Dark fiction author Victory Witherkeigh is chatting with me today about her new YA dark fantasy, The Girl.
During her virtual book tour, Victory will be giving away a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!
Bio:
Victory Witherkeigh is a female Filipino/PI author originally from Los Angeles, CA, currently living in the Las Vegas area. Victory was a finalist for Wingless Dreamer’s 2020 Overcoming Fear Short Story award and a 2021 winner of the Two Sisters Writing and Publishing Short Story Contest. She has print publications in the horror anthologies Supernatural Drabbles of Dread through Macabre Ladies Publishing, Bodies Full of Burning through Sliced Up Press, and In Filth It Shall Be Found through OutCast Press. Her first novel, set to debut in December 2022 with Cinnabar Moth Publishing, has been a finalist for Killer Nashville’s 2020 Claymore Award, a 2020 Cinnamon Press Literature Award Honoree, and long-listed in the 2021 Voyage YA Book Pitch Contest.
Welcome, Victory. Please tell us about your current release.
The Girl follows a nameless main character only known as The Girl. She’s been told since a very young age that she was a mistake, a demon who shouldn’t have been born. Shunned by her parents, she’s shuffled between her parents’ and grandparents’ homes until her eighteenth birthday. The Girl is baffled by her ordinary life in Los Angeles. For all intents and purposes, she’s just like everyone else. That is, until the Demon comes to claim her.
What inspired you to write this book?
I wanted to write a book for the young brown girls like myself who felt that they couldn’t identify with most of the female characters in the novels, especially if they were of the fantasy or dark fantasy genre. I wanted a heroine to add another layer of the stories of “coming of age as a young woman” that was messy and really pushed against the whole “likeability equals goodness” trope.
Excerpt from The Girl:
She smoothed the wrinkles down on her black Hermès slacks and shirt before turning the crystal hotel doorknob.
“You bring nothing good into this world,” her mother said, baring her teeth. “You just corrupt and destroy everything. You’re a catalyst, a demonic catalyst. You’re only fit to annihilate. One day you’ll understand the destructive nature of your power. You’ll see the damage you’ll bring to those around you when it’s too late. All those people who tell us you’re amazing, they’ll figure it out. You’ve fooled them for now, but they’ll learn.”
The mother slammed the door as she walked out with that last statement. The tears flowed from the girl’s face as she looked at the door. Her breathing sped up as her stomach roiled, sending her sprinting to the toilet. Her hands were shaking, clammy, as she collapsed to the floor, chills running through her body as she looked up at the ceiling. The orange and bergamot scents of the soaps mixed with the stark, white porcelain tile floor were the only anchors she could focus on to stop herself from throwing up again. Deep in her gut, at the core of her being, there was only one thought she could grasp: she’s right.
“I don’t want to be evil,” she said, whimpering to herself. “I don’t want to be alone.”
“But you aren’t alone, pretty girl,” a voice said with a throaty laugh.
What exciting project are you working on next?
I recently saw an anthology called for fiction stories based on songs by David Bowie. I still try to keep an eye on short fiction calls even though I may not have time to do all of the ones that interest me. I found in writing The Girl that these short fiction breaks often helped out my mental health when I would get in place when I felt stuck or overwhelmed, having a different short story to focus on would allow my brain to have take a breather.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
The first time I really considered myself a writer was the first time a short story of mine was accepted for publication on Thought Catalog. It was my first real attempt at any kind of professional story. The first time I actually said that ‘I’m a writer’ out loud to anyone was when I got paid for a story I wrote.
Do you write full-time? If so, what’s your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I do write full-time now. I did not start that way but my work days now start off with usually a work out in the morning. Then I’ll run any errands or go through the emails and administrative tasks that I need to until around lunch time. Once I finish lunch, that’s usually when I do my first pass at creative writing – current work in progresses. Then I’ll break for the social media posts and start prepping dinner. Dinner and a movie or television show allows my brain to reset to try for a second round of writing towards the end of the day. I am a night owl so that tends to be where I focus on
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
One writing quirk I’ve realized has carried with me from junior high is that I often do most of my flowing creative writing with ambient noise or lights. The sound of music or a television show in the background can mimic a cafe setting for me as I found out in the pandemic’s height as I was working from home. Lately I’ve been using documentaries as a way to have something in the background.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I had multiple ideas of what I wanted to be – I said I wanted to be a doctor, an artist and fashion designer and sometimes scientist or witch? I had a period of time where I just wanted to be a queen as well as being a doctor…
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Please check out my website, where people can find all my social media handles and other older stories. I have a Goodreads and Amazon author page as well. And don’t forget to check out The Girl.
Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon
