Rachel Harrison is the New York Times bestselling author of The Return, Such Sharp Teeth, and Play Nice, back this week with her brand new release, Kiss Slay Replay.
She talks about subverting the classic final girl trope in her new wedding-weekend time loop novel, and why she pushes back on being boxed in as a "feminist horror" author. Rachel opens up about landing her literary agent through a Twitter pitch contest called PitDark, and releasing her debut, The Return, during the first week of COVID lockdown. She also breaks down the shower epiphany about lady werewolf mythology that became Such Sharp Teeth, and the Blink-182 song that sparked Kiss Slay Replay's time loop. Plus, a first look at her next book and her nerves about her first ever European tour.
Timestamps:
00:01 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Meeting Rachel Harrison
01:47 – Horror as a "Will They or Won't They" Rom-Com: Her Path Into the Genre
06:09 – From a Screenwriting Major to a PA Job on The Newlywed Game
09:58 – The Persistence Advice She Swears By
10:42 – The Return, a Bram Stoker Nomination, and Chasing Traditional Publishing
11:42 – The Twitter Pitch Contest, PitDark, That Landed Her Literary Agent
14:02 – Debuting a Novel in the First Week of COVID Lockdown
18:02 – Creep Away Camp, Barbie Girl Karaoke, and a Duet With Nat Cassidy
20:08 – Why Humor Is Baked Into Every Rachel Harrison Book
21:32 – Her Two Kinds of Protagonists: Sad Sacks and Women Who Have Their Shit Together
24:21 – Character Never Comes First: How She Actually Builds a Story
25:48 – The Applebee's Line That Unlocked Black Sheep's Vesper
32:58 – On Bristling at Being Labeled a "Feminist Horror" Author
40:45 – Prioritizing Art Over Content Before It's All AI Slop
44:43 – The Shower Epiphany Behind Such Sharp Teeth's Werewolf Body Horror
51:13 – Growing Up in Enormous Families and Building Play Nice's Three Sisters
57:54 – The Blink-182 Song That Sparked Kiss Slay Replay's Time Loop
1:02:52 – Subverting the Final Girl Trope With a Protagonist Who's Just Fucked
1:04:45 – Why Horror and Joy Aren't Opposites for Her
1:08:05 – First Look at Her Next Book: The "Emo, Sepia-Toned" One
1:10:28 – Gearing Up for Her First-Ever European Tour
Connect with Rachel Harrison:
Website: https://www.rachel-harrison.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelharrisonsghost/
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