We chat with author Michelle McGill-Vargas about American Ghoul, which combines horror and social commentary—with a dash of a buddy comedy—in an innovative twist on the vampire genre.
Hi, Michelle! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
By day, I am a teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing in Northwest Indiana where I was born and raised. I’m a 3rd generation twin with a niece and nephew who finally think I’m interesting now that I have a book out. I’m a dog mom of a rescued terrier-something-or-another that hunts anything that moves in the backyard (resulting in the Great Bunny War of 2020 that we don’t talk about) and a Pembroke Welsh Corgi who thinks he’s a terrier. A Twilight Zone marathon and anything with Al Pacino or vampires in it will have my full attention.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
My 4th grade teacher, Mrs. White, had a creative writing center in her class. I would have these short stories circling in my head all week, waiting for my turn at the center. But I would have to attribute the earliest love of stories to my dad, who took my sister and me to the library on Saturday afternoons where we were expected to check out at least one book. We always ended up coming home with several each trip. Most of them were scary stories or books about ghosts and vampires that we’d hide among our Sweet Valley Twins books so our parents wouldn’t think something was wrong with us.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Corduroy by Don Freeman. My parents were educators, so reading was something they did with us and encouraged us to do all the time. My sister and I had a whole 4-shelf library in our bedroom, so it’s difficult to pick which was the first book I read, but Corduroy was definitely a favorite.
- The one that made you want to become an author: Beloved by Toni Morrison (really anything she wrote)
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Even now, I go back and read that book.
Your debut novel, American Ghoul, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Crazy, creepy-ish, unique, historical, humorous
What can readers expect?
Readers can expect to see the vampire tale told through a different pair of eyes. They can expect a fun, buddy comedy-like story with some twists and turns and a dash of horror, but nothing to give you nightmares (maybe.) They can also expect a bit of social commentary about the post-American Civil War period, given the main character is a newly-freed Black woman trying to find her footing in a new and unfamiliar world… all while trying to wrangle the vampire in her care.
Where did the inspiration for American Ghoul come from?
Every day in October, I watch nothing but horror movies– except slasher movies because they make absolutely no sense to me. American Ghoul came about while watching the original “Fright Night,” the one with Chris Sarandon and his vampire servant, Billy, who looked and acted human, but in the end, apparently wasn’t. So I wondered, “What would make someone WANT to follow around a dead body?” I get how some people are enamored with the idea of immortality and power through associations with a vampire or even being turned by one. But a vampire is still a corpse, no matter how you slice it, and for me, it begged the question, why? What must be going on in a person’s life to want to live and work for a corpse? I figured that person must want to trade off whatever horrible circumstance they were in to want such a job. My interest in northwest Indiana history and Civil War history birthed the character of Lavinia, a marginalized woman in 19th century America, who fit the bill.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I’m a pantser, meaning I don’t plot out my stories from start to finish; I write what comes to me (or more accurately, write what the characters tell me to write– don’t judge me.) I enjoy those moments when characters show up in my story that I never intended to be there and end up playing a pivotal role. The sudden appearance of characters like Nate and King in American Ghoul were fun to explore because when they showed up on the page, I had no idea who they were or how they would impact the story. So it was fun and interesting seeing how they evolved and interacted with my main characters and changed the entire trajectory in a way I never expected.
This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?
Very educational. I can’t say it’s typical, because I think every writer’s journey is different. Some authors get their manuscripts picked up right away. Others, like me, are destined for the long path of querying, rejections, hoping and praying, and then trying again. But during those years between deciding to publish short stories and publishing a novel, I took the time to learn the craft by attending as many writing conferences and workshops as I could (…afford, I’m a teacher, after all!) I drifted in and out of writing critique groups until I found ones that fit. And I wrote, even as those rejection letters rolled through. I found a lot of inspiration from talking to other writers with the same goal of publication as myself, as well as repeating “It’s just not your time,” when yet another agent took a pass.
What’s next for you?
I have an historical manuscript that’s halfway completed. Hopefully, enough people will love American Ghoul that I can continue Lavinia’s (the main character) story. She’s got a lot more to say about her “peculiar circumstances” and a lot more trouble to get into!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?
The last books I really enjoyed reading so far were Take My Hand by Dolena Perkins-Valdez and The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo. I’ve had my hands on Tananarive Due’s The Reformatory for a while, so I’m glad I’ll finally have some time to actually read it. I also can’t wait to read Rachel Harrison’s So Thirsty, Angela Jackson-Brown’s Untethered, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Seventh Veil of Salome.
