Welcome to the spotlight Nyhterides! We're excited to feature you in our ever-growing community of voices exploring the strange, the mysterious, and the unexplained.
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What draws you to the paranormal genre?
It's limitless.
What was the first paranormal story you read or watched?
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Loved it then. Love it still.
What paranormal trope do you secretly love—even if readers roll their eyes?
Oh, I have a few! One is vampires. I love them and try to find ways to make them my own. For instance, Lord Caspian in Rosalind is a beast-vampire. He was made into one due to a curse. He can be killed. Caspian is stuck between living and dead. He doesn't turn into a bat or wolf but rather into butterflies. He can eat, but the food must be raw.
What's your process for worldbuilding in the paranormal realm? Where does logic meet lore in your work?
I start with an idea, write, and let it snowball from there. If I need something logical, I research it. Then sometimes change it to make it my own/fit the story. Sometimes logic doesn't even visit the story.
What's the strangest "research" you've done for a paranormal story that made your search history look suspicious?
It had to do with different types of drugs and how the body reacts to them. And how to bring back someone that was just killed. I also consulted a handful of doctors and nurses.
Ever finished a draft and thought, "This is either genius or a disaster. I'll let the readers decide"?
Absolutely! A Flatliners meets Haunting of Hill House story called Salvatoria that lives in a silent lil' folder on my desktop.
Which line or scene from your stories do you secretly feel proud of — the one that gives you goosebumps every time?
Oh my, just one? I have four lines I'd love to share!
1) The day Maggie came all the bluebirds flew backward into the sea.
2) Some of us are made rotten, some are born. I do not know where he sits, but if being an aberration of God's good name was a throne, he would be king.
3) In their eyes I am a woman. In the mirror I am God.
4) The human stain is a hard thing to wash off.
Do you believe in real-life paranormal experiences? (Tell us more if you want!)
For sure. There has to be more than what we simply see.
What's the most random thing that inspired one of your story ideas? (Tell us the weird origin story!)
My sister! I told her I was going to write a story and she said, "Don't write about your vampires again." But I wanted a blood drinker (I HAD written a lot of vamp stories before this). So I though, ok, let me do something a bit different. I created a race called the Kadisin which are blood-drinking angels cursed to live (and suffer) on Earth as mortals for 100 years. My notes are filled with a whole backstory and details! I wrote a story called Savage so I could use a Kadisin. :)
What's the biggest challenge when writing supernatural elements?
No challenge because it opens doors for creativity.
Which of your characters taught you something unexpected about yourself?
All. They come in with their own issues, desires, and emotions. I gain something from each of them.
What's the best compliment you've ever received from a reader?
"I wish I had written this." An author/professor from Kingston University told me that. They said a lot more great things which I keep close to my heart.
What message or emotion do you hope readers walk away with after reading your stories?
If my story lingers in a reader's mind long after they have finished reading it, I'm happy.
Any upcoming projects, events, or releases you want to tease?
At the moment, I'm posting the sequel to Rosalind called Bellua. After that, I do have something in mind. It's a revenge story with teens stranded on an island. Lord of the Flies is my inspiration but it's going to be even more messed up and darker.
Is there anything else you'd love to share with readers or fellow writers?
Thanks to everyone for their support, I appreciate it. Happy reading!
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A huge thanks to Nyhterides for sharing your responses! Your perspective adds yet another fascinating page to our archive of interviews and keeps the conversation around the paranormal alive.
