C.M. Forest - dReadCon Author Spotlight

Meet C.M. Forest, the twisted mind behind Infested—a Benjamin Franklin Award–winning novel that’ll make you itch with unease. We launched his unsettling collection of stories, The Roots Run Deep, in 2024 and cannot wait to catch up and see what he has been up to.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, what books we can expect to see at dReadCon, and where we can find you on social media.

I am C.M. Forest, otherwise known as Christian Laforet, and I’m the author of the Benjamin Franklin award winning novel Infested, the novella We All Fall Before the Harvest, and the short story collection The Roots Run Deep. My short fiction has been featured in over a dozen anthologies. I live in Ontario, Canada with my wife, kids, three cats and a pandemic dog named Sully who has an ongoing love affair with a blanket.

I will have copies of Infested and The Roots Run Deep at dRead Con this year!

You can find me to varying degrees of activity on these social media platforms:

Website: Christianlaforet.com

Facebook: Author C.M. Forest

Instagram: @christianlaforet

TikTok: @christian_writes_horror

Bluesky: @authorcmforest.bsky.social

Why is DreadCon important for horror and dark fiction authors?

Canada, in the past, did not have an annual horror author convention. Which, considering the embarrassment of talent we have when it comes to dark fiction writers up here, was a damn shame. It’s this reason that dRead Con is so important. Finally, we have a convention we can call our own; one we don’t have to leave the country for.

What advice would you give to new writers trying to break into the genre?

This one is simple: keep writing. The hardest part about writing is actually making the time to do it. Don’t worry about the quality, not at first at least. Pretty much every great book ever written started out as a messy, incoherent first draft.

What draws you to dark fiction—fear, mystery, or the psychology of horror?

I’ve always been drawn to spooky things. As a kid, I mainlined horror movies non-stop. As I got older, that love spread to video games, comics, and novels. When the writing bug bit, it was a no-brainer that I would write horror. There is something deeply satisfying when you can scare people with your words.

How has the dark fiction or horror writing community supported you in your journey?

The horror community has been incredible since I started this strange adventure. When I first started writing, I felt like I was alone in the universe. A tiny speck yelling stories into the void. But then I started meeting other horror writers, and readers, and all of a sudden, I felt like I was a part of something.

What type of music if any do you listen to while writing?

I always listen to music while writing, but it has to be without vocals. If I hear a person talking (or, in this case, singing) in my ears while writing, my own words start to become jumbled. Because of this, I stick to a lot of soundtracks.

What makes a truly unforgettable villain or monster in dark fiction?

That’s a good question. I think the secret to a top-notch villain is that they have unwavering conviction in their actions. Whether they are mustache-twirling pulp villains, or morally conflicted bad guys, I think as long as they believe in what they are doing, they will be a great antagonist.