As a child of suburbia myself, I agree with author Gwendolyn Kiste who — in the following email interview about her new novel The Haunting Of Velkwood (hardcover, Kindle, audiobook) — says, “There’s something so strange and haunted about suburbia.”
But that’s not all she has to say about this horror novel, which has, “…a few doses of other genres thrown in for good measure.”
To start, what is The Haunting Of Velkwood about, and when and where is this story set?
The Haunting Of Velkwood is about a haunted neighborhood called the Velkwood Vicinity. Only three girls escape the neighborhood the night before everyone there turned into ghosts, and now twenty years later, one of them has returned in hopes of settling up with the past once and for all.
The story is set in modern day in an unnamed suburban town in Ohio, though the ghostly neighborhood itself is trapped twenty years in the past.
Where did you get the idea for The Haunting Of Velkwood?
There were a lot of little inspirations here and there, but a big one came from the overall mood of Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides, which then led me to one of her inspirations for that film: a photography book called Suburbia by Bill Owens. That book, which came out in 1973, is filled with these wonderful black-and-white images of suburban American life along with interesting, strange, and insightful captions. There’s something really haunting about the images, and that was one of the pieces of inspiration for me to create my own haunted neighborhood set in suburbia.
And is there a reason it’s about three childhood friends as opposed to two or four or thirty-seven?
I love this question because it’s always a debate as to how many characters you really need to tell a story. I would always rather opt for fewer characters than too many; after all, authors are often more attached to their characters than most readers will be, and it’s usually easier to give readers fewer characters to remember than too many.
For me, three is a powerful number; I practice witchcraft, so threes comes up a lot in lore and spell work. There are a few hints about witchcraft in this book, so that drew me to the number three. Plus, as I was developing the story, that felt like the right number of characters in terms of the girls who have escaped the neighborhood. It allowed the book to show how several people would react to being the only ones left behind after their homes vanished but not an abundance of characters that just becomes too unwieldy.
Similarly, is there a reason why their town is in the suburbs as opposed to being a city or somewhere more rural? You mentioned that book…
I’m really fascinated with the suburban Gothic. As I mentioned, the story was inspired in part by Bill Owens’ Suburbia as well as Sofia Coppola’s adaptation of The Virgin Suicides, so the suburbs definitely felt like the right setting for this particular book. There’s something so strange and haunted about suburbia. It’s supposed to be this place that feels safe and welcoming, but the social rules are often so rigid, and everything is so insular, so it’s not nearly as friendly to everyone as it might first seem to be on the surface. That’s the horror that I really wanted to explore with this novel: of being in a place that should feel like home, but where you still feel like a total outsider.
It sounds like The Haunting Of Velkwood is a horror story, though I’m not sure if it’s more supernatural or sci-fi. Or neither. How do you describe it, genre-wise, and why that way?
I definitely describe myself first and foremost as a horror writer. That’s my greatest love when it comes to genre, and I absolutely feel that The Haunting Of Velkwood is a horror novel above and beyond any other genre. It’s all about ghosts and trauma and the past coming back to get you. Very scary stuff, at least if you ask me.
At the same time, though, there are other genre influences on the book for sure. There are hints of science fiction and even a little fantasy. There are also definitely aspects of weird fiction in there as well. So I would call it a horror novel with a few doses of other genres thrown in for good measure.
The Haunting Of Velkwood is not your first published book. Are there any writers who had a big influence on Velkwood but not on anything else you’ve written? Because it’s giving me It vibes.
Honestly, that’s a really good instinct because as I was writing it, I even thought how it’s probably the only book I’ve written so far that has some Stephen King influence. That happened very naturally as the story went on; it was certainly not a conscious choice, even though I of course love so much of King’s work. I think it’s the coming-of-age vibe of It in particular that really comes through in The Haunting Of Velkwood. I’ve always loved those types of stories, and I’m really excited that I got to explore that in this novel.
How about such non-literary influences as movies, TV shows, or games? Because again…It.
So other than The Virgin Suicides, David Lynch’s work, in particular Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, were definitely swirling in my head. I really wanted to look to media that depicted small towns or suburbs with all the rot and dread lurking beneath the surface. Lynch certainly understands the allure and the horror of that type of setting, so he’s a great one for inspiration when it comes to the suburban gothic.
And what about your cats? How did they influence The Haunting Of Velkwood?
So these days, I only have one indoor cat. Her name is Rose Of Sharon, and she’s a little calico who’s very rambunctious and sweet. (She’s literally caterwauling in the other room as I type this.)
I do have a second cat that I take care of; she’s a little black cat who lives outside and was born feral. She’s much more tame now, but she’s still got quite a wild streak, which is why she remains outside. I call her Spooky while my husband named her L.B.C. As in Little Black Cat.
They didn’t necessarily influence The Haunting of Velkwood directly, but I will say that Rose of Sharon is certainly a great writing companion; she likes to sit near my writing desk and nap the day away. What a life, right?
Rose Of Sharon, Spooky a.k.a. L.B.C.
Now, it sounds like The Haunting Of Velkwood is a stand-alone story…
It’s definitely a stand-alone story. I’m not someone who reads a lot of book series, so that’s not something I’ve tried yet. Maybe one day, but at this point, I’m much more of a writer and a reader of stand-alone books.
Earlier I asked if The Haunting Of Velkwood was influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games. But to flip things around, do you think Velkwood could work as a movie, show, or game?
I’m sure most writers feel this way, but yes, I absolutely think it would work as a movie or a TV show. With this one, probably a movie rather than a full series, but then again, limited-edition series are all the rage right now, and that’s such a cool format.
Since it’s a stand-alone book, and it’s only around 250 pages, either a full-length film or a limited-edition series of six to eight episodes would be really neat to see.
And if someone wanted to make that movie or limited series, who would you want them to cast as Grace, Brett, Talitha, and the other main characters?
I never really cast my books in my head as I’m writing them. I like to keep it completely open-ended. At this point in my career, I’ve had my work optioned for film / TV and had producers ask me who I imagine in the cast, and I’ve genuinely said, “I’m good with anyone who really loves the book.” To me, that would be the most important thing: having a cast that really feels connected to the material.
Wait, what about Gwendoline Christie, who I’m sure no one ever mentions to you…
You know, most of the time, people don’t bring her up, even though there’s the obvious connection with our names. I’m not super familiar with her body of work, but from what I do know, she seems incredibly talented and lovely, so I would of course be happy to have her as part of the project.
So, is there anything else you think people need to know about The Haunting Of Velkwood?
Basically, if you like ghost stories, especially ghost stories with a twist, then The Haunting Of Velkwood might be right up your alley.
If you’re looking for books with more queer representation, especially bi+ representation, then this one has a queer relationship at its heart.
If you’re looking for feminist horror or just a creepy story about a creepy neighborhood that turned into a specter, then give it a try. I think you might like it.
Finally, if someone enjoys The Haunting Of Velkwood, which of your other novels would you suggest they check out next?
I would go with either The Rust Maidens or Reluctant Immortals. Those two seem to have resonated with a decent number of readers.
But if you want to go with a deep cut, then try my witchy novel, Boneset & Feathers. I’m really proud of that one, too.
All my books are my little literary children, and I love them all equally, so I don’t really want to choose.
