53 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com/CharlestonWomen It’s the perfect time of year to read “Heartless.” What drew you to this eerie retelling? Heartless came from a dream. In it, I was in my college dorm room, sitting on my bed across the room from the door, when a girl walked in. She didn’t look alive, but she was walking and talking. She looked at me and said, “I’m dead. Sort of.” When I woke up, I was obsessed...sort of. I had to know who she was and why she was not quite dead. I knew she wasn’t a zombie — they don’t talk — but I needed to figure out what happened to her. So, I started to write, and a Frankenstein-y story came out. Do you dabble in other genres, or should we expect more horror/suspense? I love a creepy tale, especially this time of year. I grew up watching classic horror and sci-fi with my dad (Bela Lugosi’s “Dracula” and the giant ants in “Them” in particular), so any time I sit down to write, the creepy and weird stuff comes out. Who are your influences as a writer? I am a reader first and a writer second. I read a lot, across the spectrum. I cut my teeth on Harper Lee, Jane Austen, Louisa May Alcott and Stephen King — which probably explains a lot. Nowadays, I’m really digging cool women writing awesome horror. Mariana Enriquez’s “Our Share of Night” is gorgeous. Simone St. James is writing very cool and exciting books. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of my current favorites — I can’t stop reading her. The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. I’m learning from all of them how to combine beautiful prose with heart-stopping plot. It’s fabulous. Sorry, I can talk books all day. What is unique about your book? What will a new reader discover? I love to be scared, but I also love to laugh. I think I see the absurdity of life, especially in extreme situations, and I have a tendency toward nervous giggling. Don’t ever sit by me at a funeral. You see that in my stories. I’m going to find the funny in a situation, and while it’s also creepy and gross, I’ll probably get you laughing along the way. Can we find you at any events (in-person or virtual)? How can we follow along? Oh gosh. The book came out in mid-July, and I spent most of August down with Covid, so I feel a little behind. But when I do get moving on going to events, you can find me on Facebook here: Facebook.com/LeahSoltisAuthor. Cozy up and chill out with “Heartless” by Leah Soltis Charleston Women in the Arts
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