We chat with author Nicholas Russell about Observer, which is a disquieting, atmospheric debut horror novel about a young woman investigating her mother’s disappearance at an abandoned Nevada observatory, for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and Mariana Enriquez.
Hi, Nicholas! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi there! I’m a writer and bookseller born and raised in Las Vegas. I’ve been freelancing for the last several years, writing essays and various sorts of cultural criticism, though I started writing fiction before all of that.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Do people still shout out their teachers? I remember being given an assignment for a 5th grade English class where we were supposed to write a short story. I can’t remember exactly what the parameters were, but I do recall what I turned in was about twice the page count needed. I didn’t grow up in that literary of a place and looking back on it now, running around Barnes & Noble and Borders rather than being glued to the TV or video games was just one of those lucky bits of circumstance. Short stories got me reading initially and then a lot of fantasy growing up. There’s always a gateway genre that leads outward onto other, more complex things.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe
- The one that made you want to become an author: Probably one of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: As of the last few years, Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton. One of the most shocking (and earned) endings to a novel I’ve ever read.
Your latest novel, Observer, is out September 15th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Desert, skin, mothers, poison, spores.
What can readers expect?
A suspenseful, eerie mystery that’s also an exploration, or as Brian Evenson described, an “excavation”, of the notion of family and knowing someone. I wanted to place readers in a gorgeous but unforgiving and vivid landscape, one where the danger could come from any direction.
Where did the inspiration for Observer come from?
I had a dream about the very last scene in the novel, which I won’t spoil here. But I wanted to know the story of that scene, how the characters involved got to that particular place surrounded by those particular things.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
There’s a character named Francis Brown, who’s a river surveyor on the Colorado River. His story takes place in the early 20th century and it became an excuse for me to attempt a Victorian register that I’ve always loved reading in Gothic literature. He’s what one might term an endearing racist, a man who is mired in the prejudices of his surroundings but is also naturally curious about the world and the people who live in it. It was fun writing someone who was both a little repellent and a little sympathetic.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge with Observer was the uncertainty surrounding when it would finally be done. I wrote the novel over several years while I was working a day job and freelancing, so it was often difficult to find the time to work on this thing that I was determined to see through but also wasn’t actively making me any money. I have to thank my partner and my agent both for encouraging me to continue chipping away at it. They saw its potential more clearly than I did sometimes.
What’s next for you?
I just finished edits on a story collection, which ventures even further into the horror genre than Observer. Now I’m onto my next novel. I can’t say much, but it involves werewolves.
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
I’m unbelievably stoked for China Mieville’s The Rouse. As it happens, both our novels publish on the same day. China is a singular writer and there are few out there who can make me excited, sight unseen, about a 1200 page novel. My friend Harron Walker just published a hilarious novella called Veronica Place, easily the most I’ve laughed in a long time. I also really loved Naben Ruthnum’s novella Helpmeet, one of the grossest and most visceral things I’ve ever read. Run don’t walk.
