The Nitty Gritty Interview with Andrew K. Clark

By Charlotte Hamrick

Where Dark Things Grow by Andrew K. Clark (Cowboy Jamboree Press, 2024) was a surprising and immersive read. Surprising because it was not what I thought it would be, which was a horror novel. It was much more, a step into a magical, mythical, yet gritty world set in The Great Depression on a mountain in North Carolina. I thoroughly enjoyed drowning myself in this book, the best of Appalachian Gothic.

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CH: Why did you become a writer?

AC: My journey to writing began with poetry. I had an epiphany when someone bought me The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes in high school. Before that, I had not found poetry accessible, but Hughes taught me the poet can write in their own vernacular. I loved that Hughes seemed to write the way he spoke, and also the topics he addressed in his work: race, class, etc. Before that I had fallen in love with stories by way of fantasy fiction, especially J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. But even when I explored fantastical elements in my writing, it started with poetry. I tend to think creatives need to create and eventually I couldn’t just consume stories, I had to try writing my own.

Who is your target audience with this book?

I think fans of horror stories and films will enjoy this book, particularly folks who enjoy gothic horror, folklore, and supernatural elements. It’s also a coming of age story, which a lot of readers can connect with. One thing I am trying to do with the book is to capture the vernacular language of Southern Appalachia, specifically Western North Carolina. That may mean some phrasings and word choices (even word order) may be new to readers outside of that area. I often say this book is in the voice of my grandparents’ generation, so it was important to me to stay as close to that voice as possible. In the literature world there’s a concept called “cultural eavesdropping” – meaning if I read a story by an Asian writer I am engaging with a culture that is not my own and so I should have an open mind and adjust to the writing and themes rather than expect them to conform to my expectations. I would say the same is true of Where Dark Things Grow for non-Southern Appalachian readers. I have been fortunate enough to have readers from Asia, Australia, and Europe who’ve read and reviewed the book, so it is accessible I hope, while being true to the voice.

Which of the characters do you relate to the most and why? How did he/she manifest in your mind?

I probably relate to Leo and Ezra the most in the story. They are teenagers during the Great Depression, but they’re still teenagers, so I relate to how they might view the world and some of the things that might be on their minds. Leo is an innocent as the story opens but soon finds himself in a situation where he has to reckon with right and wrong, and the problem of power. There’s a touch of me in Ezra as well. He is called a seeker in the story because he’s always trying to learn from religious gurus and reading philosophy books. That part is a bit biographical. When I was young, I had a group of friends who called me “the Monk” because I always had my nose in a philosophy or spiritual book. In the story, Ezra is called “The Little Priest” because of his seeking ways and a demeanor the kids all think reminds them of a holy man.

You’ve integrated a lot of folklore and myth in this book. Are they stories you heard growing up or are they from research?

It is a combination of ideas I heard growing up and also looking at folklore from my ancestry. For example, the wulvers that appear in the story are from Scottish folklore which is where my folks came from to settle in Western North Carolina in 1739. The religious themes of the book come more from lived experience and the worldview of my grandparents’ generation. I grew up in a very strict fundamentalist tradition, where every real-life event has an explanation in the spiritual realm. I wanted to play with that idea of a literal battle between good and evil, although as Leo finds out, the world is not that simple.

Talk about the relationship between folklore and imagination in your writing.

I love folklore stories, both on the page and in film, so I like to mix those elements into my work. With Southern Appalachian folklore there is a lot of Native American influence on that of non-Natives. I love this rich history and tradition but did not want to directly use something which wasn’t my story to tell. I do use Cherokee booger masks in the story – they’re worn by the white villains, which I thought was an apt example of cultural appropriation, taking something beautiful and unique and using it nefariously.

What were the challenges to writing from a historical perspective?

I would not describe my book as historical fiction, as I use a lot of fictional settings along side real ones. I did want to incorporate Asheville’s history both before and in the middle of the Great Depression, so a number of real Asheville places appear in the novel. I used Altamont for Asheville as a nod to Thomas Wolfe. I relied heavily on the language and phrasings my grandparents, other family members, and church elders used. Some of the experiences my characters have actually come directly from real world experiences of my ancestors and extended family members.

What did you love most about writing this book?

Writing this book, like all of my writing, was an act of discovery. I like knowing a few things about the story but then sitting down to write and seeing where my characters take me. I do not plot out much of my work in the beginning because this takes some of the joy out of it for me. I am envious of writers who can meticulously plot out a novel before they start the first sentence because this seems much more efficient, but that’s not for me. I become more of a “plotter” deep into the draft or during revision.

What frustrated you the most while writing this book?

Drafting can be frustrating when you start a new project, but for this book I’d say it was the revision process. Being new to the novel form, it took me a while to get my bearings with revising and polishing the novel. I have the tendency to want to move on to the next story. What’s interesting, however, is that when you’ve been doing it a while, revising becomes easier than drafting. I say I get into “revision brain” and have to find my “drafting brain” again to get into the next project.

What surprised you the most while writing this book?

This book started from a short story. I had loved hearing my grandparents talk about what it was like growing up in Western North Carolina during the 30s and 40s, and I wanted to capture some of this family lore. So, the surprise was that it kept growing into a bigger story that I soon realized was more of a novel than a short story. I joke that Where Dark Things Grow started from a failed short story, but it’s kind of true.

Do you have any non-writing hobbies or activities that support your writing practice?

I have a day job that does not involve writing or teaching writing. In some ways this means writing, reading, and studying writing always feel fresh to me. But not having to make money on my writing specifically does psychologically help me sometimes frame it as something “fun” and not “work” – though I do take it quite seriously. I am often hiking if I am not working or writing. I know I am more creative when I make time to be outside and often, I am thinking about scenes from a story or getting new ideas when I am in the woods. Nietzsche warns us not to trust thoughts that occur indoors and there’s some wisdom in that.

What were the hardest aspects of writing this book and getting it
published?

The publishing process is not for the faint of heart. I think the querying process is probably the hardest part, but in general, writers who get their work published do a couple of things:

• They do everything humanly possible to make sure their manuscript is ready. This means workshopping it with trusted critique partners and Beta readers, hiring proofreaders, and many rounds of revisions.
• They don’t take no for an answer. Rejection is part of the writing life. Coming from a background working in sales for many years, I never take submission rejections personally. You can’t. You have to keep looking for the right home for your work and also beware the temptation to submit to publishers of less quality just to see the book in print. I was fortunate to work with Cowboy Jamboree Press, a wonderful small press with many award-winning books, for Where Dark Things Grow. Before that, a great press, Main Street Rag, published by book of poetry, Jesus in the Trailer. But I did many rounds of querying for each before they found their homes.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers looking to publish a book like yours, who may be intimidated by the process?

I was in a writing class one time and the instructor said something like “If you want to be a writer, get a job so you don’t have to worry about money.” It sounds trite, but a very small percentage of writers are able to do it full time without piecing together a lot of freelance work, teaching, etc. I think not having that stress helps productivity. Beyond that, my advice might sound familiar: read voraciously in and out of your genre, find some critique partners and readers whom you trust to give you honest feedback on your work with an eye toward improving it (criticism without an eye toward improvement is useless), and finally, grow some thick skin when it comes time to query or submit your work. If I could give one piece of advice to prose writers it would be to read a lot of poetry, especially while drafting. There’s something about the focus poets have on rhythm, sparseness, and word choice that tickle the prose writer’s brain if you have an open mind.

Do you have another book or project planned, or in the
works?

The sequel to Where Dark Things Grow is coming in the fall of 2025. It’s called Where Dark Things Rise, and it will be published by Quill & Crow Publishing House. It is set in the 1980s, also in WNC, with some character overlap between the two books. Beyond that, I am slowly amassing poems for a second poetry collection, tentatively titled Letters to the Mute Priest, and I have begun a third novel, unrelated to the first two.

Where can we buy Where Dark Things Grow?
Signed copies are available exclusively through my local bookstore, Malaprop’s in Asheville.
It is also available on Amazon, paperback or Kindle.
Readers can keep up with book events and other information on my website: http://www.andrewkclark.com

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