Beyond the Pen – Author Interview: Pandora Cress

Welcome to Behind the Pen where Maya’s Bookshelves dives deeper into the writer behind the story. For this interview, we have the author behind Serpent Darling, that I am absolutely obsessed with. This story captivated me and had me in a chokehold from the start.

Journey to Becoming the Storyteller

Can you introduce yourself to our readers? 

Hi!!! I’m Pandora. I am originally from Atlantic City, the OG area of pageant girls and stretch pants. I currently live In Pennsylvania with my husband and three kids and they’re all big readers which is wonderful. I work from home doing photo editing and am building my portfolio to offer book covers later this year to help pay the bills. I write based off of my own life experiences and mix them with my imagination to give it that hint of crazy everyone loves, but each story includes something that’s happened to me or in my life.

What first drew you to writing as a craft?

When I was little, I thought my mom had the most beautiful handwriting because she wrote in perfect cursive. I remember being real young like 7 and trying to copy her handwriting while rewriting books we had around the house. And then I started writing my own little stories from there. I was homeschooled for a few years and relatively isolated when I stumbled across Fanfiction on AOL and started writing Digimon and Inuyasha tales around 11, I believe? And I just never stopped.

How did your author journey begin? 

I went to college and had a dual major for Theater and English/Creative Writing. I started working on my own writing then with original characters but life got in the way so I never pursued it – I was too busy hustling to take care of my family. Last year, I made a promise to myself that I would at least try and a friend who I’d made through writing Fanfiction really supported me and helped me get through the drafting stages this year. I don’t know if I’d have had the guts to get this far without her pushing me. She’s currently pursuing art right now and I love that we both are doing what we love now despite the jobs we’re supposed to be doing, haha.

Are there any authors or books that inspired you or significantly influenced the way you write? 

Wuthering Heights is my favorite novel. I read it too young and it altered my brain chemistry and I am forever grateful that it did. Also, I’m big into poetry and Dorothy Parker is my boo. Sarcastic, dark and full of emotion. I think she really seeps into everything I write.

What was the most surprising part of your publishing experience? 

How hard it was to self-publish. And I have a decade of graphic design experience and have run multiple businesses. It’s been amazing to have the freedom and control over my work, but exhausting in a way only those who’ve self-published understand.

Where do you find is the best place for you to brainstorm your writing? Do you have a specific area in your house or a favorite cafe where you always end up writing the best? 

Late at night when I’m about to go to bed. I think I spend my days running after kids and working and cleaning and I don’t have time for my brain to explore anything else. But when I lay down and try to rest, I could plot an entire book while I lay there. When I do write, I usually sit at my desk in my bedroom and light a candle and put on rain sounds. 

Let’s Talk Serpent Darling

After reading Serpent Darling, one of your upcoming releases, I found myself relating to Sadie in a lot of different ways. What inspired you to write Sadie’s character in the way that you did? 

I think Sadie is all of us. We can relate to her because she’s real. She’s intelligent, she’s loyal, she’s trying to be a good person, and she’s stuck dating a total douche. She’s in her early twenties so she is just starting to come into her own and allow herself to give in to those wants and needs that she has been trying to keep hidden to those around her. But, she’s human. She’s got a temper and she has no qualms knocking a bitch out.

What kind of research did you have to do to understand the dynamics between Sadie and Jag? 

I’m about to tell on myself here, but Sadie and Jagger are modeled after me and my husband. We met on an anonymous posting app (Whisper) and found out we lived in the same city. We were best friends, coworkers who worked at a bar and to this day just have this great banter between us. I also used to be a professional pole dancer so I wanted to give that element to Sadie, as well. I get a lot of comments about the vibes being that of Riverdale’s Jughead and Betty and I did enjoy that series and think it bled in there since I tried to fashion the bar more akin to something like the Whyte Wyrm from the show as opposed to the hellhole we used to work at. 

My favorite character from Serpent Darling has got to be Jagger. His whole persona just screams hot. Do you have a favorite character from Serpent Darling? If so, why? 

Haha, yes. Jagger is awesome in this. I think he has just enough of a rough edge to cover up his soft side – especially for Sadie. I love Sadie the most, probably because I’ve written her in my likeness but Camille is my favorite character besides them. She’s just so fun and she’s going to have her own book soon.

What’s Next?

You’ve recently announced a new Halloween novella, Scaredy Cat. What can you tell us about this supposedly dark and twisted story? What can readers most look forward to from Scaredy Cat? 

Yes! So, Scaredy Cat was completely unplanned. I got really sick along with my family in the beginning of September (back to school germs), and was too sick to work so I laid around in a haze and thought this story up. I guess I have to thank NyQuil for some of it, too. But, it’s much darker than Serpent Darling and leans more into Erotic Horror than Dark Romance right now because of how many triggers it has. The main premise is that there is a Demon named Zach who only gets to come to earth on Halloween each year. He’s desperate to be human but he needs to take the soul of a full-blooded witch in order to do so. Enter Stacey, who has no idea she’s a witch since she was adopted. Zach is on a mission to claim her soul and gets her to agree by tricking her, taking her, and ultimately manipulating her into being his. Readers can look forward to a laundry list of triggers in about 100 pages. It’ll be the perfect mix of smut/horror for Halloween.

Can you tell us about any more upcoming books you have planned and where your inspiration for them came from? 

I am continuing the Darling Series with Masked Darling for next year. It’ll revolve around Jagger’s brother Kade but still allow us the chance to see Jagger and Sadie again. There will also be a final one in 2026 featuring Camille which will be a sapphic novella. My main project for next year is my full length novel I’ve been working on all year – School of Torment. It’s basically Hogwarts & Hostel meet Fourth Wing without the Dragons. It’s some of my best writing and I’ve been taking my time on it to get it just right with the help of my “adventure readers” as I call them. I came up with the concept last year by taking a poll on Booktok of what tropes and genres everyone wanted most and came up with this story. Every couple chapters I also let the adventure readers choose what happens next which I think has been fun for them.

More about Pandora Cress

If you could describe your writing in three words, what would they be? 

Witty, twisted and entertaining.

Where can readers find more information about you? Leave your links below! 

You can find me on TikTok, Instagram and Threads @authorpandoracress across all platforms. 

My website is www.pandoracress.com where readers can find out more information and order signed copies from me.

I want to give a HUGE thank you to Pandora Cress for joining me for this interview. It was so fun to conduct this, especially after being obsessed with Jagger and Sadie from Serpent Darling!