As an author, I am incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to conventions, signings, and other events where I have the chance to meet fellow scribes up and down the ladders of success in their careers. One author who I met both online and then later in-person, who has always impressed me with her passion, sense of fun, and supportive nature for all her fellow writers is this week’s interviewee: Tanya Pell.

Tanya is a professional dream chaser. After spending a decade as a high school teacher, she left the classroom to write academically on everything from fairy tales to video games. At some point, she joined the circus and spent some time as an aerial arts instructor. Now, she writes stories filled with trauma, hope, and puns. And maybe magic and monsters…

She lives just across the South Carolina border from the city of Charlotte where you can catch her performing aerial or emceeing from time to time. A clinically tired narcoleptic, Tanya drinks bougie coffee, loves video games, and her favorite punctuation is the interrobang. When she isn’t writing, collecting odd bones, or hanging from her lyra or contortion loops, she is focused on her family.

And with a biography like that, you just know the conversation that you’re about to read is going to be a fun one. So come on, let’s hang out (I’m allowing myself one aerial pun) with Tanya Pell and talk about one of her favorite authors…

Who is your favorite author and why?

I won’t say favorite because that’s like saying favorite song or favorite food and there are just too many nuances and moods and experiences for me to say, “This is the ONE!” But, I have this theory that every horror reader has a Stephen King. The author that was not only your gateway into the horror world, but also the author you grow with and continue to admire even when you’re writing your own stories. And I think for a lot of people–readers and horror writers–Stephen King is their Stephen King. Mine is Christopher Golden. He is my Stephen King. I went from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Wait Till Helen Comes to Golden’s vampires and he’s been my go-to ever since.

When were you first made aware of this author and when were you first drawn to their work?

We were a book family. My parents took us every weekend to the library or library sale or used bookstore wherever we were living at the time. We lived in Pennsylvania for awhile and there was a used bookstore one town over. One of those really old, musty rooms with highway motel carpet and mismatched shelves and wire racks. Panel walls. Terrible lighting. The best. I was finishing middle school, perusing the horror and fantasy books and I found this mass market paperback copy of Of Saints and Shadows. Shiny red foil cover, dagger on the front, about vampires? I’m sold. Well, I would take a book to school every day. And I had a friend–who I still talk to–who sat with me on the bus and I would read aloud to her. And I read this book (among others) which was clearly adult, and we loved it! Fast forward a few years and I get a job at a bookstore in the local mall and I was shelving the new books one day and once again I’m confronted with a different shiny, red foil, mass market paperback with Christopher Golden’s name on it. Not vampires, but the first X-Men novel: Siege. So that went home with me, too. It just sort of kept growing. Here was a writer who did everything. He wasn’t just fantasy or just comics or just horror. He did all that and more.

I have a pet theory that X-Men readers gravitate to horror or maybe vice-versa. The “outsider” trope seems to be a vein running through both, hence the overlap. Where do your comic book reading interests fall outside of Golden’s work? And also, who’s your favorite X-Man?

Oh, geeze. Big horror graphic novel fan. Emily Carroll, Amy Chu, Alan Moore, Raicht/Smith… I loved X-Men, Constantine, and the darker Batman pieces rather than Detective Comics; The Killing Joke for example. I’ve always been a comic fan. Dark Horse and Vertigo put out some of my favorite stuff over the years. Favorite X-Man? uncomfortable noises For my super basic answer, I’ll say either Wolverine or Nightcrawler. If I’m being extra, I always wanted more Snowbird or Banshee.

Is there one particular piece of work from this author that you are especially fond of or that’s had a significant creative impact on you? What is that piece and what makes it so appealing or affecting for you?

If you looked at my copies of Mutant Empire, you’d probably guess I’d say one of those, but I think it might be Baltimore: or the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire which he did in collaboration with Mignola. I love how it combines these so canonically different pieces of literature and history into one incredible story.

Collaboration certainly seems to be a hallmark of Golden’s bibliography, across several mediums as well. When you’re reading a work by a favorite author/creator that was made as part of a collaboration, do you weigh that differently in terms of where it falls in your appreciation of the author’s canon?

I don’t think so. If I do, I can’t think of a specific instance. I love collaborations and sort of liken them to the history of oral storytelling. Each author adds a little to the story, infuses it with their own culture or opinion or belief. Collaborate enough times and you’ve helped create a mythology of sorts.

How often do you revisit that particular piece or the author’s work in general? What lessons have you learned at various times from the work?

The mass markets are falling apart and I can quote certain paragraphs or comic bubbles line-for-line. I’ve convinced my husband to read Baltimore and it might be one we read together so I don’t bug him about what chapter he is on. And there is always something to learn from a reread. Chris writes messy characters with secrets and problems and hurts and sometimes he throws in a monster to complicate things further, but those characters always feel real because real people are messy.

Are there any pieces in the author’s oeuvre that have not worked as well for you? If yes, which ones and why do you think that connection was not as strong?

It’s funny because my first instinct is to say a short story that was not my favorite for personal triggering reasons, but I’ve never forgotten it. So that doesn’t actually work because it was so impactful and, I mean, that’s success! Maybe Festival? I love multiple POV, but with the book being shorter, I just didn’t have time to connect to the characters as much as I normally do.

That’s a really interesting point, re: the length of the book and the number of POVs. Do you find that reading a piece like that which maybe doesn’t come together quite as well for you where you take away some sense of what does work and can then incorporate those realized lessons into your own writing?

I think reading/writing is always a give and take. After reading a new book or story, you come away with something; a word, turn of phrase, a fact you didn’t know prior… Even when you close the book and know you aren’t going to reread it for whatever reason, you think of what you might have done differently. You think of what would have made it work for you and file it away for a rainy day.

What writing lessons have you taken, purposefully or accidentally, from your favorite author?

We are fans first. There are books or stories or characters that we carry with us, things that go beyond tropes or Easter eggs or the like. And these things leak out into the stories we tell. And they should! Because we are fans first. I think reading Chris’s work was the first time I realized fan fiction was real fiction. He was reimagining stories–X-Men, Peter Pan, even stories about author Jack London–that meant something to him as a reader. He made Buffalo Bill a vampire! I didn’t have any real concept of IP as a kid. I hadn’t really considered you could do that outside your bedroom on your desktop or in a Mead notebook. And he’s still doing it. He’s still a fan, reimagining his favorites in new ways: Dracula, Buffy, even the worlds of Stephen King. I love that.

I think Golden may be one of the first authors selected in this series who has done so much work in the work-for-hire/IP arena. Based on your answer above, is that type of work/writing something you are interested in or even actively pursuing for your writing career?

I probably shouldn’t list the crimes I would commit for Dragon Age IP because then words like “premeditation” come back to bite you. But I will say if Bioware calls–and they should–I am ready. They’re honestly lucky I haven’t camped outside HQ, rattling the door screaming, “LET ME IN!”

Yes. I absolutely would like to do IP work because we’re back to being fans and wouldn’t it be amazing to help a world you love grow? I’d love to write in the world of Beagle’s The Last Unicorn (though I also hope he never loses the rights again) or something for Over the Garden Wall or so many others.

Are there any works in your bibliography that you feel are closest to the work of your favorite—whether in terms of style, subject matter, length, etc.? Talk a little about those similarities.

Do I talk about the story we did together? Because that’s as close as I’m gonna get. LOL!

Well, we certainly can’t drop that tantalizing nugget without following up on it, can we? Could you talk a bit more about the process of collaboration? How did it come together? What was the big picture experience of collaborating with Golden like? And are there any particular moments that stand out for you in the writing or revising processes?

So, to make a very long story short(er), I’d posted a review for Road of Bones and Chris saw it. I’m then getting quote-tweeted and followed and incomprehensible noises. One summer he sent me a DM about a post I made, asking if he could make it into a title if I wasn’t using it. I said, “Sure,” and like any normal person followed with, “And if you ever find yourself in need of a collaborative partner…” Which is crazy because why would he say yes? And he was nice about it, offering to read a story to obviously be polite. He read two and said, “Let’s do it.” I’ve never been so nervous about a phone call in my life. Ever.

He had a story idea in mind and so we traded it back and forth for a few months till we had something we both liked. And I’ll say that I had to work up the nerve to hit “send” every time. Every time. Imposter syndrome was very strong. And it was so nice and the whole thing was great. I was really pushed out of my comfort zone because it was all so new and here I am with freakin’ Christopher Golden?! Remember this is someone I’ve been reading since middle school and we’re not gonna say how many years that has been, Patrick, but it’s more than a couple!

Where does your writing diverge from your favorite author’s? Are there any elements from your favorite author’s work that you would like to incorporate in your own? If yes, what are these?

I am an overthinker. I want to make it all make sense. I do the same thing in my writing. Even in the horror genre where there is an expectation that we can suspend belief, I want to make it seem plausible. Magic system? Sure, let me get into the actual physics of why that makes sense. So even if I don’t use the information, I have it and my brain is satisfied. Chris is much better at saying, “Because I said so.” And it still makes sense! Yes, of course humans would not understand the greater motives behind the machinations of demons or gods because what use do these things have for human morality? Chris knows not everything has to happen on the page and I am still trying to remember that.

If a reader wanted to start reading your favorite author, what piece would you recommend they start with?

The great thing about Christopher is there is genuinely something for everyone. If you’re a movie fan, there’s his Alien or Hellboy tie-ins. If you like comics, his X-Men: Mutant Empire or Mortal Terror are so incredible! There’s his middle grade novels. His nonfiction. He’s written fantasy and sci-fi. There’s his horror legacy: Road of Bones, All Hallows, Ararat. There’s…so much!

But if I have to narrow it down to one piece for a new reader, I’m going to go with Baltimore: or the Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire. If I had to describe it, I would call it a historical fairy tale of love and revenge with a vampire plague. It’s absolutely incredible.

If you could ask your favorite author one question about their work, what would it be?

I already asked him the most unhinged thing possible and offered to coauthor a story with him. Why would I do that, Patrick? I need constant supervision, I swear. But it worked?

I might one day ask about The Shadow Saga and if he plotted out the universe before he finished book 1 because I was very surprised as the series progressed into book 3 and then the final two.

No author ever made progress in their writing career by NOT shooting their shot, right? Have you ever considered giving pep talks to budding authors, helping to push themselves out of their comfort zones? I think you could start a brisk side business!

My husband says I don’t have a healthy fear of things and my friends will tell you I push “Shoot Your Shot Summer” or “I Do What I Want Winter.” I came to the conclusion a long time ago, even with all my anxiety and OCD, that my brain is way meaner to me than anybody else is likely to be. That the worst thing somebody is going to say to me is probably going to be “No.” And that’s fine! I have zero problem with rejection from strangers. But shooting my shot has gotten me some of the most amazing opportunities and made me some of the best friends. Authors talk a lot about rejection and how it never stops hurting and I am grateful that is one thing I don’t take personally in the business. A “no” is just that, so do the weird, unhinged, why-would-you-ever-do-that thing because you might actually get a “let’s do it”!

What do you have coming out next on the writing and publishing front? What are you working on now?

My debut novel releases in October out of Gallery/Simon & Schuster! It is a Gothic horror with a touch of romantasy inspired by the Nathanial Hawthorne short story “Rappaccini’s Daughter”. It is called Her Wicked Roots and I’m super excited for my Goth garden girls to get their day! Golden blurbed it and he also called it “horny AF” and that’s my forever party flex. And the story that we co-authored “It Has Eyes Now” will appear in the Fever Dreams anthology from Flame Tree in October.

Thank you for taking the time to chat with me about your favorite author.

THANK YOU!

Where can readers find you online?

The easiest way to hit all my socials at once is tanyapell.com . I also share all my book news and upcoming events there.