FINALIST: Gothic Revival.

Gothic Revival.

The Psychological Thriller Inspired by the Creation of Frankenstein

Chris, Anne, Fiona, and Lauren were inseparable friends while earning MFAs in Creative Writing. Years later they've grown apart and are surprised to receive an invitation to a reunion from the fifth member of their group, Eric, a successful screenwriter. Eric flies them to a remote lake villa where he reveals his new obsession: their group is a modern version of the famous one from Villa Diodati in 1816, the iconic literary event during which Frankenstein was created. Chris and Anne are their Percy and Mary Shelley. The free-spirited artist Fiona is like Claire Clairmont. Instead of Dr. Polidori, they have Lauren, PhD in Victorian History. That leaves Eric, the Hollywood player, as Lord Byron. Like Byron, Eric proposes they write ghost stories, an homage to their famous predecessors. Laughter, creativity, and reminiscence are soon replaced with deceit, suspicion, and fear. What is the self-proclaimed clairvoyant Fiona seeing and hearing? Why does Eric lie? What does the creepy old housekeeper know about their host? Tensions grow as relationships are tested until a shocking discovery reveals the true intention for the reunion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MICHAEL MULLIN

My author career began with a twisted fairytale retelling about the unknown 8th dwarf which turned into a trilogy of such tales. Over the years I've received book awards and industry recognition for which I'm very grateful. I'm currently working on a business plan for an educational company that uses the fairytale trilogy, TaleSpins, as curriculum to teach things like empathy and anti-bullying.

I've written marketing materials for the merch divisions of Disney, DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox, and Universal, but I gave all that up because I was tired of selling people junk that was just going to end up in a landfill. Before I was a writer, I was a preschool teacher and college professor, two positions I found disconcertingly similar.

Interview with Michael Mullin.

Tell us a little about your book.

MM: Gothic Revival is a story of connection and deception. After almost twenty years, five friends from a grad school writing program reunite at a remote villa. The weekend getaway is organized by Eric, the one in the group who became a successful Hollywood screenwriter. His current obsession is that their group is a modern version of the one from the Villa Diodati in 1816 that included Mary Shelley and Lord Byron. During that iconic event, Byron proposed a ghost-story writing contest, and Mary came up with the idea that became Frankenstein.

Anne and Chris are the couple; Fiona is the artistic free spirit; Lauren’s PhD makes her the doctor, leaving the famous, philandering Eric as their Byron. As an homage, Eric inspires them to return to their writing roots and each produce a ghost story. Soon, however, the four guests start to realize all is not as it seems, and that the true reason for the reunion contains a dark, elusive secret.

What was your inspiration for the idea?

MM: I’ve always been a fan of the classic, gothic stories like Frankenstein, Dracula, Jekyll & Hyde, House of Usher and such. Sometime last year I came across a reference to Mary Shelley and the Villa Diodati and started poking around, refreshing my memory of that fascinating story. I rewatched the mid-80s movie Gothic with Natasha Richardson and Gabriel Byrne. I remember liking it in college, but it was quite bad. I can’t say it was unwatchable, because I watched it. Twice! I also reread Frankenstein, which held up much better.

My previous novel is a modernday retelling of Hamlet, so I found myself starting there. What would a retelling of the Diodati event be like? Of course, Gothic Revival is not a retelling. The host character, Eric, inspires his old friends to write ghost stories, which has proven to be a good set-up for my readers. I knew I could write about adults who got MFAs in Creative Writing long ago, because I’m one of them.

What was the experience of writing this book like for you?

MM: Gothic Revival was a return to fiction writing for me. I hadn’t published (or written) a book in 7 years. I took my time with it, carefully shaping and placing each brick. I’m a brutal self-editor so nothing was sacred. Minor characters and entire plotlines were cut in revisions. The challenge of making it all work is one of the things I like best about writing, so the experience of this, my most challenging novel by far, was fun and rewarding.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned while writing this?

MM: Besides the fact that I could still do it?

What is the one thing you hope readers take away reading this book?

MM: The trifecta of success for me is readers who are engaged, entertained, and surprised. If they think about the characters and events after they’ve finished reading, that’s a bonus.

What are you working on next?

MM: My next novel is another thriller in which a poor, impulsive decision made by a group of friends turns lives upside down and attracts the attention of a serial killer with whom the media is obsessed.

READ AN EXCERPT

The conversation lagged into silence, then Lauren said to Eric: “So, are you going to tell us why we’re really here? ... Or should I?” She dipped her chin at him and raised one eyebrow, a skill they’d all always admired.

Eric’s mouth opened slowly in surprise then stretched into a smile. “You got my clue,” he said to her.

“I did,” said Lauren.

“Of course you did,” said Eric letting the smile linger. Chris, Anne, and Fiona looked at each other. What was going on? What clue?

“The floor is yours,” Eric told Lauren with as much of a theatrical bow as he could manage while sitting down. Lauren turned to the others. “Our dear old friend has brought us here so that we may each write an original ghost story.”

“Cool,” said Chris, who immediately felt embarrassed that he was the only one with a reaction, let alone a vocal one. But was this true? This weekend was going to be about writing?

Lauren continued: “It seems Gregor recognizes some parallels between our little group and the famous literary one from 1816 that included Mary Shelley in a different villa.” Then she teased Eric: “You didn’t want to fly us to Switzerland?”

“I considered it,” Eric said as if in his own defense. “But too difficult, logistically.”

“You mean the story where she came up with Frankenstein?” asked Anne. As Lauren nodded, Eric stood up and took over. “Exactly,” he said.

He moved like a stage magician, although Chris feared Anne might be thinking carnival barker. “It’s an iconic tale in the literature world,” Eric declared, “and now it’s our turn. As Brontë pointed out, our group is just like theirs. It’s uncanny!” He motioned to Chris and Anne.

“The couple. Percy and Mary Shelley.” He moved to the couch and sat between Fiona and Lauren, taking a hand from each of them. He raised Fiona’s and kissed it. “Our free-spirited Claire Clairmont.” When he raised Lauren’s hand, he encountered what looked like resistance, so he only pretended to kiss it, his lips inches away from her skin. “And our doctor. Not of medicine – what use would we have for that? No, we have in our midst, in our inseparable family, a PhD in ... wait for it ... Victorian History! What could be more perfect?”

“So that makes you Lord Byron?” Lauren asked as he released her hand.

“By default, yes,” Eric said with a shrug. “Although similarities could be argued there, too. I have – how shall we say? – entangled myself in a number of relationships, some more lengthy and serious than others. I have what some would call fame while others might see it as notoriety.”

“Exiled?” asked Lauren.

“Not yet,” Eric replied with a wink.