A. M. Shilling (she/her) is an avid storyteller and artist interested in morally questionable people, their terrible circumstances, and how they manage to love one another despite it all. When she’s not contemplating her favorite villains like a sommelier appreciating fine wine, she enjoys roleplaying games and watching cooking shows with her husband.
AUTHOR LINKS:
Website: amshilling.com
Bluesky: @gunsmile.bsky.social
Instagram: @amshillingwrites
Read a Sample of The Devouring: amshilling.com/books/the-devouring
Your novel The Devouring came out in April this year (2026), a blend of crime thriller and cosmic horror. What inspired you to merge these genres, and have an assassin and his wife, a coroner, at the heart of a cosmic horror mystery?
I’ve always loved the two genres separately and thought it would be fun to combine my favorite ideas and tropes from both of them into my first novel. I wanted to write a story that I’d love to read if I saw it on the shelf, so The Devouring is very much a reflection of my particular tastes in fiction.
I knew the main characters had to be a certain way, too—not only to support such a dark storyline and themes, but also to appropriately represent the two genres. The assassin was an easy choice, but it took some brainstorming before I settled on a doctor for the second main character.
What are your main influences in the thriller and horror genres, and, if you use comparisons to market, what comps do you use for The Devouring and why?
My biggest inspiration in the cosmic horror genre will always be the work of one of its original authors, H. P. Lovecraft. The combination of existential dread and horrific inevitability that now defines the genre, as well as his Cthulhu Mythos, captivated me as a teenager. They continue to influence my writing and worldbuilding today.
I wrote The Devouring partially as a homage to the genre. I also love a good action thriller, especially about criminals. They’re just plain fun. In particular, I love John Wick. Its fantastical lore about an international organization of assassins inspired the criminal underworld in my own story, though I did try to make mine more realistic compared to what we see in those movies.
I use John Wick as one of my comps when marketing, paired alongside Lovecraft’s short story, “The Colour Out of Space.” I picked it because the eldritch god in The Devouring has some similarities to the entity in “Colour.” Unfortunately, I can’t reveal any more beyond that.
Introduce us to your main characters, Jason and Ayana. How did they each develop, and how did you put yourself into their respective mindsets while writing?
Jason and Ayana (and a third character, Jason’s brother) were actually inspired by characters my friends and I wrote as part of a small roleplaying forum a few years ago. When I left the forum to pursue my own creative projects, I knew I would miss my character too much if I stopped writing him. He eventually became Jason.
As for Ayana, while she shares a couple of traits with her inspiration, she developed into a very different character. I brainstormed numerous iterations of potential character arcs for both Jason and Ayana until they became the protagonists the story needed. Putting myself into their respective mindsets was an interesting exercise, but also a lot of fun!
I did extensive research into antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), including reading anecdotes from individuals with ASPD and their partners, to get a better understanding of the typical mindset. When writing Jason’s POV chapters, I had to think like him and view the world the way he would, avoiding specific trains of thought and emotional reactions in the narration. It was easier with Ayana, who is more like the average person. She is the character who’s most like me, so I was able to draw from and amplify my own perspectives and personality traits. Of course, there are many points where our mindsets diverge; how she views Jason and their marriage is one such example.
One of the perhaps more surprising themes for a thriller/horror is love, and all the different ways it can be expressed. Can you talk us through how that central theme came about, and did you try writing Jason and Ayana’s marriage dynamics in different ways before you felt you got it right, or was this dynamic something that you envisioned right from the start?
It’s very common in horror fiction for married couples to have some deep, interpersonal issue, or for one of the spouses to be the villain in the relationship. Instead of writing that, I wanted to depict a married couple working together to overcome the external conflicts of the plot without suffering any interpersonal ones.
This required a very specific dynamic between Jason and Ayana, so I knew from the start that their relationship had to be a certain way. One thing to keep in mind, too, is that Jason’s nature prevents him from feeling empathy. He is incapable of viewing other humans as people. This is what ultimately raises the question of how one might define love in the first place. Can his behavior in the book be considered acts of love, regardless of his mindset and motivations? That’s what I want readers to ask themselves.
How did you go about creating the cult in the background of the story whose manipulations are the driving force of the plot, and what did you draw upon to design its power structure, motivations and goals?
I don’t want to give away too many details about this cult, because I think it’s more fun for readers to put the puzzle pieces together themselves. What I will say is that the power structure, motivations, and goals are commonly depicted in other horror fiction. Because The Devouring is meant to be a homage, I didn’t want to stray far from certain familiar and beloved tropes. However, I did include a plot twist that I don’t think fans of cosmic horror will expect.
Describe your target audience – who would love this? If you’ve had any reviews/feedback you’re especially pleased about, let us know here!
Fans of cosmic horror will definitely love The Devouring, but anyone who enjoys dark storylines, morally gray characters, fast-paced action, and high-stakes thrillers would have a good time reading it. Reviewers love Jason and Ayana for their nuance and complexity despite their questionable morals, and everyone who’s read the book has raved about how un-put-downable it is.
Like This? Try These:
Lovecraftian – Wierd Fiction – Thrillers
Author Spotlight: Weird Fiction Author Mark N. Drake
Meet Mark N. Drake and his Lovecraftian Weird Fiction series, Darkisle!
Author Spotlight: SFFH Author Miranda Kate/MK Boers
Meet Miranda Kate/MK Boers, an indie author originally from Surrey, UK, and now based in the Netherlands. Miranda writes horror, dark fantasy, dystopian worlds, and psychological thrillers.
My Own Author Interview!
Reblogging from the lovely Chaos Gays and TeaTrays – if you’re liking the author spotlight series, you should definitely check out CGTT as well. My book THIRTEENTH is now out (again) and you can grab it from the bookstores and eBookstores of your choosing. The podcast remains up, so you can listen to the whole…
Author Spotlight: Queer SFFH Author Vivian M. Valentine
Vivian Moira Valentine (she/her) is a rad trans lady who loves monsters. She is the author of The Amelia Temple Series, and her short fiction has appeared in a number of publications.
~Book Chat & Book Reviews~
A #TuesdayBookBlog round up of my author interviews and book reviews so far! #ReviewMay
Leave a Reply