The following is an interview with author Robin Becker regarding the November 10th release of the horror novel, Dear Connie, through publisher Cemetery Dance. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Becker about her creative process in bringing the story and its characters to life on the page, what readers may take away from the story’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Dear Connie! How would you describe the book’s premise, and what inspired you to tell this story?
Robin Becker: The premise: Connie is possessed by Kali, an evil spirit who manifests and eliminates threats. This poses a danger to friends and family, so Connie and her twin brother channel Kali’s murderous impulses into a hit-man business. And it works. Everyone is safe—until Kali falls for Connie’s new boyfriend and stops taking orders and starts taking over. Her ultimate goal: full control of Connie’s body so she can be with the man she loves.
The inspiration is deep-rooted: When I was way too young, under ten, my older sister had a sleepover and I snuck downstairs and watched The Exorcist with the teen girls. I was explicitly told not to, but no one noticed me, or, if they did, I was ignored. The movie terrified and thrilled me. Every night I prayed that the devil wouldn’t take me and opened my Bible to Psalm 23 for protection. I woke up in the wee hours and crawled into my mom’s bed, until she told me I couldn’t anymore. That experience kickstarted a lifelong love of being scared and a particular affinity for possession stories. I’ve been chasing that high ever since, and with Dear Connie, I was finally able to catch it.
BD: What can you share with us about your creative process in bringing this story and its characters to life on the page?
RB: This story began almost fifteen years ago, with a slightly altered premise. It was called Mindkiller then and Connie had the ability to kill people with the power of her mind. She started the murder-for-hire business with a friend and not her brother. But it didn’t quite work and the premise was hard to pull off without being campy. I shelved it for a while and worked on other projects. I came back to it about ten years ago and added Kali (then called Lilith) as the killing mechanism. At that time, the story was first-person from the point of view of Connie, the woman possessed. But that didn’t work either. It was fine, but it lacked heart.
I tried changing the point-of-view to limited third, focusing on Connie yet again. That yielded new information, but something was missing. It still wasn’t the right way to tell it.
But the narrative never left me, and a little over a year ago, I had the idea to tell it in Kali’s voice. The book uses a hybrid first- and second-person mode—Kali tells their shared history to Connie and addresses her host directly at times. As I was writing, I had the ineffable feeling that this was it. I knew this POV and narrative mode were the best fit for the story. After that, everything fell into place and it sold quickly.
But it took fifteen years to figure out! Never give up, kids.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums and genres. How do you feel that this story may connect with and impact readers, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it might inspire?
RB: First, I hope that the book is a fun read. I want readers to enjoy the story and its characters, even if they’re doing horrible things.
Underneath the gore, dark humor, and body horror, Dear Connie is about guilt and innocence, who “deserves” to die, and how we justify bad actions when we believe we’re protecting family, friends, and the innocent. Connie and Kali both make unwise choices in their pursuit of love, and both become adept at justifying those choices. I want readers to think about what they might do (or have done) in their own lives to save a father, sister, or the love of their life. When does protecting one person justify harming another? It’s an end-justifies-the-means argument, a variation on the classic trolley problem: What constitutes a moral good in an uncaring universe?
BD: What makes Cemetery Dance the perfect publishing partner for Dear Connie?
RB: Cemetery Dance is the premier independent horror publisher in the United States, with a roster of incredibly talented writers and a commitment to the genre. I’m humbled and honored to be working with them. And after a fifteen-year sophomore slump, being connected to a publisher so tied to horror is a treat. Plus, they totally get what the book is about!
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
RB: I’d love for readers to check out my first novel, Brains: A Zombie Memoir, which came out way back in 2010 on HarperCollins. Like Dear Connie, which is told from the perspective of the demon, Brains is narrated by a zombie. He shambles, he eats brains, he’s decaying, but his mind still works. And he’s mad about it! And hungry.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Dear Connie and your other work?
RB: Check out my website www.robinzbecker.com or follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Substack.
