Amy asked Jennifer McMahon:

Dear Jennifer, I hope you're happy and healthy these days! I'm reading The Drowning Kind, & didn't think I was too spooked until suddenly I am reluctant to turn off the light; friggen eldritch pool. It's super good - sneak-attack spooky! I'm wondering, do you ever scare yourself while writing? Are you ever on a roll & suddenly like, "damn, I don't want to turn off the light, even though this came from my own brain"?

Jennifer McMahon Hi Amy, I LOVE this question! Yes, I scare myself all the time when I'm writing. The truth is, that despite the fact that I make my living writing creepy stories, I'm a big scaredy-cat! There definitely were times when I was writing scenes with the pool that I actually went around turning on lights -- and no way was I going near dark water! When I wrote The Winter People, I was afraid of my own closet. I think that for me, the writing is best when I find a way to tap into my fears and get them down on paper.

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