Leslie Lutz is the author of FRACTURED TIDE (Harper Collins/Blink 2020), which was voted “Best of 2020” by Suspense Magazine in the YA category and was a Junior Library Guild pick. Her new young adult horror novel, SWEETEST DARKNESS (Holiday House) is available September 24, 2024. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in various journals, Orca Literary Journal, Kaaterskill Basin Literary Journal, Typishly, The Lyric, and Raintown Review.
She lives in Fort Worth, Texas, and when she’s not writing, you can find her watching B-horror movies, scuba diving, or taking care of chickens.
SE: What inspired you to write “Sweetest Darkness”, and how did you develop the central themes of the novel?
LL: I’ve always loved haunted object stories, and I also really dig stories that have a “What’s in that box?!” suspense. I often get my ideas from an image that pops in my head, and for Sweetest Darkness, it was the image of a creepy looking safe sitting in a field of cactus under a starry sky. The story took off from there!
SE: How did you approach the creation of Quinn O’Brien’s character, and what challenges did you face in portraying a teenage psychic?
LL: I have always been inspired by Stephen King’s THE DEAD ZONE, which shows the price of this sort of gift. I wanted Quinn’s gift to also have a price, but since this is young adult, I didn’t want it to be quite as intense as Johnny’s psychic ability, so walking that line of scary, but not too scary, was a bit of a trick.
SE: The abandoned hotel in “Sweetest Darkness” plays a crucial role in the story. How did you go about creating such a vivid and eerie setting?
LL: I’ve spent a lot of time in the desert near Big Bend National Park, and some of the derelict buildings you come across on those long road trips look totally haunted, so I took some inspiration there. The biggest influence, however, was the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas, a famously haunted hotel with a history that stretches back to the golden age of cinema. So many ghosts!
SE: Can you describe your typical writing routine? How do you balance writing with other aspects of your life?
LL: I write in the morning, since my brain punches the quittin’ time clock around 2:00 p.m. After that, I focus on things like hanging out with my daughter or husband, editing novels for my small editing business, answering emails, and taking care of my many, many pets. My best time for writing is first thing when I wake up, when my brain isn’t crowded with all the other thoughts of the day. To balance writing with the thousand other demands pulling on me, I force myself to do writing for at least 25 minutes before I do anything else, even if I’m not in the mood. No news feed, no emails, no chores. The only thing that takes precedence over writing in the morning is making coffee. I also think writing almost every day is extremely helpful, even if you’re writing for only a short time. Once I finish that short 25-minute session, I’ve usually shaken off any reluctance to get it done and get in the story groove.
SE: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while writing “Sweetest Darkness”, and how did you overcome them?
LL: The middle! I always struggle with that huge section, and I relied heavily on my beta readers, my agent, and my editor to help me streamline it. Writers creating their work completely alone is mostly a myth (although you can find an author from time to time who does work solo). Most of us need other people to help us gain the perspective we need.
SE: How has your writing process evolved from your first novel, “Fractured Tide”, to “Sweetest Darkness”? What lessons have you learned along the way?
LL: I’ve learned that throwing away large sections I’ve written and starting over is just normal for me, so I don’t sweat it anymore. The other thing I’ve learned is that investing a lot of time in a good villain pays off. When you’re drafting, if you pretend for a bit that the villain is the protagonist, you end up with a much richer story.
Interview: SHELF ESCAPE
