Grimm Mistresses: C.W. LaSart

Greetings and welcome to the first of a series of posts to introduce some of today's most splendid female horror writers. The new anthology Grimm Mistresses will soon be out and you are going to want to snag yourself a copy of this amazing book. First up is the amazing C.W. Lasart...

1.   1.What inspired your story?  A friend of mine asked me to do a story that involved the killing of cheerleaders. She’s always pressing me to battle clichés and give them my spin. I got to thinking about hazing, and how brutal it can be, even amongst cheerleading squads and I’d always wanted to do a twist on Cinderella, one where she wasn’t the victim, but maybe a bit of a monster herself.

2. As a woman in horror, do you find any added pressure? I don’t know if there’s any added pressure from the outside, but I certainly put some on myself. I don’t want to give the impression I’m trying too hard. I was once on a panel about Extreme Horror where I was the only female. My first impulse was to dress severely, to keep a professional look that would fit in with the guys. After much thought though, I decided to wear a floral skirt, pale pink blouse, and put my hair up in a very high ponytail. It went over very well. Instead of trying to camouflage the fact that I was the only female on the panel, I flaunted it. Life is too short to care about gender.

3. Name three things on your desk right now. A can of coke, a voodoo doll, and about five million pens.

4. Who are some writers that have influenced your work? I love to read. I love books of all kinds. I think every book I read influences me in some way, whether it helps me see what I want to be, or what I don’t. My biggest influences would definitely be Robert McCammon, Stephen King and Bentley Little. Love those guys!

5. Tell us what your future plans are? Any novels in the works? Ha. I hate this question. I’ve been quite the slacker lately, but I do have more than one novel in the first draft stage. Other than that, it’s mostly just short stories for now. I know the pressure is on to release that First Novel, especially since three years have passed since I released my collection, but I want it to be the right one. You only get one first, I won’t rush just to get something out there. I want it to be brilliant.

6. If I were your favorite dessert what would I be? I can only pick one? Cheesecake. Definitely cheesecake. With chocolate.

7. What would you tell writers new to the horror genre? Pick a different genre! No, I kid… Mostly. Horror is a small genre and very difficult to earn respect in (forget money). I often wish I wrote paranormal romance instead. That stuff SELLS. But I love horror, and it’s what I write. I guess I would tell them to keep writing, but don’t expect to make a living at it. Too few are so fortunate. Make sure you get paid to write, don’t give it away, but don’t quit your day job either.

8. Plotter or pantster? Pantster. 100% The closest I have ever gotten to plotting is writing a scribbled note on a napkin. If I write too many notes, the drive to write the story is satisfied and it never gets written.

Now an excerpt:

From Hazing Cinderella

As the last of the light left the sky, the woods came alive again with the sounds of night creatures. Katie hugged her arms to her chest, wishing she had a jacket and a flashlight. Hell, she wished she was back home in her room, or locked in the bathroom the girls shared, soaking in a warm tub and reading a book. Jamie could have the damned cheerleading squad to herself; Katie had never wanted any part of it. She wished they were back in South Carolina, where her mother had met Don while waiting tables at local Pub, or in New Jersey, where Katie herself had been waitressing in greasy diner. Or even in New Orleans where they’d slept in a one room shack and wondered where there next meal would come from. Anywhere would be better than sitting alone in the dark woods, waiting for Jaimie to deliver the punchline to her great big joke.

Something large moved in the forest to her left, nothing but a shadow in her peripheral vision. Trying to ignore it, Katie slid off her perch and turned so she kneeled before the rocks. Leaning forward with her hands before her, she began to pray.

A lifelong fan of all things horror, C.W. LaSart resides in Watertown, South Dakota with her family and a menagerie of rescue pets. Her stories have been published by Cemetery Dance Publications, Dark Moon Digest, Eirelander Press and many others. She is a member of the Horror Writer’s Association and also a member of the Bram Stoker Awards® Committee. For more information on her writing, go to CWLasart.com or drop her a line at C.W.LaSart@hotmail.com.