Check out our interview with Daphne Fama, author of "House of Monstrous Women."
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
"House of Monstrous Women" was born from a kaleidoscope of passion, memories, and history. I grew up with my mother telling me about the creatures unique to Filipino fairytales. Monsters that wore beautiful faces. Beings who offered power but would steal your very heart from you. These stories enchanted me, and I’ve always aspired to bring them to the world beyond the borders of the Pearl of the Orient.
I wove these stories around the People Power Revolution that occurred in 1986. This revolution was a beautiful moment in time in which the people overthrew a dictator peacefully. It was a moment that united people from all walks of life beneath a banner of hope and courage.
But "House of Monstrous Women" is also deeply inspired by my mother. It’s her life and her memories that lay much of the foundation of the book. And in writing it, I grew so much closer to her.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
I’m so happy to see this movement! For me, Reading Rainbow is cherishing and celebrating books that express love across the spectrum. It’s seeing yourself and those you love reflected in stories of all stripes.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
I was a voracious reader as a child and it’s probably no surprise that I loved horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. But back then, the writers and mindset were so different from what it is now. I almost never saw a female protagonist, much less a queer woman of color. And if they were there somewhere in the pages, you could bet that the representation was less than stellar.
It took me years to accept parts of myself because I had never seen those parts represented, much less celebrated. If I had, I think I would have begun writing sooner and lived my life a little freer and happier.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
"House of Monstrous Women" is my debut book and when I first started writing it, my main goal was to write the book I wanted to read. I wanted a female lead with depth, who unabashedly loved another woman, a house that was monstrous as the women within, and plenty of precolonial witchcraft.
It also has so much more of my heart than I expected.
What can fans expect from your book?
"House of Monstrous Women" offers a peek into a unique place and time in the world that’s rarely explored. With it comes a building dread that will quickly spiral out of control and sweep you up into a game of life and death.
What’s up next for you in the bookish world?
I’m very excited about my current project! It involves an inheritance with strings attached, a cultish festival, and some messy family dynamics. And you can be sure there will be plenty of folklore and dread in the mix, too.
