I often think of our next author, NK Kingston, as a ghost story aficionado. “Pluvial”, her offering in the inaugural issue of The Red Penny Papers, backs that up pretty well, yeah? So for her mini interview, I thought I’d hound her on that very subject:
1. How would you describe “Pluvial” in one sentence?
An old man purchases a secondhand watch, unaware it’s former owners have left their impression on it.
2. You love a ghost story–what is it that draws you (and people in general) to them?
The genre has a wonderful diversity, from the cosy thrills of M R James to the ‘oh shit we’re all going to die’ of BBC’s Ghostwatch. Ghosts appear in some form or another in almost every culture in the world. As a supernatural entity they far outrank vampires, werewolves and other physical beings in terms of scariness, since there’s nothing for you to hit. If a ghost doesn’t want you to leave the house, you’re not leaving that house.
3. What’s up next for your fiction?
I have another supernatural story (more curse than ghost) in a Drollerie Press anthology that should be coming out relatively soon, and I have a Japanese-inspired French-set ghost story doing the rounds! And in an unusually ghost-free turn for me, I also have a short story in a charity anthology for MSF, which, if all goes well, should be out in time for Christmas.
Thanks for humoring me and my questions, Natalie!
Anyone who hasn’t gotten to “Pluvial” yet, consider this your written invitation. And watch out for another author next Friday!
