In this episode of Talking Horror, Rachel Redd sits down with the brilliant Johanna Van Veen. Known for her haunting and intimate gothic novels My Darling, Dreadful Thing and Blood on Her Tongue, Johanna dives deep into how her historical fascinations and the unique dynamic of being a triplet have shaped her deeply unsettling stories.

We discuss her childhood terror of reading the Dutch equivalent of Goosebumps, the catharsis of writing unlikable women and sapphic romances in traditional gothic settings, and the bizarre history of bedazzled catacomb saints. Whether you're a lover of dark folklore, a fan of emotionally complex monster-human relationships, or just looking for your next gothic horror obsession, this conversation is for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to Talking Horror & Connecting Across Time Zones

04:10 – Johanna’s Horror Origin Story: Dutch Goosebumps

07:17 – The Family Computer & Learning to Blind Type

10:25 – Drowning Fairies & Mermaid Curses: Dutch Folklore Explained

12:53 – Being a Triplet & Channeling Sibling Dynamics into Middle-Grade Fiction

15:21 – A Modern Millennial Meet-Cute: Tumblr Fanfiction

17:08 – The Tumultuous Road to Publication & Scrapped First Drafts

30:17 – My Darling, Dreadful Thing: Grief, Mediums, and Comforting Monsters

39:54 – Blood on Her Tongue: Vampires, Unlikable Women, and Forms of Hunger

45:54 – Book History, 17th-Century Gratitude Journals, and Puritans

53:28 – Power Structures & Why Queer Romance Belongs in Gothic Fiction

57:33 – Bone of My Bone: The Thirty Years' War and Bedazzled Skeletons

1:06:25 – Future Releases & Rapid-Fire Gothic Game

Connect with Johanna Van Veen:

Website: https://johannavanveen.com/

Instagram: @johannavanveen1997

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/42245290.Johanna_van_Veen

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