Mya Lairis

Welcome to the Couch of Chaos,

Please make yourself as comfortable as possible. No, not quite that comfortable. Yes, that is your coffee there. Oh, you heard about what happened to Doyle yesterday. Most unfortunate incident. Thank goodness for Duct tape. Alrighty let's begin...

From where do you hail? And what is your modus operandi with the blood-soaked pen?

Hello there. I live right next to the Thunderdome aka Washington D.C. I say that because I actually live In Maryland and few people seem to know where that is on the map. We actually pride ourselves on seafood, but then there is Edgar Allan Poe, the Baltimore Ravens, and…the Navy.

For the most part, I write paranormal erotica aka monster erotica, but I am and always will be a fan of horror, all types. I mean a big fan. I used to think that I sympathize too much with the creatures of the dark to write truly scary fiction but then I tried my hand at writing a few horror shorts and well…I think I can do a good OMG-Whoa these days! I guess I would consider my style of horror as being ‘The Creature Feature.’

All of our characters have elements of ourselves woven into them. Which poor character is most like you?

I have this character called Jira, who is a problem solver for demonic situations of serious natures. She is jaded, more than a little unstable but well meaning. I think she’s most like me because if I was approached by someone who had conjured a demon and couldn’t control it, I would have little to no pity. Innocents yeah…but if you brought terror on yourself…Well, that would be an ass-whopping said conjurer would have to take.

Imagine I am filthy successful agent (I did say imagine) we are stepping into an elevator. Hit me with your top three elevator pitches for three pieces of your work.

The Matriarch – Imagine a tale in which an unassuming woman welcomes her abusive husband into a world of competitive beasts and cage matches more terrifying than he could ever imagine. (Monster Brawl Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071G1BSBB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_K7sjAbV000G0H

The Family Heirloom- It’s been in their possession for generations, protected by the eldest female. An unassuming bowl to some, but a horrifying demon to others. When it turns up missing there will be hell to pay. (Accursed Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0823JX81C/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_MgR2EbBTA22JB

Love Stoned- A tale of gargoyles, vicious battles and repressed attraction, Love Stoned takes a more intimate look at those creatures that haunt the nights and not just a man who believes he is bulletproof. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016F6TBCU/ref=cm_sw_su_dp

Now I can’t start writing until I have a coffee and digestive biscuits to hand. Do you have a ritual before you start writing, or is it spontaneous venture?

I write in the predawn hours of 4 and 6am, so caffeine is a must, sometimes nicotine and always a hype instrumental soundtrack or trance mix. I absolutely neeeed my instrumental music fuel, like the Gladiator Soundtrack, Conan the Barbarian Soundtrack, Ulrich Schnass, Braveheart Soundtrack…

Is there one thing you would have done differently or known earlier in your writing career?

If I could have done something different it would have been not getting addicted to World of Warcraft. Not even joking. I was with a nice sized publisher with such a great support system and I really should have taken advantage of that before the Amazon giant came in and basically demolished anything not Top 5. With so many presses going extinct, rights being reverted and or royalty fiascos, basically I have to do everything on my own now. My WoW addiction ate up 3 valuable years during which I could have gotten more works out with a full support system of editors, cover artists and marketing.

Other than this ground breaking interview, what are you currently working on?

I am trying to wrap up a paranormal romance between an alpha werewolf with a dark secret and a vywrn, a more bestial type of vampire. The work is currently at 210 pages and will definitely be hitting 300 but I have a tendency to get carried away with my story telling. This one does have more horrific elements than my other works as both lovers are trying to deal with their dark compulsions. The title is ‘Selfish’ and I keep telling myself that I can’t buy a cover until the first draft is completed…but I reaaally want to.

We all know horror people are just the warmest, friendliest bunch of writers around. Why do you think this is?

I don’t know if this is true of all horror writers, but I sought out horror fiction because I had a strong need to overcome fear. I am a really nice and generous person, but that person is also wearing armour that is quick and easy to put on. I know I use horror like mental exercise in that I try to dissect why something is not really scary and how to overcome it if it is.

How do you determine success for yourself?

This is a tricky one in that I am my own biggest audience and I write mainly to get stories out of my head. Having a finished product is success enough for me.

Other than WIHM which is an amazing month for female horror writers. How do you feel other women can best support each other in this genre.

Honestly, I believe in support groups not just for marketing and promo but for mental health. A lot of people tend to think that writing is some glorious endeavour with the capacity to bring fame and fortune if only one can snag a big contract, or big sales but the reality for most of us is staying motivated when you only have one review, when no one participates in any of your contests or when you get negative reviews. I think that that need isn’t wholly gender specific though or even genre specific.

Where did you discover your love for all things that go bump in the night, or splat on the walls?

It all started with Creature Features, a two-hour segment on channel 45. They would show films like Spiders, Frogs, Alligator 1 & 2, Piranha…okay so early eighties had a lot of choice creature fare back in the day and I ate them up! Another gateway collection was ‘Trilogy of Terror” short about the Zuni Fetish doll, it caused so much fear in me than I had to watch it and rewatch it. I had to force myself to be brave and then I could enjoy it. As I think a lot of the best creature horror came from the 70s and Eighties, there was a good amount of fodder to entertain a kid with an already over the top imagination.

You can stalk Mya here, I would love the company

Colors in Darkness: http://www.colorsindarkness.com Website: http://www.myalairis.com/

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