We chat with debut author Jimmy Juliano about Dead Eleven, which is set on a creepy island where everyone has a strange obsession with the year 1994. A newcomer arrives, hoping to learn the truth about her son’s death–but finds herself pulled deeper and deeper into the bizarrely insular community and their complicated rules…
Hi, Jimmy! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m an author and high school educator near Chicago. When I’m not writing or working, I’m probably reading, watching movies (I’m game for all genres, but nothing beats a well-made horror flick), listening to music (Phish & film scores are my go-tos), or spending time with the fam.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I wrote Ghostbusters fanfiction and a pretty egregious rip-off of Casey at the Bat in elementary school. I still have them!
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
I remember reading We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story when I was six. Slaughterhouse-Five made me want to become an author, and I’m not sure I’ll ever stop thinking about Dead Eleven (I was in that world for so long!).
Your debut novel, Dead Eleven, is out June 27th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Mysterious, creepy, nostalgic, fun, propulsive.
What can readers expect?
Dead Eleven is equal parts mystery, thriller, and horror. Readers can expect a puzzle box of a story that mixes urban legends, early-90s nostalgia, and good ol’ fashioned thrills and chills.
Where did the inspiration for Dead Eleven come from?
I was visiting Washington Island off the coast of the Door County peninsula in Wisconsin. The island is forested and peaceful–country roads, lavender fields, quaint coffee shops–just total rustic vibes everywhere. I remember thinking, if I was dropped on this island thirty years ago, would I even notice a difference? And if it did look the same today as it did in the 1990s, what if there was a sinister reason for it? At that moment, the seeds of Dead Eleven were planted!
Why the horror genre?
First off, I’ve always gravitated to the genre. Stephen King is my favorite author (I know, shocker) and many of my favorite movies are horror films (Halloween, Alien, Scream). I feel really comfortable in the horror space, and as far as writing goes, horror allows me to explore themes and emotions in complex ways while wrapping them in a fun, spooky story.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There’s a scene about halfway through the story where characters at a bar decide to listen to a particular song, and there are consequences. It’s hard to explain without giving too much away! I also had a lot of fun writing Lily Becker, a high schooler on the island. An early reader said she has final girl vibes, and I totally dug that. Writing Pastor Rita was a blast, too!
Can you tell us a bit about your journey of getting Dead Eleven published?
It was quite the journey! I should start by saying that I’d been posting horror stories online for the last ten years, and those stories caught the attention of my now manager, Josh. I told him about my basic premise for what would become Dead Eleven–what if islanders appeared to be stuck in a particular day in 1994? He dug it, and I got to work. I turned that premise into a novella, which Josh passed along to my now literary agent, Liz. She loved it, and I was off to the races! With the help of Josh and Liz, I turned that novella into a novel. We went on submission with the novel version in September 2021, and about a month later I had a publishing deal with Dutton Books. It was totally surreal. After a few more drafts with my editor Lindsey, some revisions, and a few rounds of copy edits, here we are! All told, it was a four-year process from the kernel of an idea to Dead Eleven on bookshelves.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on my second book! It’s another mystery/thriller/horror hybrid, and while not a sequel or spinoff to Dead Eleven, it definitely shares some DNA.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is easily my favorite book of the last few years. I also really enjoyed Recursion by Blake Crouch–it smashes together Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, and Terminator 2. Really hard to put down.
