We chat with author Kosoko Jackson about his adult speculative debut The Macabre, which is a standalone novel blending time travel and globe-hopping adventure, art history, and dark fantasy about magical paintings and the lengths people will go to collect them, destroy them…or be destroyed.
Hi, Kosoko! Welcome back! How have the past two years been since we last spoke?
Thanks for having me! It’s been a lot! I just started film school this month to become a producer for films, my dog is bigger, I’ve moved into a new apartment, wrote more books and you know, lived in the world at large. I hope you’ve been well too!
Your latest novel, The Macabre, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Good question. Haunting. Global. Thrilling. Introspective. Daring.
What can readers expect?
The Macabre is a dark fantasy horror novel that follows Lewis Dixon, a down-on-his-luck painter who is invited by the British Museum to show his art in a gallery about former British colonies. But, to his surprise, when he gets there, he’s actually there because of his connection to a painter from the 1800s who created ten cursed paintings, and the British Museum needs his help tracking them down around the world.
The Macabre is a story about art, colonialism, artists, history, and who gets to write it, all wrapped up in a globe-trotting, spooky adventure. I wanted to write something that touches on the history of our world, who got to write it, the expectations we put on artists, and how that can hurt or help our art.
Where did the inspiration for The Macabre come from?
I went to The British Museum with my mom when I was about 12 and ever since then, 20 years ago, I’ve been thinking about who gets to have art, who gets to claim it, and society’s role in giving art back. It got me thinking about the power of art, and the idea of items that are so drenched in sadness and woe that they take on a life of their own. I also love shows like Warehouse 13, Fringe, The Magicians, and all of that came together to write this book.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There is one character, Cassandra, who I LOVE. She is what started this novel, listening to Florence and The Machine, who has a song of her namesake. I built the whole book around her, honestly. She went through a lot of changes too. The concept of coming up with the paintings was super cool to me too and helped ground it and flex my creative muscles. I LOVE books about cursed things.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
The Macabre covers every continent except Antarctica. Writing a book that jumps so much was hard because I had to have a painting each place, a challenge for myself, and give each continent justice without glossing over it. I outlined the book in full , about 25-30 pages, and then found where I wanted each painting to exist, and also kinda thought of each continent like a short story with specific goals to accomplish.
We previously spoke about your shift to the “dark side” with The Forest Demands Its Due and now The Macabre! When did the concept come to you? Did you plan to continue your venture as your next book?
I came up with this idea in early 2023! It was very different then, and focused more on someone inheriting a cursed painting in their home. I wanted to push myself though and write something DEEPER. I hope to stay in this dark fantasy horror lane for a while. I’ll bounce between dark fantasy and horror, cousins but not twins in genre.
What’s next for you?
After The Macabre, I have The Epidemiology of Witchcraft, which follows an epidemiologist who must decide if something is witchcraft or a disease in a small town, and another horror YA book! Can’t talk about that one yet, though.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I’m reading B.K. Borison’s Good Spirits, A Flicker In The Dark by Stacy Willingham and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. I’m REALLY excited to pick up You Weren’t Meant To Be Human by Andrew Joseph White that comes out the same day as The Macabre. And anything by Clay McLeod Chapman has become a new obsession. Wake Up and Open Your Eyes is my favorite book of 2025.
