In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with the brilliant Johanna Van Veen. Known for her haunting and intimate gothic novels My Darling, Dreadful Thing and Blood on Her Tongue, Johanna dives deep into how her historical fascinations and the unique dynamic of being a triplet have shaped her deeply unsettling stories.
We discuss her childhood terror of reading the Dutch equivalent of Goosebumps, the catharsis of writing unlikable women and sapphic romances in traditional gothic settings, and the bizarre history of bedazzled catacomb saints. Whether you're a lover of dark folklore, a fan of emotionally complex monster-human relationships, or just looking for your next gothic horror obsession, this conversation is for you.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Connecting Across Time Zones
04:10 – Johanna’s Horror Origin Story: Dutch Goosebumps
07:17 – The Family Computer & Learning to Blind Type
10:25 – Drowning Fairies & Mermaid Curses: Dutch Folklore Explained
12:53 – Being a Triplet & Channeling Sibling Dynamics into Middle-Grade Fiction
15:21 – A Modern Millennial Meet-Cute: Tumblr Fanfiction
17:08 – The Tumultuous Road to Publication & Scrapped First Drafts
30:17 – My Darling, Dreadful Thing: Grief, Mediums, and Comforting Monsters
39:54 – Blood on Her Tongue: Vampires, Unlikable Women, and Forms of Hunger
45:54 – Book History, 17th-Century Gratitude Journals, and Puritans
53:28 – Power Structures & Why Queer Romance Belongs in Gothic Fiction
57:33 – Bone of My Bone: The Thirty Years' War and Bedazzled Skeletons
1:06:25 – Future Releases & Rapid-Fire Gothic Game
Connect with Johanna Van Veen:
Website: https://johannavanveen.com/
Instagram: @johannavanveen1997
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/42245290.Johanna_van_Veen
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