Interview with Author Christina Ferko (The Darkness Greeted Her)

Thank you so much for sending the book. What an amazing story so far.

What inspired the book, and have you always been a fan or at least appreciated spooky books?

Aside from sneaking a Goosebumps book once in a while as a kid, I didn’t grow up reading scary books. I didn’t really start to appreciate the horror genre until I was an adult and life had thrown real scares at me (like it tends to do for everyone). Some of the inspiration for THE DARKNESS GREETED HER comes from a few of my own experiences like that in life, while other inspiration was me just wanting to write more unreliable narrators and a story that shows how sometimes the woods can feel full of unknown things.

What is the most challenging aspect of writing a book?

Motivation and focus. Getting myself to actually sit down and start working instead of getting distracted by the million other things I need to do in a day or by scrolling social media is the hardest part for me. Once I’m sitting and focusing on work, I can get things done, but that initial motivation and focus needed to get myself sitting at my desk can be hard when I always feel like there’s at least ten things I should be doing at once.

What is next for you? Will you be doing a book tour at all? Would you like to see the book become a film?

Right now, I have a second book with Sourcebooks Fire for another young adult horror. There aren’t any details announced for it yet, but I can’t wait to share more about it soon!

For now, I have an author event with my local indie bookstore, Park Books in Severna Park, Maryland (Feb. 4th) where I’ll be in-conversation with author Roselyn Clarke and also signing copies of THE DARKNESS GREETED HER. There might be some more events down the line too though!

I’m a huge fan of Mike Flanagan’s horror works, so yes, it would be a dream of mine to see the book become a film or a limited series, especially if it were directed by Mike Flanagan! Kirkus, among others, have said that THE DARKNESS GREETED HER reads like a horror film so I think this story would lend well to that form of media too!

Did the characters come via any personal inspiration? If you do not want to answer, please don’t. I have been through a lot in life, and when you read about powerful, strong characters it gives you extra hope.

Yes, I won’t dive too much into it, but Harper’s character and the trauma she experiences from doing CPR on someone who doesn’t survive comes from my own personal experience (though it’s not written the exact same way). With Harper, I wrote through some of my own trauma and feelings of that experience. Emma’s story of facing a home intruder was sparked by mom and sisters having faced a home intruder also. And Kylie’s experience of dealing with a parent who had cancer came from my own cancer diagnosis, going through treatments, and the worry I had of being a mom to two toddlers during that time also.

Who are some of your favorite writers/Authors?

I’m obsessed with Jamison Shea’s books. They write YA horror also and are an instant buy for me! Other YA horror authors I love are Trang Thanh Tran, Kelly Andrew, Taylor Grothe, and Erin A. Craig. I’m also very excited for a fellow YA horror debut author, Keala Kendall, and to read her book, THAT WHICH FEEDS US.

I am so in love with the cover. Is it a real place?

It’s not a real place. The book is based on a northern Appalachia setting, but the camp with the lake surrounded by birch trees is made up. And I love the cover too! All credit for that has to go to my cover design team and artist!

How did the idea manifest? What was the process like for you?

For me, with any book I write, I usually start with a vague idea that will usually have something to do with the conflict of the story and any paranormal aspects I might put in. And then I’m very much a “plotter” author. Once I have a general story idea, I develop it more through writing up a structure outline, so if it’s a three-act structure, I’ll outline all the main plot points in each act and develop backstory. After that, I write a chapter-by-chapter outline (though they’re not usually very detailed and I tend to go off script from while drafting the middle) and then from there it’s drafting and revising. I followed this with THE DARKNESS GREETED HER except with TDGH, I wrote more than half the book before deciding that it didn’t feel right and basically started the process all over again for it—which wasn’t fun but was the right decision for this story.

Do you have any words of wisdom for fellow writers?

Keep writing. If you’re writing with the hope of becoming published, then keep writing and reading. Read widely for enjoyment but also to learn the craft. And I think half of writing for publication is just tenacity and not giving up. I wrote six other books before my offer with Sourcebooks. Some days and rejections were hard, so take breaks when needed, but keep going and keep growing your craft if it’s something you also can’t give up on like me.

Thank you so much for taking the time to do an interview for Horrornews.net and thank you so much for sending the book for review. Thank you.