The Lights of Greyfare follows a burned-out journalist who goes to a small seaside town on assignment, and she discovers the small town is hiding terrifying secrets. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Greyfare began as a place in my imagination long before it had a name. I’ve always been fascinated by towns that seem both alive and forgotten, where the fog feels like another resident and silence carries its own folklore. I wanted a setting that could reflect Katherine Calder’s unraveling, a place where her grief and addiction would meet an environment that seemed to breathe and press back against her. Maine’s coastal isolation gave me the perfect canvas for that tension, where a story about strange lights could spiral into something much darker.

What intrigues you about the horror and paranormal genres that led you to write this book?

Horror has always been about intimacy, about getting uncomfortably close to the things we would rather avoid. The paranormal allows those inner struggles to manifest outward, in ways that are unsettling but true. Kat’s sarcasm, self-destruction, and longing all take shape in Greyfare’s uncanny atmosphere. I love that horror lets us put grief, obsession, and identity into forms that are at once monstrous and heartbreakingly human. It’s not about shock alone, it’s about resonance… leaving the reader haunted in ways they didn’t expect.

Were you able to achieve everything you wanted with the characters in the novel?

Kat fought me every step of the way. She’s painfully real. I wanted her inner spirals, her addictions, and her sharp humor to feel unvarnished, and I think that comes through. Some of the townspeople surprised me, too, especially in how their secrets entwined with hers. I don’t believe in tying everything up neatly. I prefer characters who linger with you after the last page.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?

I’m currently in the early stages of my next novel. It will return to the gothic tradition, a story shaped by architecture, community, and the way hidden histories leave their mark on the living. While it won’t be set in Greyfare, it will share that same interest in place as a character. I hope to share more in the coming year. In the meantime, readers can follow updates and join my mailing list through my website, https://junoguadalupe.com/.

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