Q&A: Skyla Arndt, Author of 'Together We Rot'

We chat with debut author Skyla Arndt about Together We Rot, which follows teen girl looking for the truth about her missing mother forms a reluctant alliance with her former best friend…in exchange for hiding him from his cult-leading family, AND we have the first chapter for you to devour!

Hi, Skyla! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hi everyone! I’m a young adult horror writer who lives in the perpetually-frozen state of Wisconsin. My husband and I are proud cat parents and I spend way too much time watching horror movies and rooting for the monster to be the love interest.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I’ve been writing ever since the third grade! I was always a bit of an odd kid, super obsessed with ghosts and cryptids and scary stories. I was always drawn to the idea of a paranormal world running alongside ours and thought that if I simply looked hard enough, I could find it. That love for all things strange has really fueled my writing and follows me in every story I write.

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!

First book I ever remember reading as a little kid: Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree

The one that made me want to become an author: The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black

One I can’t stop thinking about: Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith

Your debut novel, Together We Rot, is out August 29^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Haunting, romantic, funny, mysterious, and atmospheric

What can readers expect?

Together We Rot is a horromance centered around two ex best friends, Wilhelmina “Wil” Greene and Elwood Clarke. The two of them had a massive falling out the moment Wil’s mother went missing and all signs pointed to his cultish parents’ involvement. Indoctrinated heavily into his family’s church, Elwood was prepared to defend their innocence until the bitter end—until he stumbled upon his father’s true plans for him on his upcoming 18th birthday. He doesn’t want Elwood as his predecessor…he wants him as his sacrifice. Fearing for his life and realizing that Wil might’ve been right all along, the two reluctantly join forces to take his family down.

Where did the inspiration for Together We Rot come from?

The story that you see today slowly appeared through each round of revision! I had a couple key ideas in the beginning: I knew I wanted a religiously tormented boy, a rebellious girl, and maybe a demon possession or two. Everything else came to me one draft at a time.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I loved being able to switch POVs between Wil and Elwood. They have such dramatically different personalities, so it made the drafting process so fun for me to ricochet back and forth. They could be in the same situation and while Elwood would be skittish and worried about every little thing around him, Wil would be far more headstrong and willing to go out fighting each time.

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What a stunning (and spooky) cover! Do you know much about the creative process?

Thank you! I am obsessed with it. The cover art is by Marcela Bolivar and the jacket was designed by Kristie Radwilowicz—they are both so incredibly talented. As far as the creative process goes, it started with me sending over a pitch deck filled with ideas (possible color schemes, favorite covers, important symbolism) and then the rest was them working their magic behind the scenes!

This is your debut novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

I owe a ton to my two mentors, Allison Saft and Ava Reid. They chose me as their mentee in the now-retired Pitch Wars program and helped me revise my novel and get it ready for querying. I learned so much about plot structure and character arcs and after a lot of hard work and revision, I was able to land my agent and eventually my book deal.

What’s next for you?

Hopefully more horror to come!

Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

I do!