Meet S. M. Hallow

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful S. M. Hallow. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with S. M. below.

S. M., so great to have you with us and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the community. So, let’s jump into something that stops so many people from going after their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. We’d love to hear about how you dealt with that and persisted on your path.

I turn everything the haters say into a game.

When I first let a few close friends read my novella, How to Survive This Fairytale, I was terrified by what their reaction would be. I’d written a romantic dark fantasy in the style of a video game, except the main character has no choices and can only do what the narrator tells him to do. I had a list of nervous questions I’d thought of while writing—questions that had nothing to do with the quality of the work, but whether people would misunderstand my story and my intentions in telling it. “Will people think this is a serial killer book?” I asked. “He’s not a serial killer, do I have to be more explicit in what I’m doing? Is it too violent? Does the structure make sense? Is the romance weird?”

Since the book’s release, I have in fact gotten reviews affirming everything I was worried about. I’ve also gotten reviews—many more reviews—from readers who say this is the best book they’ve read all year, an all-time favorite. So… who’s right?

The haters and the naysayers are welcome to their opinions. Not all books are meant for all readers. But for my upcoming release, The Halls of the Dead, I’ve made a bingo board where every square is something I’m scared someone will say about the book. This turns the fear into a game—and a cause for celebration. If I get a bingo, I’ll get myself a little treat.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m S. M. Hallow, and I write dark, romantic horror-fantasy.

My first novella, How to Survive This Fairytale, released in January 2025. It’s a retelling of several of the Grimms’ stories, and follows Hansel (of Hansel & Gretel fame) as he grows up, becomes an unwilling assassin for an evil queen, and eventually fights for the freedom to change his story and live happily ever after with a one-winged prince.

My debut novel, The Halls of the Dead, will be released summer 2026 with Harper Voyager (an imprint of HarperCollins). The Halls of the Dead takes place in 1849, in an alternate version of London where magic is real and necromancy is punishable by death. The story follows three necromancers as they fall in love while fulfilling a revenge quest against a corrupt judge who has personally victimized each of them.

To me, the most special thing about being an author is seeing readers point to something I wrote and say “that’s going to stick with me forever.” Mental health is a big theme in my books, and there’s nothing more special to me than putting words to an emotion or an experience that resonates deeply with other people. In those moments, I’m always reminded how human we all are. Even if there are things we keep inside and don’t say aloud or share, we are so much more connected than we think we are.

If you’re interested in learning more about my books, and any book-related events that may be coming up, you can follow me on social media (links below!) or check our my website, www.smhallow.com

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Patience, persistence, and being able to listen to yourself.

These are three skills that take a lot of time to learn, but they’ve gotten me to where I am in my creative career today. Creativity requires so much patience—the patience to hone your skills, to edit your work, to revise and review and wait for feedback from others. Everything takes time, especially if you’re submitting your work for publication. If you can find some kind of joy in slowing down and waiting—even if it’s just to reflect on how far you’ve come and celebrate that—it really helps.

Anything creative is going to require your persistence. You have to keep at it, even when you keep getting rejected. You have to keep at it, even when the work isn’t as good as you wanted it to be, thought it would be, expected it to be. There’s nothing on the other side of giving up, but if you persist, there are a thousand rewards. (Some of those rewards are gaining skills and experience, and those absolutely count as rewards!)

The last skill takes the most time, I think. When I was looking for an agent for The Halls of the Dead, I found someone who was interested in representing the novel… but whose feedback told me this was someone who didn’t understand the story I was trying to tell. I had a choice. I could either make all the changes she wanted me to make, even if they resulted in a book that wasn’t true to the story I wanted to tell, or I could keep looking for an agent (with no guarantee I’d find anyone better). I weighed my options for a week before realizing that I didn’t want my career represented by someone who didn’t understand me, so I decided to keep querying. I eventually found an agent who saw exactly what I was trying to do with this book, so it worked out for me in the end. As corny as it might sound, you’ve got to practice listening to your own heart, and writing from—working from—living from there.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

My mom passed away earlier this year. Her death coincides with the culmination of my childhood dreams coming true. It’s been a mind-boggling year. The worst devastation and grief I’ve ever experienced has gone hand in hand with success and triumph, and it’s really highlighted to me how much of my success is because my parents supported me like it was their only purpose on this earth.

I’m very lucky that I can say that. My parents read books to me every night before bed, and they gave me the space to be a creative child. When I said I was going to college for creative writing, they didn’t try to talk me out of it. The most impactful thing my parents did was love me—the kind of love that allowed me to flourish and follow my dreams all the way to a book deal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.smhallow.com/
• Instagram: @smhallowink
• Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/smhallowink/
• Other: https://smhallow.substack.com/ (my newsletter)