From the Boston Book Festival: Dissecting the Secrets and Revelations of Horror Novels with YA Novelists

On Friday, Oct. 29, Boston Book Festival’s Secrets and Revelations Panel pulled back the curtain on the inner workings of a horror novel. From challenges of writing in multiple perspectives to the importance of extremely detailed outlining, Kayla Cottingham, Kendall A. Kulper ’08, and Sara Farizan took the stage at Boston Public Library’s Teen Central to discuss all the inner workings of how their novels came to be.

With all three of their books being firmly rooted in their setting, the novelists first discussed how they went about developing this aspect of their books. When Cottingham, the author of “My Dearest Darkest,” began developing the setting of her novel, she pulled lots of inspiration from both Wellesley and Emerson College. She specifically included tunnels into her fictional college due to her knowledge of there being secret tunnels at Wellesley College. She wasn’t the only one who included aspects of her real life into her novel, however: Farizan, the author of “Dead Flip,” took inspiration from her own life in the suburbs of Massachusetts, mentioning her choice to include Papa Gino’s, a Massachusetts-based pizza chain, in her novel.

Dealing with the structure of having multiple character perspectives was also discussed by the participants of this panel. Kulper, the author of “Murder for the Modern Girl,” revealed that she found it fun to write in a dual perspective as it allowed her to bounce between two character voices. With one of her characters being more peppy and the other dreary, she enjoyed describing certain scenes from different personalities. Similarly, Farizan had three different narrators when writing “Dead Flip,” and had to make sure they all sounded distinct, so when they were all conversing back and forth they felt like three separate people and were easily identifiable by the reader.

The novelists also talked about the journey from their first drafts to the final copies of their works. Farizan, for example, discussed how she took out multiple characters from her earlier drafts when she realized that her secondary characters were overshadowing her protagonists. Somewhat differently, Kulper, who felt like she wasn’t naturally funny, had to learn how to balance hopelessness with humor. Despite their differences, all three novelists emphasized the importance of having a detailed outline, as it serves as the roadmap for one’s story.

Katherine Nazzaro, moderator of the discussion and bookstore manager of Porter Square Books, visibly enjoyed speaking with the panelists as their books pertain to her interests. “I have a very eclectic reading type, but I am interested in YA and especially interested in horror which their books veer into a little bit,” she said when asked what her favorite genre of novels was.

Nazzaro wasn’t the only one who expressed interest in the horror genre, however, as Kulper herself stated that she would like to veer more in this direction with her future works. “I love reading it [horror] and I love watching it. My next book is going to be a bit more horror proper, as this one was more me exploring the genre.”

Kulper’s ability to delve into multiple genres seemed to entice audience members. “I am very interested in reading Murder for the Modern Girl,” said Maame Forroson ’25. “From the synopsis it seems to merge romance and magic with horror which I really enjoy.”

The panel finished with a conversation on how to incorporate fantastic elements into the real-world setting of the authors’ novels. Cottingam shared how she explored this through her LGBT character Finch, connecting the queer experience with the fantastic by showing that both are feared for their novelty. “I wanted to sort of combine the horror with queerness in a sense, as there is a sort of societal expectation when you come out that you’re going to fulfill some stereotype or lose apart of your identity.”

Overall the Secrets and Revelations Panel was a very engaging and insightful experience that gave a behind the scenes look into how horror novels are created and the personal influences that shine through an author’s work.