When I was very young, my parents used to watch Mystery! on PBS. I was transfixed by the opening credits, an animation by the poet and illustrator Edward Gorey. I later sought out everything of his. Gorey combines verse with very dark and eerie illustrations, and something weird or horrible is always happening in his stories; someone’s always in peril. He’s probably the reason I started dying my hair black. He’s also inspired me in my own work; turns out I really do like the creepy stuff.
I’ve spent the past 15 years in the music industry — writing, travelling, performing — and through that I’ve collected lots of experiences that helped me write my book, Boring Girls, which centres on a girl who joins a metal band with her friends.
Read Full Article »