What inspires you to write?

I’m curious how and why people make choices in their life under the variety of circumstances life offers us. I wonder how much our choices have to do with us as individuals or from where we come from. I like to explore unseen forces in our lives as well.  

I write about what I have seen and experienced. However, I like to throw it into a world where myth and magic have influence. I love working out my demons and angels I know and I question through creating stories. 

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Around the age of 8 years old my mother gifted me a red velvet diary. She told me to document my feelings and observations in this private place. I did. I found out when writing I fell into a zone where my words opened me up to a world where a new part of myself that I enjoyed awoke. I felt more connected without having to have intellectual answers. It’s challenging to describe that space. I can breathe more freely in a story. 

Why did you choose to write your genre?

The period and atmosphere fit the climate of the story and its message. For me, fairy tales, folklore and mythology tell stories in extremes to better teach us the nature of life and humanity’s shadows and illuminating gifts. 

What is the biggest thing that people think they know about your genre?

They think it’s fantasy and mostly for children or teens. Gothic tales tell deeper stories. They are not merely designed to scare you with ghosts and old houses. They act as a mirror that exposes our covered anxieties, our unspeakable desires, and the decay and disease that destroys the kindness of our spirits and the structure of our societies. 

What role does research play in your writing?

I research quite a bit. My story, The House in  the Middle of the Street, came out of a larger world in 19th century New York City that is inspired by historic events and figures of that time. By weaving the past and my love for age old folklore I reimagine those ancient elements through my narratives. Researching what has been, gifts my fiction with a foundation that anchors it with roots to grow into a stronger tale.  As Lord Byron once said, ”Truth is stranger than fiction.” 

Can you share a little bit about your latest book?

The House in the Middle of the Street, is my Gothic winter tale of inheritance, secrets, and the creatures we invite into our lives. It is the first in a series that reveals the lineage of Minerva Atreus and the curse that has followed her family throughout the generations. I riff off of the classic Greek Mythology of The Cursed House of Atreus. 

What made you decide to sit down and start writing?

About ten years ago I began writing a screenplay, intending to make it into a feature film. I had trouble finishing it and ended up making a part of it into a short film. After some time I went back to finishing the full length screenplay. One morning, I began exploring one aspect of this larger story. The House in the Middle of the Street was born. It is the first in a series of Gothic tales I will tell. All the tales  combined will cover the world I originally created. I’m interested in transforming the tales into a cinematic narrative. 

Tell us more about your main character. What inspired you to develop this character?

The  main character in the book seems to be Rebecca, the beautiful owner of the house, however as the story continues we realize the narrator of the story is. She is the one that inherits the debt of the family’s actions. She is also the one who can put an end to the family’s cursed lineage. 

“Uneasy is the head that wears a crown.” – from Shakespeare’s Henry IV 

Want to learn more about Jennifer Sklias-Gahan?

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