Women in Horror: KAT YARES

Kat Yares has been writing fiction her entire adult life. She is an author, screenwriter, indie movie maker and amateur photographer. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous print publications and online. She was first accepted into the Horror Writers Association in 2001 and remains a member today.

Her fiction is primarily in the horror/thriller genres. Unlike many, she writes horror not to gross out or startle her readers, but to make them think. Most of her stories are mind games and deal with mans (or woman's) inhumanity to man (or woman).  

Her novella, Vengeance Is Mine, while horror, still strikes a cord for many readers as they can see correlations between the story and what is happening in today's political climate.

When did you start writing horror?

If my memory recalls correctly, I think I wrote my first horror short story when I was around nine.  No longer have it and that is probably a good thing.

Have you written in any other genre?

I’ve dabbled in Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Thriller.  Always come back to horror.  My short stories are predominately horror.

What makes you uncomfortable?

Cold.  Oh, that and snakes.  Snakes terrify me - on the page, on the screen and in real life.

Does your family read your work?

The better-half, ‘that’ man is my first reader and first editor.  He reads all the words I put on a page.  My daughter loves reading my stories and sharing them with her friends.

Does your writing make you uneasy?

No, it helps me rid myself of my own demons.  Yes, I’ve written scenes that make me squirm a bit, but that’s a good thing

Who would you say you write like?

Took one of those silly quizzes the other day and one paragraph was like King, the next four were Bradbury.  Me, I’d love to be compared to Steinbeck.Who are your favourite authors?

Robert McCammon, Michael McDowell, Billie Sue Mosiman and King in the horror genre.  John Steinbeck is an author I’ll read and re-read over and over again

Who influences you as a writer?

Not so much a who, more of a what.  I look at life around me, I look inside me and usually something will click and a story begins.

Do you remember what your first horror book was that you read?

Well, if you don’t count the Dark Shadows series of books when I was in 3rd or 4th grade, the first actual horror story I read was Rosemary’s Baby.

How old were you?

Maybe ten or eleven, somewhere in there, I know it was right after it came out.

Is there any subject you will not touch as an author?

No.  I may try to tiptoe around some subjects, but in the end, I just write it - to the best of my ability.

What was the best advice you were given as a writer?

Don’t listen to the naysayers.  If you want to write, write.

If you had to start all over again, what would you do different?

Write more, work harder at it when I was younger.  Not let life get in the way so much.

How many books do you read a year?

Easily, one to one hundred and fifty a year.  On the other hand, I probably start at least one a day.  But, life is too short (especially at my age) to waste time on a bad book.

Do you write every day?

No.  I write when the mood strikes me.  I have a ton of other interests, including photography and movie making, that I try to give my muse time for them all.

Please provide Amazon, Twitter, Linked In, Facebook, Blog Links

Blog:  http://www.katyares.com

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Kat-Yares/e/B002O6QCGE/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/KatYares

Linked In:  https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=27369352&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/kat.yares
Facebook Author Page:  https://www.facebook.com/KatYaresAuthor