The Making of Eldritch Nights: Introduction

A Student Story

I wrote Eldritch Nights during my first year of university and then edited it over the next two years. Much of the meat of the book -- I.E., the good bits -- was written during the summer of my second year. All the great stuff: meeting Martin on the beach, the love story, Loomis getting his face ripped off, etc.

I can't tell you what inspired this book; quite possibly a fever dream. If books are like an author's children, then like most first children, this was a drunken accident. I came home early from the club -- as I was liable to do in first year; I rarely stayed until the end -- and set to work writing what was first a short story (the first chapter), but which quickly blossomed into a novel. This was not my first attempt at writing a novel. I'd written a book when I was seventeen called The Apocalypse Star, a dark twist on Don Quixote that is lost forever now; although, elements of that story have made it into my other books.

Eldritch Nights was the first book, really, which followed what would soon become the Ralph Burton Formula: female heroine, horror genre, complex morals, reasonably happy ending etc. That said, Eldritch Nights is notable for not really having a happy ending, not really. At the end of the original story, Daphne died in her Scarface blaze of glory at the nightclub -- so I guess the final version was happier than that.

There are parts of this book I wince over. I think Megan's death is far too violent. Natalie's death far too misogynistic. Then again, Stephen King described Carrie as being like the messy first cookie out the oven so I guess Eldritch, while nowhere near as good as Carrie, fits that format. Still, I'm happy with the book. Parts of this novel I would rank as some of my best writing. I'm immensely proud of the opening chapter: meeting Martin on the beach and then taking him home to kill him. I think the way it morphs from John Green meet-cute into a horrifying Lovecraftian ode is great. I also like how I wrote the chapter between Daphne and Loomis where she realises, in his lecture theatre, that he is the one stalking her. There's genuine unsettling terror in that scene; some of my most disturbing writing. Ironically, the next year I would set upon being a lecturer as a career; obviously, seeking to do better than the Loomis character. If anything, I remember being delighted during my first class at hearing people yawn, thinking, "see! I'm not disturbing! I'm boring just like everyone else! I'm a typical professor!"

In all seriousness, Loomis is the scum of the earth. I based him off a great Guardian article I read about a girl in a relationship with her rambling university professor. That was a unique look at that relationship from a female perspective.

Writing convincing female dialogue was challenging but I'm proud of my female characters. Originally, there were lots of cringe-worthy Thelma and Louise references I removed like the plague when I got around to seeing how bad they were. That's a great movie, but it was entirely inappropriate for this book. I like how Daphne and Natalie interact in the final draft and I like how Daphne and Megan interact.

Overall, I'm very happy with the final product. This book is weird enough, really, that if I had never written another novel, I would be happy with this one.