What was your inspiration behind writing Chloe’s story? When did it change from just an idea into an actual plan for a book series?

Growing up, I loved reading fantasy stories and actually came up with Chloe Vega as a kid, but I never once considered becoming an author until I got to college. I went in with the intention of entering politics and was working on a campaign internship in Summer 2018 when I saw news coverage of kids in tears as they were separated from their immigrant parents at the border. That, combined with the lack of representation of Latines in books, films, and media, was what kickstarted this series. I wanted to write something those kids could read; not to make them forget about their reality, but to show them that the situation they’re in doesn’t define them. They, too, could be the heroes of their own story.

Who are Chloe’s mentors in the books, and why is it important for a character like Chloe to have those mentors?

When Chloe arrives at the academy, the students all get assigned to small groups called “familias” and each family is assigned two godparents, a Madrina and a Padrino. Madrina and Padrino become huge mentor figures for Chloe, and constantly have to remind her that it’s okay to ask for help. For a daughter of undocumented immigrants like Chloe, asking for help doesn’t come easily, so having Madrina and Padrino as figures she can trust and turn to for anything she needs becomes crucial.

In the first book, Chloe is forced to confront one of her biggest fears: being separated from her family. What personal journey does Chloe go on in this book that you’d like readers to make note of?

At the end of Book 1, something huge happens that changes Chloe’s life forever. In Book 2, she is grappling with the weight of this change, one that many members of the magical community don’t believe she deserves. Confidence has never come naturally to Chloe, so to navigate this change and step into her power, she’s going to need to learn to shut out the voices telling her she’s undeserving, all while the world is at stake, of course. It’s the perfect read for anyone who has ever experienced imposter syndrome!

What do you hope readers will take away from this series?

I’m a firm believer that art is a digestible way for people to learn about others’ experiences and gain empathy. If the Chloe Vega series becomes a gateway for parents to have conversations with their kids about immigration, I know I’ve done my job. If those kids read the story and feel represented and seen, I know I’ve done my job. But more importantly, if my books inspire future generations to tell their own stories, especially if they feel like it would fill a gap that hasn’t been filled yet, that would be the ultimate gift.

What’s next for Chloe?

We’ll see! My hope right now is that this lands in as many readers’ hands as possible. Chloe Vega’s world is so massive, and I have plenty of ideas up my sleeve. If you enjoyed reading, please tell your communities about it and spread the word!

Will you be picking up Chloe Vega and the Missing Unseen? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Leslie Adame, Author of ‘Chloe Vega and the Missing Unseen’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

You’ve been a fashion executive, the creator of Mister Krisp, and now a novelist. How do you understand your creative transition across these very different fields?

My creative journey has given me such a unique perspective on the creative process as a whole and the commercial aspects of creativity. I’ve always considered myself to be a creative person, and when I started my career in fashion, I was in a sales role. On top of managing global department store sales for the brand, my job was to communicate to the designers, who were in a more traditionally creative role, how to fuse their vision with what was working commercially. This was my favorite part of my job; I loved how collaborative it all felt and the very clear synergy between design and sales. Another part of my sales role was storytelling, whether I was helping a department store merchandise their buy or traveling to their locations around the world to share our brand story and ethos with the salespeople responsible for communicating it to customers. When I transitioned to making Rice Krispie Treat art with Misterkrisp, I was ready to step into a creative role myself, and I learned so much about building from a vision and developing a unique creative voice and vocabulary that is easily understood by the customer, and I think I was able to do that so naturally because I already had a clear understanding of customer behavior. Now as a novelist, I’m able to examine the relationship between creativity and commerce from the perspective of having seen inside the machine from different viewpoints and really lived it myself.

How has your relationship with Instagram changed over the years, both personally and creatively?

When I first decided to make an Instagram account for Misterkrisp in 2013, I put it up and took it down several times because I was afraid that people would think I wanted attention, and that made me feel ashamed. The world has changed so much! Creating content for Misterkrisp was easy because my business making custom treats naturally generated the type of visual content that did well on Instagram at the time, and I could include images of myself as much or as little as I wanted to; the art spoke for itself. Part of my early success with Misterkrisp was tied to the fact that I loved what I was doing, it was exciting and authentic to me, so that came across to people. I was just making things I thought were cool and sharing them, there was no strategy involved beyond knowing that if I thought something was interesting, other people probably would, too. As Instagram changed, I still loved making my food art, but posting became less fun. Even though business slowed down a lot during the pandemic, I continued to post, but in the years following, there was something less playful for me about the cultural climate at large and definitely on Instagram, and I naturally stopped posting as much, which led to orders slowing down. When you’re not reminding people every day that you’re out there making art, they forget. By this time, I was also working on LOOKS PERFECT, and eventually that became my priority and I stopped posting altogether and often turned down orders when they came in to focus on the book.

Once LOOKS PERFECT was acquired, I was worried about how I’d re-emerge on Instagram when things had changed so much while I’d been dormant. I worried about it for a while, until I just started posting again. It felt vulnerable to be openly trying, but then I remembered that everyone is trying, they just hide it well. Since then, I’ve been having a lot of fun with it, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still feel vulnerable a lot of the time. Now, I have a very clear why when it comes to sharing on Instagram, and that’s LOOKS PERFECT. If my active presence allows more people to learn about and read the book and connect with its characters and themes, I’m willing to keep posting even when it feels hard.

When did you first realize you wanted to write a novel?

I’ve wanted to write a novel since my mom handed me my first chapter book, a Sweet Valley Kids book, in first grade. It always felt inevitable to me, so I never really thought about the how until the idea for LOOKS PERFECT sort of just came to me. I didn’t study writing or literature at all in undergrad, and when I did my MFA, my concentration was in Creative Nonfiction, but I always knew deep down that a novel was in my future.

What skills from your work in fashion and Mister Krisp—discipline, visual storytelling, brand building—translated most naturally into writing fiction?

My first semester in my MFA program, my teacher Susan Cheever told me that what my writing needed was what I was doing with Rice Krispies at Misterkrisp. I thought I understood what she was saying, but it was only recently that I realized she was talking about rendering. My work with Misterkrisp taught me how to render, to take a common image and interpret it through my own visual lens and creative process to make it fit the aesthetic I’d developed. I was never striving for “Is It Cake?” perfection, it was important to me that my krisps looked homemade, that they reflected my own visual interpretation of the object or image. Building that muscle of conscious rendering really helped me when I was writing LOOKS PERFECT to transmit the universal experience of performing, of selfreflection, through my own creative lens. As with Misterkrisp, I want something to feel recognizable to the viewer/reader, but with added perspective that contributes to introspection, delight, connection, or a whole variety of reactions.

Since LOOKS PERFECT is your debut, what can readers expect?

LOOKS PERFECT is a lot of fun, with a lot of depth, humor, and heart. It was important to me to create a successful woman character who is going through something and choosing to allow it to help her grow. I hope readers connect with Stella’s humor and root for her as she figures out what really matters to her.

The novel is informed by your experience as a social media creator. What emotional truths or behind-the-scenes realities were most important for you to explore?

It was important to me to speak to how much work and personal sacrifice goes into transmitting a perfect life online. As a creator, and as a millennial woman who is always chatting about what I see online with my friends, it has always been striking to me how we are so hard on ourselves, but when it comes to some influencers we follow, we fill in the blanks with the most generous details we can imagine. We assume people’s lives are perfect when we only know what they show us, so it was important to me to offer a glimpse behind that curtain. On the other side of that coin is the dismissal of influencers as vapid and miserable. We either worship or vilify these people, but at the end of the day, I wanted to show that they’re just people. As someone who posts on Instagram from a business account and a personal account, it’s clear to me that even regular people with private accounts and small amounts of followers grapple with the way they present themselves online. I wanted Stella to speak to the benefits and challenges of sharing your life online, whether you have a million followers or a hundred.

The book draws from your experiences but remains fiction. How did you decide what to keep emotionally true and what to fictionalize?

The book is set in a version of New York that I know well, but Stella’s story is entirely her own. She definitely shares some of my opinions, but her relationship with Alex is unlike any relationship I’ve been in. While I’ve been a content creator on a much smaller scale and understand the mechanics of that role, both concrete and emotional, I never felt conflicted in the way Stella does.

The story explores the tension between authenticity and performance online. What part of that tension felt most urgent to examine, and what did writing the novel teach you about your own relationship to visibility?

I think that no matter how authentic one sets out to be online, the nature of the venue prohibits true authenticity, even more so when you’re using social media to make money. I think the expectation of authenticity is where we go wrong, and I wanted Stella to help people understand that just because someone isn’t able to show up authentically online, it’s not always because they’re malicious or insincere. Social media is distortive; no matter what you post someone will misinterpret it and exploring that has been very liberating for me in my own relationship to how I show up on Instagram.

Which character in LOOKS PERFECT was the most challenging to write, and which one was the most fun?

Stella’s boyfriend, Alex, was the most challenging to write because it was important to show readers what kind of person he is even while Stella was struggling to understand what’s unfolding between them. I wanted readers to share some of Stella’s confusion, but to also be able to develop their own opinion about Alex. Ace, Stella’s assistant and right-hand woman, was the most fun to write. She’s a straight shooter, impossibly cool, deeply kind, and was inspired by so many of my closest friends.

Your writing is funny even when the themes are heavy. How do you see humor functioning within the story?

Some of my funniest memories are from the heaviest moments I’ve experienced. I’ve always felt that humor is essential in tough moments as a way to shift perspective, even for a second, allowing us to inhabit a moment in a different way, and I often discover how I truly feel about something when I make a joke. People often talk about using humor to deflect, but I like to use humor to zoom in, to linger, to make a moment more potent, and I hope readers connect to this.

What surprised you most about writing LOOKS PERFECT?

When I set out to write LOOKS PERFECT, I was worried about how I’d show Stella’s transformation, which I considered to be significant but also quite subtle in some ways. It took me over five years to write the book, and as corny as it sounds, Stella naturally changed and grew as I changed and grew myself. While I see a lot of myself in Stella, we are very different, and I didn’t expect my own personal growth journey to show up on the page, especially since Stella’s story initially drew inspiration from a much earlier period in my life.

What’s next for you?

I hope to write many more novels! I’m particularly interested in exploring the tension between what women feel is expected of them and what we actually want.

EXCERPT

EXCERPT from LOOKS PERFECT by Jessica Siskin, text copyright © 2026 by Jessica Siskin, Published by Little A

“There’s one more piece,” I continue. “Me.” Claire holds eye contact, looking equal parts impressed and intrigued. “My girls have money to spend. They like the clothes, and they look amazing in them. But they follow my Instagram and watch the clock for our product drops because of me. We’ve tested it out, tried using other people to model the clothes, people who are much more suited to be models, I might add.” I gesture to myself with a self-deprecating smirk and continue, pleased with Claire’s playful demeanor as she smirks back. “But every time we try to mix it up, it becomes even more clear that sales are better when I’m wearing and styling the drops myself. And we believe it’s because I’m both relatable and aspirational. They feel like they’ve watched me build this business from the ground up, seen me go from a single girl fresh out of college, trying to figure it out, to someone in a serious relationship with a real business and the lifestyle they want. What they really want is my life, but what they can buy is a top they know I designed that makes them feel like they have a piece of it.”

“Very astute,” Claire says, looking past me to the rack of garments we brought. I can hear the intrigue in her voice, so I take her cue and gesture toward the collection.

“Do you mind if I walk you through some of my favorite styles from Pre-Fall?”

She rises to meet me on the other side of the table, and we both approach the rack, where the color story of washed brights and muted neutrals in our newest Pre-Fall Collection feels perfect for the moment between summer and fall. We have always used a buy-now, wear-now approach, so while many brands ship pre-fall collections at the beginning of the summer to accommodate traditional retail schedules dictated by major department stores, we like to ship in season. A great pre-fall collection is versatile enough to wear now with a strappy sandal and to your Thanksgiving dinner with the perfect slouchy boot.

“This collection was inspired by Claude Monet and a visit to the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. I know, but just stay with me,” I say, ready to share some of my creative process. I always think talking about inspiration feels so precious, so I try to keep it playful.

“Last fall, I was in Paris for Fashion Week, which is incredible, but so busy with meetings and shows that you barely get to see Paris at all, and you may as well be anywhere in the world from inside a showroom. But the morning I arrived, my hotel room wasn’t ready, so I decided to take a walk and ended up at l’Orangerie right when it was opening. I had a ton of work to do and probably should’ve headed back to the hotel at that point, but even though I’d been to see Monet’s Water Lilies before, something drew me inside. I sat on those little benches and looked at those paintings for over an hour. It felt like meditating. I left and went about my time in Paris, but the image—particularly the left side of one of the paintings—really stuck with me . . . the way the colors each carried a feeling that together held power beyond their individual parts. And then the night I got back to New York, I was trying to beat jet lag and stay up even though I was exhausted, so my boyfriend suggested we walk to Chinatown to get his favorite ice cream. Have you been to the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory?”

“I can’t say I have, but I do love ice cream.”

“Well, you have to go, the flavors are amazing, there’s a Sesame Butter one that I die for, and my boyfriend loves the Green Tea Oreo.”

“Green Tea Oreo!” Claire exclaims with an amusement that does not feel feigned.

“My favorite is the Ginger,” Ace pipes in. “I used to get the Black Sesame, but it stained my favorite vintage Vivienne Westwood T-shirt.” The mood in the room is great, and I feed off the collective energy as I continue.

“So as we’re walking through Chinatown, we passed a little shop doing aura photographs. There was a line, even at nine in the evening. And the whole storefront was papered in these really saturated, colorful photos of people surrounded by their auras, and all my brain saw was the water lilies. And this print that melded the best of both aesthetics just appeared in my mind, so when I sat down to design Pre-Fall, I knew I had to execute. We call the print Aur’angerie.”

I grab a dress called “the Claudia” from the rack. It’s made of crepe de chine gently washed with muted purples, pinks, oranges, and yellows, and also comes in another colorway with blues, purples, greens, and a quiet-but-still-saturated scarlet. It’s a sleeveless halter dress with a turtleneck, the draped back of the halter sitting high enough to cover a strapless bra but low enough to feel sexy. “It’s exactly the kind of dress I always wanted but could never find. It’s unfussy and straightforward, but still a little special.” I proffer it to Claire so she can feel the fabric, then continue. “Every dress I see has one too many details: a cutout, a ruffle, smocking, a trim, cleavage, a highly specific print you’ll get tired of quickly, or you can’t wear a bra with it. Most dresses say too much or too little; this one says just the right amount.”

We go through the rack, and I share the inspiration behind each piece, from the perfect drapey, wide-leg pant with an exaggerated cuffed hem to a plaid taffeta bubble skort with a drawstring waist and a gossamer lace shrug that I consider essential for a late-summer wedding-guest look. Claire even tries on an oversize army jacket that hearkens back to the ones I used to rework when I was still at LittleBirdie, and it looks so perfect with her outfit that I tell her she needs to keep it.

After we’ve walked through the line, we talk for a long time, about the business and her portfolio, but also about where we’re eating dinner lately and who we like on this season of The Bachelorette and the proper sock height for a chunky loafer. Before we know it, Clarence returns to inform Claire that her three-o’clock has arrived. Claire tells me they’ll crunch some numbers, do some due diligence, and get back to us in the coming weeks, but I can tell by the way she looks at me that she gets the vision, that she knows what we can do together, that the deal is as good as done. I can’t wait to recount the whole meeting to Alex. My heart sinks when I remember he might not care.

The post Q&A: Jessica Siskin, Author of ‘Looks Perfect’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

PLUS you can read an excerpt at the end of the interview!

Hi Yasmin! Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hello! I’m a thriller and psychological suspense author of the Nena Knight thriller trilogy and the standalones, Not What She Seems and Behind These Four Walls. And The Ferryman’s Daughter is my new novel, which is the start of the Bloodlines series. I received the 2020 Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Emerging Writers of Color and was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for mystery and thrillers. I love writing multi-layered suspense fiction, rich in family secrets and redemption and explore the human psyche and choices. I also just love entertaining my readers with a good story that will suck them in.

You always keep us guessing, Yasmin. No matter what kind of thriller you decide to write – international espionage, small town domestic thriller, YA horror, or psychological suspense – you put your unique spin on the genre and wow us. What would you say is a string that ties all your novels together?

The thread that ties all of my novels together is having fierce, haunted, and determined female protagonists who aren’t afraid to be vulnerable in soft moments and learn to find their individual power and use it against whatever adversity or antagonist I throw at them. The most interesting thing is figuring out how they’re going to get through their darkest moments by using what they know and what they’ve learned.

In THE FERRYMAN’S DAUGHTER, you dip your toe into police procedural territory, and this may be your darkest – and best — book yet! What intrigued you about writing a thriller about the medical examiner/coroner community?

I guess my thoughts can be very macabre. I wouldn’t dare tell my mother. But I have close friends in law enforcement and admire what they do. I’ve chatted with our local coroner and am in awe by what she and her team does, and the stories they’ve shared. I definitely wanted to try that out…not to be too procedural or process driven but to put my haunted, fierce female protagonist in a very specific world that would stretch her, and me. And I wanted to go really dark with this story. All my stories are dark, but this one I wanted to be especially so. But I think I could go darker. LOL. Maybe the next one.

Your new novel opens with a creepy murder which has all the markings of a ritualist killing. There’s some fascinating mythology and psychology present from the get-go. How did writing THE FERRYMAN’S DAUGHTER stretch you differently from your other domestic thrillers?

Yeah, THE FERRYMAN’S DAUGHTER definitely stretched me because I didn’t want to just go off my imagination of how I think things should go. I had to do research. I had to watch documentaries of past serial killers and people who snapped. I went to the coroner’s office and toured and got a feel of what happens on a call, though it’s always different. Spoke to my cop friends and asked about investigative practices and scenarios where a serial killer might be involved. So, it was a lot of learning before I could write (Kind of like what I did before starting Her Name Is Knight—I had to research fighting techniques and stuff about assassins— not that there is a lot, right?) So, when I finished writing THE FERRYMAN’S DAUGHTER, I sent it to my investigator friend to read and tell me if the detectives and their processes were plausible and sounded realistic. He gave me a go, and I went! It was a laborious but rewarding process in the end.

What was the biggest research rabbit hole you fell into while writing this novel?

Ahhh, I think researching serial killers, watching the documentaries done about them. Reading up on them. And then figuring out my serial killer and their psychology and belief system. What drives them to kill, what do they believe they’re doing verses what they are actually doing. And what might life be like if you knew your parent was one, and no one knew.

You got your start as a novelist by writing the internationally bestselling Nena Knight Series, but your last three novels have been stand-alone thrillers. With THE FERRYMAN’S DAUGHTER, you’re returning to writing a series, and this novel is Book One in the new Bloodlines Series. What do you like about writing series versus stand-alone novels?

What I like about writing a series verses standalone is the opportunity to continue work in that world I’ve established. I know the characters. I can stretch out their overall goal (what they want the most) to happen by the end of the series. I can dig into their stories and add new context. But it’s also difficult because each book needs to be new and fresh, not repeating the same things that happened in the previous books. You have to be careful about that. Standalones allow for me to cleanse my palate and have a quicker story with characters I love, but won’t have to get as deeply invested in. I like writing both. But I’ll only write a series if I feel I have a longer story to tell there.

Your scenes are so dynamic and cinematic – it’s like watching a nail-biting film as you read! How do you do it?

Well, the scenes play out for me in my head, how I want the characters to act, move, look. Their expressions as they are going through that moment. I think about that particular scene repeatedly until it feels right. Then, as I’m writing, it starts to take a shape of its own. I always want the action scenes to be impactful and hard-hitting, and I will admit that I have acted out some scenes in my office—just to make sure what I’m thinking can be done and makes sense. I’ve done that ever since Her Name Is Knight and even had my kid hold me at gunpoint (it was her finger) to see if my character could fight her way out of that moment. She, and I, could. Or maybe my kid was just scared of me. LOL.

Can you give us any hints on what to expect for Book Two in the Bloodlines Series?

Ha! More darkness. I think Sanaa, my protagonist, will have an even more formidable opponent who forces her to look internally and ask herself if she is truly her father, The Ferryman’s, daughter and…and we can guess what that might mean for her. Will she submit to his legacy? Even I don’t know fully yet. It’ll come to me at the most inopportune moment.

EXCERPT

Prologue

November 30

Sanaa sat in the tiny, cold room under the lights, one of which was nearing its end. A paper cup half filled with dark liquid and the red-and-white can of Coke sitting next to it were the only items that accompanied her in this room. Before her was a one-way mirror, and her reflection stared back at her. She looked sleepless.

Tucked into the corner of the ceiling was a black camera. The red light flashing, indicating it was recording.

Her hands still trembled, and she fought hard to make them stop. To push down any feelings so no one could read her. This time, her nails were no longer dirty. Her shirt wasn’t stained with blood. Her nose, still swollen from the elbow it had taken, stung. It was hard to breathe through, even cleaned of all the crusted blood and snot. She wanted to blow it, but that would probably hurt more than she was willing to endure. Her eyes were dry and itchy. Her head throbbed, less from the blows it had taken and more from the truths that had cracked open. She was tired. She hadn’t slept and didn’t know when she would again.

She could hear faint movement from the other side of the closed door. Saw shadows flit past the door as people walked by. There was a wave of muted noise. People. Many of them. The media. Reporters staked out outside, waiting for a piece of her. The sound of them rose from the parking lot to the small window, which cast a dim light from the dark-gray clouds gathering.

A deep rumble sounded, long and rolling. When she was really young, like five or six, she’d been afraid of coming storms. Her father would hold her and tell her how she could count between thunder and lightning to know how far the storm was from her, and then she wouldn’t be as scared anymore because she knew where the storm was.

“Better to face your fears,” her father had whispered in her ear as she clutched her covers tightly to herself. “Get yourself ready and face them head-on.”

The memory was bittersweet. She could almost see her father’s spirit flickering in the corner of the room, watching them with cold observation, as if this were one of the observational studies where he studied people like specimens in an attempt to draw his conclusions.

It was the click that snapped her back to attention. It sounded like a sledgehammer. Her heartbeat quickened. The door opened, and the detective—one of the ones she didn’t know, maybe because of conflict of interest—entered the room with a manila folder, a pen, and something that could pass for a smile.

He put his things on the table across from her and looked at her with a mix of suspicion, pity, and curiosity. Yes, there would be a lot of those feelings from now on.

He said, “Six people have died. One is critically wounded. Whether the count will bump up to seven or not is up to fate.”

She didn’t react.

“Dr. Voss—”

“I heard you. And it’s Karrem. Ms.” She sounded alien, her voice coming out too loud in this cramped, cold room.

He cleared his throat. “Ms. Karrem,” he corrected as he sat in front of her, trying to look casual so he wouldn’t come across as intimidating. He actually sounded regretful and looked pained. “You’re not on the hook here. Just want you to know that.”

Aren’t I? she almost said.

She gave him a wry smile. She knew better.

“This is simply an interview we’re having. A conversation.”

She nodded slowly. Dr. Voss. She hadn’t heard that name in . . . since that night. And now she couldn’t escape it.

Because, as evidenced by the detective’s slip of the tongue, the world outside knew who she was now. It would no longer see her as Sanaa, the high school forensic science teacher, eagerly showing her students how to read crime scenes. No longer Sanaa, head of the science department, who had a lovely old lady as a neighbor, joked with the local kids, and tried diligently to live a quiet life as she anticipated marrying her fiancé. She had tried so hard to separate herself from her youth and the skeletons that filled the closets. The world would know her now as the Ferryman’s daughter.

Now, she was the evidence and a piece of the puzzle. She was all of it.

The proof that the mythological Ferryman had been real.

The confirmation that his legacy lived on.

The sin of the father that she would have to atone for.

The world would ask itself, just as this detective was while trying hard to look impartial, Is she a victim or the heir?

Had she inherited his darkness?

Did she have a monster within?

It was the question of the decade.

The post Q&A: Yasmin Angoe, Author of ‘The Ferryman’s Daughter’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Michael! Welcome back! How have you been since we spoke last year?

I’ve been much too busy, wishing the world would slow down a little…but doing as well as I can considering *gestures at many things happening globally*.

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

Appalachian serial killer…or worse?

What can readers expect?

A grim and frightening exploration of how our childhoods make us who we are vs. how much of ourselves we get to decide. A tender, emotional look at parenthood and redemption. A man’s journey to figure out what kind of monster his father was, whether monstrousness can be passed down like a birthright, and why this dark legacy is surfacing now.

A lot of early readers and Instagram influencers have been advising people to go in blind. I’ve tried to temper my responses here just a bit to help with that.

Where did the inspiration for Nightjars come from?

I grew up in the shadow of the North Georgia mountains, and I always knew I’d have to set a novel there. There was a certain type of creature I saw in that ancient landscape, too, and elements started falling into place. Meanwhile, I had this lingering idea about a man seeing photographs of himself doing terrible things but having no memory of them whatsoever. Can pictures lie? That question has become a lot murkier in the age of AI, so I wanted to dig into the incontrovertible truth of an old Polaroid before it’s too late.

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

There’s a scene in complete darkness that I had a wonderful time writing – cutting myself off from visual imagery for a little while and relying on other senses and other ways to convey sharp terror. And I loved the relationship between Luke and Sophia, his four-year-old daughter. I loved painting Luke’s powerful determination through the small things he says to Sophia.

Can you share some insight into your plotting process for Nightjars?

Once, I was a “pantser,” a writer who flew by the seat of my pants (hence the name). Nowadays, I’m much more of a plotter, the sworn enemy of the pantser. I have betrayed my kind. Nightjars was fairly straightforward to lay out, though there was a key shift at a certain point that I had to keep firmly in mind. And there was a major reveal later that I wanted to line up with a particular beat.

From the outset, though, there were a few choices I made with Nightjars to really differentiate it from my first novel, The October Film Haunt. I wanted a shorter book, much shorter chapters, fewer characters – basically just a more streamlined, less narratively complex story, which informed my plotting along the way.

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

Keeping a few big things secret for such a long way into the book was challenging, not because I might let something slip but because the story had to stay highly engaging the entire time those things were hidden from the reader. The challenge of a mystery and keeping people in the dark and happy about being in the dark.

I also felt the book veering into heavy, grim territory – which was the plan, but only to an extent. I felt it was important to keep some light in the story, because there’s so much emotion in the family in this novel…and so little light around us in the real world.

What’s the best and worst writing advice you’ve received?

The best: Don’t compare yourself to other authors. Their circumstances are different from yours. If you have a busy day job, you might look at other writers longingly because they’re able to write full-time. That is a huge advantage, yes, but you can’t let it matter, because focusing on that is corrosive. Do your best with what you have. Once I learned that, it made me a happier writer.

The worst: Any variation on “butt in chair” or “you gotta hustle” that puts pressure on a writer and makes them think they have to write every day and just go, go, go. There’s usually good intention behind that advice, but work/life balance is crucial, and any author should emphasize self-care and mental health. Especially those who have day jobs. Don’t be afraid to take a day off.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently working on my third novel, which just might be my take on the holiest of all horror tropes: the haunted house. There are so many haunted house novels out there, but not many of them are genuinely scary and impactful. So I think of it as a sacred obligation – to do right by it and honor the legacy of Shirley Jackson and other writers who have crawled under my skin and changed the wiring in my brain.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

I’m looking forward to Marlon James’s The Disappearers. It just came out and is already on my shelf, but it’s going to be a while before I’m able to start it. I think it’s going to devastate me and win all the biggest literary awards. I’m excited to read Keith Rosson’s Crone and CJ Leede’s Headlights, too.

I loved Brian Evenson’s Phantom Limb, which is a sequel to his novel, Last Days. It comes out in mid-October, but I was fortunate to read an advance copy. It takes Evenson’s amputee noir to new heights.

Will you be picking up Nightjars? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Michael Wehunt, Author of ‘Nightjars’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

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

I’m a writer in the Greater Boston area. I grew up in the Cleveland suburbs where I spent a lot of time daydreaming, reading comics, watching anime, and plowing through fantasy and dark fantasy books. I’ve been writing since I was a teenager and have several short stories and poems under my belt. Now, I’m an adult who’s been lucky enough to publish a debut horror romance novel JENNY WILL EAT YOU NOW!

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

I would make up and revisit stories in my head when I was a kid. I’d have daydreams that I would continually revise and find more details in as I thought about them again and again. As a teenager, I realized I could write these ideas down.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Silly Sally by Audrey Wood
• The one that made you want to become an author: Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

Your new novel, Jenny Will Eat You Now, is out September 29th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Flesh-eating monster girl murder romance!

What can readers expect?

Mythological creature Jenny Greenteeth struggles to answer the age-old question, “Should I date this man or eat him?”

Where did the inspiration for Jenny Will Eat You Now come from?

“Can a woman be too repulsive to be loved?” I asked myself one day. The question became entangled with a memory I had of a Brian Froud illustration of Jenny Greenteeth. Also, I started drafting during the pandemic lockdown where I was inhaling a lot of horror fiction and thinking a lot about loneliness, isolation, and connection. An immortal working through her anger and joy in humanity seemed like a natural choice to explore!

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

I had a lot of fun building out Jenny’s entry point to the human world with the supernatural characters Clyde and Fawn. They have their own complex histories and ambivalence toward humanity.

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

Self-doubt tends to surface for me when I’m writing in a way I haven’t written before. Here, I was fighting through questions like, “Am I doing this right?” and “Who is this novel for besides me?” Turns out, it’s for a lot of people!

What’s next for you?

I’m considering something more gothic flavored with a bit of humor!

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?

Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas is an emotional horror book about diet culture and living in a society that despises fatness. Great body horror, too!

On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah-Yah Scholfield is a triumph of supernatural and psychological horror. It’s a sapphic romance that turns into something monstrous.

I’m really enjoying the humor and characters of the Time of Iron series by Sarah Rees Brennan, particularly the second book All Hail Chaos. The author is super good at what she does.

I had the joyful opportunity to read an early copy of Vampire Menstrual Syndrome: A Novel by S.C. Hunter and I had a lot of fun! I hope others give it a shot.

Will you be picking up Jenny Will Eat You Now? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Gillian Daniels, Author of ‘Jenny Will Eat You Now’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

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

I’m a fantasy writer and indie bookseller based in Brooklyn!

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

I am one of those authors that has always, always wanted to write books. I have old notebooks full of my early writing. Many of these first “attempts” are unfinished and featured animal companions, since one of the first series I ever fell in love with was His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. I wanted a daemon so badly.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: These are certainly not the first books I ever read, but the Warriors series by Erin Hunter comes to mind. I was obsessed with them. Obsessed. All throughout elementary school, all I ever wanted to do was read Warriors. I read them under my desk and got in trouble constantly.
• The one that made you want to become an author: Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

Your latest novel, The Court of Venus, is out September 29^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Decadent, romantic, tense, atmospheric, mysterious.

What can readers expect?

A murder mystery, a slowburn rivals-to-lovers romance, Tudor inspired court intrigue, and a unique magic system based on astrology.

Where did the inspiration for The Court of Venus come from?

I have always loved Tudor history, and so writing a fantasy novel with Tudor court inspiration was always in the back of my mind.  But once I learned about astrology’s influence over Elizabeth I (she had her court astronomer/spymaster John Dee plan her coronation due to planetary alignment), the magic system was born. Roland, the pink-haired Venusborn MMC, came to me first. I was interested in a character who could read desire – how would they navigate the court? How would they be utilized by their king? And how would they be constrained by their own power?

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

One of my favorite characters is Miranda, a Marsborn magician who competes against Roland and Bianca. This was a surprise to me. I really enjoyed writing her dialogue, and Marsborn magicians, who have the power to sever loyalty and bonds between people, really interest me in general. Readers will learn more about them in Book 2.

The Court of Venus marks your debut fantasy novel! Can you share some insight into your worldbuilding process?

The magic system in The Court of Venus is based on the seven traditional planets of astrology: The Moon, The Sun, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Saturn. When researching, I listened to a lot of astrology podcasts, and the characteristics of the planets themselves inspired a lot of the worldbuilding. Mercury, for example, is the planet of communication, and so I thought it would be cool if the magicians blessed by Mercury in my fantasy world could create new languages and craft ciphers.

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

Whenever I’m stuck, I listen to movie scores and walk around the park near my apartment. I find that music helps action scenes flow better in my mind. Brainstorming walks in general are when I come up with most of my ideas.

What’s next for you?

The Court of Venus Book 2!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

I have a massive stack I’m very excited for. I’m planning to read Swordheart and then Daggerbound by T. Kingfisher and Winterveil by Ava Reid. Earlier this year, I adored The Poet Empress by Shen Tao.

Will you be picking up The Court of Venus? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Bel Banta, Author of ‘The Court of Venus’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

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

I’m a writer who writes about all things strange. I’m the author of The Taking of Jake Livingston, The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay, and Night of Madness, and I also write poetry. Outside of writing, I enjoy reading, baking, exercising, watching movies, listening to music, and disappearing into my own little world.

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

I’ve loved stories my whole life, starting with bedtime stories. As a kid, writing became a way for me to make sense of my emotions and what I wanted to say. As an adult it’s a way for me to turn hard experiences into things that can inspire people.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman. It’s a total classic. I wanted to read it over and over as a kid.
• The one that made you want to become an author: The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan. I remember being completely consumed by the climax of that book and realizing that a book could make you feel like you’d been on an epic journey from the comfort of your own home, or school, or wherever. That’s when I vowed to tell stories that made others feel that way.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Black Utopia by Alex Zamalin. Artists and thinkers come together to imagine futures based on justice, freedom, and joy. I love how it bridges conversations of oppression with hope.

Your latest novel, Night of Madness, is out September 29^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Willy Wonka meets teen slasher.

What can readers expect?

Five young people are offered $100,000 to spend the night in an abandoned asylum while being filmed for an extreme haunted house reality show. Instead, they find themselves trapped in a real-life murder game. So, readers can expect horror, dark humor, and an old-school slasher atmosphere. At its heart, though, the book is about what we commodify for entertainment and how that makes us lose track of our humanity.

Where did the inspiration for Night of Madness come from?

It’s influenced by a lot of current issues like social media, toxic competition, the rat race, how we’ve been desensitized to violence, and growing up in a time where everything is monetized. It bridges those ideas with the reality of extreme haunted houses.

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

I liked writing Mara because she marches to the beat of her own drum and refuses to become what other people want her to be. Beyond that, I also enjoyed writing the group dynamic between the main cast. They all have distinct personalities, so putting together and seeing how they bounced off each other was a lot of fun. And I have a soft spot for the moments where the book gets campy and over-the-top.

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

One challenge was figuring out how to ground a concept like this in real emotion and Mara’s coming of age journey. Mara feels a sense of being trapped in her life which has nothing to do with Jack Stanley and his game, so her internal conflict is drawn out as the challenges take place. So, tying the game to her psychological journey was a challenge that I overcame by trying to align what’s happening on the outside with how she’s growing on the inside, and taking care not to lose track of both circumstances.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on the Night of Madness sequel, which takes Mara and a new character into a college environment. Beyond that, I’m working on two adult projects—a gothic horror and a sci-fi.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

There are so many books I’m excited about. This year I’ve been especially drawn to books that are strange and unsettling while being beautifully written. I like books that take structural risks and are experimental. A few books I’m looking forward to are Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker and The Disappears by Marlon James.

Will you be picking up Night of Madness? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Ryan Douglass, Author of ‘Night of Madness’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

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

Hi! I’m a horror enthusiast from Little Rock, AR. Other than reading and writing, you can find me birdwatching or digging for crystals.

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

Before I could read, my mom kept a bucket of picture books in the house. I would toddle in there and sit with them for hours, making up my own words to go with the pictures.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: I can’t remember ever NOT reading, but the picture book I used to ask for the most was Greedy Zebra by Mwenye Hadithi and Adrienne Kennaway, about how all the animals got their furs and spots and horns.
• The one that made you want to become an author: It’s a trilogy, but I was profoundly affected by Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials in middle school.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It’s one of the few books I continue to return to, and I always read it in a single sitting. I love the stark language and the religious symbolism. I don’t think I’ve ever made it through without crying,

Your debut novel, In the Woods They Wait, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Unsettling, claustrophobic, heartbreaking, bloody, hopeful

What can readers expect?

The novel’s dual timelines follow Audrey Figg, a park ranger dealing with grief and guilt. It’s an emotional thriller with a third act that kicks the horror up a notch with a big reveal. Hard to tell you what to expect without spoilers, but you can expect to be scared!

Where did the inspiration for In the Woods They Wait come from?

Audrey’s relationship with her little brother Benny is inspired by my relationship with my own little brother. But also, I’m always wondering what might be in the woods…

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

Porter is my favorite character. He’s a new ranger that Audrey’s training. She’s jaded and cynical, but he’s just the most earnest person in the world. I didn’t intend for him to play such a major role, but his enthusiasm was infectious and his character just kept growing.

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

The biggest challenge was working full time and attending night school full time while drafting in my “free” time. But sometimes, a story just has to come out of you. When that’s the case, you make the time.

This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

I’ve always loved the idea of a book becoming a link between an author and a reader across space and time. One day, maybe years after I’m gone, my book will be on a shelf somewhere and a stranger will pick it up and my words will mean something to them. To get there, I stubbornly kept writing my thoughts over and over again until someone finally said it was working.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on a new novel that I’m very excited about. I can’t say much more than that, but you can rest assured that it will be frightening.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

I can’t wait to read Stephen Graham Jones’s new book Off the Reservation this October. My favorite book I read this year was Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton. I devoured the whole thing in a day, and I will never shut up about it. There have been some awesome new horror releases this year I’ve loved as well, like Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker and Wolf Worm by T Kingfisher.

Will you be picking up In the Woods They Wait? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Carrie Lee South, Author of ‘In the Woods They Wait’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

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

I’m an award-winning author and professional martial artist who’s travelled to thirty countries, sold teapots to Jackie Chan, and was once tracked down by a bounty hunter for owing $300 in late fees to the Los Angeles Public Library.

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

I think I’ve always been a storyteller, courtesy of my parents. My dad was an avid saltwater sportsman who loved spinning tales of his adventures on the high seas, while my mom read to me every night when I was a kid. They passed that love of story on to me, and pretty much as soon as I learned to read I started to write stories of my own.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: All of the Calvin & Hobbes We had the complete set, and I spent countless hours as a kid diving into them, going on adventures to Mars or hiding from mutant killer snow goons with Calvin and his trusty tiger Hobbes.
• The one that made you want to become an author: IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. I vividly recall being ten years old and seeing her book in the Scholastic catalogue, with a big text bubble by it proclaiming that “The author wrote this when she was only thirteen!” I thought “Wait, maybe I can be a published author by the time I’m thirteen.” As it turns out, I was off by more than twenty years, but that Scholastic catalogue listing first planted the idea that I too could be an author one day.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I reread THE LORD OF THE RINGS every single year, and it only gets more poignant and moving each time. These last several years in particular I find myself extremely moved by The Scouring of the Shire, and the Hobbits’ grief over finding the home they’ve fought for has not gone untouched by the War of the Ring—but I also take courage in their determination to defend their home from evil, and in the growth and healing of the Shire in the trilogy’s final chapter.

Your latest novel, The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Found family, stolen body parts.

What can readers expect?

THE HENCHPERSON’S GUIDE TO UNIONIZING follows Igor, a mad scientist’s lab assistant, as he teams up with a witch’s cat and a vampire’s wife to stop their masters from bringing about the end of the world while simultaneously breaking free of their toxic workplace relationships. Readers can expect spooky vibes, wry humor, social commentary, and a surprising amount of warmth and heart. Also loose eyeballs, hordes of rats, eldritch monstrosities, and angry mobs wielding torches and pitchforks.

Where did the inspiration for The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing come from?

I like to say that this book is “Horrible Bosses meets What We Do in the Shadows,” both of which are pretty apt comparisons, but the real inspiration for this book is a sense of class solidarity with everyone who’s ever worked at a thankless, tedious menial job, particularly one where their labor is constantly overlooked. It’s easy to transpose the behaviors and personalities of a bad boss onto literal monsters, and in so doing make their henchpeople the ultimate underdogs who need to come together to discover their mutual worth and dignity.

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

Basically any scene where I could take a classic moment or image from Gothic horror and shift it ever so slightly so that we see it from the henchpeople’s perspective was a ton of fun to write. The mob of angry townsfolk storming the castlewhere Igor and the Doctor are conducting their grand experiment, the vampire Count’s grandiose self-introcuction being undercut by his thoroughly unimpressed bride, and the witch summoning an interdimensional monster from a pentagram were all my chances to pay homage to the horror imagery I adore.

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

I think the biggest challenge with HENCHPERSON’S was the pacing. It’s got three main characters (the henchpeople) but is told exclusively from Igor’s perspective, so I had to find a way to balance everyone’s various subplots while maintaining a sense of forward momentum that also connected them all.

The answer, I discovered, was the same thing which united my monsters and their henchpeople in the first place: the ever-present threat of the nearby villagers catching on to their nefarious plans and forming an angry mob to drive them out of town. The more each of the various plotlines progressed, the more suspicious and hostile the villagers became, allowing me to use the townsfolk and their nascent mob violence as a mounting pressure to drive the story forward.

What’s next for you?

Travel and conventions to promote HENCHPERSON’S GUIDE, edits on my next book, and drafting the one after that.

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

Space fantasy is one of my absolute favorite subgenres, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about Jesse Aragon’s THE DEMON STAR. As for ones I’ve already read and enjoyed this year, Joe Hill’s KING SORROW is a genre-blending masterpiece of epic contemporary dark fantasy horror.

Will you be picking up The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Marshall J. Moore, Author of ‘The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

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

I’m the author of over 175 books, under a bunch of names. They are almost exclusively romance novels of one sort or another. I live in a beautiful part of rural Oregon with my comic book artist husband and our two very bossy dachshunds. For fun I like to knit and do combat sports—not at the same time.

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

I can’t remember a time I WASN’T writing! And I always loved stories. I believe I wrote my first book on construction paper when I was very little, about a talking horse named Casey.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: I taught myself to read Goodnight Moon when I was very little.
• The one that made you want to become an author: I didn’t actually realize you could BECOME an author. I think I thought they were just magical creatures or something.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Kulti by Mariana Zapata is one my most reread, most-recommended books ever. I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t completely swept away by it. The perfect (very) slow burn!

Your latest novel, Edge of Obsession, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Very. Dirty. End. Of. World.

What can readers expect?

It’s a very explicit book, but my favorite part is the world. It’s a post apocalyptic, dystopian version of the world we know. Most of the planet has been rearranged by storms, famines, and so on. What remains are a mostly wiped-out human race and the societies built out of what’s left. Into that I threw a brotherhood of very rough and ready warriors, who are basically Viking raiders. It’s dark and delicious!

Where did the inspiration for Edge of Obsession come from?

I was talking to my brilliant editor Monique Patterson, who said she was thinking of dystopian worlds. And also Navy SEALs. I happened to be obsessed with the show Vikings at the time (this was a long time ago—this series originally came out about ten years ago) and I’d seen an interview with a couple of actors where one of them said that Vikings were basically the Navy SEALs of their time. That really kicked the whole idea into gear. I still have no clue where the whole, vast, drowned world came from. It was like it was just waiting for me inside my head. I wish all books were like that!

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

I had never written a series before these books. I loved every part of figuring out how to link everything and carry threads through. I have such fond memories of writing these stories!

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

I did indeed. I started dictating because of these books. One of them was giving me fits. I must have rewritten the first chapter 65 times and if I missed the deadline, it would start a horrifying domino effect that I’d never dig myself out from under… So I taught myself how to dictate instead of type (and it was a hard transition!) and now I dictate all of my first drafts and can’t imagine NOT dictating. It’s been about a decade and I could never have written all the books I’ve had out since then if I hadn’t learned how to get out of my own way and get those words down.

What’s next for you?

I have tons of books coming out all the time. I write as Megan Crane, my alter-ego Caitlin Crews, and one part of the writing duo known as Hazel Beck. We all have books out or coming out, and Hazel Beck is going on tour in October. We’d love to see you out there! And if you’re not along our Midwest touring trail, you can dig into all 175+ of my books at www.megancrane.com

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?

I adored Cleat Cute by Meryl Winsler, LaQuette’s Savvy, Sexy, & Single series, The Glowing Life of Leann Wu by Mindy Hung, and I would read Ali Hazelwood’s grocery list.

Will you be picking up Edge of Obsession? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Megan Crane, Author of ‘Edge of Obsession’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.