We chat with Amy Goldsmith, YA speculative horror and mystery writer of Those We Drown and now her latest, Our Wicked Histories. This follows Meg, a scholarship student at the prestigious Greyscott’s Academy whose place at the school is hanging in the balance after a mistake at the Midsummer Ball. As she tries to make amends with her former friendship group, things take a dark turn during a weekend trip to an ancestral Irish estate.
Hi Amy, thank you for joining us today! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and your latest book, Our Wicked Histories?
Yes, of course! Thank you for inviting me! I’m a horror writer based in the south-east. I live by the sea (the source of many of my horrific imaginings) with my family, including a whippet called Spider and a tortoise called Steve. I love all things horror – particularly ghost stories and folk horror. Our Wicked Histories is my second young adult horror. It has a gothic, ‘dark academia’ feel and was partly inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. It’s the story of Meg, who gets tangled up with the glamorous Wren twins when she joins a prestigious art school. Meg is keen to make amends after a drunken mistake at the end-of-year party, so when she’s invited to a Halloween party at the Wren’s second home in Ireland, she thinks it is the perfect opportunity to put things right. However, once she arrives, things don’t go to plan… The house is dark and drab, the mirrors are all covered up, and there are rumours that a banshee haunts the lake… Some early readers have said it has a similar feel to Mike Flanagan’s Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House/Bly Manor, which is a massive compliment because I am such a fan of his work!
Your mysteries so far have a speculative edge to them, drawing on mythological influences. What draws you to this kind of narrative, and how do you select which myths to incorporate?
I think one of the reasons I’m drawn to this kind of narrative is that I grew up reading books by authors like Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising series) and Alan Garner (The Owl Service), who both cleverly incorporate ancient myths and legends into more contemporary settings – specifically Norse, Celtic, and Anglo-Saxon mythology, as well as Arthurian legends. I think exploring the impact the ancient past – in terms of myths and legends – might have on the future is such a fascinating idea. Those authors have had a significant influence on my writing, as have a lot of classic horror writers, such as M.R James and Poe. As for how I select them, I’m predictably drawn to the darker parts of mythology, like the banshee in Our Wicked Histories and the Sirens from Those We Drown.
Who would be your dream casting for an adaptation of Our Wicked Histories?
I know many writers have a clear picture of their characters while writing, but I actually don’t tend to do this; they’re all quite nebulous in my head, so this will be a chaotic answer. Meg looks a little like Phoebe Bridgers with her silvery hair and dark eyes. As for the Wren twins, I’d imagine Tom Blyth as Seb, and Florence Pugh definitely has a slight Lottie vibe. Karen Gillen would play Laure, and while I was writing Our Wicked Histories, I was deeply into ‘Vanderpump Rules’ (I am a Bravo superfan, iykyk) and imagined Joss looking like Lala when she first joined.
Our Wicked Histories takes us to a sprawling and somewhat crumbling Gothic mansion in Ireland – what inspired this choice of setting and genre?
Wren Hall was actually inspired by a real house I saw while visiting my in-laws in Roscommon, Ireland, a couple of years ago. We were waiting to go on a river cruise when I caught sight of this eerie-looking house across the water. It was this vast structure built of grey stone and half-covered in ivy. I knew I needed to write a story set there from the moment I saw it. As for the genre, I’ve always loved gothic stories; they’re so atmospheric, creepy, and often romantic. Seeing that house by the water made me think of The Fall of the House of Usher by Poe and how, in that story, an interloper visits a creepy pair of siblings, and Our Wicked Histories was sparked from that. I will say, though, that my book is only inspired by that particular tale; it’s not a retelling.
What songs would form the soundtrack to Our Wicked Histories for you?
So there’s a folk song that’s briefly mentioned in the book called ‘Weile Weile Waile,’ which is a pretty dark murder ballad about infanticide. And there’s a haunting cover of it by an Irish singer I love, Lisa Hannigan, which is the perfect thing to listen to while reading the book on a rainy day.
Another song I often listened to while writing was ‘Do I Wanna Know’ by the Arctic. Monkeys; the lyrics brilliantly capture this feeling of an intense, slightly obsessive relationship. Alex Turner is such a great songwriter.
‘The Last Time’ by Taylor Swift (feat. Gary Lightbody) would also be on the soundtrack. I think it conveys how frustrated Meg feels about Seb throughout the book.
What books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
Always! I am addicted to buying books, and my TBR list is HUGE. Unsurprisingly, I read a lot of horror, but I also love a good thriller and really anything dark and contemporary.
Regarding young adult books, I’ve just finished Jenni Howell’s ‘Boys With Sharp Teeth’, a beautifully twisted YA take on ‘The Portrait of Dorian Grey.’ I’m excited to start ‘I Will Never Leave You’ by Kara Kennedy, a sapphic YA horror about a haunting following a toxic relationship.
If possible, can you share a little about what you are currently working on or any upcoming projects you have?
Yes, I would love to! I have a book releasing next year called PREDATORY NATURES. It’s about a girl who takes a summer job on a luxury train only to discover it is carrying deadly cargo. I don’t want to give away too much, but it takes some inspiration from Welsh mythology and features a bit of plant horror. While drafting, I referred to it as PLANTS ON A TRAIN (like SNAKES ON A PLANE).
Finally, if you could only use five words to describe Our Wicked Histories, what would they be?
Gothic. Rain-drenched (is this two words, or does it count as one? Haha). Eerie. Haunting. Compulsive.
