We chat with author Johanna van Veen about Blood on Her Tongue, which is a bloodthirsty Sapphic twist on vampires creating an intoxicating tale of obsession, madness, identity, and feminist fury.
Hi, Johanna! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Yes! I am Johanna, author of My Darling Dreadful Thing and Blood on Her Tongue. I love to write queer and strange things, and when I am not doing that, I am probably reading queer and strange things or hanging out with my sisters or my wife.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My parents read a lot to my sisters and me from a very young age, so I don’t actively remember falling in love with stories; as far as my memory goes, I have always loved them! My love for writing is easier to pinpoint: like most Dutch children, I learned to read and write at the age of seven, and I immediately fell head over heels in love with it. I didn’t enjoy writing by hand that much (until the age of eleven, my handwriting was really quite atrocious), but my older cousin introduced me to the magic of Word (we did have a family computer at my house), which I immediately used to write stories about a boy and girl my age who were werewolves and also had to defeat an evil vampire trying to take over their school. Fun times!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Ibbeltje by Annie M.G. Schmidt.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Matilda by Roald Dahl.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I have several books that rotate in my mind like rotisserie chickens. Some have been there for over a decade, but a more recent one would be Someone You Can Build a Nest in by John Wiswell.
Your latest novel, Blood on Her Tongue, is out March 25th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Bloody, gothic, atmospheric, campy, suspenseful!
What can readers expect?
A slow-burn, über-gothic story with some body horror about the (somewhat toxic and definitely co-dependent) relationship between two twin sisters in the late nineteenth century in the Netherlands that (hopefully) provides a fresh twist on the vampire mythos.
Oh, and it has a lot of bog bodies, of course!
Where did the inspiration for Blood on Her Tongue come from?
Several things inspired Blood on Her Tongue:
- My debut novel My Darling Dreadful Thing is all about the necessity of love for human development and survival; it also focusses on romantic love. For Blood on Her Tongue, I knew I wanted to focus on the love between sisters instead. According to scientists, the worst kind of grief a person can ever experience is the loss of a twin. As a triplet myself, I can readily imagine this. If one of my sisters were to die, I fear I would abandon my morals and go to great lengths to have her restored to me, which is exactly the problem that Lucy and Sarah have to face in this novel.
- Something else that inspired this novel is as follows: within horror, we often see so-called ‘mercy kills’: it is merciful to kill a loved one who will transform or already has transformed into a monster. The reasons for this are twofold: 1) because this transformation entails the obliteration of everything that makes this loved one themselves, which your loved one surely would not want, and 2) because the monster forms a threat to the remaining group. In the case of zombies, I can completely understand this reasoning. I, too, would not much like to become a mindless, shuffling sack of rotting meat who will kill and devour my family and friends without hesitation. As Stephen King said, “Sometimes, dead is better”. But what if that’s not true? What if, for example, your loved one becomes something else, yet retains enough characteristics to still feel like them? What if they are dangerous, yes, but not so dangerous that killing them is the only way to guarantee your own safety? When does a mercy kill stop being about mercy to the person you aim to kill and start being about placating your own fear of the Other? I tried to explore this ethical dilemma in Blood on Her Tongue.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Without spoiling anything: the final chapter of part two was so much fun to write! I also loved all the interstitials; I definitely hope to write a book one day that consists of nothing but diary entries, letters, and newspaper articles (maybe some found-footage horror?). Finally, any moment that is particularly emotional, action-packed, or weird is always fun to write!
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Yes. I wrote the first iteration of what would ultimately become Blood on Her Tongue several years ago. It was completely different then and not very good. I tried several times to rewrite it, but nothing worked. At one point, I completely despaired of ever writing a version that would please me! In the end, what I needed was time: time to grow as a writer, time to let the ideas I had develop. It’s not easy for such an impatient person as I, but often, the best thing I can do when something doesn’t work is to let it rest and trust my brain will figure something out whilst I do other things.
What’s next for you?
I just signed a deal with my publisher for three more queer adult horror books, which I am super stoked about! I am also working on a spooky middle-grade trilogy about triplets; the first book, The Witch of Hagstone Hill, will come out in August this year, so I have plenty to do!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up this year?
There are so many! I am definitely looking forward to reading Rose of Jericho by Alex Grecian, Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes, The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling, and The Buffalo Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones.
