Q & A with Natasha Preston

Natasha Preston, the bestselling writer of The Cellar, The Cabin, and different titles for teenagers, whips up one other YA suspense novel, The Get together. To make sure that no adults can derail their spring break plans, buddies attending an English boarding college mislead the administration and their dad and mom about their vacation spot: an historical citadel, full with a moat, that belongs to the rich household of 16-year-old narrator Bessie’s good friend—and lead social gathering planner—Allegra. Although the entire class is invited, an oncoming storm waylays many, and solely 10 make it to the vacation spot. That’s not sufficient to place a cease to this once-in-a-lifetime gathering—till the social gathering takes a deadly flip. Preston spoke with PW about origins: of her love for thrillers, The Get together, and her profession.

Why do you write horror and suspense novels?

From a really younger age, I’ve liked being scared; I used to be watching horror motion pictures method earlier than I ought to and studying something that promised to maintain me up at evening. After I began experimenting with writing, it felt fairly pure to discover one thing that I actually loved.

How do you generate concepts for brand new thrillers?

Fairly a number of of them began as a random thought or a dream. With The Cellar, I dreamed I used to be kidnapped, after which within the morning, I couldn’t cease fascinated with it. Why did I dream that? What occurred? The place do you go from there?

And from the place did The Get together originate?

It was throughout a dialog with my writer. Most of my books are set within the U.S., so we wished to have one within the U.Ok., so we might take a look at creepy settings in previous castles. It snowballed from there. I requested myself, “Why would teenagers be going to a distant citadel for the weekend alone?” After which The Get together was born.

Did writing a narrative primarily based within the U.Ok. require a shift in perspective in comparison with your earlier books?

I really feel prefer it was barely simpler to put in writing as a result of I’m British, so it got here fairly naturally. However I needed to be cautious with character ages as a result of within the U.Ok., we depart highschool at 16, however within the U.S., you’re in highschool for longer. Wanting them to nonetheless fall into the older teen class was most likely the one actual problem I confronted.

In your web site you point out that you simply obtained your begin in writing on Wattpad in 2010, and your debut novel The Cellar was revealed in 2014. How has your writing—and your profession—modified during the last decade?

I wish to say I used to be by no means supposed to put in writing. It was by no means a objective; I didn’t ever assume I’d be a author till I began studying on Wattpad and determined, “Simply give it slightly go.” I actually loved it, however I nonetheless didn’t see it as a profession. It was a pastime—it was only for enjoyable. After which a younger publishing skilled discovered me on Wattpad, and I revealed my first ebook.

I assumed perhaps that may be the one ebook, however then they got here again and wished a second one. That’s not the everyday method you get revealed within the conventional world. I obtained very fortunate.

What are you engaged on subsequent?

I’ve simply began my subsequent ebook. I don’t assume I can reveal too many particulars, however we’re again within the U.S. and we’re taking place the stalking route.

The Get together by Natasha Preston. Delacorte, $14.99 paper, Dec. 3 ISBN 978-0-593-70408-0