Gothic Revival takes some inspiration from the creation of Frankenstein. Where did the idea for your original take on this novel come from, and how did it develop over time?

I’ve always been a fan of the classic, gothic stories like Frankenstein, Dracula, Jekyll & Hyde, House of Usher and such. Sometime last year I came across a reference to Mary Shelley and the Villa Diodati and started poking around, refreshing my memory of that fascinating story.

In researching the novel, I dove into more of the genre and time period, including re-reading Frankenstein (of course!) and the collection of German stories translated to French then English, titled Fantasmagoria. This was the book Byron read to his guests that summer, inspiring them to create their own ghost stories.   

My last novel is a modern-day retelling of Hamlet, so I found myself starting there. What would a retelling of this real-life event be like? Of course, Gothic Revival is not a retelling. The host character, Eric, inspires his old friends to write ghost stories, which proved to be a good set-up for my readers. I knew I could write about adults who got MFAs in Creative Writing long ago, because I’m one of them.

Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?

I fictionalized certain dynamics from my marriage, and I borrowed from experience when crafting the different ways the characters tackle (and procrastinate from tackling) the task of writing a short story. Also, at times Chris is a kind of a skewed exaggeration of what I know about being an independently published author.

What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?

The one I can talk about without spoilers is the first night at the villa in which Eric reveals his obsession to his friends/guests. His plan for the weekend comes out in a creative way. (One of the other characters actually figures it out beforehand.) His pitch and everyone’s reaction to it were definitely fun to write.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

I’m writing my next novel which is titled Owned. It’s another psychological thriller in which a poor, impulsive decision made by a group of friends attracts the attention of a serial killer the media is obsessed with. The story is based on a screenplay I wrote years ago, so the project has become a reverse adaptation of sorts. Some interesting challenges have already come up. If I could have it out by summer 2024, that would be great. But there’s really no way of telling.

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