Smashing the Patriarchy with Haley Newlin

In all of my anxious flapping and headless chicken running at Books & Brews (as much as one could while dragging a VERY full wagon behind them), I completely missed seeing Haley. I was really upset about missing the opportunity, so imagine my excitement when she was announced for Tomes of Terror! Read on to learn more about her before you meet her in T-minus five days!

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

A: My biggest supporters have been my twin sister, Hanna, and my boyfriend, Jeremy. They encouraged me to pursue writing when I realized I no longer wanted to study medicine. If you can believe it, I don’t have the stomach for the medical field, but I can handle horror gore just fine.

Jeremy also reads all of my work in every stage. He’s my soundboard.

Q: What inspires you to write?

Q: What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned, whether about yourself or the industry as a whole, since you started your writing journey?

A: I always used to see myself as a misfit. But in the horror community, I’ve discovered that we all feel like we don’t belong until we find our people. It’s changed how I view myself and eliminated some of the pressure I apply to be a certain way in social settings.

Q: If you could meet with your past self at the beginning of your career, what one thing would you tell yourself?

A: If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. I was so eager to get work that I took deals that didn’t really benefit me. It’s always nice to have some experienced friends in your corner. A special shout out to Mike Salt, Mona Kabbani, Thomas Gloom, Briana Morgan, Kalvin Ellis, Jamie Stewart, Michael R. Goodwin, and Spencer Hamilton.

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

A: QUERYING! This process is quite grueling but one that every writer has to endure. I’m fortunate to have a few mentors who provided pointers, including Clay McLeod Chapman.

Q: If you could go back and change anything about your career, would you? If so, what would it be?

A: When I first started writing, I called myself a psychological thriller author. My editor, Clay, kept saying, “Haley, this wants to be so much darker.”

It took me a long time to embrace horror as my genre because I hadn’t met many people who didn’t cringe when I mentioned writing scary stories.

Q: What do you consider to be your biggest strength as an author? Your kryptonite?

Q: Who is on your radar as someone that you’d love to work with?

A: I’d love to work with Poisoned Pen Press and Shortwave Books someday.

Q: Dealing with negativity can be challenging, whether that’s from bad reviews, critics, social media, or other sources. What is your strategy for dealing with that side of the industry?

A: I’ve gotten better at not scrolling through reviews but treating myself to those on social media where readers have tagged me. Also, it’s helpful to try to remember the praise over the negativity. This person didn’t like my book, but Sadie Hartmann and Clay Mcleod Chapman did. Obviously, we should take in criticism and apply changes where necessary; that’s how we grow. But don’t let it get you down. I know, easier said than done.

Q: What has been the most impactful piece of advice that you’ve been given, and how have you used that advice in your writing journey?

A: Stephen King said, “To write great writing, one must read great writing.” I read at least three monthly books to help study structure, character depth, atmosphere, and other storytelling devices. I’ve learned the most from King, Shirley Jackson, Tananarive Due, and screenwriter/director Mike Flanagan.

If you can’t make it to Tomes, besides having a bad case of FOMO, you’ll have the opportunity of meeting Haley at The Dark Drafts Festival in Mount Joy, PA on January 25th and 26th. She’ll be attending another event that hasn’t been announced, so make sure to follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and check out her website for all her announcements and updates! You can also follow her reviews on Cemetery Dance here! In the meantime, let’s learn more about Haley.

Q: If you were to write a spin-off about a side character in any of your stories (published or not), who would you pick and why?

A: In Take Your Turn, Teddy, I have a character named Officer Finch. She is intelligent and fierce and takes control of the pen whenever I write scenes in which she stars. I’ve thought of roping her into my current work in progress. Only time will tell.

Q: What is your worst reading habit? Are you a dog-earer, a margin-writer, or do you practice some other egregious offense?

A: It’s probably the same as my writing habit: staying consistent. Admittedly, sometimes I go to read and scroll instead.

Q: Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written and why?

A: Teddy from Take Your Turn, Teddy. Teddy was a manifestation of my undiagnosed PTSD. That book bummed me out because I’d write these horrific scenes and feel that they were creative or scary but couldn’t shake a sort of lingering disturbance throughout the process. Thanks to my therapist’s revelation, Teddy and I have much more in common than I initially thought. It was hard and opened the door to a lot of heavy sh*t, but because of it, I’m so much better mentally today.

Q: If you were to be remembered only by the words you’ve published, what would future historians think of you?

A: I’d love to hear some of my readers answer this question. I tend to write period pieces: Not Another Sarah Halls in the 2010s, Take Your Turn, Teddy in the 70s, and my short story, “The Butcher on Blue Jay Way,” featured in Kandisha’s Slash-Her: A Women in Horror Anthology in the early 1900s. My current work in progress takes place in the 1940s and 1950s.

Maybe they’d think I was a writer who explored the eras. It feels pretentious to say so, haha.

Q: If you had to create a slogan for your life, what would it be?

A: I’m here. I’m queer. Oh, and scary. This may need workshopping.

Q: You have to wear a T-shirt with only one word on it for the rest of your life. What word is on your shirt?

A: Halloween.

Q: If your names was suddenly used as a verb, what would your name be doing?

A: Probably tripping or walking into a room and forgetting why.

Q: In the story of your life, who (or what) would be your nemesis?

A: The patriarchy. This sounds intense, but women in horror will understand.

Q: If someone were to open your fridge, what is the weirdest thing they’d find?

A: Buckeyes made to look like eyeballs. My family makes these every fall.

Haley is currently working on a book that takes place in the 1940s and 50s inspired by Franz Kafka. She’s also working on a few short stories that she’s hoping to announce later this winter! While you wait for her new release announcements, take a read through Haley’s favourite read of the year: My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna Van Veen. It’s sapphic, gothic, and atmospheric AF. If you like The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson or Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Bly Manor series, you’ll love this. With an endorsement like that, my interest is certainly peaked!

“At times, the world may seem an unfriendly and sinister place but believe that there is much more good in it than bad. All you have to do is look hard enough. And what might seem to be a series of unfortunate events may, in fact, be the first steps of a journey.” ~ Lemony Snicket.