Interview with Andrew Joseph White, author of HELL FOLLOWED WITH US and THE SPIRIT BARES ITS TEETH

 

I am ecstatic about today's interview! I don't often read horror books or books with gore in them because it just doesn't mesh well with my anxiety. But I've read both books by this author and I've absolutely loved every second of them! Today's interview participant is Andrew Joseph White (he/him)! Also, a huge thanks to Sara DiSalvo for helping set this interview up!

In this interview I got to pick White's brain about both Hell Followed with Us (paperbacks out now!) and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth (out September 5th!). I got to ask about how he came up with these characters, what three words describe each book, and how much research goes into writing these books. This was an amazing interview and I feel so lucky that I was able to do this. As always, links to follow Andrew on his social media and preorder his books will be at the end of the interview. Thank you for reading! If you've read Hell Followed with Us (or The Spirit Bares Its Teeth), let me know what you thought of it!      

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What motivates you to write?

I could sit here and list a ton of things-the advances and royalty checks, the thrill of having a book out in the world-but when people ask about motivation, that's rarely what they mean. When it comes to my YA novels, my motivation comes from how badly I want to reach out to queer kids. I had so little representation as a child, if any, and it's hard to understate how much damage that did. And today, with all the attacks on trans youth? I have to keep working. I have to keep making art that speaks to these kids. They've told me what it means to them, and that's what keeps me going.

That's, I don't know if honorable is the right word for this but it's definitely an amazing reason to write! I get it! I didn't have these books as a child, despite how much I would have loved to, so now I try to read as many of them as I can. And talk about them. Kids need these books, especially right now.

Do you have a set writing schedule? If so, what does that look like for you?

My writing schedule has to be flexible; I have a 9-to-5 (well, an 8:30-to-5) so it's a requirement that I squeeze in words whenever I can. Before I clock in, on my lunch break, while waiting for dinner to cook. Granted, even when I was writing full-time, my schedule was still fluid. The only time I find myself with a rigid schedule is when I'm at the tail end of a deadline-I start staying up late and cancelling plans so I can cram in page after page in the office after dinner. I hate doing that though, so I try to make my writing schedule work into my regular life wherever possible.

That's impressive, that you're able to write these books in the free time that you have! It seems to be working for you, so congrats on finding a method that works!

How did you come up with the main characters for these books?

I've had the protagonist of Hell Followed with Us, Benji, since high school, so it's hard to pinpoint where he came from. At the beginning, he was little more than a blank slate; just some guy in a story that didn't resemble HFWU at all. Eventually, as I poured my childhood obsession with monsters and transness and body horror into his mold, he became something truly special, and I knew I'd found the character that would lead my debut.

Silas, the protagonist of The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, was created with a little more intentionality. I wanted to create a person who would clearly illustrate a masked autistic trans boy pretending to be a perfect Victorian daughter. I wanted him to be expressive and caring and have a hint of naivete to provide a foil for his interest in surgery and eventual bloodshed. I also wanted to create an autistic character who was gentle and prone to tears-the autistic rep in Hell is fun and badass, but I wanted Spirit to move in a different direction.

Ooh, that's interesting that you've had Benji since high school! I'm glad he eventually developed to become the main protagonist! Silas is an amazing character and, in my personal opinion, I think you did an amazing job at creating him. I like the difference in how the two characters came to be though. One intentionally created to be the way he is, the other one not so much.

Where did the ideas for Hell Followed with Us and The Spirit Bares Its Teeth come from?

Hell came to me with a bolt of inspiration; I had just come out as trans slowly, over the previous few months, and it hadn't gone smoothly. I needed an outlet for my feelings and the idea landed right in my lap. When I took into account my own history with monstrousness and body horror and anger, I knew that if I wanted to write about a trans boy, I needed to tell the truth, and I needed to write a book about a trans boy turning into a monster.

Spirit was different. I'd had a vague idea for a horror novel about a finishing school for a while, but it'd never gone anywhere. When Peachtree Teen wanted to see my next book, I submitted a quick pitch, not expecting it to go anywhere, but it got nabbed! So I had to actually make something out of the idea. Finishing schools are breeding grounds for terrible patriarchal ideals, and when I combined that with a trans protagonist who doesn't fully understand what's being asked of him, the book came together with a snap.

I definitely understand writing being a really good outlet for feelings, especially the messy and complicated ones.

I also kind of love the idea that Spirit was less a planned idea and more a vague idea that had to get fleshed out when people expressed interest. The thought of that just amuses me.

What made you want to write queer horror books?

I did not grow up a horror fan-I used to cry at Winnie the Pooh movies-but I became one around the time I started puberty and found myself with a lot of horrible thoughts regarding my body and gender. Horror was the only outlet for what I was feeling. So it was only natural that I made my name in queer horror. I use the language of horror to describe my own queerness and transness, and the metaphors of the genre gave me words for the sorts of things I was struggling with. Writing queer horror novels is simply the logical conclusion of how my mind works, and I'm grateful for it.

Beautifully worded! I love how you described that feeling. I'm not a fan of horror movies, they freak me out, but there's something about queer horror books that just sits right with me.

What three words describe Hell Followed with Us? What about The Spirit Bares Its Teeth?

Lightning round! For Hell: searing, feral, and furious; for Spirit: cold, aching, and claustrophobic.

Ooh, perfect!! I love the difference between the two books because they are quite different books and those words show that very well!

What kind of research did you have to do when writing these books? I'm especially interested in the research for The Spirit Bares Its Teeth because of the medical aspect of it.

It's funny that you're interested in the medical research for Spirit, because everyone wants to know about the historical research. I like talking about medical stuff way more! Luckily, my father works in the medical field and is more than happy to answer every bizarre question I have. He's drawn wound diagrams, offered pages from his anatomy textbooks, and even linked me to surgery videos. A lot of the protagonist's knowledge was stuff I'd already picked up living in the same house as this man-we'd often talk medical procedures over dinner, to my mother's chagrin, and an expert on the topic has always been just a phone call away. That was actually one of the reasons I decided that the protagonist's special interest would be surgery and anatomy; not only was it sufficiently gross to hold up one of my stories, but I knew I could just text my dad stuff like "heyyy do you have any c-section videos you recommend?"

The historical side of it is interesting too, but something about the medical aspect just interests me more. Probably because that's what Silas focuses more on too. It's amazing that you had some of that knowledge before (although talking about that over dinner makes me feel a bit ick) and that you had someone you could message to get more information.

How did you come up with the titles for these books?

The title of Hell Followed with Us was a collaborative effort; it had gone on submission under the title An Overabundance of Soul, and it wasn't quite what we were looking for. My then-agent, my editor, and I got together with a document and started pulling every phrase, repeated motif, and cool quote we could find-we pulled bible verses, mashed words together aimlessly, everything. I don't remember who came up with the final title, but it certainly wasn't me. I fell in love with it instantly.

In stark contrast, my fiancée came up with The Spirit Bares Its Teeth during the early days of drafting, and it simply stuck.

That's quite interesting. I like the other title it had gone to submission under, but HFWU definitely fits the book better I think. I love that Spirit has been with the book since the beginning though. That's impressive.

What was the process like coming up with the covers for these books?

One of the reasons I adore working with Peachtree is how much say I've gotten over the covers! For Hell, I was initially presented with a large list of themes, imagery, and excerpts from the book that would be given to a designer and illustrator, which I got to adjust as I saw fit. Then I was assigned a designer and given a list of illustrators to mull over. I saw Evangeline Gallagher on the list, who is one of my favorite illustrators, and was over the moon when it was announced I'd get to work with them.

Next was getting a set of thumbnails, where I was prompted to list my favorite things about each one, and also what I'd possibly want changed or removed. Once that was completed, I was given a final sketch for me (and marketing/sales) to adjust, and then the final was submitted.

Since we worked with Evangeline again for Spirit, we didn't have to worry about the search for illustrators-but we also had to start working on the cover in the middle of a total rewrite, so I submitted a list of visual cues and hoped for the best. Thankfully, it turned out amazing!

That was awesome that you got/get to work with one of your favorite illustrators!! I love the idea of a list of themes and imagery from the book being used to determine what is on the cover. It just makes a lot of sense to do something like that. I'm impressed that you had to work on the cover during a total rewrite, although now I'm a bit curious baout why there was a total rewrite, but I'm thrilled that it worked out well in the end!

What's been your favorite part of getting these books published?

Oh, the reader reaction for sure. Not only do I get to create art that represents my experience and have it validated on a critical level-but my inboxes are filled with messages from readers, and my events are cram-packed with people who relate to my work. The best parts of my writing career have been doing signings and getting to talk with readers; they hand me notes, show me drawings and their own art, and I get to connect with people who have spent their lives feeling the same way I do. These books are a bridge and a mirror all at once.

That's amazing!! The way you describe it, I definitely see how that is such a wonderful part of what you do. I'm hoping to eventually be able to be at one of your events.

How do you celebrate after finishing/releasing a book?

When I finish a book, I go out for dinner, blow off responsibilities for an evening, and dive head-first into the next project for a breath of fresh air. When I release a book, though, I try to take the day off, do promotion, and drive around for local signings. The paperback of Hell Followed with Us came out last week, and while I didn't skip work, I did organize a virtual get-together with readers after dinner.and maybe hand out a few author copies to my coworkers.

That's so awesome. Yeah you definitely deserve a breath of fresh air after finishing a book. I can't imagine how good that probably feels after focusing on one book for so long. I also love that you drive around for local signings when a book is released, that just sounds like an exhausting but really fun experience!!

Thank you so much to Andrew Joseph White for taking part in this interview and again my endless thanks to Sara DiSalvo for helping set this interview up. I greatly appreciate it! Thank you to everyone reading as well! Links to purchase Andrew's books will be a little lower and I highly recommend reading them! Happy reading! Hope you enjoy them!

If you like what I do, consider giving me a follow on social media or donating to my Ko-fi. Thank you for reading!!

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You can find Andrew Joseph White on his website, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

You can buy Andrew Joseph White's books from One More Page Books. You can preorder The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, which I highly recommend, but if you don't want to wait or can't afford a hardcover the paperback of Hell Followed With Us is also an excellent purchase you can make!

If you can't buy his books but you still want to read them, consider requesting them to your local library or suggesting them on Overdrive!