An Interview with A. Elizabeth Shaughnessy

A. Elizabeth Shaughnessy is a North American artist with a passion for Gothic horror. While most of her works are painted on canvas, she took a venture into the unknown and rekindled a hobby for writing. Sourced from both imagination and nightmares, with a paranormal nod to her New England roots, she penned a novel deeply woven by folklore and the essence of human survival.

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What inspired you to start writing this book?

I think we’d need a campfire and hours to spare for me to share every experience that inspired this written journey. The world is a strange place. But I’ll note the two key factors that dominated: The unsettling history of Glastenbury Mountain in Vermont, and the longing to revisit an era now tucked away in the past. Ultimately, the book is a blend of the two.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

Strangely enough, the title came to me before I even had the actual story outline written. It was one of those things I just ran with, before the significance of the bells became clear to me. Without giving too much of the story away, I instinctively knew it would mark a pivotal location.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Music has always been my ultimate muse, so this is an excellent question. And while I mostly kept dark and somewhat classical tunes playing as I wrote this, I could easily see some haunting modern works incorporated into the story. For that reason, (and because there are hundreds of songs that would fit) I must answer this without actual song titles. Imagine love, joy, heartache, uncertainty, fear, dread, terror…all in perfect chords. Those would be the songs I’d choose.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I’m an artist, and I thought that would be my great accomplishment in life, but this book is far more dear to me. Most of the characters are based off my own elders and ancestors, and I think they had a part in all of it, even from the beyond.

Where is your favorite place to write?

In the dining area of my kitchen, on the old drop leaf table by the window. From there I have a perfect view of the wild weather we get in this area. The thunderstorms here are next level.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

The human element. How we carry so much love, pain, and depth, and how powerless we are to the forces of nature…especially when nature shows us the terrifying sides of herself we cannot even fathom.

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Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.