Interview: M.R Fournet on DARKNESS AND DEMON SONG
A cemetery-boy-turned-monster-hunter must race against time to save his recently-resurrected mother.
“After talking with middle school kids, I realized they come up with way crazier monsters than I do. So, I focus on making them scary enough, minus any foul language or super gore.”
For middle grade horror author M.R. Fournet, her ties to New Orleans are part of her own origin story. As a kid, she would go fishing in South Louisiana and eat crawfish with her family in Houma. She has always been fascinated by the myths and legends of New Orleans.
Brick Dust and Bones was her 2023 middle grade debut—and the first book in the Marius Grey series. It is now followed by the 2024 release of the eerie middle-grade follow-up, Darkness and Demon Song.
In our interview with M.R. Fournet, the author talks to Monster Complex about big inspirations for the monster series, how much her own background influenced the mythology and folklore behind these books, and the challenges of writing monster books for middle grade readers.
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About the book
Darkness and Demon Song (Marius Grey #2)
By M.R. Fournet
Children’s Spine-Chilling Horror
Children’s Fantasy & Magic Books
A cemetery-boy-turned-monster-hunter must race against time to save his recently-resurrected mother.
Interview: M.R Fournet on Darkness and Demon Song
Q: What inspired the story in Darkness and Demon Song? How much is a standalone book and how much a follow-up to Brick Dust and Bones?
Darkness and Demon Song is technically the second book in the Marius Grey series, but you can read it as a standalone. I included enough information from the first book, so the reader is not lost. I do recommend reading the Brick Dust and Bones first for the best experience.
My big inspirations for the series would be southern folkloric monsters and the setting of the Louisiana bayou. There’s something magical and ancient about it.
As for Darkness and Demon Song, the main inspiration was when I went to the ATM caves in Belize. Swimming in the pitch black of those caves where Mayans made sacrifices to the gods deeply influenced Marius’s journey to Hell in the second book.
Q: How much of your own background influenced the mythology and folklore behind these books?
I have family in and around Houma, Louisiana. I remember fishing at our camp outside of Dulac and eating crab and crawfish with my family. The uncles / grandads / cousins loved scaring the kids with stories of monsters in the bayou. New Orleans is still my favorite place to spend a long weekend, and I absolutely fell in love with all of the ghost and ghoul stories from there as well.
Q: What are the challenges of writing monster books for middle grade readers?
There’s always the push and pull of two questions:
Is this too scary?
Is this not scary enough?
Growing up, I read R.L. Stine’s Fear Street at age 10, and Stephen King at age 12. I gobbled up horror, so I wasn’t sure I could really go off of my childhood barometer. After talking with middle school kids, I realized they come up with way crazier monsters than I do. So, I focus on making them scary enough, minus any foul language or super gore.
Q: What are the monster stories that you are a fan of or that inspire you? (Books, movies, TV, whatever.)
Anything Neil Gaiman. As I mentioned earlier, I loved R.L. Stine and Stephen King. I’ve been reading the Small Spaces series by Katherine Arden with my son. Evil Dead will always be a go to for me, as will Cabin in the Woods. The most terrifying movie I ever saw was The Descent, which probably began my love/fear relationship with caves.
Q: What are your pet peeves from other monster stories? How do you avoid making the same mistakes in your fiction?
In general, I detest lazy writing. If you want to capture someone’s attention, tell a complete story. Monsters deserve three dimensions. A mindless beast with a singular focus is scary, but one with complex thoughts and reasoning is terrifying. I try to constantly evolve my monsters with every book.
Q: What are the best ways for readers to connect with you and keep track of your author news updates?
You can visit my website at mrfournet.com. I’m also on Instagram at @mr_fournet. My
publicist made me get on TikTok, so you can follow me there at @mrfournet. Thanks for having me!
More M.R Fournet Online
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