Action Pulp!

February 3, 2026

By Adam Messer

Candace Nola is an author and publisher of horror novels, extreme horror and Splatterpunk, bringing night terrors forth from every page.

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Candace Nola. I am a multi-award winning author, editor, and publisher from Pittsburgh, PA. I am the creator of Uncomfortably Dark, an indie horror review and community support platform, as well as a small publishing house. We focus on marginalized voices from all walks of life that have a story to tell, within any and all horror and horror subgenres. 

What genres do you write and why?

I write general horror, or mainstream horror, as well as extreme horror and splatterpunk. I also write a little dark comedy as well as dark poetry. 

What is your earliest memory of reading?

I have been reading since four or five years of age. My mom always read to us and once I could read on my own, I was reading anything I could get my hands on. The earliest books that stand out were Dr. Seuss books, some early reader versions of Dickens and Twain, as well as Poe. 

When did you know you wanted to write? How did it happen?

I knew I wanted to write when I first learned to read. I loved everything about books, stories to read, places to visit in your imagination, scary monsters and fairy queens. I love libraries and how big they were, all of the leather-bound books that smelled like history, and old pipe smoke. I loved the gold-edged pages, the fancy lettering on the spines, the hundreds of pages just waiting to be discovered. It brought me joy. I wanted to do that one day, to bring some little girl joy. 

What’s one of your favorite scenes in one of your books?

I have two examples. The first is the opening chapter to Shadow Manor, my gothic haunted house story, where the main character explores the old manor that she has sought shelter in. I modeled this manor after a very real place, which happened to be one of the libraries we visited a lot when I was a child. They had taken this beautiful old mansion and made it a library.  The second is for my extreme horror fans. I wrote a short novella called The Unicorn Killer. The end scene involves showtunes, glitter, and a suspended Maypole, along with some very shocked police officers. 

What makes a good character? A bad one?

A good character needs to be relatable, well-rounded. They need to have emotions, depth, a back story to them that informs the reader of their intentions or their motivations or their reluctance to do something that is needed. They need to feel as real as your Aunt Mabel, or your co-worker Dave. 

A bad character is one that is flat with nothing relatable about them. There is not much backstory given, no emotional depth. Nothing to make the reader care about them as a character, which means they’ll stop caring about the story. 

What moves the story for you?

Pace. I love a well-paced story, bursts of action, intrigue, tension, moving the plot along, then a well-written ending to tie it all together. 

What is your favorite book and why?

Favorite book that I wrote or by someone else? Either way, that’s a really hard question. My favorite book of the last seven years or so is Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Durham.  It’s fantastic. 

What do you want to say to your audience?

Thanks for being fans and readers and supporters of Indie horror. 

What advice do you have for new writers?

Read often, read everything, by everyone.  Write often, write the first draft, write the second, but just write it. 

Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Thanks for the opportunity to do this interview. If you’d like to know more about me or Uncomfortably Dark, you can check out our website, or my personal website. Follow us across social media at Candace Nola, or at Uncomfortably Dark. 

Uncomfortably Dark Indie Horror Fiction Author

HOME | Candace Nola Author

Candace’s Substack | Candace Nola | Substack

Subscribe to our newsletter for updates and more!