Kayla Cottingham is a YA author and librarian. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, Kayla lives just outside of Boston where she loves to go hiking in the woods, pet any and all dogs, and play RPGs. She is passionate about connecting young people with books featuring diverse voices so they can see themselves and their communities represented on the page. Her debut YA horror novel, MY DEAREST DARKEST, is available now through Sourcebooks Fire.

I had the opportunity to interview Kayla, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT. Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Thank you so much for having me! I’m Kayla Cottingham and I’m the author of My Dearest Darkest, a YA Sapphic horror story about a group of girls who accidentally summon a mysterious creature under their boarding school. In addition to being a writer, I’m also a librarian who primarily works with teens. The kids I work with are amazing and interacting with them all the time really helps me when I’m writing about teens. When I’m not writing, you can usually find me watching way too much reality TV or playing video games.

When did you know you were first interested in writing, and what drew you specifically to Young Adult fiction and the thriller genre?

I was one of those kids who knew I wanted to be a writer super early—I finished my first manuscript when I was twelve and even queried with it. And when that didn’t pan out (shocking, I know), I followed the advice of other writers online and decided to just keep writing. YA felt like the natural choice because I was a teenager myself and I figured I should write what I know. I think I’ve stuck with YA into adulthood because there’s something really raw about that age demographic—it’s a very mutable time in people’s lives, and it offers up a lot of opportunities for writing characters who experience a ton of growth in a short period of time. Plus, I think it’s super fun to write about first loves because it’s all so new and exciting when you’re a teenager. Thrillers are actually really new for me, but having that suspense and action woven throughout a story is super fun to write, especially when you can feel the narrative speeding up and you just want to race through to the end so you can get to the resolution.

How would you describe your debut book, My Dearest Darkest? What can readers expect from this story?

I always think of My Dearest Darkest as a blend of classic teen romantic comedy with the scare factor and monsters of cosmic horror plus the pursuit of hidden knowledge and distinguished setting of dark academia. So there’s the smaller scale story of Finch and Selena and their friends going through the trials and tribulations of high school and crushes and self-discovery, but then there’s this much bigger threat of something unknowable and terrifying that’s looming just out of sight. Readers can expect a mash up of creeping horror, slow-burn Sapphic romance, and a fair number of laughs woven in—because even when I’m writing horror, I always try to add at least a little levity.

Dark academia, a subset of horror, seems to be a genre with a very wide queer fanbase. Any theories for why that is?

It’s interesting—it feels like dark academia really hit the scene hard the last few years after Tumblr found The Secret History. There are a couple elements to it that I think appeal to queer folks. The aesthetic, overall, is very pleasing. There’s often the element of a cohort in dark academia which a lot of times becomes like a found family which we queers obviously love. Plus, there’s the ongoing theme of The Forbidden—looking for what you can’t have and yearning for it to the point of obsession. Which, boy, if that doesn’t sum up my early crushes on women, I don’t know what does.

Growing up, were there are any books or authors that touched you or inspired you as a writer or made you feel seen? Are there any like that now?

I was and still am a huge fan of Libba Bray—I remember the first time a book actually scared me was when I was reading The Diviners alone by myself at night when I was a teenager. I loved that Evie was a loud, bombastic girl who told it like it was—which, in that era of YA, was kind of rare because we were still sort of trapped in the I’m just a normal boring girl, how could I be the main character? phase. It felt like I was being given permission to write girls who were equally bold and flawed (which is to say, girls like me).

As for books that have had that effect recently, I’m still obsessed with Sadie by Courtney Summers. I’ve also been reading an arc of Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White and I am blown away by how well he’s been able to channel that uniquely queer and trans brand of anger and turn it into such a brutal and powerful story.

How would you describe your writing routine or process? What are some of the enjoyable, hardest, and strangest parts about writing for you?

My writing process is honestly kind of unhinged these days. I work full time, so I really have to flip a switch in my brain to be able to get out of librarian mode and into writing. I tend to write at night with the lights off with a bunch of candles lit while I blast white noise and write on an AlphaSmart. There’s sort of a ritualistic quality to it that makes it easier for me to go, okay, this is what I’m doing now and nothing is going to distract me. Unless I need to research something—I love research, so I tend to go on really long Wikipedia spirals until my brain hurts. It’s all enjoyable once I get started, it’s just of matter of actually making myself do it that can be hard sometimes, especially if I’ve been working all day and just want to pass out on the couch with my cat.

What are some of your favorite craft elements when it comes to writing?

I don’t consider myself to be the sort of writer who gets super caught up in making every line lyrical, but I do love the process of setting a scene. I think a lot of my strengths as a writer come from being able to visualize places so I can give my writing more of an atmospheric quality. That and dialogue—I think dialogue is one of the best ways to show a character’s personality, so I really enjoy playing around with that.

Did you draw on any resources for inspiration while writing your debut book, i.e. books, movies, music, etc.? Where do you draw inspiration or creativity in general?

Definitely—the biggest influences on Darkest were Jennifer’s Body, Ginger Snaps, The Craft, Teen Wolf, and Mean Girls. I try to write in a very cinematic way, so movies and TV tend to be the biggest places I get inspiration. I also love to make a playlist for each book and go for long walks while I listen to it so I can work out plot details.

Aside from writing, what are some things you would want others to know about you?

I’m super passionate about librarianship and how public libraries can function to serve their communities. Social justice and libraries go hand in hand, so a lot of my work outside of writing is centered around that.

What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?

This is going to sound kind of bleak, but find something you’re passionate about other than writing. The publication process is hard—both in the sense that getting an agent and selling a book is categorically difficult, but it can also take a big toll on your mental health if you don’t have other things to focus on. It can be something as simple as playing a game or getting outside to do something physical, but you’ve gotta have more than just writing or else you will definitely burn out.

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet and wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

Hmm, maybe what my favorite scene to write in My Dearest Darkest was? Because I have a very stand-out favorite, which is when Selena finds herself in a situation where she finally becomes desperate enough to make a sacrifice to the creature she’s summoned, and I got to write some really fun teeth-based body horror (what can I say—I love the brutal stuff).

Can you tell us about any new projects or ideas you are nurturing and at liberty to discuss?

I recently got the greenlight from my publisher on my second book, which is going to be another Sapphic horror, this time with a slightly more comedic edge to it. It’s about about a group of flesh-eating monster girls whose last summer together before college gets turned upside-down when they accidentally kill someone at a music festival. We’re working on finalizing a title soon, and I’m super excited to talk about it more in the future.

Finally, what LGBTQ+ books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT?

I am a massive fan of all of Kacen Callender’s work, especially Felix Ever After. Same with Nina LaCour (I still cry thinking about We Are Okay!). For adult, TJ Klune is forever my favorite, and if you’re a fan of manga, Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

is absolutely beautiful. Highly recommend!

Thanks so much again for having me!