We chat with debut author Lisa Springer about her spine-tingling, contemporary horror There’s No Way I’d Die First, which follows a scary movie buff as she hosts an elaborate Halloween bash on her family’s estate but soon finds the festivities upended when she and her guests are forced to test their survival skills in a deadly party game.
Hi, Lisa! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m a writer from Barbados living in New York and I’ve always loved watching horror movies and reading mystery. Spring is my favorite season because I like the idea of new beginnings and being able to reset and have a fresh start. Plus I love bright spring flowers after a long, dreary winter.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I fell in love with writing in primary school where I loved the composition writing prompts. Delving into my imagination and plucking out stories will always be fascinating to me. I started out writing short stories and then experimented with longer form work.
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!
Reading: That would be Charlotte’s Web. I remember borrowing this book from the library and loving it so much that my parents bought me my own copy. It’s such a great story about friendship and community. The movie’s pretty good too.
Author motivation: In English Literature class we studied a short story collection “Summer Lightning” by Olive Senior. I was completely pulled in by her vivid, complex characters in a lush sensory Caribbean setting and wanted to create similar stories about island life. It’s my forever favorite Caribbean book. I also really enjoyed the Spy School series and the Gallagher Girls series and realized that I wanted to write stories for kids and teens with mystery elements. Writing horror is a way of dissecting the truth and navigating fears in a controlled environment. Where else to explore this than within the pages of a book?
Your debut novel, There’s No Way I’d Die First, is out September 5th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Main character energy. Survival. Resilience.
What can readers expect?
A fun, scary ride with lots of nostalgic horror movie references.
Where did the inspiration for There’s No Way I’d Die First come from?
I never saw any final girls who looked like me in horror movies. I wanted to address the running gag of Black people being the first to die in horror films. I also wanted to give the reader a peak behind the curtain at social issues and anxieties of the main character and her emotional response to being in a horror situation. I wanted to celebrate Black girls and their humanity, holding them up as heroes and just as relatable. I was really excited to write this story of a Black girl subverting the horror genre and facing down the villain at the finish line…and lives to talk about it.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I had a ton of fun writing this book. Noelle, the main character is definitely my favorite character. She gets so caught up in staying relevant, and hyping herself up for the launch of her new podcast that she cracks under the emotional toll of the pursuit of success. As the novel progresses, she undertakes her own journey in understanding complicity and privilege. Not only does she face down a monster and survive but by the end of the novel she also sees herself in a more honest light.
This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
What a journey it has been so far. Taking a chance on myself and entering Author Mentor Match and working with a mentor taught me so much about writing and revising a novel. I entered a pitching competition on Twitter (#PitMad) which led me to my agent. My journey as a published author is now beginning and I’m excited to write more scary stories in the YA genre.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a middle grade contemporary story that comes out in 2024 and I’m currently plotting another twisty YA horror.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
If you’re looking for chilling books with characters to root for, I highly recommend:
- You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
- Jackal by Erin E. Adams
- The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson
- The Taking of Jake Livingstone by Ryan Douglass
- The Black Queen by Jumata Emil
