Meg Hafdahl - Thirteen Chilling Stories Set in the Past

Horror and suspense author Meg Hafdahl is the creator of numerous stories and books. Her fiction has appeared in anthologies such as Eve’s Requiem: Tales of Women, Mystery, and Horror, and Eclectically Criminal. Her work has been produced for audio by The Wicked Library and The Lift, and she is the author of two popular short story collections including Twisted Reveries: Thirteen Tales of the Macabre. Meg is also the author of the two novels; Daughters of Darkness and Her Dark Inheritance called “an intricate tale of betrayal, murder, and small-town intrigue” by Horror Addicts and “every bit as page-turning as any King novel” by RW Magazine. Meg, also the co-host of the podcast Horror Rewind and co-author of The Science of Monsters, The Science of Women in Horror, The Science of Stephen King, and upcoming The Science of Witchcraft, lives in the snowy bluffs of Minnesota.

Please give us a short introduction to what Twisted Reveries Book Three is about.

It is the third book in my short story collection. All the stories in book three are female-driven horror/suspense, some psychological while others are more supernatural. They take place in different historical eras, ranging from Victorian England to war-torn middle America.

What inspired you to write this book? Was there anything that made you want to tackle this?

I knew I had more stories to tell, and short stories hold particular magic for me. I have always enjoyed horror tales, whether written or in TV anthologies like The Twilight Zone. In book three I wanted to explore history through the female lens. The experience of a woman in these different time periods has its own, real, horror, and so enhancing that with fictional scares is, I find, a way to deal with reality. Just through a super scary, unique way!

Why did you decide to feature a suffragette who has a sudden brush with telepathy?

I find the notion of sudden telepathy terrifying! What if we could all of a sudden read thoughts of those around us? This, of course, is a horror/sci-fi trope we’ve seen before, but my take on it is about one of my favorite topics; the duality of humankind. Every woman marching that day, and I did include a real suffragette march in the story, had been raised in a patriarchal society. They were going against what they knew, what history and family had told them, so I wanted to use this device to explore this in a fun, horror-y way!

How much research did this book require from you to make the history part of it ring true?

Oh, a lot! While writing my novel series which takes place in different periods (‘60’s 80’s etc) I learned how to make sure I was accurate. Obviously, there is more data at my fingertips now than ever before, so thank goodness for Google! I’ve also read a lot of fiction written in the eras I covered, so reading is always an education!

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

Wow! Well, I’m pretty fast at jigsaw puzzles, I can beat quite a few people at horror movie trivia, and I taught myself cross-stitch during the pandemic!

Interesting cover, please tell us more about how it came about.

We wanted it to evoke the same feelings as the first two books; eerie, hypnotic, and female-driven. I love the lady in her historical wear, peeking into this terrifying cave. Because that’s what horror fiction is, right? Staring into the dark abyss!

What is your personal favorite story in this collection and why?

Oh that’s like picking children! My favorite might be about a woman who is deaf, navigating through the ghosts of her former husbands, who, you know, maybe she had caused to die…

Why horror? What drew you to the genre?

Horror is fascinating, it’s the dark side of ourselves we ALL have. As a genre it’s expansive, it encompasses everything from our own psychology, to the interaction of beast and heroine, to questions of life after death. It makes my brain hurt how many thrilling ideas have come from horror fiction!

This is book three in your Twisted Reveries series. How does it tie in with the others in the series? Are you planning a book 4?

Every book in the series has a different take on short stories. The tales in One are contemporary, while the stories in Two all take place in this fictional, supernatural place called Willoughby. Book Three takes the time-hopping element of book Two but transcends one place. The good news is you can read them in any order you want! I would love to write a book four, I can feel the ideas percolating…

Your stories are mostly female-driven. Why do you take this approach?

I’m a woman, and I naturally see the world through that lens. Also, many horror novels and stories were borne out of women’s need to process their own, often unfair, place in life. I’m privileged, but there is something intoxicating about carrying on that tradition of examining motherhood, marriage, and aging, through horror.

Do any of your characters ever take off on their own tangent, refusing to do what you had planned for them?

Yes, and that’s what makes writing so fun!! I love when my characters are so fleshed out I can let them lead the way.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

Like most writers, I’m fueled on coffee! There really is no “average” day as I’m working on multiple projects, as well as balancing being a mom. My favorite days, though, are when I have a few hours of silence to write.

What are you working on right now?

I’m in the final edits of The Science of Witchcraft, a non-fiction book co-written with my bestie Kelly Florence. That comes out on Sept 4th. I’m also editing my fourth novel with the help of my wonderful agent, which is about serial killers dealing with a snowstorm! And I have also been screenwriting and podcasting.

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

It’s great when I hear from readers on:
Twitter or Instagram @MegHafdahl
Facebook: Meg Hafdahl; Horror Author 
Meghafdahl.com