Mattea Orr

1. What genre(s) do you write?

Quite a few (*cries in author brand*): Fantasy/Speculative (time travel, romantasy, contemporary), mysteries (both YA and Adult as well as historical and contemporary), and of course, horror (Gothic, historical, and contemporary)

2. Do you have a newly released story in lit magazines and anthologies? What is the title and a link to the lit magazines or anthology?

My most recent short story, “Safe at Home”.

​3. If you are traditionally published, who is your agent? If you are self-published, what publishing software do you prefer/ who is your publisher?

My agent is Mara Hollander of Azantian Literary Agency (who is an absolutely wonderful partner and champion for my work)

4. What are two fun facts about you?

I grew up in a house that was built before 1850, and that’s definitely inspired some of my historical and horror writing. You never know what you’re going to find in the walls! I have first hand experience of what horse hair lath and plaster smells like.

My husband and I have four romance novel tropes that apply to our relationship—high school sweethearts, second chance romance, black cat/golden retriever, and fake dating!

5.Are there any other social media links, websites, or platforms where we can learn more about you that we should add?

Linktr.ee

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6. What is your favorite part of being an author?

I love talking about story, either with readers, other authors, or my critique partners— puzzling out what happens next, the connections between all the threads in a story, or how other authors are doing what they’re doing is so fun and inspiring to me.

7. What are your favorite resources for creating your manuscript? (Scrivener, Word, ProWritingAid, Etc.)

I draft in Google Docs because apparently I love chaos, but I also love the real time saving, the ability to access my work from almost anywhere, and the old MS Word interface.

I’m also a big fan of wordhippo.com because it is the superior thesaurus source, but it also has a lot of other word and definition related tools.

8. What is the most fun and most difficult part of the writing process for you?

Idea generation is The Best! You never know what’s going to inspire you or when a new idea is going to show up, and it just feels magical when you get that hit of “Aha, this could be a story,” and you have to race to find somewhere to write it down. It also gives me an excuse to read widely, drop down Wikipedia and YouTube rabbit holes, dip into all sorts of podcasts, and ask people the wackiest questions.

Drafting is The Worst! Don’t get me wrong, it’s exciting, but it’s also torture. Seeing my ideas get tied down and constrained on the page in all their awkward gangly flaws is really challenging for my perfectionist side.

9. Who are your favourite author/s? And why?

How long can this list be ;) I’m a huge fan of Louise Erdrich, Fonda Lee, Deanna Raybourn, Stephen Graham Jones, Rachel Harrison, Margaret Owen, Tanarive Due, Kelly Barnhill, Mary Roach, Tamsyn Muir, Martha Wells, and V.E. Schwab because they create unforgettable characters and worlds that have such distinct voices that I know from the first page I’m reading a book that will change my life. Their work makes me laugh or cry or sleep with the lights on, it makes me think deeply about the world and myself, and it also inspires me to want to be a better writer.

10. If you could give any advice to a new writer/author, what would it be?

My advice would be to read as widely as you can. Of course, read the books currently being published in the genre or genres you want to write, but don’t let that limit you. There are pieces of storytelling and craft you can find in any genre that will make you a stronger writer and keep your writing, and ideas, fresh.