Emily Ruth Verona has deeply loved the horror genre since childhood, and she infuses her stories with complex characters and relationships. Horror and thriller fans will want to read all of her books! She’s the author of Midnight at Beacon Street, a novel with Harper Perennial celebrating horror movies and grappling with coming-of-age, and most recently, the novella Shiva released by Dark Matter Ink.
I recently read Shiva (which is out now) and loved its compelling structure and pace, and I’m grateful Emily was willing to answer some of my questions!
Can you tell us a little about your journey as a writer up to now?
I started writing stories when I was about six or seven and never stopped. I think some of my first stories were Rugrats fanfiction and my own takes on urban legends. As I got older, I started writing historical fiction and thrillers.
In college, I double majored in Creative Writing and Cinema Studies. I started querying agents a few years after graduating and signed with my wonderful agent, Jennifer Weltz, in 2015. We went on submission with two other novels (both thrillers) before my debut, Midnight on Beacon Street, sold to Harper Perennial in 2023. It’s been a long journey, especially since I started so young, but writing is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to pursue. I love stories and I love discovering new things about my characters as I write.
It’s a great idea behind this book, a brother and sister who are essentially haunting each other. I’m also interested in the idea of structuring the book around the observance of shiva—seven days of mourning. Have you participated in this or any other grieving rituals? If so, did they help? I enjoyed seeing the ways the story subtly highlights elements that might be important to the siblings if they were observing shiva (mirrors, candles, etc.).
I’m glad you like the concept! When I began writing Shiva, I pitched it to a friend as Sliding Doors but it’s a horror story.
Two of my grandparents had Jewish funerals, though I don’t remember all the details too clearly. I was only nine when my grandfather passed away. I’ve always been keenly aware of Jewish mourning rituals and have found them fascinating.
When it came to writing this book, I wanted to make sure it was well-structured. Sometimes structure is something I struggle do get just right. Then I realized I could structure this story around the seven days of shiva, with tension and stakes increasing each day. It felt like an appropriate pressure cooker.
The brother and sister in this story are almost shadows of each other in the ways they live their lives. Thomas externalizes his negative feelings while Eva internalizes hers. This is a powerful way to explore self-hatred and how it manifests in different ways. Did you feel an equal affection for both characters?
I feel so deeply for both of these characters. Each has a little piece of my own vulnerability, I think. It was really important to me that their voices come across clearly. Their similarities and their differences, however subtle. These are two people with a very complicated history and I loved exploring that.
I don’t want to give too much away about the plot here, because I loved being surprised along the way, and I was truly surprised by the ending. I also loved that this is a short one-sitting read where I didn’t have to wait long for the satisfaction of knowing what happened. But I am curious—did you have the outline of this story in your mind before writing, or did you improvise your way in?
I never outline ahead of time. I’ve tried, but it makes me lose interest faster. Sometimes I outline as I go, to keep everything organized, but I did no outlining of any kind with Shiva. I knew how I wanted it to begin and I sort of had an idea of how it would end. The middle unfolded as I wrote, though, and that’s where I learned the most about Eva and Thomas. I love writing as an act of discovery.
In the acknowledgments you talk about this novella as a project you would work on when your mood turned towards the dark and dire. Can you talk a bit more about this aspect of the writing process? I also read your great horror book Midnight on Beacon Street, which did have lighter vibes in spite of its exploration of anxiety and trauma.
I can get moody, both in my personal life and as a writer. Whenever things felt like they weren’t working, in daily life or with another novel I was working on, I would hide away in this story. There’s so much hurt between Eva and Thomas and exploring that felt cathartic. Spending time with these characters gave me a space to explore my own hurt, too.
This book is much darker than Midnight on Beacon Street, which I think is a fair representation of my writing. Some of my stories are lighter but some are much darker, and this is one of them. On a scale of 1 to Poe in terms of dark vibes, I’d say Midnight on Beacon Street is probably like a four or five and Shiva is probably an eight or a nine.
Do you have siblings? If so (or if not!), how did this impact your experience of writing about a sibling relationship?
Yes, I have an older brother and an older sister. They were 14 and 12 when I was born so there is a pretty significant age gap. The experience of starting my childhood with them but then watching them go off to college and start their own lives has definitely had an impact on me. I love writing about siblings. I find sibling relationships, as well as childhood friendships, fascinating because these are people who know you before you really know yourself. I love to explore those dynamics in fiction. That said, the relationship between Eva and Thomas is not based on my own experience.
Who are some formative authors who inspired you to write? In what way do you see their influence in your work?
I like to joke that I was raised by Dear America books and the television series Are You Afraid of the Dark? because I think those books and that show really ignited my imagination. I loved history, epistolary fiction, and a good ghost story growing up and I continue to love them to this day. As an adult, I’ve found myself inspired by the work of Gillian Flynn and Tana French. Flynn’s Sharp Objects changed my brain chemistry. It’s such a brilliant, messy character study. I love that. I also have to shout out Night Film by Marisha Pessl. That is an incredible book!
What’s a question you’d like to be asked? Please answer it!
Who would you cast in a film adaptation of Shiva?
I’m a huge movie nerd and I recently figured out the answer to this question, so I’m always looking for an excuse to talk about it, haha. I would cast Julia Garner (Weapons) as Eva and Fred Hechinger (Feat Street) as Thomas. I compare Francine to Charlotte Rampling (Never Let Me Go) in the book and I would love for her to play Francine in a screen adaptation.
I’m not sure if I’d want to adapt it myself or see someone else adapt the story. I haven’t figured out my dream director yet, either. Though I do think Karyn Kusama would be amazing. The Invitation is one of the tensest movies I’ve ever seen. Honestly, I’d be honored if any of the directors on Yellowjackets directed Shiva as a movie. That would be awesome.