Marie Lestrange: Maestro of the Macabre

Dr. Marie Lestrange specializes in turning history into horror. She rises from her coffin every morning to kick ass in the educational field and works to dispel the common use of disability imagery in horror as an explanation for villainous motivation. She is also a musician and artist, and enjoys traveling outside of Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and child. Let’s get to know her!

Q: Who has been your biggest supporter(s) throughout your writing career?

A: Without a shadow of a doubt, my dear sweer husband and fellow writer…Bert Lestrange. That man tolerates my ridiculousness and always finds a way to help me succeed in whatever project captures my attention for the moment. When thick in academic writing for advancing degrees, he encouraged me to give fiction writing a go. For years, I was his frontline beta reader and editor, and now together we have an absolute blast brainstorming story ideas, talking plot, and pushing each other to be better authors!

Q: Where do you draw inspiration from in your work?

Q: What does it mean to you to be an author?

A: For me, to be an author is to be a maestro of the macabre, exploring, creating, and conducting symphonies that echo through the corridors of readers’ minds with the hope that they are impacted in some way. As an author if historical horror (and a lifelong history geek!), it tickles me to death to lace my writing with little historical lessons, nods to great works of the past, or diving deep into the setting to not only entertain the reader…but spark their curiosity to perhaps further research and learn about the topic of my work. It’s my secret Pavlovian agenda to encourage more historical nerds like me. Muahahaha.

Q: What is your writing process like? Do you listen to certain music, snack, make loads of phone notes when inspiration randomly strikes?

A: My AuDHD and I have come to terms with each other to settle in a writing process that can only be describes as a “Cocaine Bear.” Yes, I’m serious. Lol. At times I am a rabid beast, plotting and writing and bursting with creative energy that is unstoppable (and at times, overwhelming). And yet, other times I am completely in hibernation. I either write in a frenzy for weeks and weeks, or I don’t write anything for months. I’m always brewing on story ideas and have to meticulously plot each scene before I write a novel, but I believe that’s also why I’m able to churn out novels so quickly when the mood strikes…I already know where it’s going. No music while writing but definitely prior to sink myself in “the vibes.” When I inevitably perish…probably best for all if my phone notes are left unopened. LOL

Q: Is there a genre or subgenre that you want to explore that you haven’t yet? Conversely, are there any that you’ll never write?

A: I can confidently say that it’ very unlikely that I will ever write westerns or police procedurals. Not my writing vibe. I *do* intend, one day, to dabble back into non-fiction writing in my day field regarding special education and inclusion practices, because that is a topic I am extremely passionate about.

Q: What has been the hardest part of your career as an author so far?

A: Oh geez. Being indie…I would say learning all the behind-the-scenes business that goes into putting a book out into the world, and the sheer amount of skills I’ve had to learn on the fly to be able to do it (which I love, but it’s tough!).

Q: What do you consider to be your greatest strength and weakness as an author?

A: I believe my greatest strength is my love of people. I thrive off of author events and conventions because I genuinely love meeting new people that share the same interests that I do…and learning from those who are different from me, too! Talking with readers and other writers and general fans of the horror genre fills me with a joy that I did not know for many years before I was living my authentic life, embracing my weirdness, and being inspired by everyone else that does too!

As far as my weakness as an author goes, it’s definitely that I take on too many projects at once, always chasing the shiny penny (thanks hyper-fixation), and potentially not bringing each project to full fruition because I’ve already moved on to the next.

Q: At some point in our lives, we’ve all heard the negative comments: “You’re not good enough.” “You’ll never make it.” “This is the worst thing I’ve ever seen.” “You don’t belong.” How do you move forward when faced with negativity?

A: Ah, negativity, the unsolicited gift that keeps on giving! When faced with such charming remarks as that, I have spent many years (and many sessions in therapy) learning that they are just jealous of or intimidated by my fabulousness! So, I take those negative comments, sprinkle them with glitter, and use them as fuel to prove them wrong. Remember, darling, silent success is the best revenge!

Q: What advice would you give to women who are wanting to write, especially if it’s something others might perceive as “outside of the norm”?

A: Embrace your authenticity! Never let the naysayers get you down, because what matters at the end of the day is how YOU feel about the art that you are creating. It took many years before I was comfortable enough to let the regulars in my life know how much I enjoyed horror and true crime content for fear of their opinions. Now that I am living my true self, I am surrounded by so many wonderful others who share my interest and have added joy to my life. And guess what? The perceived naysayers, even if they DID have anything to say, haven’t bothered me one bit.

If you enjoyed getting to know Marie in this interview, take a look at her website, give her podcast, Moths to the Flame, a listen, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram so you can see what she’s working on! And if you’re looking for a book rec, try Don’t Eat the Pie by Monique Asher! Marie had this to say: “It wasn’t what I expected at all…and truly gave me a deeper appreciation for gothic horror in a more modern setting.”