Today we are delighted to bring you an in-depth interview with Dawn Kurtagich who has impressed us greatly with the three novels (and novella) she has written since 2015. There are few authors which blend the troubled teenage psyche with the enticing ambiguity of horror so convincingly. Dawn writes intelligent and challenging horror novels which keep teenager readers on their toes with clever and multi-layered plots. If you have never tried her fiction, we highly recommend it, with The Creeper Man a perfect place to start.   

When I come across adult horror fans being dismissive of YA horror (“we didn’t need it in my day blah blah blah I read IT when I was ten…”) Dawn Kurtagich is one of the ‘go-to’ authors I would use to put these individuals straight! In fact, her fiction is more thoughtful and advanced than many adult novels. If you ever thought YA was just for kids, think again. Anybody can read these stories and enjoy them, and you will quickly forget you are not the target audience.

In our recent top 100 countdown of my favourite YA horror novels of the last decade Dawn was one of a select few authors who made two appearances with The Creeper Man (Number 8) and The Dead House (number 24). Female authors currently dominate the YA dark fiction landscape and Dawn is one of the very best.

I was also delighted that of the seventeen female YA horror authors she name-checks later in the interview that Ginger Nuts has reviewed fifteen of them on the site. I will have to investigate the odd two out! Now, let’s talk horror….

Did you have many false starts, or unpublished manuscripts under your bed, before ‘The Dead House’ was published in 2015?

 I did, yes. I wrote my first novel at 12, finishing it at 17. That one taught me a lot about what not to do. After that it took another four manuscripts (some written many times), before I got my book deal. Honestly, writing is the best way to learn and I don’t consider any of my previous books false starts because they taught me so much.

‘The Dead House’ beautifully blends psychological thriller and crime with elements of horror. Did you see yourself as a ‘horror’ author at this stage or could your career have taken a slightly different literary direction, I’m thinking mainstream thrillers perhaps?

I definitely saw myself as a horror writer at that stage, though I always knew I would branch into thriller and fantasy at some point. I love dark stories, and horror is my “beloved”, my bread and butter, my cherry on top, but I am drawn to other genres as well. One of the previous books I wrote was a psychological thriller, another was a paranormal, and two were fantasy.

Our recent feature on Ginger Nuts of Horror ranked your second novel ‘The Creeper Man’ the eighth best YA horror novel of the last decade, the level of ambiguity in that novel connected to the horror was stunning, how did you pull it off?

Thank you. I have a mind that naturally seeks out ambiguity—my family often jokes that I’m obsessed with mirrors and duality, and it’s true. Ambiguity is fascinating—how stories can be one thing and another at the same time. I grew up having to dig through many narratives and I suppose it taught me a great deal and framed how I think.

‘The Creeper Man’ character which lurks in the background was as good a ‘boogieman’ style character as I have come across in a YA novel, where did you dream him up from? Is he inspired by any other characters in fiction?

I’ve always been fascinated by boogieman type figures, and they featured heavily in my childhood (literally and figuratively). There are some fascinating African versions that I have up my sleeve for future works. I remember being fascinated by Babadook, Slenderman, the Judderman from the TV advert for Metz, which incidentally my friend Kat Ellis reminded me of when she was reading The Creeper Man in manuscript form, and I think had a small helping of inspiration for her novel, Harrow Lake (we love the Judderman!). Any type of boogieman legend is immediately fascinating to me.

Along with Amy Lukavics, the troubled teenage voice in The Creeper Man is one of the most convincing I have come across in recent years. How did you go about developing her voice?

Thank you. Silla came to me first, fully formed, so I suppose she’s inside me somewhere; a part of me.

The range and quality of horror and dark fiction being produced by women in the YA world is incredible, who are your favourites?

Amy Lukavics, of course, but I recently read Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall, which had a beautiful, nightmarish quality of atmosphere and dread. It was almost like a mash up of The Dead House and Neil Gaiman! It was also written in a found-footage style, which I, of course, love. Some other favourites include Rory Power, Kim Liggett, Ann Davila Cardinal, Kendare Blake, Holly Black, Danielle Vega/Rollins, Brenna Yovanoff, Emily Lloyd Jones, Emma Berquist, Cat Winters, Sara Faring, Christine Lynn Herman, Amelinda Berube, Seanan McGuire, and Kat Ellis. We really are spoiled for choice.

Is there much of the teenage ‘you’ in your novels? Which of your characters is closet to yourself?

Absolutely. They are all some part of me. The closest though? Probably Emma and Seamus from Teeth in the Mist.

Do you feel you could pull of a male narrative? They have all but disappeared from modern YA horror fiction. There are many men writing female voices, but virtually no women doing boys…

I agree. I would love to see more male narratives. It would be an interesting challenge for me, since I have a particular obsession with women in general.

Your most recent novel ‘Teeth in the Mist’ was a multi-stranded (and time periods) complex haunted house story. How close was this to being an adult novel? It seemed more ambitious than your previous two novels…..

Teeth in the Mist was definitely my most ambitious novel. It is a complex, glorious nightmare and it was a challenge to write. I think most of what I write in the YA space could be considered crossover—but honestly, my books so far have been for teens. I don’t believe in holding back when it comes to teenage readers. They are smart, cunning, and vastly more capable than most adults give them credit for.

Do you read much current YA horror? If you have been following Ginger Nuts of Horror recent top 50 novels of the last decade there is much for you to check out….

I have been reading as much as I can with deadlines for several projects looming. I greatly enjoyed the Ginger Nuts Horror top 50 list.

Was YA a thing for you when you were growing up? Who did you read, and did you graduate to adult horror early?

I was not a natural reader, being dyslexic. I positively hated reading. But my mother persisted, and eventually I found my love of books (thank you, Mum!). I remember loving Goosebumps the most (along with Animorphs, which are sci-fi novels). Soon after I was onto Stephen King, as I think a lot of us were. Then Brigitte Aubert and other adult novelists. There certainly didn’t feel there was as much choice as there is now. I’m honoured to be a part of that.

Do you feel you write books you would have loved to read as a 13 or 14-year-old?

DAWN: Absolutely. There is a reason I sought out adult novels so early. Books for younger readers felt, in a way, limiting. I wanted to know more, delve deeper, have more complicated stories—I wanted a puzzle to solve. Too many books for young readers shied away from real darkness, and I had questions that didn’t get answers. I was a precocious young adult, and I write for precocious young adults.

Your fiction is a whisker away from the adult market, do you have any plans to write an adult novel?

Yes.

There are elements in all three of your novels which many teenage readers will find challenging and will have to devote their concentration to. Your novels are not throwaway easy reads and are more akin to ‘literary’ writing than straight genre fiction. Have you been tempted to perhaps pitch your fiction at a more mass-market audience? 
 
No. I have always been more on the literary side, both in what I write and what I read. But never say never, as they say. I like a challenge. That’s not to say that there isn’t a place for more easy reads, because there is—and trust me when I say that “easy reads” are difficult to write! I just like to indulge in what I enjoy, and what I enjoy are puzzles.

Could you tell us a little bit about what you are working on at the moment?

Currently in the works: My fourth YA novel and two other projects. When I can reveal more, I will do.

If you were to see any author (living or dead) reading ‘Teeth in the Mist’ on the train, who would it be?

I might fall over if I ever saw Shirley Jackson, Neil Gaiman or Edgar Allan Poe reading Teeth in the Mist. I have been lucky enough to have my books blurbed by authors I admire, like R. L. Stine, Christopher Pike, V.E Schwab, and Teeth in the Mist was blurbed by an author I admire very much, Juliet Marillier, so it feels like I’ve already had that “falling off my chair” moment, knowing that my book was in their hands.

It has been a pleasure having you visit the site. We would like to wish you good fortune for your future projects, but please don’t abandon YA horror for the adult markey, we need to hear your very distinctive voice!

Tony Jones

​Polly Ho-Yen – Boy in the Tower

The Boy in the Tower is a lovely juvenile (threatening, but not too scary) twist on the Day of the Triffids story, but in this version the strange plants which begin appearing start attacking the foundations of all the buildings in the south London housing estate where the action takes place. It is called the Boy in the Tower at the main character, Ade who is in his final year of primary school, lives in the last building left standing in the local area, which there is a specific reason for, revealed later in the novel. As a certain point his best friend (who is partially deaf) disappears and as the buildings collapse one after the other Ade becomes more and more isolated, stuck with his sick mother in the flat, scared that his building will be the next to collapse. As hunger pangs set in, some of the inhabitants start catching pigeons for food giving an added level of realism.

The story is split into a ‘then’ and ‘now’ narrative which takes the action before and after the arrival of the nasty plants. The leading character is lovely and very easy to connect with, and this would be a beautiful book to read to a 7 to 9 year-old as a bedtime story as the narrative is perfect for a child at the top end of primary school. It is slightly too easy for secondary school kids, but might still suitable for 11-12-year-olds not ready for anything too challenging.  AGE 9+

Chelsea Ichaso – Little Creeping Things

I do enjoy dark YA thrillers, loaded with twists, which keeps the readers on their toes until the end and there have been plenty of examples in recent months to choose from. Chelsea Ichaso's debut Little Creeping Things is one to watch out for, led by a fine unreliable narrator who may be hiding something, or then again, perhaps not. The main character Cassidy accidently started a serious fire when she was a child which resulted in the death of a neighbour. Although she cannot remember the incident, she has never been able to move on, and even as a teenager is bullied because of it and is even called a murderer for something which happened a decade earlier. Or so we are told.

One of the main bullies disappears and the mystery thickens, written in such a way in which the reader is never quite sure of Cassidy's involvement, which is complicated by the appearance of mysterious text messages. Cassidy sets out to solve the mystery, and perhaps unlock the secrets of her past, so make sure you hang in there for a very clever ending. There was alot of enjoy in this edgy thriller, which is an excellent read particularly for teenage girls who are the likely target audience. AGE 13+

CS James & Sean Elwood - Fright Filter (Twisted Books to Leave You Shook Book 1)

When you read books like Fright Filter you need to climb into the shoes of your ten-year-old self, and I am certain the junior version of Tony would have lapped this story up! The action opens with twelve-year-old Nicole in school and being peer-pressured into (almost) posting a picture of her classmate Patty on social media, with her face morphed into that of a pig. The teacher, Ms Crawford, catches Nicole in the act and confiscates the mobile phone just before the picture goes live. Fright Filter handles the tween friendship and bullying part of the story with confidence, balancing it with a developing supernatural edge which is introduced quite slowly. As with most fiction aimed at children of this age, it does have a morale message which is delivers without getting too patronizing or heavy handed.

Nicole ends up turning into a monster, then an old lady, due to a dodgy filter on her phone and although she reaches out to her best friend Rebecca, it is eventually Patty who comes to her aid. In some sections it is played it for slight laughs, with Nicole doing her best to avoid her mother and little brother, when she should have been more horrified in being turning into a monster. The final sections make some big plot jumps and as a result the ending felt a little rushed, but overall blended the horror with family drama nicely. Along the way there were parental issues (a recently dead father) and some back and forth with Nicole’s annoying little brother and stressed mother. A solid debut to a promising new series. AGE 8+

Alexandra Monir – The Final Six

The Final Six is more dystopian, environmentally tinged science fiction than horror, which already has a sequel, The Life Below. The sequel is the curse in YA fiction and this book is another perfect example, all the good stuff is being kept for the second instalment and teenage readers may well feel cheated by what is effectively half-a-book. However, it is still a decent enough story, with two engaging lead characters, but I would still question whether there is enough going on to split it into two books. If you remember the old 1980s Disney film Space Camp, this novel is a YA environmental themed updating of it, except for the outer space element, which is being saved for book two. Unless book two is a genuine killer, it might have been wiser to cut a lot of the padding in The Final Six and give the reader a very strong single volume. 

Set slightly in the future, the planet has been destroyed by global warming and mankind is looking to explore other planets for a way to salvation. The International Space Training Camp come up with a list of 22 potential astronauts, of which six will be chosen to be sent on a mission one of Jupiter’s moons. That is the whole plot and although Leo and Naomi are engaging central characters there was not quite enough going on to carry the story as those chosen become minor celebrities through intense media speculation. However, some of the background character development was eye-catching; Leo was a champion swimmer who plundered art masterpieces which were now underwater in Rome and Naomi was a teen science genius. As the new hope of salvation picks up speed, the new-found celebrities are slowly whittled down from twenty-two to six. AGE 12+

Patrick Ness – Burn

Patrick Ness is one of the most awarded and distinguished YA authors in the UK and I always look forward to seeing what he produces next and Burn is probably his best novel for a few years. It has a genuinely fascinating premise; being set in 1957 with the Cold War rumbling in the background, however, in this alternate history, dragons live in tandem with mankind. In the distant past there were wars between the two species, but as things currently stand men pay dragons to carry out farming work and other jobs and a vaguely uneasy alliance exists. Along the way we find out that most of the dragons live in a part of Canada which is uninhabited by man who do not really know what goes on in these areas. The story revolves around a teenage girl whose father hires a 50 foot (considered to be small) blue dragon called Kazimer to clean out his fields.

This is one of the Ness novels which is aimed at older pupils as it has several complex storylines which are connected to both an ancient prophecy and various Cold War related plots and conspiracies. I thought the dragon stole the show, he was both vaguely unsettling and in turn amusing, with the relationship he develops with Sarah. The stories tie in together and although it is technically a fantasy novel, it is undoubtedly the least showy dragon book you are ever likely to read. Forget Pete’s Dragon! The level of world building, both authentically connected to the genuine Cold War era, and how the dragons fit into this alternative universe was superb. Burn was not an easy read and was more of a drama than a page-turner which I would happily recommend to strong teen readers who will find it captivating. AGE 13+

Steve Stred - The Boy Whose Room Was Outside

Steve Stred is a prolific adult horror writer, check out The One That Knows No Fear as a great example of his recent work, who turns his hand to children’s fantasy horror with The Boy Whose Room Was Outside. Amazon mentions this is YA, however, it is aimed at younger kids, probably around eight to ten. It is quite a gentle and non-threatening fantasy novel, which older kids might find a bit unchallenging, so stick with the younger age group. The story revolves around a young boy who when he falls asleep wakes up in a fantasy and magical world where he meets lots of different animals who can talk. Whilst he is in this other world, he is also being watched by a dark presence which draws closer to him as the story progresses. This dark force does not want him in the forest, but we do not know why.

This was a very easy read which might fire the imagination of younger children but considering the depth of excellent fantasy novels on the market a story needs more strings to its bow than talking animals to genuinely hold the attention. Peter repeatedly goes backwards and forwards to the other land and after a while it got repetitive as too many of the journeys were similar, where not that much happened. However, there were many nice touches, including his relationship with his parents, his dad attempting to get to the other world, Peter’s understanding mother and the fact that his parents couldn’t figure out where he learned to swim! The giant was a lovely character, but in the end of the day the ‘dark’ character did not do much apart from lurk in the background and so the story lacked a strong villain. Having said that, not all stories have to be truly dark and Peter’s journey was a nice, gentle, and easy to read coming-of-age story aimed at younger children. AGE 8/9+

Teri Terry – Dark Blue Rising

I have been a fan of Teri Terry since her arrival on the YA scene with the excellent Slated in 2012 which developed into one of the best dystopian series of the last decade and have read most of her subsequent books and she has been incredibly popular in my school library. Although Dark Blue Rising is a very solid very enjoyable read, it lacks the sinister edge which Slated possessed and the end-of-the-world scenario in the virus driven Contagion trilogy. However, Dark Blue Rising is still very good YA, albeit a gentler, character driven read, which crosses between drama and thriller and for the most part is tricky to figure out exactly where the book is heading. It also suffers the current YA curse: it finishes for a sequel and lacks enough resolution at the end of this first book.
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Sixteen-year-old Tabby lives with her mum Cate, she does not go to school, and they travel around gypsy and traveller camps and seem to be living a transient lifestyle. Cate is suspicious of everything any might be on the run, but from who or what? After a bullying incident leaves Tabby with a broken arm her life begins to seriously unravel and when the police become involved a major revelation is dropped on her which turns her life upside down. In the background we realise Tabby is an amazing swimmer and can hold her breathe underwater for an incredibly long period and has a weird attraction to the sea. A potential conspiracy bounces nicely with Tabby trying to start a new life, until she realises Cate might have kept her hidden for a reason. But that is for book two, which some readers might find frustrating. AGE 12+

With a title like Clown in a Cornfield you might be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled upon a glorious ‘straight-to-video’ release from the 1980s heyday of lurid but wonderful horror films. Hell, with a killer title like that a younger version of myself would be snapping up this film from the video shelves in a heartbeat! However, you would be mistaken, as this is a Young Adult (YA) horror novel and an impressive teen debut from Adam Cesare who has been making a name for himself in the adult horror scene over the last decade or so. 
 
One of Adam’s previous novels was called Video Night and the wildly entertaining Clown in a Cornfield, especially the second half, reads like one of those slasher films many of us watched on video in the 1980s and 1990s which there is much nostalgia for. This is not a typical YA novel and I applaud Harper Teen for getting behind such a retro story which does not play by many of the normal rules of teen fiction. It is not deep, the characters neither ‘change’ or ‘grow’ and it does not have a heavy underlying serious message. This observation should not be taken as any form of criticism; it is wildly entertaining and once the clowns start slashing it is non-stop action until the final page. In recent years there have been decline in the sales of YA fiction and one of the main reasons is the fact that it takes itself too seriously and kids have been put off by too many books with ‘messages’ which often come across as patronising or worthy. Although Clown in a Cornfield does have a dash of social commentary it is cheerfully very old school horror and is all the better for it. Let the blood flow and prepare to be drenched instead of patronised!
 
I do love a ‘Final Girl’ and although the story is told in the third person, taking in various characters, Quinn Maybrook dominates the book and she is an excellent Final Girl (okay, other characters survive too) when the body count spirals in the second half of the story. Depending on where you look Clown in a Cornfield is listed as either for kids 9-12 or 14+ and for a YA novel it is violent, featuring decapitations, head explosions and other cinematic style kill scenes. I would suggest the 14+ rating is a bit too prudish, many horror fans of that age would have already graduated to adult horror, so I would mark it as 12+, note also it does feature a large amount of swearing. However, unlike the 1980s slasher films it might have been inspired by, it features no sex scenes.
 
This truly is a book of two halves in which the first sets up the plot and in the second the story explodes. The set up was handled very well, my only concern might be that some readers might be frustrated by the lack of action in the first 50%, however, Quinn Maybrook and the other characters were varied enough to keep the reader invested in how the story would play out and intrigue in what part the clowns might have. Interestingly, the book is set over a very short time of a couple of days, after Quinn and her father Doctor Glen Maybrook arrive in the sleepy and very remote small town of Missouri town of Kettle Strings. Once the action kicks off, like many of the horror films it is inspired by, the action takes place over a single night.
 
Quinn and her father are after a fresh start, moving at short notice from Philadelphia after the recent death of her mother, and is in her final year of high school. The novel frames Quinn as the ‘new girl’ in a tiny rundown town which has struggled since the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory closed and upon arrival at school we meet many of the other teenage characters who populate the novel and will be stalked by the clowns.  Quinn is surprised to find that many of the other kids are involved in making video pranks which they load onto their You Tube channel and soon she meets the local ‘bad boy’ who is the son of one of the town’s richest men. Quinn was an engaging main character and both her backstory and relationship with her father were convincing as things went from bad to worse. 
 
What of the clowns? I will drop no spoilers on how they are factored into the story, however, this part of the plot is inspired by ‘Frendo’, the Baypen mascot, a creepy clown in a pork-pie hat which has been  connected to the town for three generations. This is all part of the effective small town atmosphere Adam Cesare creates, almost time-warping us back to the 1950s, but in the background there are never-ending cornfields which surround the rural community, with the corn rustling in the wind, all of which is disconcerting for city girl Quinn.
 
If you have watched many of the slasher films Clown in the Cornfield plays homage to, you’ll realise these films were all about the kill sequences and in this regard the novel does not hold back on the gore which involves chainsaws, shotguns and crossbows. The clown action sequences were outstanding set pieces and are guaranteed to nail any teenage readers eyes to the page as the body count spirals with the kids trapped and being hunted in the cornfields. I hope this highly entertaining novel is taken in the spirit in which it is intended: old fashioned gore, unrelenting action and gleefully violent fun which is played out with a nice group of teenage characters. There is no need for librarians to be prudish and hide the book away, let the kids who want to read it have fun with Frendo.
 
YA horror does not take up a large slice of the overall YA book market and there are very few novels like this in the bookshops. We desperately need more teen horror novels like Clown in the Cornfield to remind us that first and foremost teen fiction is a form of escapism which is supposed to be fun and in that respect this novel is an absolute winner. And if you dig deep enough you will smile at the theme which lurks at the back of the novel “Make Kettle Springs great again!” (ring any bells?!?) Adult readers will undoubtedly find the rationale behind the core story rather weak or far-fetched, but then again, in a slasher film that was usually the case also. Although Quinn Maybrook was a great main character is was a shame to see the two main boy characters playing second fiddle. Dark YA fiction is positively teeming with great and inspirational female characters, whereas the male lead has virtually disappeared. However, this is a book which is written in a style which will be equally enjoyed by both boys and girls.    
 
The number of authors who successfully move from adult to YA fiction is incredibly small and Adam Cesare deserves to make a splash with this entertaining and over the top kill fest. I am very happy to recommend Clown in a Cornfield and hope it ends up in the hands of as many teenagers and school libraries as possible. This is an excellent gateway novel for young teenagers not quite ready to make the jump to adult horror. 
 
I have heard on the horror grave-vine that Cesare is working on a second YA horror novel. This area of literature badly needs new blood and I am hoping we have found a new voice.  
 
Tony Jones

In Adam Cesare’s terrifying young adult debut, Quinn Maybrook finds herself caught in a battle between old and new, tradition and progress—that just may cost her life.

Quinn Maybrook and her father have moved to tiny, boring Kettle Springs, to find a fresh start. But what they don’t know is that ever since the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory shut down, Kettle Springs has cracked in half. 

On one side are the adults, who are desperate to make Kettle Springs great again, and on the other are the kids, who want to have fun, make prank videos, and get out of Kettle Springs as quick as they can.
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Kettle Springs is caught in a battle between old and new, tradition and progress. It’s a fight that looks like it will destroy the town. Until Frendo, the Baypen mascot, a creepy clown in a pork-pie hat, goes homicidal and decides that the only way for Kettle Springs to grow back is to cull the rotten crop of kids who live there now. ​