Check out our interview with Rebekah Faubion, the author of "What A Nightmare."
What was the inspiration behind WHAT A NIGHTMARE?
To be perfectly frank: I (and I think most women) am really angry right now. We have been forced to endure so much horror at the hands of the patriarchy and I really wanted to write something that confronted that. Also, the great horror classics like Nightmare on Elm Street and Carrie, but done from the female gaze.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
Enjoying stories about people who share my personal sexual identity, as well as identities outside my own experience. Erasure and phobia is challenged by inclusion and experience.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
Because the world is full of diversity and fear is bread through othering people outside your own experience.
Tell us a little more about WHAT A NIGHTMARE and why you decided to write it.
What a Nightmare is about Haven Powers, a young woman who can dream nightmares that affect reality thanks to the little wooden box she’s stored all her horrible memories inside. When she accidentally kills her predatory boss, she realizes this power is more deadly and dangerous than she previously thought. Right around the same time, she receives a call from her estranged older brother, Buck, telling her that their dad is dying and shaming her into returning home to make amends. Haven does so, more in the hopes of uncovering why she has this deadly power than to smooth things over with her powerful, problematic family. But once back in her hometown of Friendship, Texas, she is confronted with a dark and abusive past, and her power begins to lash out in increasingly violent ways.
What can readers expect from your book?
Catharsis. A female-gaze revenge tale. Atmosphere and violence, dark humor and a cast of unforgettable characters.
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
I have a crossover YA coming out June 15th 2027 called A Darkness Lives There that is my ode to the haunted house subgenre of horror. It’s dark, timely, and incredibly propulsive.
