We chat with author Jill Baguchinsky about So Witches We Became, which is a diverse, queer horror about female friendship, the emotional aftermath of surviving assault, and how to find power in the shadows of your past.
Hi, Jill! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi there! I’m a writer of horror and young adult fiction, and my latest book, So Witches We Became, comes out July 23. I’ve spent most of my life in Florida, where I dodge hurricanes, avoid the sun and humidity as much as possible, and sneak off to Disney World when I’m supposed to be writing. (Like, seriously. I’m typing this on my phone while I’m in line for the Haunted Mansion.)
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I can’t remember ever actually discovering that love; I think it was just always a part of me. I was making up stories and talking to characters before I knew how to read or write. By first grade, I was already writing a “book” – it was a story about a family of unicorns, and I felt very mature because it had chapters (I think each chapter was about a page). I remember I was writing it in a special notebook with unicorns on the cover (we’re talking peak 1980s here!), and one day I lost the notebook, or maybe someone took it out of my backpack. I’m still mad about that.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Black Beauty (Anna Sewell)
- The one that made you want to become an author: Misery (Stephen King)
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Currently? Whalefall (Daniel Kraus)
Your latest novel, So Witches We Became, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Furious, secretive, vengeful, creepy, satisfying (I hope!).
What can readers expect?
Slow-burn creeping dread with protagonists you’ll want to root for and a villain you’ll want to punch.
Where did the inspiration for So Witches We Became come from?
I’ve spent most of my life on the Gulf Coast of Florida, so I’ve been through more than my share of hurricanes. In September 2017, Marco Island, where I lived at the time, got a direct hit from Hurricane Irma. My dad had passed away a few months earlier; I’d always relied on his judgment when it came to hurricane safety, evacuating vs. hunkering down, etc., and not having him around to rely on made Irma’s arrival all the more traumatic. I knew I’d eventually write a hurricane story, if only to work through some of my residual storm-related anxiety – at first, I envisioned a survival thriller, but when I started drafting the following year, I realized I was focusing on the wrong bad guy. Hurricanes aren’t villains; they’re forces of nature. I found my real antagonist in the discourse about “locker room talk” and “boys will be boys” that was dominating society at the time. There’s still a lot of hurricane imagery in So Witches We Became, and its slow-burn horror elements are inspired by the feeling of tracking a storm and watching its gradual approach as it slowly closes in on you, but the story’s villain is entirely human.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I truly enjoyed fleshing out the history between best friends Nell and Harper and the depth and evolution of their friendship. Nell writes horror stories as a way of processing emotions and making fear into something fun, and Harper is an incredible artist. Having them collab on a horror zine when they were younger was such a fun thing to write — they were creating something together, combining their skills into something new and creative and special, and they really bonded over it. Developing that made writing the complexity of their current friendship a bit more wrenching.
I also really loved repackaging the dread I feel when tracking hurricanes into a different kind of fear and letting my characters tackle it.
Oh, and I loved pretty much every moment I spent writing Harper’s fussy and protective older brother, Harry. I’d adopt that cinnamon roll if I could.
This is your first foray into YA horror. What made you want to step over to the “dark side”?
Horror’s my home; that’s been the case since I started reading Stephen King when I was way too young. My first book, Spookygirl, was a YA paranormal fantasy, so it was sort of…horror-adjacent, although it’s a very gentle story that skews a lot younger than So Witches We Became. It was tough finding a follow-up project that would work within the market at the time, and then I got caught up in YA contemporary, but part of me always knew I’d veer back toward darker subject matter eventually. While I was working on So Witches We Became, I sold a few short horror stories; it was like the genre was welcoming me back where I belong.
We live in a world that can be really scary sometimes, and horror helps some readers process the resulting emotions in safe and effective ways. I really like being part of that.
What’s next for you?
Haha, I’m on deadline for a new…something, but I can’t talk about it yet! I’m hoping that changes soon, because I’m super excited to start yelling about it.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
I’ve been trying to work through my TBR a bit this year. I already mentioned it above, but I loved Whalefall by Daniel Kraus – the premise was so unique, and the format (lots of very short chapters) made it so easy to justify reading just one more chapter…and one more…and maybe just one more…you get the idea. I also really enjoyed This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham – it’s a delightfully gory YA take on teens getting back to their normal lives (sort of) in the aftermath of a zombie-ish pandemic, and it’s a really satisfying read in the wake of all we’ve been through with covid.
