We chat with author Thomas Olde Heuvelt about Darker Days, which is a modern twist on the Faustian tale about a gilded street in a Pacific Northwest town where the charmed residents have made a frightening deal . . . resulting in devastating consequences.
Hi, Thomas! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hello! I am a horror novelist from The Netherlands. My last name, Olde Heuvelt, means “Old Hill” in old Dutch dialect, which is ironic in several ways. First, we haven’t got a single hill in my country. Second, it sounds very Hobbity, but we haven’t got any tradition of the fantastic in our literature. Nor do we have legends, myths or superstitions. The Dutch are very practical, somewhat boring people. So growing up, I had to look elsewhere for the stories that could thrill me. As I was developing myself as a writer, I did notice I brought my Dutch practicality to the genre. Witch in your bathroom? Hang a towel over her face and go take your shower. Annual human sacrifice to guarantee your happiness? Pick someone who wants to die because our laws on euthanasia suck. What could go wrong, right? I wrote a novel called HEX that changed my life: it was published in over twenty-five countries around the world. I followed it up with Echo and Oracle, and now there is Darker Days, which I feel is my best and darkest to date.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
When I was three, my dad died. As a kid, I imagined Death living in our attic, in a dark place between the washing machine and the drying rack. If I made too much noise on the stairs, it could come after me, too. It freaked me out… but it fascinated me, too. My uncle picked up on that. He was a storyteller. So he started telling me stories in which the kids would beat the monster. This was amazing! In stories, you could defy death. So soon, I was telling my own. Writing them down, too. (My uncle told me the good stuff, by the way. Roald Dahl’s The Witches when I was seven. Bram Stoker’s Dracula when I was eight. I loved him for it. My Mom didn’t always, as she was the one ending up with this kid that would scream her awake in the middle of the night…)
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: The Neverending Story by Michaël Ende. SO scary and awesome that you could be sucked into a story!
- The one that made you want to become an author: Pet Sematary by Stephen King. My first contemporary adult horror novel, and the darkest of them all. I was 11 at the time. I got Lewis Creed. I was Lewis Creed. If I had had that single chance of bringing my dad back from the dead, I would have done the same. No matter the consequences.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Life of Pi by Yann Martel. A thing of beauty. Many consider it a story that proves the existance of God. But I am not religious. To me, it proves the ultimate power of stories.
Your latest novel, Darker Days, is out October 28th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Sacrifice, family, darkness, secrets, holy-sh*t-these-characters-did-NOT-just-do-that!
What can readers expect?
A dark, dark ride into the human psyche. Darker Days is a modern take on the Faustian bargain story. For eleven months each year, the residents of this picture-perfect cul-de-sac in the Pacific Northwest enjoy their perfect lives: success, prosperity, health, exceptionally gifted children. But each November, the Dark Days descend. Accidents strike. Illness spreads. Morality rots. Why? Because over a century ago, their ancestors signed a pact with an entity known as The Accountant. Each year, one human life must be forfeited in the woods to guarantee the blessings they enjoy. Practical (Dutch) as I am, I figured people in such circumstances would still want to do “good”—like we all would. So who would they choose? Someone very old. Someone ready to go. But what if this year’s volunteer changes their mind at the last minute, and the fragile moral order collapses? I knew I had my book.
Also, mirrors. Freaky things in the woods. Piles of branches. And a very strong hero named Kaila Lewis-da Silva, who’s fifteen but a better person than many of the adults in the book.
Where did the inspiration for Darker Days come from?
Not so much Marlowe and Goethe—it was the soul-selling we’re all partaking in in the pursuit of our happiness. We fly off to vacations knowing it wrecks the planet. We install air-conditioning to battle our self-made heat while polar bears cling to melting ice. We enjoy fast fashion, cheap food, and global convenience, knowing someone, somewhere, is paying the hidden cost. The characters in Darker Days are us. It’s never about judging—I won’t tell you what is right or wrong. I just want to make you think.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I love the family dynamic in Darker Days. Family is the perfect mechanism to tell a horror story, because everybody is supposed to be tied by love and blood, and there’s no greater fear than losing that love. This particular novel is told from the perspective of four members of the Lewis-da-Silva family: Dad, an American judge grappling with the ethical implications of their pact, Mom, of Brazilian descent, caught between her love for her children and the dark secret she’s part of… and the Kaila and Django, both prodigies in their own way, both unawares of what their parents are doing in the woods behind their house each year… until now. They’re all good but flawed people—well-meaning, but the darkness of their situation pushes them to extremes.
Talking about special moments—there is a scene halfway through the book which is by far the darkest thing I ever wrote. It’s a pivotal scene, where all the masks drop. You’ll recognize it when you’ll get there. I wrote dark and scary stuff before, but this one… oomph, I was really dreading it as I was approaching it.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
There are some heavy, sensitive topics in the book—assisted dying, teen depression, holding up mirrors to our pursuit of happiness. For a long time, I felt I wasn’t mature enough as a writer to tackle those issues. The idea for Darker Days came right after I wrote HEX, but I needed to write two more novels in between before I felt ready for this story. Sometimes, time does that trick. Experience, too, but mostly, time.
What’s next for you?
Since I originally write in Dutch, I just finished my newest novel The Last Story of Jamie Gunn. If ever one can write an autobiographical horror novel, this is it. It’s about a boy who loses his father and sets out to collect stories from strangers to fill his void. He accidentally discovers a story that will kill you if you hear its ending. Also, it has a really creepy antagonist. More about that next time.
I’ve also just embarked on a tour of Europe: Spain, Germany, Holland, Belgium, England and Ireland. I really look forward to sharing Darker Days with a wider audience now that it’s crossing borders. Then, it’s back home to the south of France, where I live. More stories await.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I loved Joe Hill’s King Sorrow—also a Faustian bargain tale, but very different than mine. It’s 800+ pages, and it’s FAST. I’ve just stared Catriona Ward’s upcoming novel Nowhere Burning, oophf, a gut-punch. Next on my list is Wretch by Eric LaRocca and I look forward to reading Tom’s Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski.
