Taylor Grothe is a neurodivergent (ASD) NB horror writer with an MFA from Fairfield University. Their work has appeared in Haven Speculative, Shortwave Magazine, Coffin Bell, Parents, Verywell Family, Brevity’s writing craft blog, and an anthology published by Bag of Bones Press. Taylor acted as a special editor for the Brevity special issue Trans Experience in 2022. They live in southwestern Connecticut with their spouse, two daughters, a Portuguese Water Dog, and two cats. Hollow is their debut novel.

I had the opportunity to interview Taylor, which you can read below.

First of all, welcome to Geeks OUT! Could you tell us a little about yourself?

Hello! Thank you for having me, I’m happy to be here! I’m Taylor, a horror and dark fantasy author from Connecticut. I have an MFA in creative nonfiction and a BA in fairy tales and folklore. (It’s true! I even got them to write it on my diploma! Though functionally I’m a medieval lit scholar with a concentration in Arthuriana and Nordic Saga). I have three books coming out in the next three years: Hollow, a YA horror about an autistic girl who gets lost in the forest, Lethal Kiss, an adult dark academia horror romance, and Of Auras and Shadows, a YA medieval-ish dark fantasy.

What can you tell us about your debut book, Hollow? What was the inspiration for this story? 

Absolutely! Hollow is about a teen girl, Cassie Davis, who returns to her upstate New York hometown after several years away. In that time, her parents divorced after her autism diagnosis, and most upsettingly, she drifted apart from her friends. She hopes to repair their relationship when they go on a camping trip together, but during a freak storm is separated from the group and ends up in an off-the-grid artist’s compound called The Roost, where she feels like she, for once, truly belongs. But not all is as it seems…

First and foremost, this story was in part inspired by my own childhood. I’m autistic, and I struggle with the same things Cassie does in Hollow. In some ways, I wrote this story for myself—to reckon with the challenges of being neurodivergent in an allistic world. Also, I really love campfire horror stories, which really are nothing more than folktales, and I wanted to see if I could blend my undergrad degree experience with my personal experiences.

As a writer, what drew you to the art of storytelling, particularly young adult fiction and horror/thriller?

I think I’ve always been a writer. My parents have sheaves and sheaves of papers with my writing from when I was a kid. As you probably have already gathered, I am definitely a yapper! I love talking about story: where it comes from, how its built, what makes it impactful. Some of my most formative ideas about story come from being a constant reader in childhood; you can ask my parents: I didn’t sleep, I read! It was a way to manage my anxiety, and I found myself on those pages more surely than I did around my peers. What better way to give back and support kids like the one I was than to write a story that truly sees them?  

As a queer and neurodivergent author reader, what does it mean to you to write such representation into your work?

God, it’s just everything. Especially in this climate, it’s so important neurodivergent and queer kids have authentic, meaningful representation that doesn’t tokenize them or talk down to them. It’s the honor of my life to write stories for them. 

How would you describe your creative process?

Truly, I am the definition of hyperfocus! Writing is my special interest, and when I have the time and energy to write, it is all-consuming. I am a reformed pantser (which is writing stories without a plan) – now I’m deeply obsessed with writing outlines and perfecting the pitch before diving in. Once I do, it becomes tunnel vision until the end.

What are some of your favorite elements of writing? What do you consider some of the most frustrating and/or challenging? 

Oh, how I love editing. I would rather edit than draft, because there’s so much joy in honing a piece to its finest, sharpest edge. Conversely, I truly find drafting a challenge. Wrangling all my ideas on the page in the first place can be hard, which is why I cling so much to my outlines.

As authors, who or what would you say are some of your greatest creative influences and/or sources of inspiration in general?

One of my favorite things to do is sit quietly in a public place and listen to people talk. People are so vastly fascinating to me; hearing the cadence of speech and the construction of conversations provide a good framework for writing natural-sounding scenes. 

Aside from that, I read a lot outside of my genres—I find that constantly bumping up against new material that isn’t exactly like my own gives me so many fun ways to expand my craft. 

What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet but that you wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?

Hm, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked which Arthurian tale is the one I thought about most when writing Hollow! And the answer is Parzival by Wolfram von Eschenbach. It’s a medieval chivalric romance about a child who was raised outside of society and had many, many trials and travails because he never really fit in properly. Eventually, he becomes the hero, of course—but the dissonance there, feeling like an alien in a crowd of people who you’re supposed to identify with? Very Hollow.

What advice might you have to give for any aspiring writers out there?

This answer is oft repeated but bears yet another repetition: read, read, read! Take notes on how stories are built, what themes come up all the time in your genre, make lists of words you like. Study story like you would craft!

Are there any other projects you are working on and at liberty to speak about?

I’m so very excited to talk about Lethal Kiss and Of Auras and Shadows! A little about each: 

Lethal Kiss is a sapphic dark academia horror romance about an undead draugr, a revenant from Scandinavian myth, and a mortal woman, both assistant professors at a prestigious university, who uncover a slew of bodies and race against time to find out who—and why—is committing murders, complicated by their growing feelings for one another. It comes out from TOR Nightfire in fall 2026!

Of Auras and Shadows is a sapphic YA dark fantasy for fans of A Dark and Drowning Tide and The Witcher, about a chronically ill girl who falls through one of her migraine auras into another plane where she feels no pain—where she meets an alluring, sharp-edged girl—and inadvertently places herself in the crosshairs of a secular cult hellbent on eliminating disability no matter the cost. It comes out from Peachtree Teen in Spring 2027!

Finally, what books/authors would you recommend to the readers of Geeks OUT? 

Books that are already out: 

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez

A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand

In the Veins of the Drowning by Kalie Cassidy

Lord of Ruin by K.M. Enright 

Books coming soon:

The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino 

Savage Blooms by S.T. Gibson

This Raging Sea by De Elizabeth