An Interview with Christopher Hawkins

Christopher Hawkins is the Booklife Prize and IndieReader Discovery Award-winning author of Downpour and the short story collection Suburban Monsters. His work has appeared in numerous anthologies and podcasts, including Cosmic Horror Monthly, Shortwave Magazine, and Tales to Terrify. He is currently the co-chair of the Chicagoland chapter of the Horror Writers Association. He lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two children. His new novel, I Contain Multitudes, was released in April 2025.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I was always reading when I was a kid, and I always seemed to gravitate toward stories that had some element of the supernatural or the fantastical. Reading Poe and Bradbury led me to the original Twilight Zone in after-school reruns, which in turn led me to Richard Matheson and later Stephen King. The idea that these people were just making up these incredible stories in their heads, and then writing them down for other people to experience, felt like a kind of magic. I wanted to make that magic too.

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

I’m always terrible with titles. I think I Contain Multitudes began as a placeholder title that I assumed I’d eventually replace with something better. But over time it just kind of stuck, and once the book and all its revisions were finished, it seemed kind of perfect. Now I can’t imagine it being called anything else.

What part of publishing your book made it feel real for the first time?

People always talk about that moment when you first hold a finished book in your hands as the moment when it finally feels like a real thing. But for me, it’s when I see one of my books in a bookstore or someone sends me a picture of my book on a bookstore shelf, and I didn’t have a direct hand in getting it there. That’s when I think, “Oh, this is happening.”

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

Probably a lot of songs that don’t actually exist yet. Maybe Nick Cave doing a cover of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On”, or Laurie Anderson’s version of Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot.” It’s a book where almost anything is possible, so it could happen. You just never know.

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

That even in the darkest times, hope is all around us, and that we have the power to change things, even when we think we don’t, even when the road ahead seems endless and impossible.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

Seeing the way that readers have embraced it. Every time I see a review that says that this book surprised them, made them cry, or gave them something to think about, I feel like I’ve done my job.

What creative projects are you currently working on?

I’ve been polishing up short stories for a few anthologies I’m a part of. I’ve also been working on a series of novellas that are a little less high-stakes and a little more cozy than my usual work. It’s a project I’m really excited about, and I can’t wait to share it once it’s finished!

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