Thanks for joining us here at YALC. We would love you to introduce yourself!
Hello YALC huns! My name is Dom and I’m an author and Illustrator hailing from Bolton who now lives in York. I worked in womenswear retail for 14 years and finally went freelance in 2019 when my book Free To Be Me was published, an LGBTQIA+ interactive coming of age journal. Queens of the Crypt is my debut fiction and debut graphic novel. No pressure eeek!
Can you give our readers an overview of your YA novel ‘Queens of the Crypt’?
Queens of the Crypt centers around female versions of classic male horror characters mixed with a non-binary teen coming out and finding these queens living in their closet. If you ever wanted to know what a female Phantom of the Opera would look like exploding dramatically out of someone’s bedroom closet, then now you know!
And, if you could do it in just 5 words or less, what would they be?
CRYPT-ASTIQUE. CRYPT- ILICOUS. CRYPT- CONIQUE. CRYPT-TIFYING.
What was the original spark that inspired ‘Queens of the Crypt’?
I’ve always been inspired by femme fatale characters and their backstory, I loved the idea of applying this to five undead monsters living in your closet, who genuinely, SLAY.
Who was your favourite character to write and why?
I cannot answer this as they are all so much FUN. Each character came so easy to write, my main problem was actually editing down their back-and-forth dialogue as I got a bit carried away in some scenes.
Is there a character that you relate to?
I think I would say Barnaby as they’re a non-binary diva like me, but I doooo relate to the overly dramatic theatrics of the Opera Phantom too!
Is there a particular scene that felt rewarding to write?
I really loved writing one of the final scenes of Barnaby facing the Big Bad of the story. That felt really rewarding and fun to do!
Is there another character’s backstory you would love to explore in another book?
EVERY character I have a spin off idea in mind for with a plot. Even Miss Kwan the legendary librarian, who really steals the show in some scenes.
Is there a character that had a big influence on how the plot unfolded?
Barnaby definitely did as they move the plot forward a lot and I was conscious that I wanted them to be making the decisions and choices to get everyone from A to B. They really do become the center of the narrative in many ways and their reactions also helped mould the story.
What made you pick which glamorous, undead horror icons to include in the ‘Queens of the Crypt’?
I first thought of the Opera Phantom and then as I thought for longer, I knew I had to have a vampire, you just have to! I wanted a mix of characters that you would find across classic horror media from different eras in books, stage, film and tv. I mainly went for whom I thought worked well together and also sounded quite chaotic. I thought what would the Opera Phantom do if she met the female version of Freddy Krueger? And then a character like The Bogeyman happened!
Did you have to do much research before you started the writing process for the book?
I watched a lot of Buffy because, duh, Buffy! I also loved delving into the musical of Phantom, watching Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula and then rewatching some classics like The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and the original Nosferatu. All of these stories and visuals really helped me mould the characters.
How did you come up with the title?
Well Coffin Ladies just didn’t sound quite right so I thought about what does Crypt sound good with. I imagined these characters as horror royalty and then I came up with ‘QUEENS’.
Where do you write and illustrate this book?
I wrote and illustrated this book in London and York. I moved to York in between the first and second drafts. My main location is a veryyyyy rickety old desk and randomly, and this is NOT a good idea, an old wooden garden chair. I really need to invest in a new chair!
What is your favourite genre to read?
Any sort of mystery, horror or thriller is right up my street. In terms of graphic novels, I will read anything. I can never consume enough graphic novels!
How long did it take you to draw the graphic novel?
Around three years for the various drafts. That’s thumbnails, pencils, final inks and then edits!
How did you develop the looks of the characters?
The looks all came easily for each character. I could visualise them so quickly in my brain. I knew Phantom would need a ballgown, and that Creature would have an amphibian, reptilian look. I also knew I just wanted Lady Invisible to have a beret!
Which character was more fun to draw and why?
I really loved drawing all of them! I will say the Faceless Frightener was so much fun to draw. She’s very unhinged and I love her for that! I was surprised by how much I loved drawing her face being carried around in her clawlike hands.
If one illustration from the book could be displayed in a gallery, which one would you choose?
I’d probably go for the spread of Barnaby following Phantom into the Crypt. It was a lot of fun drawing the layout. For any spread in the Crypt, I wanted to create layouts where readers could think ‘What’s down that staircase?’ or ‘What’s that lurking behind that curtain?’.
What made you decide to keep the colour theme of the book purple/black/white etc?
I experimented with a few different colours and I couldn’t get past the idea of a grayscale book. A nod to black and white classic horror cinema. We added purple as the key colour as it’s spooky yet also, very fierce.
Did you come up with the story first and then create the illustrations, or did the dialogue & story develop together?
I worked on the characters first as they came to my mind so quickly. I then developed the story around that. Once the story was finalised I began the script.
Is there a particular page that took much longer than the others?
To be honest, any page in the Crypt took a while as there was so much detail to add. I would probably say the spread I mentioned earlier, of Barnaby entering the Crypt probably took the longest as there was a lot of detail to add.
Where can our readers find you on social media?
On both Instagram and Tik Tok I’m at @domandink
Finally, can you give us your favourite quote from a novel (it can be yours!)?
‘Please don’t antagonise the ghost that’s using the flesh of her face as a handbag, darling’ – The Opera Phantom.