What, Why, How: Mitzi Szereto

What:

I create books that are all across the literary spectrum. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s being pigeonholed as a writer, so I like to mix it up and get readers wondering what I’ll come up with next. My last book Florida Gothic was a horror novel. My new book is Ladies of Gothic Horror (A Collection of Classic Stories), a tribute to the women who helped pave the way for today’s female writers in the genre. The anthology serves a lot of purposes, since it’s also a useful resource for teachers and students of literature. As for my next literary endeavor, I’ll be venturing into the dark and dangerous world of true crime. I bet you didn’t see that coming, eh?

Why:

I love books and always have from the time I first learned how to read. Perhaps it was inevitable I’d end up writing them. Although I’ve written since childhood (stories, poetry and even novels), I was preparing for a career as an artist and went on to study fine art and design. The closest I came to going forward with a career in art was when I lived in California. I did have an opportunity to show some paintings in San Francisco and even had interest from a gallery in Santa Monica, but by then I was getting back into my writing. In a nutshell, I sold a book before I sold a painting—and that pretty much decided me. I’ve never regretted my decision, though I confess to feeling a tug on my heartstrings whenever I visit a gallery or see an exhibition! But writing is a good fit for me. I’m happy to be on my own for long periods of time and don’t feel the need to seek out others to fill the silence or space. I’ve got the perfect temperament for being a writer.

How:

I’m shackled to my laptop day and night and it’s always on my lap. Even when I have a home office space, I can’t work in it. Instead I’ll be on the sofa or in a comfy chair or very occasionally sitting at a table. I know—terrible work habits! My inspiration comes from all over the place—it’s never one thing. Most of the time, I can’t figure out where my ideas come from. As for my motivation, considering I’m in a profession that’s one of the most difficult to earn a living in and sadly, one that’s becoming increasingly disrespected (I’ll leave that for another interview), I’m amazed I keep going. To be honest, I want to sell tons of books and make tons of money so I can donate some serious money to animal rescues. That motivates me!

Bio:

Mitzi Szereto is an author and anthology editor of multi-genre fiction and non-fiction. She has her own blog of humorous essays at Errant Ramblings: Mitzi Szereto’s Weblog and the web TV channel Mitzi TV, which covers the “quirky” side of London, England. Her books include Ladies of Gothic Horror (A Collection of Classic Stories); Florida Gothic; Oysters and Pearls: Collected Stories; The Thelonious T. Bear Chronicles cozy mystery series co-authored with celebrity author bear Teddy Tedaloo; Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts; Getting Even: Revenge Stories; Dying for It: Tales of Sex and Death andThrones of Desire: Erotic Tales of Swords, Mist and Fire. Mitzi gives talks and readings at literature festivals and teaches creative writing internationally, including British universities. Her anthology Erotic Travel Tales 2 is the first anthology of erotica to feature a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She spends most of her time in the Pacific Northwest if she’s not in the UK.