NAME: Mel Hammond
CREATIVE FIELD: Author
WEBSITE: melhammondbooks.com
AUTHOR LINKS:
Instagram: @HamSandwichMel
Bluesky: @HamSandwichMel.bsky.social
AUTHOR BIO:
Mel Hammond writes for young people and is the author of the upcoming YA horror novel, WHERE THE GIRLS ARE KEPT (Knopf 2027). Whether she’s writing about murderous multi-level marketing cults, road trip shenanigans, or climate change activism, she likes to keep things a little silly. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where she writes in a tangerine-orange office with two feline assistants.
INTERVIEW
What got you into horror to begin with – what’s your core Horror memory?
I was a 90’s kids who tore through every Goosebumps book I could get my hands on!
As I got a little older, I graduated to Lois Duncan novels.
But I didn’t actually start writing horror until 2022, after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The world around me seemed too dystopian to write anything but horror.
Do you have a favourite horror subgenre (or more than one) and if so, what is it? What/Who are your favourite books/films/podcasts/artists/creatives working in that subgenre?
I love historical and psychological horror.
My favorite horror novel right now is The Reformatory by Tananarive Due.
What is the horror project of your heart – perhaps something you’ve already got out there, something you’re working on now, or something you’d like to do?
My debut horror novel is called WHERE THE GIRLS ARE KEPT, a YA reimagining of Rosemary’s Baby.
It’s about a young artist named Rowan who moves to the small town of Arcana Falls, Ohio after her mom inherits her late aunt’s Victorian fixer-upper. The neighbors turn out to be the leaders of an essential oil multi-level marketing company that may or may not be an anti-abortion cult, which Rowan quickly becomes wrapped up in against her will.
I started dreaming up this story after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, when writing was the only way to process my anger. The book deals with abortion access and reproductive autonomy, topics that became even more personal when I became pregnant during the writing process.
Which 5 horror books can you not stop thinking about, or have influenced you most in some way? (If not books, you can pick 5 films, 5 pieces of art, 5 songs… or mix & match!)
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker
The Unveiling by Quan Barry
The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste
If you had to describe the tones and themes of your own work in terms of movies, books, songs, or art, what would you choose and why?
“Femininomenon” by Chappel Roan. My work is feminist and kind of funny, even when it’s terrifying.
Introduce us to something you’ve created, and pitch it to the audience!
WHERE THE GIRLS ARE KEPT doesn’t come out until summer 2027, but it’s worth the wait! It’s a reimagining of Rosemary’s Baby, about a teen confronting a cult threatening reproductive rights in her small town. This book has everything: an essential oil multi-level marketing cult, a teen girl being a badass while pregnant, and a nonbinary hottie love interest.