We chat with debut author Carissa Orlando about her debut novel The September House, which follows a woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare.
Hi, Carissa! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I am an unsalvageably nerdy psychologist who has never met a horror movie so bad I didn’t want to watch it. Also, I write books.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I was a bit of a bookworm when I was younger, which probably planted the seeds. As a kid, I actually hated writing, right up until the moment I discovered that writing for myself is far superior to writing for any sort of school or work assignment. The whole of this mess just sort of evolved naturally out of that.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
I have a bit of a Memento-style memory when it comes to books, so I definitely can’t tell you the precise answer to any of these questions. While it certainly wasn’t the first book I recall reading, I remember absolutely loving Treasure Island when I was in the third grade, as well as being proud that I made it through the thing! I will always remember finishing Stephen King’s Cujo when I was a teen and being so disgruntled that I pitched the book across the room—truly, the earmark of a fantastic reading experience! As for a book that made me want to become an author, I can’t say any one book in particular was responsible; rather, the act of crafting and telling a story was wonderfully addicting, and I hope to continue doing it for a while to come.
Your debut novel, The September House, is out September 5th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
I can do it in four: you can survive anything.
What can readers expect?
The September House is a not-your-typical haunted house story that tells the story of Margaret, a woman who currently lives in the house of her dreams, which just so happens to be a haunted nightmare. Still, Margaret is determined to live peacefully with her formerly-living roommates—pranksters, as she calls them—and has developed a set of rules for surviving in her house of horrors. She has no intentions of fighting back, even when the paranormal events worsen each September, and definitely not against the creature who lives in the basement—Master Vale. Then Margaret’s husband, Hal, vanishes. Their estranged daughter, Katherine, insists on coming to visit to look for Hal, unaware that the house is haunted. Margaret’s priority is to keep Katherine safe, a difficult task with September starting. As Katherine’s search for her father turns up distressing findings, Margaret is at a loss on how to protect her daughter not only from the pranksters in the now but from the past she so desperately wanted to keep in the then.
Where did the inspiration for The September House come from?
I wish I could say that my inspiration behind this novel was something profound, but that is so rarely how I operate. Instead, the inspiration came when I was standing in front of my mirror, getting ready for work. I was struck with the simple thought: “what if someone lived in a haunted house and was completely fine with it?” The idea stuck with me and started taking shape over the next several weeks, evolving into the story it ended up being—a tale of a woman, Margaret, who has found a way to live (somewhat) peacefully in a very haunted house. Despite the horrors. And the dangers. And the disappearing husband.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I really enjoyed writing all the haunted elements of the house. I knew from the start that I wanted Margaret’s house to be the most haunted house of all the haunted houses, and I had a blast throwing every haunted house trope at her as I created that space. It was an absolutely fantastic time, and I would never want to live there personally.
What a striking cover! Were you involved with its direction?
The cover was designed by Daniel Brount, and although I technically was allowed input, I ended up having to give very little because they knocked it out of the park pretty much immediately! I provided a vague list of preferences and dislikes and word-person-trying-to-describe-a-visual-vibe statements at the outset, and the team at Berkely managed to take that unhelpful mess and create a phenomenal cover, which in and of itself is impressive as heck.
This is your debut novel! Can you tell us a bit about what the road to becoming a published author was like for you?
It’s been quite the wonderful road, honestly. I wrote the story in late 2019 and finished just in time for the pandemic to hit. I edited the thing and got it into a presentable form with all the new, fun free time the pandemic afforded many of us, and started querying in the summer of 2020. For me, the querying process lasted about a year, and was just about as demoralizing as I’m sure it is for a lot of authors. In the summer of 2021, I was picked up by my wonderful agents at Folio Literary Agency, Kat Odom-Tomchin and Sharon Bowers. They helped me find the book a home at Berkley just a few months later, and things have been a bit of a whirlwind ever since!
Are you working on anything else?
I sure am! It’s still very much in the in-progress stage right now, but hopefully you will hear more from me soon!
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
The Monster at the End of This Book. Great ending. Highly recommend.
