We chat with author Mia Dalia about Haven, which is slow-burn psychological horror novel and is a creepy haunted house tale told from multiple points of view, spinning a suspenseful tale of a family visiting a vacation home through the eyes of middle-aged parents and two teenage kids.
Hi, Mia! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi, everyone! My name is Mia Dalia. I write dark speculative fiction across genres. Most of what I’ve published thus far has been horror, but I’ve branched out into noir, science fiction, humor, mysteries, literary fiction, and downright weirdness. My debut novel, Estate Sale, came out in April of 2023. I’ve had several novellas published—Tell Me a Story, Discordant, and Arrokoth—and a collection of short fiction titled Smile So Red and Other Tales of Madness. My second novel, Haven, comes out right in time for the 2024 Halloween.
I’ve also published a ton of short fiction across various websites, podcasts, magazines, and anthologies. My stories have been selected as top ten of Tales to Terrify 2023 and shortlisted for Crime Writers Association’s Dagger 2024 Awards.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I started getting story ideas in the summer of 2021. A lot of them. My wife insisted I start writing them down. She’s brilliant, so, naturally, I listened, and I’ve been writing them down ever since.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Grimm’s Fairy Tales
- The one that made you want to become an author: I couldn’t possibly narrow it down to just one.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Piranesi
Your latest novel, Haven, is out October 29th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Slow-burn, dark psychological revenge nightmare.
What can readers expect?
Like most of my work, Haven is a work of literary fiction with a genre edge. In this case, that edge is supernatural. Think a well-crafted, character-driven drama wrapped in a steadily tightening chokehold of horror.
I write the books I like to read. My main interest is the psychology of fear, and my monsters tend to be of a human nature. I tend to avoid gore and guts and other genre staples like that. Readers of Haven (and my other work) can expect quality writing, thought-provoking content, taut suspense, and a few surprises along the way. My goal is definitely to unsettle and disturb, but subtly. Real fear creeps in, rather than jumping out of a dark corner.
Where did the inspiration for Haven come from?
I like deconstructing social norms in my writing, so I wanted to take on the myth of a happy, all-American, stereotypical, “apple pie” family, and put it through the shredder of a very unusual house. Because the novel is psychological in nature, I want the readers to draw their own conclusions as to what makes a family work or fall apart. Better yet, I want to question the very notion of what makes a family.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Well, I’d never play favorites, and, honestly, it was all a lot of fun. That said, Ava and Nina are the beating heart of the story, and I absolutely loved bringing them to life.
Why horror?
Well, that’s what happens when you start off on Grimm’s Fairy Tales. And we’re talking the original stories, not the later Disneyfied versions.
But seriously, I think horror is a fantastically versatile and clever genre, and it works like magic when it comes to exploring the darker aspects of psychology. I do write across genres, but that edge always remains, even in my “happier” stories. My upcoming novella, Do You Know the Muffin Man, is a comedy with baked goods, and I still managed to throw murder in there.
What’s next for you?
Aside from the aforementioned novella, I have a slew of short stories coming out in various anthologies, including some I’m really excited about, though cannot announce yet.
And in long form, I have recently signed on with Curtis Brown Agency, so I’m working with them to hopefully unleash some of my thrillers into the world in the near future.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Oh, I can go on, but the short list would be, in fiction: Yael van der Wouden’s The Safekeep, C. J. Tudor’s Gathering, Emet North’s In Universes, Teddy Wayne’s The Winner, Nicholas Binge’s The Ascension, Anthony Marra’s Mercury Pictures Presents, Anne de Marcken’s It Lasts Forever and Then It Ends. In non-fiction: Randall Sullivan’s The Devil’s Best Trick and Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities. And Manu Larcenet’s graphic novel adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road was an absolute stunner.
There are too many books on my TBR list and never enough time.
