The following is an interview with author Cassondra Windwalker regarding the upcoming release of the horror novel, Ghost Girls and Rabbits, through Polymath Press. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Windwalker about her creative process in bringing the story to life on the page, the themes that she hopes will shine through for readers, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of your latest horror novel, Ghost Girls and Rabbits! What can you share with us about the story’s premise?
Cassondra Windwalker: The mother of a woman missing for ten years goes to the most desperate of lengths to bring her daughter home. It’s a horrifying and deeply interior exploration of myth and the broken mind that seeks to amplify the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women.
BD: What can you tell us about the genesis behind this story concept, and how would you describe your creative process in bringing the story and characters to life on the page?
CW: I was asked if a book could be written without dialogue, and my immediate answer was not as a gimmick or a device. But the question niggled at me as I wondered what sort of circumstances would so completely silence a character. Mary Nelson, one of the book’s two protagonists, whom some may name a villain, came to me first and told me her story. I realized that I might have an opportunity to give these two women a voice by stealing their words. So, that’s what I did.
As far as the process, as I said, Mary came to me first, so I wrote her part of the book first. Then, I had to learn to listen to Noni. It was a heartbreaking book to write, but one that screamed at me every night through its stitched-up lips.
BD: Do you feel that readers of your previous book, What Hides in the Cupboards, would easily find a similar path to this upcoming story in terms of its themes and tone?
CW: I don’t know that anything about this book is easy. Readers have to be buried alive and betrayed, battered and harried and hollowed. They have to unmoor themselves from language and lose themselves in nightmares that somehow form the only bridge over the abyss that divides them from themselves. But I think readers who were drawn to themes of love and grief in the ghost story, What Hides in the Cupboards, will find this story of love and sacrifice equally compelling, if not more so.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that this story may connect with and impact readers?
CW: My hope is that Ghost Girls and Rabbits will draw more attention to the issues surrounding the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls on our continent. The subject is broad-ranging and complex, and there is no-one who cannot make a difference if they are willing. We do not have to accept this tragedy and this injustice. We don’t. We can change our communities. But first we have to understand what is happening in our communities – we have to admit who we are, embrace who we are, and commit to changing what is ugly about who we are.
BD: Are there any other projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
CW: I would say if readers are interested in something completely different from me, they should check out my wildly irreverent romantic adventure tale of fantasy and adventure, Humantale, from Alien Buddha Press. It’s a reverse fairytale where humans are the imaginary creatures. It even has a happy ending – I bet you didn’t know I could do that!
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about Ghost Girls and Rabbits and your other work?
CW: Please check out my publisher’s website and ask your local bookstore and library to order it for you. It’s available in print and ebook wherever books are sold.
And you can always contact me across my social media platforms:
Twitter: @WindwalkerWrite
Instagram: @cassondrawindwalker
Facebook and YouTube: @CassondraWindwalkerWrites
