Please tell us a bit about yourself and your relationship with the genre?
I’m the author of Mina and the Undead, a YA murder mystery set in 1990s New Orleans, and I’ve been a horror fan for as long as I can remember.
What was your introduction to horror, and at what age?
My first brush with horror came at a very young age. My dad owned a video shop, and I was always drawn to the forbidden horror section with the murderous dolls and strange creatures on the cover. The fact that I wasn’t allowed to watch those films only made them more appealing! I started watching horror films at age 11 or 12 at sleepovers, but I read horror from around age 9 or 10. Point Horrors were the first scary books I read and I still love them now.
Your new book Mina and the Slayers is the follow up to your debut hit Mina and the Undead, could you tell us a little about it?
Three months after the events of Mina and the Undead, Mina's settling into her new life. Despite the teething problems in her relationship with Jared, she has her sister back, new friends and a part-time job to die for. Over Halloween, Mina and the gang have planned a spooky week of Gothic restaurants, horror movies, ghostly tours, creepy carnivals and a costume ball.
But the fun doesn't last. Mina is on work experience with Detective Cafferty while the police are investigating a savage masked killer and a rise in suspicious 'animal attacks'. During her own investigations, Mina discovers a mysterious group of slayers, who are battling to control the rogue vampires.
The threats circle closer as Mina spends her days with the police and nights with the slayers. Will she and her friends survive Halloween without being staked, stabbed or bitten?
How did you find the process of writing a sequel to such a popular debut?
Everyone told me that writing a second book would be more difficult, and that was definitely true! I had as long as I wanted to polish the first book before submitting it to agents. By the second book, I was writing to a tight deadline with the knowledge in the back of my mind that people had enjoyed the first book and I wanted this one to compare.
Writing a sequel had its benefits, because I already knew the characters, voice and the world. The challenge was making sure the book had continuity from Mina and the Undead in everything from how characters speak to location details. I also wanted it to be just as bloody and elaborate as the first book, if not more so.
Mina and the Slayers already seems to be creating a buzz online, is the bookstagram community a big help to getting the word out there?
Thank you! I hope so. The online book community have been an amazing support for both books. Publishers will only buy more books when an author is doing well, and I have the online community to thank for spreading the word and shouting about Mina and the Undead online. I really appreciate the people who have continued to support my second book.
Where did you draw your inspiration for the series?
So many places! I think I’ve been gathering inspiration for these books since I started reading, writing and watching horror. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favourite TV show, and I definitely aspire to write books with characters you can root for and plots that will keep you guessing like Buffy. My main inspiration came from visiting New Orleans in 2012. The atmosphere and creepy locations of the city, as well as its gruesome local myths, gave me the idea to write this book.
What is your favourite horror trope?
I have so many! My favourite two are probably the masked killer and the final girl, especially if they’re used together. Scream is still one of my favourite horror movies, and I think it’s a perfect homage to the slasher genre as well as a fun, twisty story.
What is something you'd like to see more of in the future in the genre?
I think horror in YA fiction is having quite a moment and I’d love for that to continue! I think UKYA authors in particular are creating some amazing books that deserve to get worldwide recognition.
Who are some of your favourite people working in the genre at the moment?
As I’m part of the book community, I’ll focus on authors for this one. I think that Dawn Kurtagich, Kendare Blake, Goldy Moldavsky, Cynthia Murphy, Kat Ellis and Kathryn Foxfield are exciting YA authors to look out for. Adam Cesare also writes brilliant books for young adults and adults, and Grady Hendrix is amazing if you’re looking to read adult horror. I’ve recently discovered Manga by Junji Ito, and the stories and art are some of the most brilliant and disturbing work I’ve come across in any medium.
And are there any other projects you're involved with that you'd like to talk about?
I’d love to write Mina book 3. I’m also working on some other projects that I can’t talk about yet, but I’m very excited about them!
Thank you again to Amy for the wonderful interview. To find out more about Amy and buy her books checknout the links below:
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