Do you see monstrousness as an ideal more than a consequence? Love doesn’t “fix” the monsters or turn them human it actually allows them to find their fullest form. The decay of the Rust Belt is something that’s always been with me, having been born and raised in Ohio, so taking that setting and integrating it into a coming-of-age horror story seemed like a really exciting way to return to this concept.Ģ. It wasn’t until a couple years later when I was writing another story that I’d set in Cleveland that it occurred to me to use the rust and rot and poisoned water of the Great Lakes region as a springboard for the body horror. So I put the idea in the back of my mind, waiting until I could figure out how to expand it. I love the body horror subgenre so much, and I’ve always felt like it works best when the bodily transformation is not only done in an unusual way but also tied in directly to the themes and setting of the story. In particular, I wanted to do something different with the metamorphosis. That piece really stuck with me as a storyteller, and I kept trying to figure out a way to expand the idea without simply retreading the same ground. It was a little bit of both actually! The initial concept started way back around 2015 when I wrote a story called “Reasons I Hate My Big Sister,” which dealt with female bonds, coming of age, and body horror. Did the story arise from the location, or did it come in later? The setting for The Rust Maidens is so potent. We were able to chat with Kiste about her impressive debut and about writing in general.ġ. The Bram Stoker awards agree, since it’s also been nominated for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. This story of body horror, industrial uncanny, and all-around eerie ladies is one of my favorite books from 2019. If you like horror but haven’t read The Rust Maidens, you’re in for a treat.

River of gods candice millard