you invite to come along?
Lindy: How do I answer this without leaving out so many amazing friends and peers in the horror industry? I’ll go with some horror pioneers then and invite Mary Shelley, Oscar Wilde, and Edgar Allan Poe, because wouldn’t that be a fun group to have in one room?! I’d ask Mary about how she stuffed it to Percy and Lord Byron that fateful weekend, listen in tearful agony to Oscar talk about his time as a prisoner due to “indecency”, witness firsthand Poe’s melancholy and irritability. I think it would be utterly fascinating.

Steve: Tell me about your newest release (novel/story/poem/novella) and why someone should read it!
Lindy: A women-in-horror anthology, INTO THE FOREST: Tales of the Baba Yaga is upcoming on November 8th. As the editor, I am so immensely proud of this anthology, and of the women who’ve joined voices to explore the intersection of womanhood and wildness in such raw, moving stories. Being raised by a Russian ex-pat, I grew up with stories of Baba Yaga, and it’s been such a pleasure putting together these stories inspired by this woman, this witch, who lives deep in the woods in her chicken-legged hut and tempests. Gwendolyn Kiste, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Mercedes M. Yardley, Monique Snyman, Donna Lynch, Lisa Quigley, R. J. Joseph, Christina Henry and so many others have braved fierce female territory in INTO THE FOREST and whether it’s fairy tale, folklore, horror, or fantasy, there is something for every reader in this anthology.

Steve: Bonus Question! You receive an invitation in the mail from one of these two people. The invitation invites you to have dinner and spend the night in their home. Do you accept the invitation from Victor Frankenstein or Dracula and why?
Lindy: I am going directly to Dracula’s castle. Victor was such a jerk—who’d want to dine with that guy? Now his monster, absolutely.

Excellent choice! And it is always best to avoid jerks at dinner!

Thank you again, Lindy!

To find more of her work, follow the links!

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lindy-Ryan/e/B08DZX7Q2G

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindyryanwrites

Website: http://www.lindymillerryan.com/