Q&A: Allison Gunn, Author of 'Nowhere'

We chat with author Allison Gunn about Nowhere, which is a spine-tingling and twisty debut about a series of disappearances in a small, fundamentalist town and what one broken family must do to remain together as dark forces close in—think Mare of Easttown meets The Outsider!

Hi, Allison! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Where to even start?! I’ve had a fairly unique life journey thus far that’s taken me from Small Town, USA across the pond to London, U.K, and back—25 moves total, in fact. I grew up as a pastor’s kid which has provided endless inspiration for my work (more on that later). I’ve worked in cannabis retail, the veterinary field, academia, the government, and freelancing. Prior adventures included urban exploration and an unreasonable amount of mischief in the Appalachian wilds where I was born and now once more reside.

I’m a lifelong “weird kid” who loves tarot, talking about high strangeness, reading and watching just about anything horror-related, and of course, writing. I’m also exceptionally lucky to be the mother of two incredible young women who are far wittier and talented than yours truly as well as an adorable, mischievous hound-terrier pupper. I’ve also got the backing of a small army of friends and family who love me even when they don’t understand the proverbial black sheep in the bunch.

All in all, it’s hard to describe myself in a few short words other than “uncommonly lucky and beautifully bizarre.”

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I wrote my first “book” when I was four or so which was titled “Candy, P.I.” That sounds a bit like a Ti West film, I know, but I’m fairly certain Candy was just searching for whoever stole a missing cupcake.

Regardless, that was the first time I can recall the strong need to tell stories. Throughout my early years, I wrote short stories non-stop, most of which were never shared with anyone because I was terrified of what others would think. That was amplified by growing up in an extremely religious community. Fiction was my outlet for all the things I couldn’t say aloud about myself and the world. So, much of what I penned remained hidden in notebooks that were (sadly) burned. Nevertheless, I’d caught the writing bug and thankfully never stopped putting words on the page.

Writing has, is, and will likely remain my healthiest coping mechanism. Truly, if I didn’t write, I think I’d lose my mind entirely.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

The first book you ever remember reading: Flutterby (Serendipity Series, 1976), written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James.
The one that made you want to become an author: The Shining (1977) by Stephen King
The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Incidents Around the House (2024) by Josh Malerman

**Your debut novel, Nowhere, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?**

Family drama dripping with folklore

What can readers expect?

Nowhere is a family saga wrapped in crime, chaos and terror set against the backdrop of the Appalachian mountains.

The story is centered around the Kennan family and the sleepy, religious town of Dahlmouth which, I think, is a character unto itself in the novel. A year after Finn and Rachel Kennan lose their son in a drunk driving accident with Finn behind the wheel, a mutilated corpse is found in the woods that surround Dahlmouth. Rachel, the small town’s police chief, jumps on the bizarre case, eager to distract herself from her crumbling marriage and rocky homelife.

Soon, however, Dahlmouth’s children begin disappearing into the woods, panicking citizens as they search for someone (or thing) to blame. The clock ticks faster as Rachel desperately tries to quell the growing frenzy, solve a murder, and find the missing kids. Meanwhile, Finn begins to notice there’s something not quite right about their own daughter, and soon, the town will discover her odd behavior is more than teenage rebellion.

Beyond the thrills and chills, Nowhere is an examination of a family in crisis. It puts a spotlight on mourning, and the varied ways in which people deal with grief. While Finn and Rachel tear at each other’s throats, lost in their own pain, they are forced to work together to protect their young daughters. On the surface, the horror of the story comes from folkloric darkness in the forest. Dig a bit deeper, however, and I think readers will find the book’s most frightening threads stem from the broken relationships amongst the characters.

**Where did the inspiration for Nowhere come from?**

So much of my youth is in this book. I grew up a pastor’s kid in some very fundamentalist communities. We moved around a lot, and the feeling of constantly being an outsider, constantly being examined, constantly held to expectations that I could never really meet, followed me from one church to the next. Those feelings were increased ten fold when I realized I was queer which, in the slice of Christianity I was raised was a one-way ticket to eternal damnation. I struggled against my identity for a very long time, terrified that God would strike me down or that my community would turn on me. To tell you just how deeply engrained this fear was, I didn’t even come out to my mother until a few weeks before Nowhere’s release. (I should note, she handled the news with utmost love and acceptance which hopefully demonstrates how different my family is now). Nowhere’s themes of isolation, fear of oneself, buried secrets, and religious trauma were born out of these childhood experiences.

As for the folklore embedded in the story, I’ve always been fascinated by unexplained disappearances and tales involving children (is there anything creepier than kids, really?). In particular, I was obsessed with the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island—not to be confused with the city of Roanoke, VA which is featured in Nowhere—where over one hundred people vanished in the late sixteenth century. Legends of changelings and creepy pasta stories like the Black-Eyed Children also served as major influences.

Finally, Appalachia breathed life into the novel. I was born and raised for much of my childhood in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Around the time I began penning Nowhere, I was hitting the road to go writing and hiking at least once a month, and inevitably found myself escaping further into West Virginia to find solace. I then had the immense pleasure of moving back into Appalachia just before I began querying the novel. Truly, it is one of the most magical places and each time I step foot into the forests here (yes, I still go hiking even after writing a horror novel set in the woods), I’m inspired to write something new. From its endless legends to its stunning beauty to its often overlooked history and denizens, Appalachia colors most of what I write these days, and Nowhere is no exception.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

To this day, I still smile when I read Chapter Three which is when the reader first meets Finn Kennan. There was so much shared experience raising kids, being a writer, struggling through a crappy relationship—it was very personal but also, I managed to convey it in this snarky tone that was uniquely Finn. He is such a quietly volatile character and was an absolute delight to pen. His scenes felt like they flowed effortlessly during the writing process. I will always hold that character close to my heart even if he is a pretentious jerk.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

I think every writer faces their own unique challenges! Put simply, writing is hard work even when you love it.

When I first began writing the novel, I was still wrapping up graduate school at University of Maryland, working full time for the federal government, and raising two young daughters. I also have Bipolar Disorder which can rear its ugly head without warning and land me in bed for days. So, I mean—simple, right? PLENTY of time to work on a manuscript 😉

But it was a beautiful process amidst all the chaos. I talk about it a bit in the Author’s Note at the beginning of the novel, but much of the novel was composed on my ancient Android phone in the Notes app. I’d obsessively write on the train while commuting and on my lunch break (apologies to my former co-workers who I actively hid from in order to write on break). At night, I’d transfer everything from my Notes app to my running Google draft. Sometimes, I’d email three different versions to myself throughout the day because I was terrified of losing the progress I’d made. It felt like absolute madness in a bajillion different Google doc versions.

Then, I was “fortunate” enough to break my foot . . . three times, actually which eventually led to surgeries. That earned me several months on the couch with a boot and my laptop. It was probably the best thing that could have happened in terms of writing Nowhere. It allowed me to fit together all the puzzle pieces I’d been writing on a phone into a full, coherent novel. So, even the challenges involved in writing Nowhere oftentimes contributed to the overall success of crafting the book that exists now.

This is your debut novel! What was the road to publishing your debut like?

LONG!

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I began writing Nowhere in little snippets somewhere around 2017. It wasn’t until 2020 that I felt confident enough to actually attempt to publish it. I very much struggled overcoming that initial fear of sharing my work with a wide audience, and I regret not trying sooner now that I’ve been through the process.

In between finishing the first draft and beginning the querying process, I had quite a few beta readers provide comments which was essential in fine-tuning the story. I cannot thank those individuals enough, especially my now-critique partner, E.W. Doc Parris.

Then came the querying trenches, which anyone who has attempted to publish traditionally knows is an emotional, time-consuming, and difficult place to be. At the time, I was in a job where my research and technical writing were constantly critiqued and rearranged as a built-in part of the process. Because of that, I was fortunately walking into the search for an agent with thick skin. Writers considering traditional publishing or who are in the querying stage now should find some comfort knowing that the vast majority of writers go through dozens (if not more) rejections before they even get a request from an agent for more chapters. Once you accept that, it makes the processs at bearable—mostly.

My incredible agent, Logan Harper, and I connected during a pitch event on Twitter. I had been seeking an agent that would be a developmental partner in the revising process and focus on long-term career growth just as much as the present manuscript they’re marketing to editors. The stars aligned, and I found just that with Logan. She is far and away one of the most valuable contributors to my work, and I value her insight beyond words.

After Logan and I reached a point where we both felt Nowhere was ready to take on submission to editors, I was again insanely lucky to team up with Loan Le and Atria very quickly. However, even after getting a book deal, it’s still quite a long road ahead for many authors. There’s numerous rounds of developmental edits, then copyedits, forming a marketing plan, cover design, etc. Dates can shift quickly, so sometimes, an author can feel like they’re twiddling their thumbs for weeks before breaking into a mad dash with little notice. It’s a wild ride, but I absolutely love it!

All in all, it’s taken nearly a decade for Nowhere to travel from the initial concept in my head to actually landing on shelves thanks to life’s twists and turns. I’d even given up on querying Nowhere and moved to a different project just before I signed with my agent. Nevertheless, I’m thankful for the experience and all of its challenges. I’ve learned so much along the way, and I’m excited for the publishing journey that lays ahead.

What’s next for you?

I’m always working on the next writing project. Right now, that’s a manuscript that blends Hollywood hell with the whispers of what lives in the deepest hollows of West Virginia. Horror is my bread and butter, so you can expect to see much more of it in the future.

And of course, I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that some day soon, Nowhere will find a home in film/television. The screen needs more Appalachian folkloric horror, and I’m dying to share Nowhere with an even wider audience.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?

First and foremost, I cannot wait for The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig to hit the shelves. I was lucky to receive an advance copy of the novel, and it blew me away. It’s whimsical, nostalgic, bone-chilling, and one of my favorite reads in quite some time.

Other titles I’m excited for include (in no particular order):