POE GIRL: What or who inspired you to be a writer?

 

LAUREN CARTER: My mum. She nudged me towards it several times with writing competitions and also when it came to choosing what I wanted to do at university. I did stop for a while after I graduated, feeling a bit discouraged, but picked it back up again in pieces. It wasn’t until my friend Kira sent me a short story call that I started writing consistently again. The short story I wrote for that turned into a novella called WHEN THE DEMONS TAKE HOLD. It was published a year later. Since then, I’ve never really stopped and I’m currently writing my eighth book.

 

POE GIRL: What gave you the idea of your latest book?

 

LAUREN CARTER: I really love winter horror and ghost stories and A HAUNTING MOST COLD is a combination of the two. I usually never start writing with a full plan, only a few plot points. As I continue to work on projects, ideas spring to mind. Some work and some don’t – so I end up drafting as I go along. The books end up pretty different to the start point but the main focus is still there.

 

POE GIRL: Who is your favourite writer and why?

 

LAUREN CARTER: This is tough as I like a variety of different writing styles, but I think I have to go with Darcy Coates seeing as I own most if not all of her books (so much so she almost takes up a full shelf). She writes amazing ghost stories that are always unique and different to her previous books. She also writes horror outside of this and I really love the variety in her books – which inspired me to write such a wide range of sub-genres myself.  

 

POE GIRL: What's your favourite book?

 

LAUREN CARTER: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It’s always my first book of the year and it’s been that way for the last seven years. I’ve read it a total of nine times and have about ten or eleven copies of it. I also dragged my friends to see the musical of it’s so safe to say I’m obsessed.

 

POE GIRL: Do you read a lot? If so, what are you reading right now?

 

LAUREN CARTER: I read over four hundred books in 2024 so I think the answer is yes! Reading is my favourite hobby so I’m always reading one or more books at the same time, usually one physical, one eBook, and one audiobook. I’m currently reading Voice Like a Hyacinth by Mallory Pearson and The Dark We Know by Wen-yi Lee – two queer horror books that I’m thoroughly enjoying so far.

 

POE GIRL: What writing projects are you working on?

 

LAUREN CARTER: I always have a few different WIPs on the go. Currently I have a haunted horror novel, a fairytale horror chapbook/novelette, a found footage novelette/novella, and a vampire horror. I also hope to start my sci-fi horror novel and hopefully my gothic horror novel this year too!

 

POE GIRL: What do you like most about writing?

 

LAUREN CARTER: The escapism. Writing is much like reading except since I’m the author, I can control what’s happening and write for myself. And it’s not just about creating new settings but also bringing characters to life that I built. Most people probably wouldn’t want to be trapped in a horror book, but I’d like to be trapped in most if not all of mine!

 

POE GIRL: Where do you see yourself and your writing in five years’ time?

 

LAUREN CARTER: My overall writing goal is to publish my books through three different types of publishing: self-publish, indie publish and traditionally publish. I’ve already crossed off two and hope to continue to publish these three separate ways in the future too. I have almost twenty different book ideas noted down and hope to see quite a few on them in print and on reader’s bookshelves. The last thing would be to have attended some author/writing events and conventions – especially so I can meet fellow authors in person. It’d be great to sit on a stage with some and chat about our books.

 

POE GIRL: What one writing tip would you share?

 

LAUREN CARTER: You don’t have to follow the set “writing rules”, including this one. There’s lots of writing advice out there but if it doesn’t work for you, don’t do it! I’m not sure why but I got so caught up on this as many of the tips out there are the same, so they must be the correct way of doing things, right? Not necessarily. One in particular was to just write your first draft, don’t go back and edit – just write until it’s done, then go back. But I can’t bring myself to do this – I must edit as I go along. Find what works for you. It’s your writing, after all.

 

POE GIRL: What would you say to educate and inspire young writers?

 

LAUREN CARTER: Write every idea down and never delete anything. Even if you think it’s silly, you may use it in the future. Learn from my mistakes! I have a lot that I got rid of that I desperately want back. It’s better to have it than to lose it.

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