We chat with Hannah Whitten about her newest release, Reliquary, which is a fast-paced, Lovecraftian horror set in the Pacific Northwest about a young woman’s grief over her recently deceased fiance–and his mysterious, estranged family.
Hi, Hannah! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m Hannah, I live in the mountains in Tennessee, and I write incredibly self-indulgent fantasy and horror mostly to amuse myself. I have been incandescently lucky to be able to make a career out of it, but I think even if I wasn’t published, I’d still be writing stories for myself.
Writers are frequently asked, “Where do you get your ideas?” What I’d like to know instead is–what are the influences for Reliquary? What odd little pieces of things (books, tales, myths, music, anything!) did you weave together for this narrative?
Ooh I love this question! Reliquary’s main influences are the movie Ready Or Not, the weird-house discomfort of the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, and the gothic “lady running from a house after a weird marriage” vibes I’ve been obsessed with since I was a kid. I’ve also been told I have a knack for millennial humor (which is either great or super annoying depending on who you ask) that I attribute to a long love affair with Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
What is one way that Claire is like you, and one way that she differs from you?
Claire is probably the most difficult main character I’ve ever written…so I relate to her a lot, actually. One thing I loved about writing in a contemporary voice for the first time is that I got to write about mental health in concrete, real-world terms. The way Claire relates to her inner monologue and intrusive thoughts really mirrors the way I deal with them myself. But Claire also puts up with a lot of mess in order to not rock the boat (no pun intended) in a way that I’ve thankfully grown out of, with the help of therapy.
What books did you read, or perhaps even read repeatedly, while working on Reliquary?
Horror has always been my most-read genre, so lots of that, and lots of weird girl lit. Books I continuously found myself thinking of were Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield, Big Swiss by Jen Beagin, and Rose Madder by Stephen King.
What books are on your TBR right now?
God, my TBR is an untameable beast. Right now I’m reading My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite and loving it. I’m a mood reader, so I never really know what I’ll reach for next, but right now I think I might finally finish Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. I’ve also felt the urge to reread The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, so I might do a double header with that and The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden.
As a writer, do you take a hiatus when one book comes out or do you plunge into composing the next project?
The week of release my brain is absolute scrambled eggs, so I take a break then out of necessity. Publishing timelines are weird, so usually when one book comes out, I’ve already turned in a draft of the next one, and for the past couple years I usually end up receiving an edit letter pretty close to publication of the current book. I also get antsy if I don’t write for three weeks or so, which means I’m almost always poking at something, whether it’s a contracted book or a side project.
What are you fascinated by right now?
Physical media. We’ve had an extensive record collection for years, but this year we started building out a retro hi-fi system with a receiver, vintage speakers, and a tape deck. You can find incredible deals on old cassette tapes! We’ve also rescued my parents’ dinosaur of a TV/VCR combo and have been trying to find old favorites on VHS.
Can you describe your perfect writer day?
Wake up, make coffee, get started. Have good posture for once so I don’t end up looking like a shrimp after three hours. Get my work done and have time to read or go to the gym. Day ends with nachos and a margarita, essential to the process.
Julia Cameron discusses the notion of the Artists Date. If you could design any Artist Date for yourself, anywhere in the world, what would it be?
I love museums of all kinds. Art, history, anything. An ideal artist date for me would be having a bunch to go to, preferably all within walking distance of each other because parking is not one of my strong points, and then go to a café afterward to scribble in a notebook and read and people watch. If we’re getting really fancy, I’d love for all of this to happen in a country where I don’t speak the language, because I love hearing something unfamiliar all around me and trying to see what I can pick up.
And finally, what authors do you turn to repeatedly for creative guidance? Whose style intrigues you, or whose plots captivate you—and continue to inspire you as a writer?
So many! I love how Ava Reid changes her style to fit the story she’s telling. I love the thick, baroque prose of Caitlin Starling. I love how Bethany Morrow can lure you into the mind of someone unhinged and make every wild decision make emotional sense. I love how unflinching and precise Andrew Joseph White is when he writes about truly grotesque things. And Alix Harrow’s books always make me feel like I got punched in the trachea (complimentary).
