Spider Seeds follows a successful author who finds what seems like the perfect houseplant to add to her new home; however, she never suspects the deadly secret that lies within its foliage. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

The idea for Spider Seeds began with a nightmare I had around 2015. In this dream, I watched a garden where plants were growing in time-lapse speed. Instead of flowers, the bulbs sprouted spiders. I woke up both awed and creeped out, thinking, “I need a plot to hang this concept on!”

Two short stories cast their shadows over this work: Prey by Richard Matheson and Battleground by Stephen King. So, instead of a Zuni Fetish Doll or a box of plastic army men, I chose one of those haunting spider seeds from my dream to wreak havoc in someone’s condo.” — from the Author’s Note to Spider Seeds.

Madison is a fascinating character with considerable depth. What scene was the most interesting to write for that character?

Thank you—I really enjoy writing about her. I have especially fond memories of living in Victoria, British Columbia, and I sometimes miss it, so writing Chapter One was particularly meaningful. In that scene, Maddy walks through James Bay, past the Inner Harbour, along Government Street, and finally into Fan Tan Alley. Experiencing the city again through her eyes made the scene especially vivid and personal. More than that, it was in writing that chapter that Maddy truly came to life for me. By the end of it, I understood what she wanted out of life—and how her desires would shape not only her objectives in each scene but also the tactics she’d use to pursue them.

I felt that Spider Seeds delivers the drama so well that it flirts with the grimdark genre. Was it your intention to give the story a darker tone?

That’s an interesting question. Collins Dictionary defines Grimdark as “a genre of fantasy fiction that portrays amoral or morally ambiguous characters engaged in violent struggles in dystopian environments.” I didn’t set out to write Spider Seeds in that genre, but I can understand why it might feel that way. The story confronts dark themes and emotional intensity, but its core is not about moral ambiguity or despair—it’s about facing the evil in our own hearts and choosing to overcome it.

My influences come more from the Romantic and Victorian periods of English literature. Writers like William Wordsworth and Percy Bysshe Shelley gave me permission, so to speak, to write emotionally, drawing from my memories of Victoria, BC. In his Preface to Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth’s idea of poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings… recollected in tranquility” spoke to me and inspired me in how I wrote about Maddy’s quiet moments, such as her walks through downtown Victoria or along Dallas Road. These scenes are rooted in that Romantic sensibility.

Spider Seeds also draws from the Gothic, a branch of Romanticism that explores how the past haunts the present—think Dracula, where ancient evil intrudes on modern London, or The Castle of Otranto, where young Isabella flees to a church after her father-in-law, an old man, attempts to marry her following his son’s death. Maddy’s trauma from her youth resurfaces in many ways. The story includes other Gothic elements as well: the atmospheric presence of Victoria’s heritage buildings, the Janicker women’s mysterious legacy of guarding an ancient spider in plant form, the consequences of dismissing old rituals as mere superstition, and the idea of psychological inheritance passed through pain rather than blood.

There’s also a quiet thread of Victorian sensibility reflected in the moral, spiritual, and social questions that shape Maddy’s inner world. That’s why her cat is named George, after George Eliot, and why Wuthering Heights appears in the prologue. These literary traditions don’t define the story, but they’ve certainly helped shape it. Spider Seeds may carry a darker tone at times, but it’s a story that I hope is told with hope, emotional honesty, and a clear moral framework.

I didn’t write Spider Seeds to revel in the darkness but to walk steadily toward the light.

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

I’m currently working on the sequel to Spider Seeds, which is tentatively scheduled for release in fall 2025. Interestingly, the review from Literary Titan said, “I felt that a few narrative beats, like the mythos surrounding the plant and the shop’s family legacy, felt rushed. I wanted just a little more from the ending.” That feedback didn’t surprise me—in fact, I’d already begun expanding on those very elements in two companion books.

The first is a prequel titled She Who Hunts: The Tale of T’lejhánka, a 66-page illustrated chapbook that reads like a dark fairy tale. It explores the ancient origins of the mysterious plant from Spider Seeds, providing a closer look into its mythos and symbolic meaning. You can find it on Amazon here: https://a.co/d/bYyEkWp

The upcoming sequel (title to be revealed in spring or summer 2025) will dive even further into the Janicker women’s legacy and their role as custodians of the plant. Readers will uncover where the T’lejhánka came from, why it crossed into our world, and how Maddy might play a role in returning it to the realm it belongs to—if she can survive the journey.

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