An Interview with Candi Archibald

I’m a mother of three and married to my high school sweetheart. I’ve been writing since the age of twelve. Writing has always been a healing mechanism for me, an escape from my reality. I have a book of poems published on Amazon titled Awakenings From the Dark.

What inspired you to start writing this book?

I wanted to get my childhood trauma out of my head and into words. I’ve created a whole story around my past sleep paralysis episodes and the flashbacks that started it all while pregnant with my second-born. My main character also has a fear of mirrors!

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Awakenings From the Dark. It came easy to me because I’ve been awakened both physically and spiritually, so this title stuck.

Describe your dream book cover.

Galaxy background with title font being creepy, like claws. A woman looking into a mirror in her bedroom, knowing that it’s not her looking back.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Shinedown – “.45”

Shinedown – “Monsters”

Metallica – “Enter Sandman”

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

Stephen King novels. He’s my role model when it comes to writing and creating stories.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

That I clean houses on the side for extra cash and I also draw.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I lost my uncle to a drowning accident when I was eight. When I was twelve, I was camping with my family and staring at the river. All of a sudden I felt the words rush through me and out they came onto my notebook.

Where is your favorite place to write?

In nature or at my computer, isolated in the basement.

Do you have any writing rituals?

I work my poems and stories from bones to flesh. Almost like working a puzzle, edge pieces first, then the center pieces that connect.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

I want to help others that are struggling with PTSD and sleep paralysis. It’s a very spiritual story that I hope inspires others to come out of their darkness and see the light.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.