Author Chat: Kala Godin, Writer of “Graveyard Heart”

This is B.C. Johnson, your author from another mother, and I’m back for another author chat!

Let’s get into it with this week’s guest, Kala Godin, author of GRAVEYARD HEART.

About the Author

Hi, I’m Kala Godin (she/her). I’m a 27-year-old author and editor living with a physical disability (Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Type 2) and am confined to a wheelchair. I live in a small town in Alberta, Canada. So far I’ve published 3 poetry collections and several short horror stories.

Halloween is my favorite holiday. However to me, Halloween isn’t just a holiday, it’s a way of life. I like tattoos, books (obviously) chocolate, and witchcraft.

The Questions

1. Do you have a writer you idolize?

Yes, and it’s not even an author that writes in my genres. V. E. Schwab is probably the author that I idolize the most.

I know that a lot of people would assume that I would say that I idolize Nikita Gill or Amanda Lovelace for poetry. And then Stephen King for horror. But I absolutely adore pretty much anything that V. E. Schwab writes. Not to sound like a cliché, but I would probably read her grocery list. I also appreciate her online presence as I find her to be very honest about writing and publishing.

2. What are you reading right now, and how is it?

I’m actually reading quite a few things right now so I will just narrow it down to two.

TENDERLY, I AM DEVOURED by Lyndall Clipstone. I received an ARC of this and while I’m not very far into it, I think it might end up being one of my favorites this year.

13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT A FAT GIRL by Mona Awad. Also not very far into this, but this is probably one of the grittiest, most viciously honest books I have ever read.

3. What do you prefer to write, poetry or prose? Do you have a different process for each?

Poetry comes to me quickly, and often times my poems are written in less than fifteen minutes and are fully formed. I don’t usually edit them very much. Prose is something that I have to work a lot harder for. Writing a few lines and then staring at the screen and then writing a few lines…and on, and on, and on. And then I only usually do two rounds of editing. 

4. What was it like writing a multi-authored short story? How did that work?

I haven’t really ever been asked about TEETH. It is still one of the most interesting projects that I have worked on, and it was my first piece of writing that was published. So the owner of Lycan Valley Press (now EFW Publishing) had an idea; writing a short story with as many co-authors as possible. Franklin E. Wales (EFW Publishing) wanted to see if we could break a record .

There were eleven of us. Each person took a turn writing a paragraph after the previous person. And we rotated. 

Fun Fact: I started the story as well as ended it.

5. What’s your least favorite part about being a writer? Favorite part?

Least favorite: Marketing. 

Favorite: Hunkering down with my writing and an iced coffee…and probably a cookie.

6. Have you ever had a character or big idea surprise you as you were writing?

I’m writing a series of horror novellas right now and one of my side characters is one of my favorite characters to write… She is this crotchety old woman, and her dialogue makes me laugh.

7. If your works had a soundtrack, what songs or artists might show up on the playlist?

Stevie Nicks and Marilyn Manson…

What Should We Read?

GRAVEYARD HEART: A POETRY COLLECTION

“Witch

Let’s accuse,

Every girl,

Of being a witch.

And then,

Wonder why,

They set our lives on fire.”

GRAVEYARD HEART is Kala Godin’s third poetry collection. This collection is a chaos creature, born from the messiness of life. It is woven from scraps of light and love, darkness and nightmare.

Where to Find the Author

You can find me on Instagram and Threads @kala_g_writes.

My website. Or my Substack.

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Next Time: Author Chat with Ian Thomas Healy

This is BC again, thanks for stopping by! Next Tuesday, we’ll be putting superhero author Ian Thomas Healy to the thumbscrews, where the thumbscrews are fun questions about writing processes.

You can subscribe to my blog to get updates as more author chats arrive, or follow me on Threads where I’ll be posting them as well.

Author Chat Series So Far

Author Chat: D. Ertug, Writer of “The Children of Eberen”

Author Chat: Henry Neilsen, Writer of “Sunward Sky”