What happens when you weave together three centuries of women's stories, religious trauma, and a curse that won't let go? Author Kristi DeMeester takes us deep into the haunting world of DARK SISTERS—a multi-generational horror epic that explores shame, rage, and the power of accepting all parts of ourselves.
In this episode, Kristi opens up about her personal journey growing up in fundamentalist religion and mega churches, and how those experiences shaped the themes of religious persecution, purity culture, and feminine rage in her work. She also shares her path to publication, from years of querying and rejection to a life-changing book deal, why she fought writing horror for so long, and why the term "literary horror" isn’t her favorite.
In this episode, you'll learn:
• How journaling became the foundation for Dark Sisters
• How Kristi developed three timelines (the maid, the mother, and the crone) to tell the complete story she needed to tell
• Why accepting all parts of yourself means being willing to see what's wrong and apologize—not just blindly accept
• How Kristi ended up with a "life-changing" book deal after years of rejection
• How horror can offer comfort: even in the most horrific situations
This episode is your sign that you don't need permission to write what scares you, and never give up!
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Show Notes:
Guest: Kristi DeMeester Books Discussed:
• Dark Sisters (latest novel)
• Such A Pretty Smile (Georgia Author of the Year finalist)
• Beneath
• Everything That's Underneath (short fiction collection)
Topics Covered:
• [00:00] Introduction and welcome
• [00:43] Overview of Dark Sisters and its three-timeline structure
• [04:28] The spark that started the story
• [06:38] Growing up in fundamentalist religion and mega churches
• [08:07] Purity culture and purity balls
• [08:19] How Roe v. Wade's overturning influenced the book
• [10:25] The three timelines and working with Kristi's agent
• [13:38] Writing process: alternating timelines vs. writing them separately
• [15:58] Camilla as the character Kristi might have become
• [17:47] Mary as Kristi's favorite character
• [20:09] Themes of anger, acceptance, and compassion
• [23:38] The importance of accepting uncomfortable truths about ourselves
• [26:13] The lore of the Dark Sisters entity
• [32:03] Coming to writing and horror
• [36:39] The comfort found in horror
• [37:21] Thoughts on "literary horror" as a term
• [39:17] The long road to publication
• [42:06] The life-changing book deal for Such A Pretty Smile
• [49:38] Advice for aspiring authors: don't be afraid to keep going
• [51:27] Theme song choice: Eartha Kitt's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy"
• [52:40] Dream casting for a Dark Sisters adaptation
