We chat with author Mathilda Zeller about It Looks Like You in the Dark, which is a propulsive Indigenous horror debut, expertly blending Alaskan Native folklore and supernatural thrills
Hi, Mathilda! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi! Yes! My Mom is from Northern Alaska and is Alaska Native. I am in the first generation on her side to grow up fully south of the Arctic circle; I’ve lived all over the US and a few places in Europe, but was raised on my mother’s, uncles’, and grandparents’ stories. I lived with my Inupiaq grandfather in elementary school and high school, and I’m so grateful for the time he took to tell me stories from our history and folklore during that time. I’ve got six children, and I’m currently in graduate school.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
I’ve loved stories for as long as I can remember, and have been writing them since I learned to write. My Dad told me stories at bedtime when I was a kid, my grandfather told me stories when I lived with him, and I’ve been making up stories for myself since forever.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Scared of the Dark–a Sesame Street Growing Up Book featuring Bert and Ernie. Absolutely Chilling.
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine. Highly formative in grade school.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. Absolute hilarious genius.
Your latest novel, It Looks Like You in the Dark, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Realer than it should be.
What can readers expect?
They can expect a coming of age story about a girl responding to the disappearance of her sister, the worrying arrival of a mining corporation in her village, and a monster that is unfortunately, uncannily familiar looking. It’s listed as both horror and thriller. A lot of people say it “reads young,” and it does! The primary characters are 15, 19, 19, and 21, and they’re making age appropriate choices. It’s officially an adult novel in the same way a 19 year old is officially an adult.
Where did the inspiration for It Looks Like You in the Dark come from?
-An article from The Heritage of Kansas where Jim Vandergriff tells his fellow Kansans about how he went to Kotzebue and forced the story of the Kushtuka out of a teenage girl he was driving, alone, at midnight, in a rainstorm in his truck, as if this was somehow fine behavior.
-The 1970 murder of several Inupiaq elders by a young white man named Butch. My Great Uncle Lorenz Schuerch was the first Alaska Native state trooper and was called in to assist as a cultural bridge in the case.
-A wide assortment of stories and history from my family.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Yes. All of them. This book was simultaneously one of the easiest and hardest to write, for the same reasons–I wasn’t making a lot up; I was talking about a lot of things that are really important to me, and some that are close to home.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
I was in night school and caring for my six children during the day, so the biggest challenge was making time to write. However, I’ve been writing novels since 2008, primarily during naptimes, late nights, early mornings around my chlidrens’ sleep schedules. I’ve had a lot of practice in locking in when necessary. It’s never totally easy, but the more you do anything, the easier it becomes. That’s all to say, the biggest challenge is usually making the time to write, and using that time efficiently. I’m never out of ideas, but I’m sometimes out of energy. Ideally, this is remedied by sleep, but sometimes it’s just caffeine.
What’s next for you?
THEY EAT YOUR YOUNG! This is the follow up novel to IT LOOKS LIKE YOU IN THE DARK, which is written in the same world with some overlapping characters, but follows Elisapie, a graduate student who has to deal with her father’s mental health problems, the brutality of academia, and the predation of the hopped up billionaire class. There are also qalupalik (which are like mermaids, but scarier).
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up? Any you’ve read so far this year that you’ve enjoyed?
Books I’ve recently read and loved:
- Never Whistle at Night 2: Back for Blood, Edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst jr.
- What Feeds Below, Tatiana Schlotte-Bonne
- From Our Blood, Shardai Smith
Books I’m desperately looking forward to reading:
- They Followed Us Home, Edited by Cynthia Pelayo
- Mazywood, by Tananarive Due
- Our Cut of Salt, by Deena Helm
- Swallerjaw, by Tif Robinette
